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National

Georgia's Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) said last week that the embattled Senate candidate Herschel Walker "has not yet earned my vote," per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Driving the news: "Walker won his Senate primary not because of his political chops or policy proposals," Duncan wrote in an editorial published on CNN last week. 

"He trounced his opponents because of his performance on the football field 40 years ago and his friendship with former President Donald Trump — neither of which are guaranteed tickets to victory anymore," he wrote.

“I’m not voting for Sen. Warnock, and like a lot of other Georgians, Herschel Walker has not yet earned my vote,” Duncan told the AJC. 

“He’s got four weeks left to change our minds," he added. 

The big picture: Duncan, who was outspoken in denouncing and debunking the false claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election, is the most prominent Georgia Republican critic of Walker, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes.

Trump and other influential Republicans have supported Walker after a report alleged the Georgia candidate paid for a girlfriend's abortion in 2009.

State of play: Other Republican lawmakers in the state have been less outspoken, including Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who has largely avoided defending Walker. 

“I can’t control what other people are doing. I certainly can’t control the past. But I can control my own destiny and that’s what we’re doing," Kemp has said, the New York Times reports. 

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has used the controversy surrounding Walker to denounce her competitor, Kemp, per the AJC. 

“He is always taking positions that are designed to undermine personal freedoms," Abrams said, per the AJC. 

"And you cannot say that you believe that Herschel Walker is entitled to his personal choices, but no one else in Georgia is." 

Go deeper... GOP congressman defends Herschel Walker: "We all make mistakes"

GOP Georgia Lt. Governor criticizes Herschel Walker following scandal

"I’m not voting for Sen. Warnock, and like a lot of other Georgians, Herschel Walker has not yet earned my vote."

U.S. Republican Senate candidate for Georgia, Herschel Walker speaks at a campaign event on September 9, 2022

Herschel Walker speaks at a campaign event on Sept. 9. Photo: Megan Varner/Getty Images

Georgia

Politics & Policy

With 30 days until the midterms, party leaders are making ruthless calculations to cut funding for underachieving candidates in a push to sharpen their top targets. In other cases, party committees and super PACs aren't spending at all on potentially winnable races because of flawed candidates.

Driving the news: The National Republican Senatorial Committee announced Friday it would be cutting back on its advertising against Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire, opting to focus on other, closer Senate battlegrounds in which Republicans are being outspent.

But the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund is still spending big in New Hampshire to support GOP candidate Don Bolduc as part of its $23 million reservation and has no plans to cut back, according to SLF spokesman Jack Pandol.

"We're glad to see Republican outside forces showing up in a big way in New Hampshire, with millions in spending pledged to take down Maggie Hassan in the final stretch," said NRSC spokesman Chris Hartline.

Why it matters: We're seeing Democrats cut off funding for some candidates primarily because they don't have enough resources to spend in an expanding battleground map. Republicans, by contrast, are more likely to cut bait on candidates running poor campaigns, not raising money on their own or sounding too extreme for their districts. 

Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D-Ariz.) told donors last month that the party needs to step up soon to help him win against former President Trump-endorsed Eli Crane. The NRCC has spent over $1.7 million attacking him in the last month — but he's not getting any backup from Democratic allies, according to a source tracking ad spending. O'Halleran's redrawn district backed Trump by 8 points.

Nevada Republican Sam Peters, who's running against Rep. Stephen Horsford (D-Nev.), isn't getting any help from Republican allies — even as the state looks like it's swinging in the GOP's direction. Neither the NRCC nor the Kevin McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund are spending money for Peters, a retired Air Force major and pro-Trump activist who they view as too extreme for the Biden +8 district. 

New Hampshire Republican Bob Burns, who's running against Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), has been left in the cold even as some public polling shows Kuster is vulnerable. Burns, a pro-Trump businessman, defeated a moderate candidate in the Republican primary — thanks in part to outside meddling from a Democratic super PAC. 

Texas Democrat Michelle Vallejo, a progressive running in a majority-Hispanic Rio Grande Valley district against Republican Monica de la Cruz, isn't getting any DCCC support in her Trump +3 district. House Majority PAC is planning to cancel the scheduled ad reservations for her at the end of the month, according to a source familiar with the group's plans. 

Wisconsin Democrat Brad Pfaff, running to succeed retiring Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), isn't getting any outside backup in his race against Republican Derrick Van Orden. House Majority PAC reserved time in the district later this month, but a source familiar with the group's plans said it intends to cancel those reservations. 

Between the lines: The Democratic disengagement from a Wisconsin district it currently holds is a notable concession that Jan. 6 isn't resonating as an election issue with swing voters.

Pfaff has attacked Van Orden for being at the Capitol on Jan. 6, though the Republican argues he never went on restricted grounds and left when it became clear that a protest had become a mob. 

"There aren't many positive signals for Democrats in Wisconsin right now," said one senior Democratic official.

Two California Democrats, running in House races that the Cook Political Report rates as toss-ups, are also at risk of getting cut off.

Outside Democratic groups have not yet spent any money against GOP Reps. Mike Garcia and Michelle Steel, though House Majority PAC still has millions in advertising reserved for the final three weeks of the campaign.

By contrast, outside Republican groups have already spent over $1 million in each race hitting their Democratic challengers. 

Flashback: Two Trump-aligned Republican candidates were cut off by national party super PACs prior to this final stretch.

Last month, Senate Leadership Fund withdrew over $9 million in ad reservations for Arizona GOP Senate nominee Blake Masters, leaving Masters dependent on other outside groups to spend on his behalf. Masters is trailing Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), despite Arizona's status as a top battleground.

The NRCC also told Axios last month it won't be spending any more money for Ohio congressional candidate J.R. Majewski, who misrepresented his military service and was at the Capitol on Jan. 6. He's facing Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in a redrawn district that backed Trump by three points in 2020. 

Parties starving weak candidates in final midterm crunch

Illustration of a pair of scissors cutting a one hundred dollar bill

Midterm elections 2022

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday criticized President Biden's remarks last week warning about the possibility of nuclear usage from Russian President Vladimir Putin as "reckless."

Driving the news: Pompeo said on "Fox News Sunday" that Biden's comments are "a terrible risk to the American people."

Pompeo, who served under former President Trump, added that the Biden administration would be more effective "executing quiet diplomacy."

"We ought to be doing that, I hope that they're doing this quietly," he said.

The big picture: Biden last week warned that the U.S. faces the highest chance of "Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis."

Putin is "not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons because his military is, you might say, significantly underperforming," Biden said at a fundraiser.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Sunday also reacted to Biden's remarks on ABC's "This Week": "What the president was reflecting was that the stakes are high right now," he said.

What they're saying: Retired Adm. Mike Mullen also said he was "a little concerned" about Biden's remarks on ABC's "This Week."  

"I'm a little concerned about the language, which were about at the top," Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said of Biden's remarks. 

"We're about at the top of the language scale and I think we need to back off that a little bit and do everything we possibly can to try to get to the table to try to resolve this thing." 

Pompeo also said Sunday that the explosion on a Russian bridge on Saturday that links the Crimean Peninsula and the Russian mainland was a sign that Russian forces were struggling. 

"The Russian military is failing desperately," he said.

Go deeper... White House: Biden's "Armageddon" warning not based on any new intel

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a quote from retired Adm. Mike Mullen. 

Pompeo: Biden's Armageddon remarks are "terrible risk" to American people

Pompeo also criticized Biden's Armageddon comment as "reckless."

Mike Pompeo in Warsaw, Poland on February 12, 2019

Mike Pompeo in Warsaw, Poland, on Feb. 12, 2019. Photo: Mateusz Wlodarczyk/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Mike Pompeo

Some election offices across the country are bolstering their security efforts in anticipation of the midterm elections.

Why it matters: From security guards to bulletproof glass at election offices, the enhanced measures come in response to the increase in threats to election workers during and in the aftermath of the 2020 election. 

Zoom in: In Flagstaff, Arizona, for instance, an election office will be barricaded by bulletproof glass, and anyone wishing to enter will have to ring a buzzer, Reuters reports.

At an election office in Tallahassee, Florida, the walls have been fortified with kevlar, which is the same synthetic material used in bulletproof vests and military helmets. 

The Florida election office also conducted active shooter trainings for its workers and has installed bullet- and bomb-resistant glass, Reuters notes. 

In Jefferson County, Colorado, four security guards will be positioned outside some of the busiest polling centers in the weeks surrounding the election. 

The big picture: Nearly 1 in 5 local election officials said they were likely to leave their jobs before the 2024 presidential election, according to a report from the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice released in March.

The officials said politicians' attacks on the election system, stress and retirement were the primary reasons they were likely to leave, per the report.

In an attempt to respond to the torrent of threats, states have enacted laws to bolster protections for election officials, including California, Colorado, Maine, Oregon and Vermont, CNN reports.

The Department of Justice in June 2021 launched the Election Threats Task Force in response to rising threats of violence against election workers.

Go deeper... DOJ nabs first guilty plea for threats against election workers

Active shooter training among measures to protect election workers

Bulletproof glass, security guards and other safety measures are being taken at election offices nationwide.

 Hired security personnel wait for voters outside the Leon County Supervisor of Elections office on November 3, 2020

Security personnel stand outside of the Leon County Supervisor of Elections office in Tallahassee, Fla., in November 2020. Photo: Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

Slotkin

The Democratic Party needs "new leadership, new blood," but if the sitting president decides to run, "we are going to support him," Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Why it matters: Biden has said several times that he plans to run for president again in 2024 if he's in good health, but like Slotkin, the majority of Democrats say they would prefer a new candidate.

What she’s saying: “He's the sitting president. If he decides to run again, I’m going to support him — the party is going to support him. That, you know, has a long history in our country.”

“But I have been very vocal, including with my own leadership within the House that we need a new generation, we need new blood, period. Across the Democratic Party in the House, the Senate, the White House." 

Slotkin — who is part of a handful of members of Congress who voted against Nancy Pelosi to be the House speaker — says she would "love to see some Midwestern leaders. ... That’s been important to me — to reflect the middle of the country. We’re here too.”

“I do think new blood is a good thing, but if the sitting president of the United States decides to run, we’re going to support it.”

Context: Slotkin is in the midst of a House race where she is emphasizing jobs, the cost of living and prescription drug prices, leaving the abortion messaging to other Democrats, Axios’ Hans Nichols reports.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin thinks Democrats need “new blood” for 2024 race

Slotkin says she would like to see Midwestern leaders rise to the challenge.

Elections

Rep. Elissa Slotkin appears on the Oct. 9, 2022. episode of NBC's "Meet the Press."

Meet The Press-10 34 56 Am - 10 37 27 Am-2022-10-09

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) pledged his continued support to embattled U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, saying "we all make mistakes."

Driving the news: A number of prominent Republicans — including former President Trump and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) — have doubled down on their support for Walker after a detailed report this week alleged Walker paid for a then-girlfriend to have an abortion in 2009.

Walker — who says he opposes abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or the mother's life — previously denied the allegations. 

Earlier this week, Walker's son accused him of "lying" and "making a mockery" of his family.

What they're saying: Asked if he still supports Walker, Bacon replied: "I sure do, more for the policy positions he's going to take."

"Herschel needs to come clean and just be honest. We also know that we all make mistakes and it’s just better — if this actually did happen —say 'I'm sorry' and ask for forgiveness."

"You want to walk the talk and talk the walk. You want to have cohesion with your message," Bacon said when asked if the allegations around Walker "undercut" the GOP's message on being anti-abortion.

"But people also make mistakes. I'm surely not a flawless person by no means. I have made my own mistakes in life. And Herschel has too. We all have. I think it's better just to be honest."

The big picture: Walker's race against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia is viewed as one of GOP's best chances to pick up a Senate seat this November and win back control of the chamber.

Go deeper: Herschel Walker's ticking time bomb

GOP congressman defends Herschel Walker: "We all make mistakes"

"I'm surely not a flawless person by no means. I have made my own mistakes in life. And Herschel has too."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) bid to transport migrants last month may have gone beyond the extent of an original program designed by the state, the Washington Post reports from new state records.

Driving the news: The state program, launched in July, was intended to “relocate out of the state of Florida foreign nationals who are not lawfully present in the United States," the Post reports.

The state program did not mention the potential of transporting migrants from Texas, the Post notes from records released by the Florida Department of Transportation and the governor’s office. 

The state records also show that Florida paid Vertol Systems, an Oregon-based charter airline company, $615,000 for the September flights to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. That equals to about $12,300 for each of the 50 migrants on board the two flights.

DeSantis' team did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. 

The big picture: State Sen. Jason Pizzo (D) sued DeSantis and other state officials over the bid to transport migrants, saying it violated the state program because the migrants were not in the country illegally and their flight did not originate in Florida.

DeSantis has defended his controversial program, saying: "Most of them are intending to come to Florida," the Post reports. 

“Our view is you have to deal with it at the source," he said during a news conference in DaytonaBeach, Florida.

Ron DeSantis' migrant flights questioned after new documents released

The state records show that Florida paid Vertol Systems $615,000 for the September flights.

Axios

Sunday's top stories

GOP Georgia Lt. Governor criticizes Herschel Walker following scandal

Parties starving weak candidates in final midterm crunch

Pompeo: Biden's Armageddon remarks are "terrible risk" to American people

Active shooter training among measures to protect election workers

Rep. Elissa Slotkin thinks Democrats need “new blood” for 2024 race

GOP congressman defends Herschel Walker: "We all make mistakes"

Ron DeSantis' migrant flights questioned after new documents released

Warner Bros. Discovery merger looms over "Black Adam"

Russia rushes to reestablish supply lines after Crimea bridge explosion

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