#trump-influence

#trump-influence

The big picture: In key Congressional and state-level races this year, voters moved sharply to the left compared to last year's presidential election. In some races, the pendulum swung by double digits. Zoom in: Earlier this month, Trump-backed Republican Matt Van Epps defeated a progressive Democrat to represent a conservative Nashville-area district by nine points. That's a far narrower victory than Trump's 22-point win in the district last year. The narrower margin of victory also paralleled closer-than-expected results in Florida's special House elections earlier this year.

The court found that lawyer Lindsey Halligan had been illegally appointed to her role as acting US attorney under President Donald Trump. A United States federal judge has thrown out the criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James and James Comey, the former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). On Monday, District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie determined that the prosecutor overseeing the two cases, Lindsey Halligan, had been illegally appointed, which in turn rendered the indictments void.

The big picture: Johnson's shift underscores Trump's enduring grip on the GOP: Within 48 hours of the president's reversal, the speaker fell in line on a vote he had fought to avoid. Trump on Sunday reversed months of calls to block an Epstein vote, saying Republicans should vote for it. By Monday, he said he'd sign the bill. Dozens of House Republicans had already planned to support the petition, but Trump's blessing made it an easier choice.

Driving the news: Spanberger won 55% of the vote, per AP. Her opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, captured 45%. State of play: The former congresswoman and CIA agent's victorycontinues "the Virginia curse." That's the state's track record of electing a governor from the opposite political party of the sitting U.S. president. There's only been one time in the past 50 years when the curse didn't stick: The year after President Obama's reelection, Democrat Terry McAuliffe beat Republican Ken Cuccinelli.

New York City's three mayoral contenders had a fiery debate on Wednesday night in their final televised face-off less than two weeks before voters decide the city's next leader on 4 November. Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa participated in a tense and often chaotic discussion. The current mayor, Eric Adams, who dropped out of the race weeks earlier, once again did not attend.

there's high levels of testosterone in this room.

Current New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, has dropped out of the race. He has been trailing behind Democratic nominee, and front-runner, Zohran Mamdani. In a recorded message posted on Sunday afternoon, Adams said that "despite all we've achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign." Mamdani has been running circles around Adams, speaking to the people as a peer, not a politician. He is younger, funnier and comes across as more genuine.

Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) hammered President Donald Trump's involvement in the upcoming New York City mayoral race on Friday, telling Politico's Jeff Coltin, We are not f*cking selling out this city. Hochul's statement comes after news broke that Trump reportedly offered two candidates in the race incumbent NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa jobs in his administration with the hope that a two-candidate race might boost the chances of Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo.

"We grew consistently, all the way through the Biden administration. That's something I didn't expect."

Brad Bondi's candidacy was overshadowed by Diane Seltzer's overwhelming win, receiving 91% of the votes, highlighting a significant reaction among DC lawyers toward Trump's influence.

Microsoft's shift from Simpson Thacher to Jenner & Block reflects a growing trend among general counsels choosing firms that resist capitulating to political pressures.