Josh Hawley Is Ruffling Gop Feathers As He Stakes Out His Ground: From The Politics Desk

Welcome to nan online type of From nan Politics Desk, a newsletter that brings you nan NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and study from nan White House, Capitol Hill and nan run trail.

In today’s edition, we person a heavy dive into Sen. Josh Hawley’s effort to liking retired crushed for himself successful nan modern Republican Party. Plus, Adam Noboa breaks down really President Donald Trump’s renewed run against message voting intersects pinch nan redistricting fight.

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— Adam Wollner

Josh Hawley irks chap Republicans arsenic he tries to carve retired a lane

By Allan Smith, Julie Tsirkin and Matt Dixon

Since he took agency successful 2019, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has sought to spot himself connected nan beforehand lines of orienting nan Republican Party astir a operation of economical populism and societal conservatism to entreaty to an progressively working-class base.

But now, pinch Republicans successful afloat power of Congress for nan first clip since he arrived successful Washington, Hawley’s ngo is coming into conflict pinch members of his party, who are disappointment pinch his inclination to travel nan hit of his ain drum arsenic he grows much captious of immoderate of their argumentation aims.

Republicans, some successful Congress and successful nan White House, are progressively talking astir Hawley’s moves pinch nan presumption that he is considering a statesmanlike campaign, 5 group acquainted pinch specified discussions told NBC News.

A elder Senate adjutant said it appeared that Hawley was “trying to load up argumentation prescriptions to laic nan groundwork for a 2028 statesmanlike bid.”

“He’s aligned himself pinch Democrats connected astir fiscal issues,” nan adjutant added. “Frankly, it has irked a batch of his Republican colleagues.”

But Hawley’s friends opportunity nary 2028 plotting is afoot.

“Josh believes we’re astatine a captious inflection constituent successful our history astir wherever nan party’s realigning,” a personification adjacent to him said. “He’s been connected nan aforesaid mission, focusing connected nan aforesaid task since he first ran for office, believing that nan Republican Party needs to go a statement of moving people. What he’s done is accordant pinch that each twelvemonth he’s been successful Congress.”

Across nan aisle: Hawley had been written disconnected by Democrats aft nan Jan. 6, 2021, attack, erstwhile he was seen entering nan Capitol raising a fist to protesters assembled extracurricular and later moved guardant pinch his objection to nan electoral ballot count.

But this twelvemonth alone, Hawley has teamed up pinch Sens., Gary Peters, D-Mich., connected a measure to prohibition legislature banal trading; Cory Booker, D-N.J., connected authorities to heighten kid labour laws; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., connected a measure to barroom artificial intelligence firms from training models connected stolen, copyrighted materials; Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., connected an effort to headdress in installments paper liking rates; and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., connected authorities to further modulate drugstore use managers, among different measures.

“Well, Jan. 6 remains successful nan backmost of a batch of people’s minds. At nan aforesaid time, connected issues wherever we tin make advancement stopping firm greed aliases monopolistic power complete markets, there’s a request for allies,” Blumenthal said successful an interview. “The iconic Jan. 6 photograph of him pinch a fist successful nan aerial can’t beryllium erased from memory. But if he tin bring Republican support to nan array for ideas that will thief people, sometimes moving together makes sense.”

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California’s agelong ballot count whitethorn beryllium Trump’s adjacent target successful nan warfare complete voting

By Adam Noboa

The latest salvo successful President Donald Trump’s run against mail-in voting arrived Monday, arsenic he announced he wants to “lead a movement” against message ballots and advocator alternatively for in-person and insubstantial ballots, which he says are “faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, astatine nan extremity of nan evening, arsenic to who WON, and who LOST, nan Election.”

This push by Trump whitethorn besides person nan convenience of being nan latest statement of onslaught successful nan redistricting wars. In California, authorities Democrats are attempting their ain mid-decade gerrymander to antagonistic nan Trump-led push by Republicans to tie much friends districts successful Texas. And California sticks retired arsenic 1 of nan astir salient embracers of mail-in voting — and among nan slowest to count them.

Overall, mail-in voting accounted for 30% of nan full ballot nationwide successful 2024, down from its 2020 highest of 43%. However, successful California, nan believe made up 81% of nan full vote, according to a recent report from nan Election Assistance Commission.

Mail-in voting wide has proved to beryllium a challenging process for galore predetermination administrators, pinch hurdles including elector and ballot verification and logistical issues for illustration opening envelopes, keeping materials unafraid and, successful galore cases, hand-counting. Essentially, each of nan processes that hap successful personification erstwhile personification votes astatine a polling spot — particularly checking successful and verifying their registration — tin heap up accelerated erstwhile it happens by mail.

But California has had immoderate of nan top difficulties sorting done message votes quickly. Of nan states pinch nan highest stock of mail-in voting successful nan 2024 election, California group a benchmark for slowest advancement nan greeting aft nan election.

While Democrats person achieved dependable occurrence astatine nan statewide level successful caller years, California’s prolonged ballot counts near nan federation successful suspense complete which statement would triumph power of nan House of Representatives for days aft nan 2022 and 2024 elections.

Legislation was introduced this twelvemonth requiring California counties to reason a mostly of their counting process 13 days aft nan election. The measure passed nan authorities Assembly pinch bipartisan support and is successful a authorities Senate committee seeking backing sign-off.

Meanwhile, Trump faces precocious legal and governmental hurdles to changing mail-in laws connected his ain astatine nan national level. Without caller national laws, states person wide latitude to group their ain predetermination procedures.

But it’s besides happening arsenic California authorities legislators convened Monday to move guardant on plans for a legislature map that, if approved by voters, would target 5 Republicans to suffer their seats successful nan upcoming midterms. The effort was sparked by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom arsenic a consequence to Texas Republicans’ legislature redraw seeking to fortify their majority.

It whitethorn put nan redistricting wars and Trump’s renewed crusade connected mail-in votes connected a governmental collision people successful nan Golden State.

That’s each From nan Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Bridget Bowman.

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