Editor Daily Rundown: GOP Primary Election Results

Vince CoglianeseAugust 3, 2022

GOP PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS…

ARIZONA…

GOVERNOR… TOO CLOSE TO CALL… KARI LAKE LEADS KARRIN TAYLOR ROBSON…

US SENATE… BLAKE MASTERS WINS…

MISSOURI…

US SENATE… ERIC SCHMITT WINS…

MICHIGAN…

GOVERNOR… TUDOR DIXON WINS…

MI-3… JOHN GIBBS WINS…

IN SUMMARY… Several Trump-Backed Candidates Win Their Primaries With Others Too Close To Call

A SETBACK FOR LIFE IN KANSAS… NYT: Kansas Votes to Preserve Abortion Rights Protections in Its Constitution (VIDEO OF BLUE- AND PURPLE-HAIRED WOMEN CELEBRATING)

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Kansas voters resoundingly decided against removing the right to abortion from the State Constitution, according to The Associated Press, a major victory for the abortion rights movement in one of America’s reliably conservative states.

The defeat of the ballot referendum was the most tangible demonstration yet of a political backlash against the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that had protected abortion rights throughout the country. The decisive margin — 59 to 41 percent, with about 95 percent of the votes counted — came as a surprise, and after frenzied campaigns with both sides pouring millions into advertising and knocking on doors throughout a sweltering final campaign stretch.

HOW DID ABORTION FORCES PREVAIL? … BEN DOMENECH: Why the pro-abortion left won in Kansas

Kansas’s relatively unique situation is due to a 2019 decision by their supreme court which found the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution, drafted in 1859 — before Kansas was even a state, and at a time when abortion in the Kansas territory was illegal. […]

In order to communicate this to voters, Republicans needed to explain a lot of things. […]

The biggest lesson here is about language, and how the pro-abortion left has shifted and continues to shift in the wake of Dobbs. They could raise the (extremely unlikely) threat of a full ban on abortion at all times. They deployed extremely capable language in their cause — their group adopted the name “Kansans for Constitutional Freedom,” defining the contest in terms of retained rights as opposed to uncertain new “government mandates” […]

MSNBC MORNING HOST FREAKS OUT ANYWAY… MEDIAITE: ‘This is a Rapist’s Bill of Rights!’ Scarborough Sounds Off on Anti-Abortion ‘Extremism’ After Ballot Measure Fails in Kansas (VIDEO)

“This is the crazy stuff that, this is the Republican party of 2022,” Scarborough said. “You look in Kansas, and the Kansas voters, even people who are pro-life, say no, we’re not going in that radical, freakish direction.”

As Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist helped analyze the Kansas decision in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade’s overturn, Scarborough continued to hammer Republican “extremism” on abortion, noting the viral news story about the 10-year-old rape victim who had to cross state lines to have he procedure.

“You look at all of the extremities, and again, another Republican state legislature trying to give the right to members of a rapist family to sue a rape victim for $20,000 unless she has a forced pregnancy!” Scarborough exclaimed. “This is a rapist’s bill of rights that these Republicans are passing. A rapist bill of rights for forced childbirth on children. This is the Republican party in 2022.”

ALSO… BIDEN ADMIN SUES TO KEEP ABORTING BABIES IN IDAHO… Biden DOJ Sues Idaho Over State’s Abortion Law

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Idaho over a state abortion law in the first such DOJ lawsuit following the Supreme Court’s June 24 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, alleges that Idaho’s abortion ban, which is set to take effect Aug. 25, will prevent doctors from performing medically necessary abortions and that enforcement will result in women’s deaths. The lawsuit lists ectopic pregnancies and severe preeclampsia as conditions that doctors would be prevented from treating under the law.

Idaho’s abortion ban was passed in 2020 as a “trigger law” set to go into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The law threatens healthcare professionals who perform criminal abortions with two to five years in prison and requires those who do perform abortions to prove that they did so to save the life of the mother.

The bill allows exceptions for rape and incest if the mother shows the abortionist documentation from law enforcement or child protective services. It does not allow for the prosecution of women who seek or receive abortions or medical professionals who unintentionally end a fetal life.

NADLER & MALONEY STIFFARM BIDEN 2024… FOX: Two New York reps join growing list of Democrats who refuse to commit to supporting Biden in 2024

Two New York Democrats declined to say whether they would support President Biden for president in 2024 Tuesday, adding to the list of Democrats who are soft on the idea of a Biden re-election campaign.

When asked during a debate if Biden should seek re-election, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-NY, said it’s “Too early to say. Doesn’t serve the purpose of the Democratic Party to deal with that until after the midterms.”

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, also avoided the question: “I don’t believe he’s running for re-election,” she said.

EARLIER… MANCHIN ON BIDEN 2024: ‘I’M NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT!’ … Manchin Shouts ‘I’m Not Going To Talk About It’ Four Straight Times During Interview On MSNBC (VIDEO)

Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin got into a shouting match Tuesday with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell when asked why he won’t say whether he would support President Joe Biden should he run for re-election. […]

“I’m not talking about the 2022 election and 2024. I have no control over those elections. And I’m not going to talk about them that will skew one of the greatest pieces of legislation, and I’m very appreciative that the president has seen it, he’s approved it, he supports it. God Bless him for that. It’s great for America. Can’t we do something for our country without having to bring politics into it? That’s all I want to talk about.”

“You’re a Democratic senator,” Mitchell said.

“I’m not going to talk about it,” Manchin shot back.

FLASHBACK… LAST WEEK… ‘I Don’t Want To Answer That Question’: Visibly Uncomfortable Rep Cori Bush Refuses To Say If Biden Should Run In 2024 (VIDEO)

“That’s an easy question, it’s not going to take long, do you want to see Joe Biden run,” the reporter pressed.

“I don’t want to answer that question, ” Bush said. “He’s the president. He has the right to run for a second term.”

ALSO… FOX: List of Democrats opposed to Biden running for re-election grows with addition of vulnerable congresswoman

The list of Democrats opposed to President Biden seeking a second term in the White House has gotten a little bigger with the addition of Rep. Angie Craig.

Craig, D-Minn., who is running for re-election in one of the most vulnerable House seats for Democrats in this year’s midterm elections, called for a “new generation” of Democratic leadership when asked if Biden should run for president again in 2024.

“I’m talking about Congress, and I’m talking about up and down the ballot,” Craig told the MinnPost on Tuesday. “I think Dean Phillips and I are in lockstep and alignment with that, and I’m going to do everything in my power as a member of Congress to make sure that we have a new generation of leadership.”

Craig was referring to Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who said last Thursday during a radio show appearance that he would not support Biden running for re-election.

“I would say we need new leaders in Washington up and down the ballot in the Democratic Party,” Craig told MinnPost when asked if she would support Biden should he decide to run.

CUELLAR: THE WHITE HOUSE IS A DEAD END FOR BORDER SOLUTIONS… ANOTHER DAILY CALLER EXCLUSIVE: Texas Democrat Says He’s Given Up On Border Talks With The White House

Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas has given up on having conversations with the White House about the border because top officials in the Biden administration are only interested in listening to “immigration activists,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“I haven’t followed up with the White House because after months and months and months of talking to them,” Cuellar told the DCNF.

“A lot of them are dealing with former immigration activists, so they have a different way of thinking. So I don’t think I can ever convey to them. The career people understand it. But the White House people are former immigration activists, so the answer is no to that,” he added.

DEMS GEAR UP TO SHOVE TAX AND SPEND PACKAGE THROUGH SENATE… WILL SINEMA FOLD? … POLITICO: Dems ready to gamble their domestic agenda on Sinema

Senate Democrats will probably start a climactic series of votes on their party-line energy, tax and health care bill this week with very little public indication of where Sen. Kyrsten Sinema stands. They’re willing to risk it.

While all of Washington waits on the Arizona Democrat, her previous treatment of high-profile issues shows she’s unlikely to make any statement about how she sees the deal written by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — at least until it’s on the floor. If the past is prologue, she’ll also be a wild card on amendments that Republicans may offer in a bid to alter the bill on the Senate floor during votes later this week.

At the center of the Sinematic intrigue is Manchin’s push to narrow a loophole known as carried interest that some investors use to lower their tax rates, a shrinking that she opposes. A mask-clad Manchin spoke to Sinema on the Senate floor for roughly 10 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, animatedly waving his hands during the hushed discussion. He summed it up as a “nice talk” afterward and said “she’ll make a good decision based on facts, and I’m relying on that.”

PELOSI DEPARTS TAIWAN… NBC: Pelosi departs Taiwan as a furious China holds military drills

TAIPEI, Taiwan — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi departed Taiwan on Wednesday after a whirlwind visit that drew fury from Beijing and raised fears of a potential military crisis between the United States and China.

Before boarding a plane to leave the island, she vowed solidarity with the self-ruling democracy that Beijing claims as its territory, while China launched military drills, summoned the U.S. ambassador and halted some imports from Taiwan in a display of angry protests against her visit.

“Our delegation came here to send an unequivocal message: America stands with Taiwan,” Pelosi said at a news conference in Taipei after meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

The U.S. Air Force plane carrying her and five other Democratic lawmakers took off from Taipei Songshan Airport just after 6 a.m. ET.

PELOSI SAYS CHINA MIGHT BE ANGRY BECAUSE SHE’S A WOMAN… MELISSA CHAN: Pelosi: “They didn’t say anything when the men came.” A reference to the fact that in April, US senators Lindsey Graham, Bob Menendez, Richard Burr, Ben Sasse, Rob Portman, and Ronny Jackson visited Taiwan. (VIDEO)

MEANWHILE, AN UPDATE ON THE OTHER PELOSI… FOX: Paul Pelosi allegedly slurred speech, had drug in system and handed over police privilege card during DUI bust

Paul Pelosi, the multimillionaire husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, allegedly had a drug in his system, addressed officers with slurred speech, and tried to hand them a police courtesy card during his May arrest on DUI charges, according to court documents.

Pelosi’s 2021 Porsche and the other driver’s 2014 Jeep sustained “major collision damage” in a crash around 10:17 p.m. on May 28, and responding officers found Pelosi in his driver’s seat in his damaged car near the intersection of California Route 29 and Oakville Cross Road.

Pelosi allegedly handed officers his driver’s license and an “11-99 Foundation” card when they asked for his ID, according to the documents. The 11-99 Foundation is a California Highway Patrol charity that supports officers and provides scholarships for their children.

Pelosi allegedly exhibited “signs of impairment” during field sobriety tests and officers “observed objective signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication,” according to the documents.

WHY DID THE NY TIMES’ TOM FRIEDMAN REPORT THE WHITE HOUSE’S ‘DEEP MISTRUST’ IN ZELESNKY THIS WEEK? … ALLAHPUNDIT…

Jim Geraghty speculates shrewdly as to the motive behind the leak to Friedman. “Possibility one is that the Biden administration just wants the Ukraine-Russia war to end, and Zelensky isn’t playing ball, so the administration is getting ready to leave Zelensky hanging out to dry,” he writes. “Possibility two is that the administration foresees the Ukraine-Russia war going badly, and is preparing to use Zelensky as a scapegoat. They’re laying the groundwork to argue, ‘we did everything we could to help the Ukrainians defend themselves, but in the end, they were too incompetent, too corrupt, and too beset by infighting.’” I’d add possibility three, that Zelensky and his government really are corrupt and the White House is keeping that information under wraps so as not to destroy U.S. support for the war.

HOW LONG DID THE U.S. KNOW ZAWAHIRI WAS IN KABUL? … WHITE HOUSE BRIEFED ON APRIL 1 … NYT: How the C.I.A. Tracked the Leader of Al Qaeda

On April 1, top intelligence officials briefed national security officials at the White House about the safe house and how they had tracked al-Zawahri. After the meeting, the C.I.A. and other intelligence agencies worked to learn more about what they called al-Zawahri’s pattern of life.

One key insight was that he was never seen leaving the house and only seemed to get fresh air by standing on a balcony on an upper floor. He remained on the balcony for extended periods, which gave the C.I.A. a good chance to target him.

NYC GANGSTERS THROW HANDS AND BOTTLES AT NYPD… JOHN SEXTON: This video of an arrest in the Bronx is really something (and there are many more like this) (VIDEOS)

There was a Dominican Day parade in the Bronx yesterday and after it was over, police encountered a group of drunk men who were blasting music and blocking the street. They tried to arrest one man who had a gun and things quickly got out of hand.

Police responded to the scene to break up the ongoing party and encountered one man with a gun around 7:30 p.m.

As they cuffed the armed individual, others in the crowd began tussling with the officers, according to the video and police sources…

Police sources said the reckless pack included members of the Trinitarios, a Dominican gang.

At least six people were arrested during the pandemonium — one for firearms possession and the others for disorderly conduct, according to the sources.

That’s the general outline of what happened but you really have to see the video to appreciate how chaotic this was. About half way through this, as the cops are trying to arrest one person, a guy in a yellow shirt starts a fist fight with one of the officers. And then the glass bottles start flying.

OLD MAN WHO LITERALLY DISARMED YOUNG ROBBER SPEAKS… NY POST: Store owner Craig Cope, 80, who shot robber armed with AR-15 rifle says it was ‘him or me’ (VIDEO OF ROBBERY ATTEMPT)

An elderly California liquor store owner who flipped the script on armed gunmen during an attempted robbery said Tuesday that he had no choice but to open fire on one of the assailants, insisting it was “either him or me.”

Craig Cope, 80, said he feared for his life as four would-be thieves drove up early Sunday to Norco Market & Liquor in Norco, where he was behind the counter when one of the assailants busted in with a rifle and yelled at him to freeze.

“I got a long gun pointing directly at me,” Cope told The Post. “It was either him or me and I was a little bit faster.”

Cope said he knew something was off when he saw a dark BMW SUV pull up alongside the store instead of into several nearby open parking spaces. They also “backed in” as they approached, which was another “red flag” for the quick-thinking owner.

LONGTIME VOICE OF THE DODGERS DIES… NY POST: Vin Scully, legendary Dodgers broadcaster, dead at 94

Vin Scully, the beloved voice of the Dodgers for 67 years, both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles — whose lyrical descriptions of the games he shared with his legion of listeners often bordered on poetry — died at his home in the Hidden Hills section of Los Angeles Tuesday, the Dodgers announced. He was 94.

“We have lost an icon,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement Tuesday night. “The Dodgers’ Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster, but as a humanitarian. He loved people. He loved life. He loved baseball and the Dodgers. And he loved his family. His voice will always be heard and etched in all of our minds forever.”

FLASHBACK… APRIL 8, 1974… LISTEN: Vin Scully calls Hank Aaron’s historic 715th home run (VIDEO)

“What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the State of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol.”