INSIDE D.C. WITH JOHN GIZZI NEWSMAX WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT
Alabama GOP Jitters • Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and fellow Republicans who dominate the state legislature have drawn a new map of the state’s U.S. House districts, but few observers believe it will pass judicial muster. It still leaves Alabama with only one majority Black voting district — the Birmingham turf of Rep. Terri Sewell, the state’s lone Democrat House member. The Supreme Court was specifi c in saying there should be two majority Black House districts. An eventual plan likely to be approved in court will have the two, and thus force two of the six Republican House members to compete for a single district. Odds are that GOP Reps. Barry Moore and Jerry Carl, both strong conservatives, will end up fi ghting for it. The certain loss of one Republican seat makes national GOP leaders jittery at a time when the House is the most closely divided since 1930.
Mitch’s Swan Song? • Talk in Washington that Mitch McConnell is in his fi nal days in offi ce reached a high decibel level in late July, when the Senate Republican leader had his much-watched “freeze” on national TV. While the Kentucky senator now seems fi ne, the betting on Capitol Hill is he will step down as leader after the ’24 elections and serve out the remainder of his Senate term until ’26 (when he
42 NEWSMAX | SEPTEMBER 2023
will be 84). Already, quiet discussion among senators has begun about possible successors, with South Dakota’s GOP whip John Thune the strong favorite to move up from No. 2 to No. 1 in leadership. Also reportedly exploring the race are John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, and Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who unsuccessfully challenged McConnell for the spot last year. But both are in their 70s, and this gives an automatic edge to Thune (who is 62).
Arizona May Turn Wright • Nervousness among national and Arizona Republican leaders that controversial gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake may announce for the U.S. Senate later this year has many of them scurrying for another candidate to take on Democrat-
turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Rep. Ruben Gallego, the certain Democrat nominee. One name emerging is Jennifer Wright, the former assistant state attorney general whose ouster has become a cause celebre. On Jan. 4, a spokesperson for state Attorney General Kris Mayes said the newly elected Democrat had removed Wright as head of the Election Integrity Unit for allegedly using her offi ce to investigate election losses without grounds. Wright, whose resignation actually was received several days before Mayes took offi ce, has fi led a $2 million claim against Mayes and become an in-demand speaker at GOP events.
Virginia Jolt • The surprise announcement by Rep. Abigail Spanberger that she was retiring from Congress next year and would run
Joint Chief-in-Waiting
• That’s how Pentagon watchers increasingly characterize Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of the U.S. Southern Command and former commanding general of the U.S. Army North. Although Gen. Charles Q. Brown has just assumed the most powerful military post in the country, betting is strong that Richardson — 59, an aviator and only the second woman in history to attain the rank of general (four stars) in the Army — will follow him in 2027. Richardson and husband James (himself a retired lieutenant general) are well known among Pentagon brass and civilian offi cials, and she was unanimously confi rmed to her current command.
for governor of Virginia in 2025 gave Republicans in the state a jolt. While the centrist Spanberger, often described as a powerhouse fundraiser, would no doubt have to face a nomination fi ght from more liberal Old Dominion Democrats, she is almost certainly the most appealing candidate with the general public in the state. Sources say this has Republicans nervous about a pending battle between the two statewide offi cials who have signaled they will run when GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin is termed out. One argument being increasingly made by GOP leaders is that since Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears is 59 and Attorney General Jacob Miyares is 47, it might be easier for him to defer to her and wait to seek the governorship. Sears is the fi rst Black Republican in statewide offi ce in Virginia history, and Miyares is the fi rst Hispanic American ever to hold statewide offi ce.
RICHARDSON
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