INSIDE D.C. WITH JOHN GIZZI NEWSMAX WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT
All in the Family • Reelected to the Senate last year, and now age 77, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., shows no signs of stepping down. But in the event he does not fulfi ll his term, Ned Lamont, the Democrat governor of the Nutmeg State, would appoint Blumenthal’s son, state Rep. Matt Blumenthal, to fi ll the seat. At 37, and after two terms in the state House, the younger Blumenthal is co-founder of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, which champions pro-choice legislation. Ironically, while the elder Blumenthal had to apologize for wrongly claiming he’d served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, Matt Blumenthal is a decorated Marine who actually saw action in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Suarez for Governor • For months, speculation has mounted that Miami’s charismatic Mayor Francis Suarez would become a long-shot Republican presidential candidate regardless of the candidacy of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. As president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Suarez has widespread national contacts and is considered a leader of the Cuban American community.
48 NEWSMAX | JULY 2023
But Sunshine State GOP sources tell Newsmax Suarez will defer to DeSantis in the presidential race and instead focus on running for governor in 2026, when DeSantis would be termed out, assuming he hasn’t already relocated to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. If DeSantis does go to Washington in 2025, his lieutenant governor, Jeanette Nuñez, would step in to become Florida’s fi rst-ever Cuban American governor for the remaining two years.
FBI Overhaul • Any Republican who becomes president in ’25 will make it a priority to fi re FBI Director Christopher Wray. His appointment by Donald Trump notwithstanding, Wray is seen as the major reason there has been no overhaul of the agency following its continued involvement in partisan politics. Mike Rogers, former GOP Michigan representative, one-time chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and former FBI agent, reportedly wants the directorship. Other prospects include Anderson University (Indiana) President John Pistole, also a former agent, and former FBI Deputy Director Dave Bowdich, who resigned from the bureau soon
after Joe Biden became president (and is now head of security for Disney Studios).
Parental Rights • The movement for parental rights in public schools, a pivotal factor in the election last year of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Va., is catching on and expected to generate grassroots support for conservative Republican candidates at all levels. Virginia Attorney General
Jason Miyares, who was elected on Youngkin’s ticket, has launched lawsuits on multiple issues dealing with parental rights. Among them is the explosive charge that public schools are keeping vital information — including that about violence against children — from parents. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has written a 70-page toolkit on how to deal with parental rights issues.
Romney on the Ropes
• More than a year before his term is up, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is under heavy fi re from opponents on the right. Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs is already a declared candidate, denouncing the 2012 GOP presidential nominee as an “establishment” Republican who fi ghts for “wokeness, open borders, impeaching President Trump, and putting us even deeper into debt.” State House Speaker Brad Wilson has established an exploratory committee and State Attorney General Sean Reyes has said conservatives are “pressuring” him to run. In recent solicitations to contributors, Romney, 76, has sent strong signals that he will seek reelection regardless of who opposes him.
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