National
Sunday night saw what appears to be another assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump (R-FL).
The attempt comes just two months after Trump was shot was delivering a speech in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Palm Beach County authorities say that suspect Ryan Wesley Routh was about five hundred yards away from Trump, hiding in bushes, while the former president was playing golf at Trump International Golf Club. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said that the bushes around the course can conceal someone to the point that “they’re pretty much out of sight.” Bradshaw adds that if Trump were the sitting president, the entire golf course would have been lined with personnel, but since he’s not in office, Secret Service employs security where they deem necessary and possible.
Secret Service agents noticed an AK-style rifle barrel protruding from the bushes. Secret Service fired, causing Routh to drop the gun and flee the scene in an SUV. He left behind two backpacks, a scope, and a GoPro camera.
I-95 near Palm Beach was shut down following the incident, and Routh was stopped in neighboring Martin County.
Records show that Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for the majority of his life until relocating to Hawaii in 2018. Routh’s social media posts show frequent discussion of the Ukraine war and even had a website to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kiev to fight the invasion from the ground.
His posts also show support for then-Congresswoman and then-Democrat Tulsi Gabbard. Since 2019, Routh is observed to have made nineteen donations totalling $140 from his Hawaii address to ActBlue, a political action committee that works to elect Democratic candidates. Routh is registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina, but voted in person in the state’s Democratic primary in March.
Records also show that in 2002, he was convicted of possessing a weapon of mass destruction while living in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” Trump wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
“DHS and the Secret Service are closely working with federal, state and local law enforcement partners to learn all of the facts surrounding this incident,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “The safety and security of Presidential candidates and other protectees is the highest priority for the Secret Service.”
Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) wrote on X, “I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
President Joe Biden (D-DE) is also “relieved” that Trump was not harmed.
In election news, the three final statewide primaries before the general election were held last Tuesday. Voters in Delaware, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island hit the polls to select nominees for congressional, gubernatorial, and senatorial offices.
The biggest story is in New Hampshire, where former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R) emerged with 63% of the vote in a gubernatorial primary that featured five other candidates. Incumbent four-term Governor Chris Sununu (R) is retiring.
New Hampshire is one of two states, the other being Vermont, that limits its governors to two-year terms, with no term limits. Sununu flipped the seat in 2016 and was re-elected by increasingly large margins each year to become one of the most popular governors in the country.
Ayotte began her political career as New Hampshire Attorney General in 2004, leaving in 2009. She rode the 2010 red wave to win the open Senate seat by a whopping twenty-three points. In 2016, however, Ayotte would narrowly lose re-election to then-Governor Maggie Hassan (D). Hassan defeated Ayotte by 1,017 votes, or 0.14%, out of over 700,000 ballots cast. It was the closest Senate race of that cycle and also the closest Senate race in New Hampshire since 1974.
Ayotte’s loss resulted in the first time a Democrat had won this Senate seat since 1974, and the second time since 1932. Hassan’s flip of this seat, as well as Democrats’ flip in NH-01, resulted in the first time Democrats had full control of the Granite State’s congressional delegation since 1854.
Ayotte now seeks a political comeback to keep New Hampshire in the red column on the gubernatorial map, working alongside a state legislature with a razor-thin Republican majority. Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig (D) won the Democratic primary and will face Ayotte in November.
New Hampshire is one of two hotly competitive gubernatorial races this year, the other being North Carolina. An intrinsically libertarian state, one with classically independent overtones, New Hampshire’s governor’s race is not likely to be dependent on the concurrent presidential race in the state.
In NH-01, Russell Prescott (R) earned the right to face three-term Congressman Chris Pappas (D). Pappas won the open seat in 2018 and survived a tough fight from Karoline Leavitt (R) in 2022. NH-01 is seen as the more competitive, and at times red-leaning, of New Hampshire’s two districts, but Pappas starts out as the slight favorite. The district includes Manchester, Portsmouth, and Laconia.
In NH-02, entrenched six-term incumbent Ann Kuster (D) is retiring, leaving an open contest in what’s been a relatively uncompetitive district since the late 2000s. Former Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Maggie Goodlander (D) will face off against Lily Williams (R), the latter of whom dispatched twelve other Republicans for the nomination.
NH-02 covers the western two-thirds of the state, taking in the capital Concord, the Dartmouth home of Hanover, college-educated enclaves on the Connecticut River, and the sparsely-populated northern part of the state. More Democratic on paper, the race could become competitive with an open seat. Before Biden quit the presidential race, the last Granite State poll taken showed Trump ahead in both congressional districts.
The spectacle ends in Delaware, however, as Democrats are highly likely to retain its trifecta of open seats this year.
New Castle County (Wilmington) County Executive Matt Meyer (D) secured the Democratic nomination to succeed term-limited Governor John Carney (D). He faces Delaware House Minority Leader Mike Ramone (R). Meyer defeated Lieutenant Governor and Carney endorsee Bethany Hall-Long (D) in the primary.
Republicans have not won a gubernatorial race in Delaware since 1988.
Four-term Senator Tom Carper (D) is retiring and the favorite to replace him is Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL) over businessman Eric Hansen (R). Neither saw contested primaries.
Republicans have not won a Senate race in Delaware since 1994.
In the race for the open House seat, State Senator Sarah McBride (D) won the primary and will be heavily favored over John Whalen III (R) in November. McBride is the first openly transgender state senator in the country and is currently the highest-ranking transgender elected official in U.S. history. Should McBride win in November, which is likely due to Delaware’s blue profile, McBride would be the first openly transgender member of Congress.
Finally, in Rhode Island, three-term Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D) easily dispatched his primary opponent and remains a heavy favorite for re-election over State Representative Patricia Morgan (R).
Rhode Island has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 2000.
State
Governor Kathy Hochul (D) said that she has met with Disney CEO Bob Iger in hopes of bringing more film projects and jobs to the Empire State.
“I was just sitting down with Bob Iger yesterday talking about how I want more production in New York State. London shouldn’t exist. Forget about Georgia. I’m a little aggressive, as you can tell,” said Hochul. She added that New York, under her leadership, has increased its production tax credits, but that she is looking to “make that even better.”
Disney has had a major office in New York City for many years, long calling the Upper West Side its home. The company is relocating its office downtown.
“The talent wants to be in New York…all the talent wants to be here, either they started here, they have friends here, or they have family here, but they will go where the show goes. So, we have to continue making it worth their while to do this,” said Hochul.
The Governor added that she has visited Hollywood to sit down with major producers to pitch incentives afforded to them by the Empire State. She concedes that despite New York’s auspicious role as a film locale, it comes down to fiscal matters for most producers.
“When we think about what sets us apart, it is really our creative talent, and when people see productions being made on their streets, it just feels like it’s a cool place to live,” said Hochul. “And I’m always trying to up the cool factor.”
In other news surrounding the Governor, Hochul recently underwent a procedure to remove basal cell carcinoma from her nose.
The cancer was reportedly removed with a local anesthesia and the Governor was back on the job within a few hours.
Basal cell carcinoma is considered the most common form of skin cancer, accounting for about eight of ten skin cancers according to the American Cancer Society. It usually develops on the most sun-exposed areas of the body.
Moles or pigmented spots that are growing, showing signs of asymmetry, irregular edges, or uneven colors may be signs of basal cell carcinoma.
Local
Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) recently announced that 9/11 responders to the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, who were active-duty Department of Defense (DOD), soldiers, sailors, as well as civilians, and other federal employees will now be able to join the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP).
The provision that includes these first responders was included in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, and $444 million to address the program’s shortfall was also included in its budget.
“September 11, 2001, was a horrific day for New York, for our country, and for the world. It is our duty to ensure that all survivors and responders still suffering today from 9/11-related illnesses are given access to the health care they need,” said Garbarino. “Whether caused by exposure in lower Manhattan, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, or at the Pentagon, all 9/11-related illnesses are the result of a foreign terror attack on America. I am proud to have helped secure language in the NDAA to enable excluded responders to participate in the WTCHP and I will continue to do everything I can to ensure 9/11 responders, survivors, and families are taken care of.”
