THE SHOW NOTES: DeSantis/Trump Fundraising, New Polling Averages, The War on Science and the CDC
Welcome! Freedom Caucus members voted to oust Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
WATCH: Kamala Harris gave another word-salad speech about time.
OUTRAGE: CDC gives guidance for trans people 'chestfeeding' kids, accused of failing to consider possible health risks - Fox News
HEADLINE: Man who served as interpreter in Afghanistan, escaped after Taliban takeover, killed in DC working as Lyft driver - WUSA
DATA: Cannabis Is Linked to Mental Illness - WSJ (paywall)
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Fundraising & Polling
Ron DeSantis earned the “largest first-quarter filing from any non-incumbent Republican candidate in more than a decade” according to his campaign. The $20 million haul in the first six weeks of the campaign means DeSantis World has around $150 million in cash on hand. Trump and his Super PAC combined raised $35 million in Q2 of 2023.
Polling: Despite impressive fundraising numbers from DeSantis, the polling remains a blowout. Trump holds a 32.1% lead over the second place DeSantis in the RCP Polling Averages while all other candidates remain in single digits.
History: Here’s where polling averages were at during the same point of previous Republican primary fights. In 2015, Jeb Bush led the field by 5.8%. Mitt Romney was ahead by 13.7% in 2011 while Rudy Giuliani led in July of 2007 by 7.5%.
Debate: Questions are beginning to circulate about who exactly will be at the first GOP debate on August 23rd in Milwaukee. The criteria put forth by the RNC require a minimum of 1% polling in three quality polls and 40,000 individual donors. So far only Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy claim to have qualified. Trump remains noncommital on participating in the debate.
Biden: Meanwhile, Joe Biden is drastically behind on setting up his 2024 campaign apparatus according to new reporting from Politico. Here’s the quote that matters, “The president has hired fewer than 20 campaign aides. His team hasn’t yet announced a 2024 headquarters. His first political rally this year was paid for by other organizations.”
Ouch: While the campaign claims the “frugality is no accident” Biden’s stingy campaign apparatus and media spending have resulted in Trump barely pulling ahead of Biden in the 2024 RCP polling averages.
Step Aside, Joe Biden: The Atlantic ran this story from Eliot A. Cohen claiming that Joe Biden is too old to run for reelection.
Ousted
Marjorie Taylor Greene was overwhelmingly voted out of the House Freedom Caucus last month according to Maryland Congressman Andy Harris and other insiders.
Why: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s decision to call Rep. Lauren Boebert a “little bitch” on the House floor appears to be the final straw in the increasingly strained relationship between Greene and other HFC members. Rep. Harris deemed it an “appropriate action” and alluded to Greene’s decision to back McCarthy’s speakership bid and her vote on the debt ceiling left many HFC members questioning her role in the group.
The problem: As far as we know, Marjorie Taylor Greene has ghosted HFC Chair Scott Perry’s multiple attempts to have a conversation with her about the vote. One HFC member told NBC, “I suspect because she knew she was being dismissed from the Freedom Caucus, and a little bit like someone refusing service from a legal standpoint ... if I'm not served, then maybe it doesn’t take effect."
Media Lies About Youngkin
The media is reporting that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin took down a Virginia Dept of Health webpage offering resources for LGBTQ youth. His move has been widely portrayed as another anti-LGBTQ move by a red state governor.
What really happened: In reality, the webpage was a place for children to talk to adults about their sexuality without their parent’s consent. The site was taken down after The Daily Wire alerted Youngkin’s office to the content.
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