A high-profile St. Louis primary
And: The veepstakes continue.
Good morning! It’s Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Election Day is 91 days away.
Vice President Kamala Harris officially became the Democratic presidential nominee last night, after the party’s virtual roll call came to an end. 99% of Democratic delegates voted for Harris, who is the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket.
Harris is set to appear with her running mate at a rally at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 5:30 p.m. ET today. According to The Associated Press, Harris has made her decision, although it has yet to leak.
The pick is widely expected to be to either Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro or Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. According to Politico Playbook, most top Democrats now believe it will be Walz, an “11th-hour shift in expectations” — although one that could still prove incorrect.
1. If it’s Tuesday…
Somebody’s voting somewhere, as NBC’s Chuck Todd likes to say. Today, the top election to watch is in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) entered Congress in 2020, defeating a 10-term Democratic incumbent — whose father had held the seat for 16 terms before him — in an upset primary victory. Four years later, she’s the one threatened by a primary challenge, as St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell seeks to oust the progressive “Squad” member.
Bell and Bush both rose to prominence as part of the Black Lives Matter movement that sprung up after the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teen, in Ferguson, Missouri: Bush as a leader of the protests, Bell as a reform prosecutor who defeated the prosecutor who declined to prosecute the white police officer who shot and killed Brown.
The two candidates have few major policy differences — although a wide gulf has emerged between them on Middle East policy. Bush, a leading Israel critic, was the first member of Congress to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. According to The New York Times, she declined to call Hamas a terrorist group in a recent public appearance. “We were called terrorists during Ferguson,” she said. “Have they hurt people? Absolutely. Has the Israeli military hurt people? Absolutely.”
Bell, meanwhile, has received the backing of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its super PAC, which has poured more than $8 million into the St. Louis race. Following the model laid out by the June defeat of Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) — another “Squad” member who faced an AIPAC-funded primary challenge — much of the advertising against Bush does not mention Israel, instead focusing on a constellation of controversies surrounding the incumbent.
As with Bowman, Bush’s vote against several of the Biden administration’s legislative priorities, including the bipartisan infrastructure package, has been a main point of the advertising. Also like Bowman, Bush’s critics have also emphasized her status as the target of a federal investigation, which is examining allegations that she misused campaign funds to benefit her husband.
Bush’s campaign has used similar lines of attack against Bell, also noting his past breaks with party orthodoxy (he once managed a Republican’s congressional campaign) and legal troubles (he faces a discrimination lawsuit trial over his office’s hiring practices).
Another race to watch: Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), one of the two House Republicans who remains in Congress after voting to impeach Donald Trump, faces primary challenges from two Trump-endorsed opponents. (The former president opted to endorse both of Newhouse’s rivals.)
2. More news to know
Japan’s share benchmark soars nearly 11% a day after massive sell-offs that shook Wall Street / AP
Google is an illegal monopoly, federal court rules / WaPo
Justice Thomas Failed to Reveal More Private Flights, Senator Says / NYT
Pelosi says she has not spoken to Biden since he dropped out of the race / CNN
Trump hikes Mar-a-Lago membership to $1M, raising concerns of selling access / The Guardian
January 6 rioter ‘QAnon Shaman’ to get his headdress and spear back, judge rules / CNN
3. The day ahead
Biden: The president has nothing on his public schedule.
Harris: The VP will appear with her VP pick at 5:30 p.m. ET in Philadelphia.
Congress: The House and Senate are both on recess.
Trump: The former president has nothing on his schedule.
Vance: The GOP vice presidential candidate will also appear in Philadelphia, delivering remarks to the press at 12 p.m. ET.
The choice is Walz. Wholesome vibes.