Playbook: The 2024 candidate Dems should fear

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With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

DRIVING THE DAY

WHAT RYAN LIZZA IS READING — Alex Burns’ latest column: “Yes, the Monarchy Is Absurd. So Why Can’t I Quit King Charles?”

NEW THIS MORNING — NBC’s Mike Memoli and Kristen Welker have details on first lady JILL BIDEN’s trip to London for tomorrow’s coronation: “With his wife set to attend King Charles’ coronation, Biden sends a message to a key ally”

JUST POSTED — “How Rep. James Clyburn Protected His District at a Cost to Black Democrats,” by ProPublica’s Marilyn Thompson: “Facing the possibility of an unsafe district, South Carolina’s most powerful Democrat sent his aide to consult with the GOP on a redistricting plan that diluted Black voting strength and harmed his party’s chances of gaining seats in Congress.”

SUNSHINE STATE SCOOP — “Abortion rights groups take on DeSantis and his six-week ban,” by Sally Goldenberg and Megan Messerly: “Planned Parenthood is launching an effort to put abortion on the Florida ballot next year — setting the stage for a high-profile battle with Republican Gov. RON DeSANTIS as he prepares to run for president. … The multi-million-dollar initiative, the details of which were confirmed to POLITICO ahead of an announcement next week, would roll back one of DeSantis’ signature policies by allowing abortion until a fetus is viable at about 24 weeks of pregnancy.”

THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: ASA HUTCHINSON — Not so long ago, if a former U.S. attorney, congressman and successful two-term governor ran for president in the GOP primary, they would be considered a top-tier presidential candidate.

But it’s 2023, and ASA HUTCHINSON, who just wrapped up eight years running Arkansas, is polling at one percent against a field dominated by DONALD TRUMP and DeSantis.

A lot has been said about Hutchinson’s willingness to take on Trump. On Tuesday, he wrote a piece for CNN in which he said Trump “has led us astray,” “undermined the fabric of our democracy” and is emblematic of bad leaders who are “focused only on themselves or on settling scores with political opponents.”

But the extent to which Hutchinson is offering something completely different than Trump goes well beyond those critiques.

If you talk to Democratic strategists about what kind of candidate they fear in 2024, there are a few things on their checklist:

  • Someone who knows how to speak in the language of inclusion
  • Someone who can discuss abortion and guns in a way that doesn’t alienate suburban voters in states such as Arizona, Wisconsin and Georgia
  • Someone who has a record of standing up to his own party on certain issues dominating the culture wars
  • Someone who can argue that he or she has almost as much governing experience as JOE BIDEN himself, but is still younger
  • Someone who handled the pandemic in their state in a way that avoided some of the most unpopular decisions of both Democrats and Republicans
  • And someone who spends a lot of their time explaining to Republicans why the GOP should leave Trump in the past.

Could that kind of a person actually win the Republican primary? Well, nobody would put money on that right now.

But Asa Hutchinson sounds an awful lot like that imaginary candidate that Democrats fear. We caught up with him on Wednesday after he returned to his hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, following a swing through Iowa. You can listen to the entire interview here in the latest episode of the Playbook Deep Dive podcast. Some key excerpts:

Hutchinson on violent right-wing extremism: “These right-wing extremist groups — first of all, they’re fed with grievances. And whenever you have a charismatic leader that attracts those with grievances against the institutions, against society, and you blame the government or an institution [for] it, and then you build in the violence and the racial, just hatred aspect of it, it’s just a boiling pot, and it could pour over the pot any time into violence. … It’s something that is part of human nature — that whenever you are aggrieved or you feel like you’re a victim, you try to find somebody to blame or an institution to blame. And if the conspiracy theories are fomented and spread … a certain element of those turn violent.”

On his decision to veto a bill that banned medical care for transgender minors: “Well, I hope it showcases to people that I think for myself. I try to follow the Constitution. … Whenever you look at health care decisions — whether you’re thinking about whether the children should be vaccinated or whether the children should have other kinds of health care — I think there’s a limited role of the state. And so if it had been a bill that focused on the extreme, such as transgender or gender reassignment surgery, I would have signed a reasonable bill in a minute. But the extreme bill that I viewed as unconstitutional didn’t have a grandfather clause, and took away parental decision making. I said it was a step too far.”

On abortion: “I’m okay with it being resolved at the state level. The states are making their own determination on those health care issues. But if it came to a national policy on it, then I would want to have more restrictions that are reasonable restrictions and then also have reasonable exceptions.”

On whether he’d sign a federal abortion ban: “I want … reasonable exceptions in place. I want to see what Congress does. And the practical fact is that unless you have a [congressional] supermajority of Republicans or Democrats, it’s not going to pass; it’s not going to get on the president’s desk, and it’s going to continue to be resolved at the state level.”

On marijuana: “I think having medical marijuana is something that’s going to be with us and makes some sense. It does provide relief. … I don’t like the idea of going further and just simply legalizing. … [But] our democracy is not going to fall if they did legalize marijuana.”

On DeSantis’ war on Disney: “While many of us disagree with Disney — [and] I certainly disagree with Disney on some of their leftist social policies — it’s not the role of government to punish them and attack them for it — the same way I wouldn’t want California and a left-leaning government to go after conservative businesses. … Let’s support the creation of jobs, let’s support free speech; don’t punish [a] business because we disagree with them.”


On his takeaway from the Clinton impeachment: “The whole lesson is that we should not treat impeachment lightly. It has to be a serious matter. And I don’t like the idea of [pursuing it] just because we have a disagreement on policy.”

On his (quaintly) civil view of politics: “To me, how we approach politics should be: We have our disagreements. We fight hard for our cause and our beliefs. But, you know, we don’t impugn somebody’s integrity; we don’t impugn somebody’s motives and say they ‘hate America.’ You know: BILL CLINTON cares about people; we just have a different way of approaching solutions.”

On a second Trump term: “I do believe that a second term of the Trump presidency is not good for America. I think it would be more about him versus, you know, what’s the right direction for our party and our country.”

On why he thinks he has a shot: “Sure, it’s a long shot. But, you know, I do duck hunting. I like duck hunting. And my best shot is a long shot. I could hit that bird from a long ways away. It’s the most unpredictable political environment in my lifetime — you know, what happens to Donald Trump, and his ups and downs [in] the polls, remains to be seen. We’ve already seen another leader who was a frontrunner, actually — you know, Governor DeSantis — virtually collapse in the polls. And so [voters are] going to be looking for an alternative. And Iowa’s wide open for looking at alternatives.”

Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line with your odds on a Hutchinson victory in the GOP primary: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

TALK OF THIS TOWN — Michael Schaffer’s latest Capital City column: “What Happens When Leftists Call Trumpists Kindred Spirits? All Hell Breaks Loose”

THE FRIDAY READ — “Vladimir Putin’s Shadow Empire of Vodka,” by Mark Lawrence Schrad

ANOTHER SCOTUS BOMBSHELL — The latest reporting on Supreme Court Justice CLARENCE THOMAS’ ties outside the court comes from WaPo’s Emma Brown, Shawn Boburg and Jonathan O’Connell. LEONARD LEO, the conservative judicial activist, reportedly arranged for Thomas’ wife VIRGINIA “to be paid tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work just over a decade ago, specifying that her name be left off billing paperwork.

The details: “In January 2012, Leo instructed the GOP pollster KELLYANNE CONWAY to bill a nonprofit group he advises and use that money to pay Virginia ‘Ginni’ Thomas, the documents show. The same year, the nonprofit, the Judicial Education Project, filed a brief to the Supreme Court in a landmark voting rights case.” Leo then told Conway that “he wanted her to ‘give’ Ginni Thomas ‘another $25K,’ the documents show. He emphasized that the paperwork should have ‘No mention of Ginni, of course.’”

Related read: “Justices’ quiet response to ethics crisis reveals a lesson in PR management,” by Kierra Frazier

Helpful link: “A brief timeline of Clarence Thomas’s ethics questions,” by WaPo’s Aaron Blake

DRIVING THE NEWS NEXT WEEK — “‘Living in anarchy’: Migrants wait in Mexico one week before the end of Title 42,” by NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico … “Senators Make Long-Shot Bid to Extend Expulsion Authority as Expiration Looms,” by NYT’s Karoun Demirjian

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PLAYBOOK READS

THE WHITE HOUSE

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU? — Biden is expected to tap Gen. C.Q. BROWN to succeed Gen. MARK MILLEY as the next Joint Chiefs chair, our colleagues Lara Seligman, Paul McLeary and Alexander Ward report. Though no official decision has been made, a former DoD official said that they expect Biden to stick to a more traditional timeline — perhaps later this month — for nominating a replacement for Milley. Brown is currently the Air Force’s top officer, the first Black person to lead any branch of the military and would be only the second Black Joint Chiefs chair after the late COLIN POWELL.

CONGRESS

DEMS’ DIFI DILEMMA — “Despite renewed focus on Feinstein’s health, details of her condition are scarce,” by L.A. Times’ Melanie Mason, Benjamin Oreskes and Cameron Joseph.

PETER MULLER, Feinstein’s state director: “Sen. [CHUCK] SCHUMER may have more information than I do, but we have not provided any guidance to suggest that she will be back next week, other than she wants to be back.”

Former Sen. BARBARA BOXER (D-Calif.): “Should there be transparency? I say yes. I think it’s better for the people who voted for you, who put their trust in you,’ Boxer said.”

WHAT THE GRAY LADY THINKS — “Dianne Feinstein Has to Act,” by the NYT editorial board: “If she cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and to her constituents, she should resign and turn over her responsibilities to an appointed successor. If she is unable to reach that decision on her own, Mr. Schumer, the majority leader, and other Democratic senators should make it clear to her and the public how important it is that she do so.”

SOUND OFF — “Former SecDefs blast senator over ‘irresponsible’ nomination holds,” by the Army Times’ Leo Shane III: Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) “began his holds in March. They now include about 200 general and flag officers awaiting promotion and new assignments, plus several civilian Defense Department nominees. In a letter to Senate leaders, the group of former defense secretaries called the move ‘irresponsible and uncaring’ and urged resolution to the issue.”

Signing the letter: JIM MATTIS, MARK ESPER, CHUCK HAGEL, LEON PANETTA, ROBERT GATES, WILLIAM COHEN and WILLIAM PERRY.

SANTOS SKATES — “George Santos appears to be cleared of charges of sexual harassment,” by Semafor’s Kadia Goba

LEDE OF THE DAY — “Sen. ROGER MARSHALL showed some of his Senate colleagues a video of the mating ritual of the lesser prairie chicken. Now, he said, everyone is talking about them.” More from The Kansas City Star’s Daniel Desrochers

MORE POLITICS

THE NEW GOP STAFFER PIPELINE — “Former Trump campaign staffer subpoenaed by DOJ is now working for House committee on elections,” by Heidi Przybyla and Zach Montellaro: “The House Administration Committee’s employment roster shows THOMAS LANE is earning a $155,000 salary in his role as elections counsel. … After the election, the FBI subpoenaed him for his records at his Virginia home as part of efforts to understand the former president’s plot to send fake electors to Washington, The Washington Post and others reported.”

YOUR N.C. GOP FRONTRUNNER — CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck unearth a “long history” of remarks “viciously mocking and attacking” survivors of the 2018 Parkland shooting by North Carolina Lt. Gov. MARK ROBINSON, the frontrunner to be the state’s GOP gubernatorial nominee in 2024.

The details: “In posts after the shooting, Robinson called the students ‘spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN,’ ‘spoiled little bastards,’ and ‘media prosti-tots.’ … Robinson’s comments about the school shooting survivors were frequently personal, mocking their appearance and intelligence.”

THE GREEN IN THE BLUEGRASS — “Kelly Craft has loaned herself $10M in run for governor. Here are the numbers,” by the Louisville Courier Journal’s Joe Sonka

TRUMP CARDS

HIDE AND SEEK AND INVESTIGATE — “Justice Dept. Intensifying Efforts to Determine if Trump Hid Documents,” by NYT’s Maggie Haberman, Adam Goldman, Alan Feuer, Ben Protess and Michael Schmidt: “Federal prosecutors investigating former President Donald J. Trump’s handling of classified documents have obtained the confidential cooperation of a person who has worked for him at Mar-a-Lago, part of an intensifying effort to determine whether Mr. Trump ordered boxes containing sensitive material moved out of a storage room there as the government sought to recover it last year, multiple people familiar with the inquiry said.”

GOING FEDERAL — “Legal Moves in Trump Case Reveal Challenges of Prosecuting a President,” by NYT’s Jonah Bromwich, Ben Protess and William Rashbaum: “Lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump sought to have his hush-money case moved to federal court, even as the judge in the case scheduled his trial for early next year.”

2024 WATCH

JUST POSTED — “‘Ron DeSoros’? Conspiracy Theorists Target Trump’s Rival,” by NYT’s Stuart Thompson: “As [DeSantis] explores a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, he has made overtures to supporters of former President Donald J. Trump. But he is finding that the conspiracy theories and outlandish attacks that Mr. Trump and his allies have aimed at rivals for years are coming for him as well.”

HALEY PUSHES BACK — “On the Trail in South Carolina, Haley Says, ‘Yes, I Am in My Prime’,” by NYT’s Maya King: “NIKKI HALEY’S supporters are quick to repeat a theme that has become central to her campaign: She has been underestimated before.”

POLICY CORNER

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The CIA sent two messages yesterday to its entire workforce telling them to preserve all records that could be relevant to the agency’s handling of allegations of sexual assault and harassment, two people familiar with the matter told Daniel Lippman. The messages had similar demands: one came from the CIA’s inspector general about their investigation, while the other was from the agency’s general counsel’s office and concerned records that the House intelligence committee might want for its own investigation on the topic. In a statement to POLITICO, a CIA official said that the agency is “committed to fully supporting these investigations.” Lippman scooped two weeks ago that the committee was investigating the agency over the issue.

WHO’S AT DEFAULT — “Officials warn that China, Russia will exploit chaos if U.S. defaults,” by WaPo’s Amy Wang

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

HEADS UP — National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN is planning a trip to Saudi Arabia this weekend, while Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN is preparing for a visit in June, Bloomberg’s Annmarie Hordern and Iain Marlow scoop, writing that the dual travel is a “new sign of the administration’s determination to smooth over rocky ties with the kingdom.”

THE ECONOMY

RINGING THE ALARMS — “These Charts Show How Concerned Investors Are About the U.S. Debt-Limit,” by Bloomberg’s Alex Harris

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

ALL IN THE FAMILY — Behind the Montana state legislature’s hard-right lurch is one family, NYT’s Mike Baker and Jacey Fortin report: KEITH, AMY and MATT REGIER all hold leadership positions and have helped drive bills targeting transgender people and the in-person ousting of state Rep. ZOOEY ZEPHYR. The Flathead Valley-based family’s “similar brand of unflinching conservatism” has gained power and momentum with Republicans in Helena on everything from abortion to the pandemic. They’ve primaried more moderate Republicans. Critics say they’ve also enforced an approach that brooks no compromise and has appealed to extremist militias in the area. But the Regiers are winning in Montana.

YIKES — “Governor’s Wife Denied Trooper a Room to Pump Breast Milk, Suit Charges,” by NYT’s Tracey Tully: “New Jersey’s first lady denied a state trooper access to a carriage house to pump milk because of ‘optics,’ a lawsuit against the State Police says.”

SUNDAY SO FAR …

ABC “This Week”: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen … Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Susan Page and Julie Pace.

CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) … Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.). Panel: Marc Short, Jonah Goldberg, Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) and Karen Finney.

CNN “Inside Politics”: Panel: Jeremy Diamond, Seung Min Kim, Tamara Keith and Ramesh Ponnuru.

FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott … Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) … Deepak Chopra. Panel: Francesca Chambers, Newt Gingrich, Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham.

NBC “Meet the Press”: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Asa Hutchinson. Panel: Sara Fagen, Garrett Haake, María Teresa Kumar and Mark Leibovich.

MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo … St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones.

PLAYBOOKERS

Ted Cruz called his thrice-weekly podcast hosting gig a “critical part of the job” as a senator.

Wiley Nickel’s new PAC? Coyote, of course.

Jon Tester thought he was incognito while on the Hill.

Andrew Gillum was found not guilty of lying to the FBI.

Adam Schiff tried to learn the ways of the Fourth. Mike Lee did too (kind of).

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Andrea Flores is leaving Sen. Robert Menendez’s (D-N.J.) office, where she has served as chief counsel. Flores, a Biden White House alum, starts in June as VP of immigration policy for FWD.us.

TRANSITIONS — Rikki Miller is now senior comms director for Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.). She most recently was comms director for Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.). … Daniel West is now legislative director for Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.). He previously was legislative assistant and coalitions coordinator at SBA Pro-Life America.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Matt Foley, director of government affairs for Niagara Bottling and Natalie Foley, executive assistant at WilmerHale, yesterday welcomed Thomas John Foley, who came in at 10 lbs, 4 oz.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: WaPo’s Dan Balz … POLITICO’s Alex Guillén and Francesca Barber … Mark McKinnon of Showtime’s “The Circus” … White House’s Dan Hornung and Terry Moynihan … Whitney Robertson of the House Republican whip’s office … Mike Dorning of Bloomberg News … Dustin Walker of Anduril Industries … ABC’s Rachel Scott … Sacha Haworth of the Tech Oversight Project … Treasury’s Jenna Valle-Riestra … NARAL Pro-Choice America’s Neisha Blandin … Brian Williams … NBC’s Diana Paulsen … former Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas) … Danielle Stewart … Rachel Wein … AP’s David Sharp … Amanda Zamora … Star Cypress Partners’ Zach Huebschman … Ann Saybolt … Christine Pelosi … Morgan Pehme … Lulu Cheng Meservey … West End Strategy Team’s Blake Goodman (24) … Axios’ Ryan Heath … Raghav Joshi of Voters of Tomorrow

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