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THE TOP
Happy Tuesday morning.
One man has his eye on becoming the next Senate Republican leader, and the other has pined for the White House for roughly a decade.
And now, Texas GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz – whose political bases are separated by a mere 160 miles – find themselves on opposite sides of the highest-stakes gun-control debate on Capitol Hill in years.
Their motivations can be explained quite neatly. The 70-year-old Cornyn, a senator for two decades, is a deal-making Capitol insider who sees a ripe opportunity to address gun violence, one of the most tragic yet difficult issues in American life. For Cornyn, it’s a test of his leadership skills and negotiating savvy. Those close to Cornyn say it’s a peek at how he might comport himself should he become the Senate GOP leader – take tough positions that, in his view, help move Republicans forward.
Meanwhile Cruz, 51, has taken pains to remain one of the Senate’s Republican purists. Pressed about his view on the unfolding bipartisan negotiations late Monday, Cruz upbraided reporters about why they were not pressing Democrats about blocking a proposal he introduced nine years ago to “improve” – but not expand – the background checks system on gun sales.
Rarely do two members of the same party from the same state take such diametrically opposite roles in a debate with such consequence back home. Texas is still grappling with the fallout from the May 24 murder of 19 elementary school students and two adults by a teenage gunman in Uvalde, a small town about 80 miles west of San Antonio. One of the survivors of the Uvalde shooting is scheduled to testify today before a House panel.
With so much at stake, Cruz and Cornyn have very different salves to heal the wounds from the latest mass shooting in the Lone Star State. Cornyn is playing the legislative leader, while Cruz sounds ready to oppose any compromise that emerges from the bipartisan discussion on the issue.
“You’re kidding,” Cornyn said with a laugh during a brief interview when we observed that he and Cruz were taking different positions on gun control.
“We’re the yin and the yang,” Cornyn added. “But I think together, we are able to represent our state well.”
Cruz didn’t reveal much about what he thought of his colleague when asked how two GOP senators from the same state could come to such different positions.
“You can ask him his thoughts. I haven’t seen any proposals come out yet,” Cruz said.
But listen to Cruz for a few moments, and you’ll know precisely what he thinks:
“There’s a lot we can and should do to stop violent crime. I have repeatedly authored legislation to target violent criminals, to prevent felons and fugitives from illegally buying firearms and to lock up felons and fugitives and those with serious mental illness who try to illegally buy firearms. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats have filibustered legislation to do precisely that. They’ve also filibustered my legislation to provide increased funding for school safety and security.
“There is a lot we can do to stop dangerous criminals and protect the most vulnerable among us. However, if the Democrats follow the same pattern they have in the past, if they focus on a partisan political agenda, to try to disarm law-abiding citizens, that will do nothing to make Americans safer, will do nothing to stop these horrific crimes and an agenda that undermines the Second Amendment is very unlikely to pass the Senate.”
Of course, Cruz can’t lay this all at Democrats’ feet. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) are all negotiating alongside Cornyn, and all have a similar agenda – to make it more difficult for Americans considered a threat to themselves or others to have guns.
Cornyn met with Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the leading Democrat in the talks, and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) for several hours Monday evening.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has blessed the effort as well, and told us twice yesterday he wants to see a compromise come together by the end of the week.
At the moment, the bipartisan group seems to be making positive progress on a narrow package that could get through the 50-50 Senate. They’re coalescing around a proposal to incentivize states to create red-flag laws. Republicans are also increasingly comfortable with expanding background checks to include a gun purchaser’s juvenile record. Cruz said he would examine all of these proposals.
Republicans on the negotiating team say they won’t support raising the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 or other more sweeping proposals pushed by gun-control advocates.
Cornyn and Cruz, of course, have similar voting records. Each boasts an A+ rating from the NRA and frequently line up on politics and policy.
“He’s a good person to have doing this,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said of Cornyn. “This is one of those things where people are better off to begin to try to put a package together and not just think about what 52 people might be for … You have to have a package that 60 people can be for.”
Cornyn has pushed to expand gun rights in the past, which earned the Texas Republican strong criticism from gun-control advocates. He offered legislation last year to expand the ability of concealed carry permit holders to take their weapons into other states. He, Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also proposed a bill to eliminate federal regulations on silencers. Neither bill passed.
Yet it’s just that record that gives Cornyn credibility with other Republicans on this issue. Cornyn has made clear that he won’t agree to any proposal that seriously infringes on gun rights. He will need McConnell’s backing as well. The key test will become whether a majority of Republicans support it, which Cornyn wants to see happen. Here’s more from Cornyn:
“I’m optimistic we can get 60-plus votes. But the question is what that package looks like. And that’s what we’re in the process of doing is figuring out what the package will look like and how do we get to 60-plus. But I think … where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
One complicating dynamic for Cornyn is that his leadership rivals — John Thune of South Dakota and John Barrasso of Wyoming — may not support the proposals the Texan is discussing. Barrasso has signaled he will be against any gun bill, while Thune is up for re-election. Thune’s primary is today.
Murphy is also a realist about the political dynamics Republicans face. He repeatedly told reporters on Monday his interest is reaching a deal that can get around any GOP filibuster.
“I’m laser-like focused on getting 60 votes. And that’s the question I ask everybody in these meetings. ‘Is what you’re proposing a path to 60 or 70 votes?’ And I’m asking that of both Republicans and Democrats, because some Republicans come to the table with ideas that can’t get 50 votes, either.”
Today: Join us in-person or virtually this morning at 9 a.m. ET for our conversation with Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) about 5G’s climate impact. RSVP!
– Jake Sherman, John Bresnahan, Heather Caygle and Christian Hall
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PRIMARY DAY IN AMERICA
What we’re watching in today’s primaries
Happy primary Tuesday! Seven states — California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota — head to the polls today. Here are the key races we will be tracking today.
California’s 40th District open primary: Will Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) overcome a surprisingly strong primary challenge from the right by Greg Raths? The GOP-leadership allied Congressional Leadership Fund has run ads attacking Raths in an effort to back up Kim.
California’s 27th District open primary: National Democrats are watching this race closely to see whether former Democratic state assemblymember Christy Smith or political newcomer Quaye Quartey will face off against Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) in the general election. Biden won this district by more than 10 percentage points in 2020, but Garcia has already beaten Smith twice before.
Los Angeles mayoral election: Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), the one-time chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and a well-regarded member of Congress, is a frontrunner in the Los Angeles mayoral race. While Bass once seemed the overwhelming favorite in the race, it now appears that she’ll fail to clear 50% today and thus be forced into a November runoff with billionaire Rick Caruso. Caruso has dumped more than $34 million of his own money into the campaign.
Iowa’s Democratic Senate primary: Former Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) is locked in a tight contest with retired Navy Vice Admiral Michael Franken in the Democratic primary. The winner will face Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in November in a state that’s trending increasingly red. While national Democrats are largely writing off this race, Grassley’s age — he turns 89 in September — and extended time in D.C. may provide an opening to a Democratic challenger.
Montana’s 1st District Republican primary: Former Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) left the House in 2017 to serve a scandal-ridden stint as former President Donald Trump’s Interior secretary. Can Zinke take the first step in returning to Congress by advancing to the general election in a red-leaning seat?
New Jersey’s 7th District Republican primary: Can former state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. win out against more right-wing challengers in his bid to take on vulnerable Democrat Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.)? House GOP leadership hopes so.
South Dakota’s at-large House Republican primary: Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) is facing a primary challenge from his right in a campaign that is attracting major outside spending. Drain the Swamp PAC, a group backing Johnson’s GOP opponent state Rep. Taffy Howard, has aired ads criticizing Johnson for voting to establish an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack.
Note: We’ll have much more on today’s primaries — and the midterms in general — in a special edition of The Tally coming later this morning.
— Max Cohen
THE CAMPAIGN
→ | News: First-term Rep. Jake Auchincloss’ (D-Mass.) leadership PAC is announcing four endorsements and pledging dues money toward the DCCC. |
Auchincloss is endorsing four New England House Democrats who are facing tough reelection races in November — Reps. Joe Courtney (Conn.), Jared Golden (Maine), Annie Kuster (N.H.) and Chris Pappas (N.H.). Endorsing fellow incumbents is pretty standard stuff. But it is a sign that Auchincloss, who represents a safe Massachusetts seat, is starting to flex his political muscles.
We love dues news over at Punchbowl News. Auchincloss has paid $100,000 in DCCC dues for the 2022 cycle and is committing to pay an additional $150,000.
→ | House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik raised more than $1 million during a fundraiser with former President Donald Trump Monday at Trump National Golf Club Westchester in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. A roundtable and photo with Trump went for $25,000, while a roundtable with Trump and Stefanik went for $10,800. |
— Max Cohen and Jake Sherman
PRESENTED BY GOOGLE
Google’s 2-Step Verification helps keep your account secure, even if your password is compromised.
DOWNTOWN DOWNLOAD
→ | Verizon has hired Hank Kilgore as vice president of the company’s federal legislative affairs team. Kilgore was recently a senior adviser to Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), who served as the chair of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee. |
→ | Delta Airlines has signed up Liz Williams and Company to lobby on FAA reauthorization. |
— Max Cohen and Jake Sherman
FRONTS
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Learn how 2-Step Verification keeps your account more secure.
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MOMENTS
All times eastern
10 a.m.: President Joe Biden will get his daily intelligence briefing.
1:45 p.m.: Karine Jean-Pierre will brief.
2 p.m.: Senate leadership will speak after their respective party lunches.
2:45 p.m.: Biden will sign nine veterans bills into law.
5:15 p.m.: Vice President Kamala Harris is in Los Angeles, and she will “ host a women’s leadership roundtable with women business executives, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders to discuss economic empowerment in northern Central America.” This will be at the InterContinental in Los Angeles.
6:20 p.m.: Harris will speak at an event “promoting women’s economic empowerment in northern Central America and throughout the Western Hemisphere.”
7 p.m.: Harris will “host a roundtable with business executives as part of her Call to Action for northern Central America, the initiative she launched in May 2021 to bring together the private sector and social enterprises to invest in and support the long-term development of the region.”
CLIP FILE
NYT
→ | “Jan. 6 Hearings Give Democrats a Chance to Recast Midterm Message,” by Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater |
→ | “With Cornyn in the Room, Senate Gun Talks Focus on Narrow Changes,” by Carl Hulse |
→ | “Fiji hands over a superyacht that the U.S. says is tied to a Russian oligarch,” by Mike Ives |
WaPo
→ | “Fake Trump electors in Ga. told to shroud plans in ‘secrecy,’ email shows,” by Amy Gardner, Beth Reinhard, Rosalind S. Helderman and Jacqueline Alemany |
→ | “Boris Johnson survives but is weakened by no-confidence vote,” by Karla Adams and William Booth in London |
WSJ
→ | “SEC Closes In on Rules That Could Reshape How Stock Market Operates,” by Paul Kiernan and Alexander Osipovich |
→ | “Federal Judge Blocks Louisiana’s GOP-Backed Congressional Map,” by Alexa Corse |
AP
→ | “Russia begins returning bodies from steel mill,” by John Leicester and Hanna Arhirova |
Politico
→ | “Proud Boys documentarian expected to testify at first Jan. 6 hearing,” by Kyle Cheney and Nick Wu |
Chicago Tribune
→ | “Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says people charged with violent crimes ‘are guilty’ and shouldn’t be released on bail pending trial,” by Gregory Pratt |
PRESENTED BY GOOGLE
Google’s 2-Step Verification is helping prevent cyberattacks
Cybersecurity experts say the single most important way to protect your account—and help prevent cyberattacks—is to use 2-Step Verification.
That’s why Google has made it easy to sign into your account with 2-Step Verification, an additional layer of protection that instantly boosts the security of your account, protecting your private information even if a hacker steals your password.
In the last year, Google has turned on 2-Step Verification for 150+ million people, and will continue to strengthen account protection for everyone.
Editorial photos provided by Getty Images.
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