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MaddowBlog

From The Rachel Maddow Show

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Committee Winter meeting in Philadelphia, on Feb. 3, 2023.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Committee Winter meeting in Philadelphia, on Feb. 3, 2023. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP - Getty Images file

Monday’s Campaign Round-Up, 9.11.23

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

By Steve Benen

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign has launched a $25 million, 16-week television and digital campaign, overwhelmingly aimed at the swing-state voters. As a Washington Post report explained, this isn’t altogether normal by contemporary standards: “[T]he Biden campaign has decided to buck precedent by launching a major advertising buy sooner than Barack Obama or Donald Trump, the last two presidents to run for reelection.”

* As Republican presidential candidates race to convince GOP primary voters of their extremism on immigration issues, Vivek Ramaswamy is breaking new ground: The entrepreneur is prepared to deport American citizens if their parents are undocumented.

* In case you missed the announcement on Friday, Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, among the most successful House speakers in modern history, will seek re-election next year in her San Francisco-area congressional district.

* A fascinating observation from Semafor’s Dave Weigel: “For the first time since 2016, no Democratic incumbent in Congress has a credible primary challenger on the left.”

* In the state of Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee is stepping down after three terms, and the Democratic incumbent has chosen his preferred successor: State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, one of several Democrats running in next year’s gubernatorial race, picked up Inslee’s endorsement over the weekend.

* No Labels has already faced criticisms from Democrats, and it won’t help that a major Republican donor and former Donald Trump backer is now working with the No Labels operation ahead of the 2024 cycle.

* In related news, Sen. Bill Cassidy appeared on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” yesterday and said he’d be open to outreach as No Labels looks for candidates to run on a presidential ticket. “If they came and spoke to me, I would certainly speak to them back,” the Louisiana Republican said. Larry Hogan, Maryland’s former Republican governor, made related comments on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” last weekend.

Steve Benen

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."