Axios Sneak Peek

May 05, 2024
Welcome back to Sneak. Our Sunday edition is 770 words, a 3-minute read.
😎 Axios' Sophia Cai obtained audio of former President Trump's real-time reviews of his most prominent surrogates, including a big chunk of the 2024 VP contenders. Go deeper.
1 big thing: GOP's age split

Young Republicans are notably more moderate on immigration than the elders in their party, according to an Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll.
Why it matters: The Trump-led GOP has embraced a hardline stance on immigration, but younger party members are more skeptical of the GOP's political narratives on the subject.
- Gen Z Republicans are more likely to support more legal immigration pathways.
- They're more likely to question negative narratives about immigrants than older generations, the survey found.
- They're less likely than Boomer and Gen X Republicans to back some of Trump's most aggressive plans to crack down on illegal immigration.
Zoom in: Even where a significant majority of Republicans in Gen Z agree with those in Generation X and the Boomer Generation, a closer look often reveals they agree less emphatically.
- Only 33% of Gen Z Republicans "strongly" agreed that illegal immigration is unfair to those who come illegally, compared to 70% in older generations.
- Just 28% of Gen Z felt strongly that immigrants' character is worse today than 50 years ago, about half of the older age group.
The other side: Gen Z Republicans are still more concerned about immigration overall than their peers of other political identities.
- 63% said illegal immigration is a problem for U.S. communities, compared to 39% of Gen Z Democrats.
- 61% of Gen Z Republicans believe illegal immigration is linked to crime spikes, compared to 45% of Gen Z Democrats.
2. Fiercest Senate primary
The Maryland Democratic Senate primary is rapidly turning into one of the most bitter intra-party contests of the 2024 election cycle.
Why it matters: Whoever emerges from the May 14 primary will likely face an electoral juggernaut in Republican former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
- Maryland's once-solid Democratic Senate seat is now listed as likely Democratic, according to the Cook Political Report.
- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said Maryland Democrats are "all committed to dampening down the negativity and preparing to support whoever wins ... We cannot afford to lose a Senate seat."
State of play: Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) is running against Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).
- Trone, the wealthy owner of Total Wine, has loaned his campaign at least $54 million, per FEC filings.
- Alsobrooks, who would make history as Maryland's first Black senator, has the backing of most of Trone's colleagues in the state's congressional delegation.
Zoom in: After Trone inadvertently used a racial slur at a committee hearing in March, several Congressional Black Caucus members got off the sidelines to endorse Alsobrooks.
- Last week, Trone ran an ad in which a Black local official said of Alsobrooks: "U.S. Senate is not a place for training wheels." The ad was rebroadcast without the line following backlash from Black women.
- On Saturday, dozens of local and state officials signed-on to statements slamming Trone for referring to Alsobrooks' endorsers in her home county as "low-level folks."
What we're hearing: Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), in reference to the "low-level" comment, noted that he and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) both represent Prince George's County and support Alsobrooks.
- "I was a little surprised to hear a comment like that ... some people think Congress is a high-level office," he told Axios.
The other side: "Our opponent and their supporters have been attacking David Trone for nearly a year, and now a Super PAC backed by a Larry Hogan donor is airing negative attacks to distract Maryland voters," the Trone campaign said in a statement.
- State Sen. Jill Carter, who is Black, argued it was "deeply hypocritical" to claim the race is "about making history" because "no ire" was directed at Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) for defeating a Black woman to claim his seat in 2016.
👀 3. MTG feels Trump's wrath
Former President Trump is ticked off at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over her guerilla campaign against Speaker Mike Johnson, the Wall Street Journal's Vivian Salama reports.
- Trump told Greene last week that he opposes her effort because it would hurt the GOP ahead of the elections, sources familiar with the conversation told the WSJ.
What's next: Greene has promised to advance her motion to vacate this upcoming week.
- Most Republicans, and some Democrats, have vowed to block the effort.
4. Pic du jour: Biden's Saturday
President Biden leaves after attending Mass at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church yesterday in Wilmington, Delaware.
This newsletter was edited by Arthur MacMillan
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