Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.In today’s edition, Kristen Welker looks ahead to November in swing state Michigan after this week’s primary battles.Plus, our Capitol Hill team reports on Sen.
Bill Cassidy providing pivotal support for Todd Blanche.Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.— Adam WollnerFault lines for both parties emerge after Michigan’s primariesAnalysis by Kristen WelkerThis week’s Michigan primaries underscored some major challenges both parties will face in the general election in the perennial battleground state.Democrats are scrambling to come together after divisive contests, most notably in the Senate race, where progressive Abdul El-Sayed defeated moderate Rep.
Haley Stevens.That work continues today as Michigan Democrats gather for a unity rally featuring former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
But it remains to be seen what other tangible steps Democrats will take to ensure their fractured party can maximize turnout in the fall.And as progressives like El-Sayed shift to the general election, Democrats will also be forced to contend with attacks from Republicans who are eager to tie candidates to the party’s ascendant democratic socialist wing (El-Sayed has stressed that he is not a socialist).
Republicans, meanwhile, are navigating President Donald Trump’s sagging approval ratings as voters continue to give him low marks on his handling of the economy and the Iran war.Those dynamics are unfolding in real time in one of the most competitive House races in the country: Michigan’s 7th District, which includes Lansing and is represented by GOP Rep.
Tom Barrett.Trump carried this district by just 1 point in 2024.
Progressive activist William Lawrence won the hotly contested Democratic primary there this week, and I asked him about th...