Major Iowa news: Senate Majority Leader John Thune and NRSC Chair Tim Scott are endorsing Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). This is a massive sign of institutional support for Hinson’s bid and will likely head off any other challengers.
It’s in contrast to the crowded and competitive Democratic primary in the Hawkeye State.
Hinson is also one of the headline speakers at the RNC’s fall retreat next week in D.C. It’s very clear the party is rallying around Hinson.
Illinois News: Former Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) is preparing to run for the congressional seat that she lost 15 years ago, according to sources familiar with her plans.
Bean, 63, represented suburban Chicago from 2005 to 2011 and was beaten in an upset by Republican Joe Walsh in the GOP’s 2010 wave. Bean came to Congress by ousting veteran Rep. Phil Crane, one of only two Republican incumbents to fall in the 2004 cycle.
This time, Bean is eyeing a safe Democratic seat.
Illinois’ 8th District is currently open because Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is running for Senate. There are a slew of Democrats in the race, including Yasmeen Bankole, who is backed by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison.
But there is no clear frontrunner, and Bean’s allies see a path for her.
Bean, along with dozens of Democrats, lost in 2010 after being heavily attacked for backing Obamacare. And Bean’s potential comeback comes as Obamacare’s enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire.
But Bean is also a figure from a bygone era, and any Democrat running in 2026 has to deal with a base clamoring for generational change. In Congress, Bean was a Blue Dog who was willing to buck her party.
Bean hasn’t made a final decision about whether to run. But she’s discussed a potential run with members she served with and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). Among those aware of and excited about her possible bid: former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Brad Dayspring’s new gig. Brad Dayspring, the former executive vice president at Politico and top aide to ex-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, is heading to Purple Strategies as an executive director.
