Former President Donald Trump is heading to a second state as he holds his first large public campaign events on Saturday. Before a previously announced event in South Carolina, Trump will deliver the keynote address at the New Hampshire GOP’s annual meeting, per NBC News’ Marc Caputo and Natasha Korecki.
But they write that Trump is “expected to face frosty receptions from a few top Republicans.” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, for example, has been critical of Trump. And Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., another potential presidential contender, is not expected to attend Trump’s event in the Palmetto State.
The trips to the two early primary states mark a new phase in Trump’s re-election campaign. They are his first large public campaign events, and the first events outside of his home state of Florida, since Trump launched his campaign roughly two months ago.
In other campaign news…
Hogan-mentum?: As GOP Gov. Larry Hogan leaves office in Maryland, the Washington Post explores whether the potential presidential contender’s cross-party appeal can be applied to a national campaign.
DeSantis watch: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new education plan Monday that included boosts for teacher salaries, restrictions on teacher unions and shorter term limits for school board members. And days after the news the state has blocked a new AP African American Studies course that conservatives like DeSantis have framed as pushing a left-wing agenda, NBC News’ Marc Caputo breaks down what the course entails.
Pompeo’s take: In a new book, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, also considered a potential presidential contender, criticized murdered Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the media coverage of his murder.
Hacked: South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem’s personal cell phone was hacked and used to make “hoax calls,” per a press release.
Lee’s one-term promise?: The San Francisco Chronicle reports that allies of Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee are combating questions about the 76 year-old’s age if she runs for Senate by pitching her as a “transitional candidate” who would only serve one term if elected.
A Craft-y new ad: Republican Kelly Craft, who is running for governor of Kentucky, released a new TV ad focused on immigration, including footage of Craft at the southern border, in which she claims that “criminal and illegal drugs like fentanyl are flooding into our state, ravaging our communities,” per the Washington Examiner.
Will she, won’t she?: A new TV ad from a Louisiana super PAC prominently features state Democratic Party chair Katie Bernhardt in a spot that has all the stylings of a gubernatorial-race ad, except for any direct reference to Bernhardt as an active candidate. Nola.com reports the move has rankled some Democrats ahead of the battle for the governor’s mansion.
A new senator in town: Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was sworn into the Senate on Monday. The Republican, who replaced former GOP Sen. Ben Sasse, is expected to run in the special election in 2024 for the final two years of Sasse’s term and for a full term in 2026.
Waiting on Santos: NBC News’ Allan Smith reports on how embattled New York GOP Rep. George Santos has still not explained his side of the revelations he embellished his biography despite promising to do so for weeks. And in a video from a Brazilian media interview aired on last night’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC, Santos appeared to claim last month he was the target of an assassination attempt.
