Democrats to Bring Chicago Hype Home: What to Know in Washington

There’s a Chicago fire brewing around Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention, and House Democrats aim to stoke it all the way home . But first, you should know:

• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to take another shot at the filibuster to push through voting rights legislation.
• Bob Menendez will likely be replaced with an interim appointee on powerful Senate committees with influence over big banks, taxes and foreign affairs.
• Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) trounced his primary opponent in Florida.

House Dems Aim to Bring Chicago Hype Home

Democrats charged with reclaiming the House majority are working to weaponize the hype around Kamala Harris in their toughest district battlegrounds.

From speeches at the Democratic National Convention to events around Chicago highlighting issues in key districts, Democrats hope the Harris momentum will bring voters left and to the polls in close districts. Party leaders think the cash and energy drawn to her orbit will benefit even moderate incumbents keeping their distance.

“The momentum you see here in Chicago reflects the energy that we’re seeing across the country with our candidates and with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz at the top of the ticket,” House Democrat campaign arm leader Suzan DelBene (Wash.) said.

But translating enthusiasm from ardent supporters to casual voters won’t be like rousing a captured convention audience. Republicans have an eight-seat advantage in the House with 22 seats rated “toss up” by the Cook Political Report. Control will come down to a handful of districts, including in California and New York, where Republicans picked up seats in 2022.

Leaders expect Harris’ home-state cachet to help topple four California House members in toss-up districts. But Republicans see the same San Francisco ties dragging down Democrats in rural, centrist districts.

“Thursday is the end of the first act, and it’s been a sensational act,” center-left think tank Third Way’s co-founder Jim Kessler said Tuesday. “The second act starts as soon as the convention ends.” Read More

BGOV at the DNC: BGOV’s Congress Tracker crew is in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. Congress Tracker subscribers can stay on top of the event via a special edition Convention Tracker newsletter publishing all week. Read More

And send your tips to BGOV’s Maeve Sheehey ( msheehey@bloombergindustry.com ), Jonathan Tamari ( jtamari@bloombergindustry.com ), and Angela Greiling Keane ( agreilingkeane@bloombergindustry.com ).

Schumer to Target Rules, Taxes if Democrats Win

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is bullish on Democrats’ chances of keeping the Senate, but not by a wide-enough margin to rule out a fight over the filibuster.

Schumer (D-N.Y.) at the party’s Chicago convention Tuesday said he plans to take another shot at weakening or eliminating the filibuster to push through voting rights legislation, campaign donation limits, and congressional redistricting. Schumer said the idea already has support from 48 senators who caucus with Democrats

Also on his list if Democrats win unified government in November: Raising taxes on business, killing a cap on state and local tax deductions, housing aid, reducing carbon emissions, protecting reproductive rights, and immigration legislation. Many of Schumer’s Those plans face steep political and legislative challenges in what’s likely to be a narrowly divided Congress, even if Democrats control either or both chambers. Democrats will have to run the table in competitive Senate races just to hold the chamber by the slimmest of margins.

He’s optimistic about their chances, and said surging support for Vice President Harris could prompt Republican nominee Donald Trump to lose “by more than people think,” shattering his influence with the GOP. Polls still suggest the presidential race remains close. Read More

Gaetz Survives, Montana Will Vote on Abortion

It wasn’t even close. Republicans in Rep. Matt Gaetz’s Florida district voted overwhelmingly to keep him right where he is.

Tuesday’s primary was closely watched because it was the first chance for constituents to have their say since Gaetz led the rebellion that ended the speakership of California’s Kevin McCarthy.

In Alaska’s primary, Rep. Mary Peltola (D) is the runaway No. 1 vote-getter in a 12-candidate primary. Joining her on the November ballot will be Nick Begich III (R), Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R), and one more challenger to be determined. Begich had said that he’d only stay in the race if he did better than Dahlstrom in the primary.

We also have a fresh result from a previous primary: after a recount, former Phoenix Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari emerged the victor by 39 votes and now is on our list of shoo-ins positioned to join the 119th Congress. She’s the new Democratic nominee in the very blue 3rd District. Earlier in her political career she was the first Iranian-American elected to public office in Arizona.

More ballot news comes from Montana, where an abortion-rights question is now certified to go before voters in November. That makes nine states with abortion ballot questions.

Editor’s Picks

New York Democrats Aim to Use Harris’ Surge to Flip House Seats

Democrats only a month ago were so fearful they would suffer big defeats in Congress that they pressured a sitting president off their party’s ticket. Now, they are optimistic they can snare a majority in the House by flipping key seats in New York and California.

For Democrats This Season, Fox News Is Too Big to Ignore

It’s no surprise that the stage of this week’s Democratic National Convention is featuring the party’s biggest names. But some of them are also showing up in an unexpected place: the Fox News studio.

Biden Talking After Prime-Time TV Hours Spurs DNC to Fix Delay

Organizers at the Democratic National Convention vowed schedule and security adjustments after delays marred the first day of their meeting in Chicago, leaving delegates in hours-long lines and President Joe Biden still delivering remarks well after midnight on the East Coast.

Obamas Fire Up Democrats But Warn of Tough Race for Harris

Barack and Michelle Obama delivered blistering critiques of Republican nominee Donald Trump while painting Vice President Kamala Harris as the heir of their historic political legacy in addresses that capped the second night of the Democratic National Convention.

Trump Auditions ‘Common Sense’ as Rivals Lean Into ‘Weird’

Donald Trump cast himself as a purveyor of “common sense” during a trip to Michigan, as he looked to counter a central theme of Democrats’ convention in Chicago: that he and running mate JD Vance are “weird” extremists.

What Else We’re Reading

Menendez Exit Prompts Finance, Foreign Policy Panels Turnover

Senate Democrats will likely replace convicted Sen. Bob Menendez on powerful committees with an interim appointee, briefly elevating a new voice on policy related to big banks, the tax code, entitlements and foreign affairs.

Investors Favor Political Disclosures for Companies, Poll Finds

Voters who are invested in the stock market want more transparency of corporate political spending, according to a new poll.

AI Energy Demands Will Underpin Oil and Gas Industry Messaging

American Petroleum Institute CEO Mike Sommers says AI computing will boost the need for US energy production.

Democrat Cooper Warns of ‘Dangerous’ Content on Musk’s X

Democratic North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he was worried about disinformation on billionaire Elon Musk’s X social-media platform and warned that failing to address the problem could be “dangerous” to democracy ahead of November’s presidential election.

House Democrats Question DOL on Health Insurance Oversight

A pair of Democratic leaders on the House Education and the Workforce Committee are seeking ways to strengthen the Department of Labor’s oversight of third-party health insurance vendors amid backlash against hidden costs associated with various service providers.

Hunter Biden Challenge to Special Prosecutor Tossed in Tax Case

Hunter Biden’s argument that his tax prosecution should be dismissed because the special prosecutor’s appointment violated the appropriations clause was rejected by a federal court.

Arizona’s Top Court Keeps Abortion Rights Measure on Ballot

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an effort to remove an abortion rights measure from the state’s November ballot.

New York’s Vote-by-Mail Law Survives Republicans’ Challenge

New York’s highest court on Tuesday affirmed the state’s no-excuse mail voting law is constitutional, allowing residents to mail in their ballots for the November election.

To contact the reporter on this story: Giuseppe Macri in Washington at gmacri@bgov.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Katrice Eborn at keborn@bgov.com