Self-funded candidates roil congressional races: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the earn version ofFrom the Politics Deskan evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics crew’s most modern reporting and analysis from the advertising campaign toddle, the White Dwelling and Capitol Hill.

In lately’s version, we dive into the gusher of self-funded money that rich candidates are pouring into congressional campaigns around the country. Plus, senior political editor Mark Murray dives into the veepstakes.

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Rich contributors are spending more than ever to flee for Congress. A monumental take a look at is coming in Maryland.

By Ben Kamisar

Prosperous map of job-seekers plowed more of their very absorb money than ever into runs for Congress final year. Now, the largest one in every of all is facing a extraordinarily necessary hurdle.

Democratic Rep. David Trone has given more than $57 million of his own money to his Senate campaign in Maryland ahead of next week’s primary — a staggering sum that already ranks among the largest self-funding campaigns in U.S. history. But he’s not alone: Self-funding congressional candidates gave more to their campaigns in 2023, $131 million, than in any other year going back to at least 2003, according to an NBC News review of campaign finance data.

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Led by nearly $37 million from Trone alone last year, it’s part of a recent surge in spending by wealthy candidates that has fundamentally changed how campaigns are won and lost — and likely made it harder than ever for non-wealthy candidates to reach Washington, since candidates are not bound by donation limits and can contribute unlimited amounts to their own campaigns.

The style is affecting everything from open-seat primaries in deep red or blue districts across the country to the battle for the Senate.

Trone continues to spend heavily as he looks to build up the Democratic primary for retiring Sen. Ben Cardin’s seat, before what’s expected to be an expensive November struggle against former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican. Also running for the Democratic nomination is Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive who has received support from some of Maryland’s most prominent Democrats — but has been outspent 9-to-1 by Trone.

Read more →

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The courtroom for Trump’s trial has become a test of power for an ex-president and a judge

By Peter Nicholas

A striking aspect of Donald Trump’s criminal trial is Judge Juan Merchan’s no-nonsense approach and the extent to which he — and he alone — controls the proceedings.

Truly in the courtroom, it’s the sitting judge and not the ex-president who holds authority. Merchan resumed the trial Monday by wishing Trump, “Good morning.” That was likely the most pleasant exchange uttered during hours of testimony from the Trump Organization’s former controller, Jeffrey McConney.

When the judge entered the courtroom, Trump stood with everyone else. When the judge sat, Trump sat. As the jurors filed out during breaks, they conspicuously avoided making eye contact with the well-known defendant, who stood silently as they passed.

All of this is standard protocol for a criminal trial. But when Trump is the defendant, protocol has been known to break down.

In a defamation trial in January, the judge in the case,Lewis Kaplan,threatened to remove Trump from the courtroom after the former president made audible comments during testimony from his accuser, E. Jean Carroll. The judge told Trump to “keep his voice down” at one point.

Merchan is keeping theatrics to a minimum. He set the tone at the outset of Monday’s proceedings by ruling Trump had violated his gag order for the tenth time, leading to another $1,000 fine.

The fines aren’t a workable deterrent, Merchan warned, so he raised the stakes. Further violations could well land Trump in prison, the judge said.

“The last thing I want to do is to put you in prison,” Merchan said. “You’re the former president of the United States, and possibly the next president as well.”

Trump sat and listened, saying nothing.

Read more from the Trump trial here →

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It is VP audition time, and the contenders are imitating Trump

By Mark Murray

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., voted to certify the 2020 election results, and he supported a 15-week federal abortion ban during his short-lived presidential campaign.

But on “Meet the Press” Sunday, Scott refused to say he’d accept the 2024 election results regardless of who wins, and he repeated Donald Trump’s stance that abortion policy should be left to the states, not Congress — a stance Scott criticized during the GOP primary debates.

And on CNN the same day, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who ran for president touting his “small-town values,” blasted the New York prison trial of Trump as “politically motivated.”

Welcome to VP audition time, as the skill contenders — Scott, Burgum, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and others — flooded the Sunday shows after appearing at a key donor retreat for Trump.

And they also largely mimicked Trump’s rhetoric and defended his controversial positions.

“Donald Trump broke politics. And I think that’s a good thing,” Noem told CBS News. “We’re not going back to the days of Mitt Romney or the Bushes, now that there’s a brand-new way to win and run for the American people, and they love it.”

Then there was Rubio, who ran against Trump in the 2016 presidential primaries, additionally commenting on Trump’s legal challenges: “What we’re seeing in all locations the country lovely now might be the weaponization of our prison justice machine.”

And here’s more from Burgum, who acknowledged Joe Biden acquired the 2020 presidential election, nonetheless added that “irregularities” took map in that election.

CNN: Attain you judge Joe Biden acquired the 2020 election?

BURGUM: I judge that Joe Biden acquired the 2020 election nonetheless I additionally, in accordance with the volume of votes that were in nonetheless I judge that on account of Covid, there became an unprecedented quantity of irregularities because we modified a bunch of principles in definite locations, in definite precincts, in definite states.

All of it underscores how Trump has remodeled lately’s Republican Party, from its platform to actual Republican officials themselves. Look no further than how the various VP contenders don’t need to contradict the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee — even on issues on which they’ve differed in the past.

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That’s all from The Politics Desk for now. While you may have thoughts — likes or dislikes — email us at [email protected]

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