Good morning. The political week ends much as it began.
President Joe Biden took a battery of questions from the White House press corps for nearly an hour last night. There were slipups, drawn-out answers and pauses that will fuel those trying to push him from the 2024 race. But there were also comprehensive answers to foreign policy questions and humility about his political predicament that could buy him more time to right his campaign. Biden heads to Michigan today as the Democratic soul-searching plays out. The president gave no indication he’ll exit imminently but didn’t slam the door shut to reevaluating that decision at some point. As the AP reports , Biden recognized that the scrutiny won’t end with one press conference. “I’m determined on running but I think it's important that I allay fears — let them see me out there,” he said. All in all, Democrats are stuck in the same rut they’ve been for about two weeks and counting as Donald Trump lays low ahead of the Republican Party’s nominating convention next week.
Minnesota’s Democratic elected leaders didn’t put out fresh statements right away. So it’s hard to tell if their thinking about Biden’s standing in the race has changed. There were additional calls from Democrats elsewhere for Biden to withdraw. So far, only Rep. Angie Craig has made that call among Minnesota Democrats. It appears that Democrats sticking their necks out will get some donor backup, according to this report.
Ballot deadlines are adding urgency for Democrats weighing Biden’s fitness to run. While Democrats are split on whether Biden staying in the race is the path forward, they agree on at least one thing — the decision needs to be made quickly to meet state ballot deadlines, avoid potential legal challenges by Republicans and avoid confusion for voters. If Biden bows out before he officially becomes the nominee, legal experts say replacing him should be more straightforward. Biden is set to become the nominee on Aug. 5 through a virtual roll call process, two weeks before the Democratic National Convention. That’s because Ohio election law requires the presidential ballot to be certified by Aug. 7. You can read a breakdown of the potential path ahead here.
The first absentee and ballot numbers ahead of the August primary are in. As of yesterday morning, 9,221 absentee ballots had been mailed back for the Aug. 13 primary. The Minnesota Secretary of State's office says more than 193,000 absentee ballot applications have been requested or are being processed. Registered voters can cast their ballots for Republican and Democratic primaries in numerous state and federal races by voting early in-person or by requesting a ballot through the mail. The widest-reaching statewide primary is for the U.S. Senate. Eight Republicans are vying for their party's nomination while four Democrats are challenging incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Ballots have to be received ahead of 8 p.m. on Aug. 13. Voters can track their ballot on the secretary of state's website.
In the matter of Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal conviction, he’s making a new attempt to get it tossed out. Trump’s legal team is employing the U.S. Supreme Court’s immunity ruling to argue the conviction was flawed. Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts and was supposed to be sentenced yesterday, but that was delayed as the judge and lawyers analyzed the impact of the high court’s ruling. More legal filings will come later this month.
Trump’s vice presidential pick could come at any time. Various reports suggest the frontrunners are Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. It could be somebody else. We’ll have special coverage of the announcement when Trump makes his pick. The nominee will hit the stage at the Republican convention next Wednesday for his or her debut.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez filed articles of impeachment against Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas this week. AOC accused the justices of improperly failing to disclose gifts from wealthy benefactors and to recuse themselves from certain cases before the Supreme Court that involved former President Donald Trump and his allies. Justice Thomas’ wife, Ginny Thomas, advocated for efforts to overturn the 2020 election and there have been questions about flags flown outside Justice Alito’s home that some see as tied to the election resistance. The chance that the impeachment advances through the Republican-controlled House is nearly impossible, but some Democrats say they must make a case against the justices in the court of public opinion. Democrats say they have concerns with the court’s conservative supermajority and believe it could be a motivating issue for voters. | 