Tag: Early

Supreme Court To Consider Early Hearing Of Pleas Challenging Article 370 Abrogation

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SRINAGAR: The petitions challenging the nullification of Article 370 of the Constitution could be taken up for hearing soon as Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday said he would take a call on their listing.
“I will take a call on it,” according to newspaper The Tribune the CJI told senior advocate Raju Ramachandran who mentioned the matter and sought listing of petitions against doing away with Article 370 which gave a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir that also used to include Ladakh.
Earlier, the CJI had said that he would examine and give a date for listing of petitions, challenging abolition of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into union territories, which have been hanging fire for more than three years.
On September 23 last year, CJI Chandrachud’s predecessor Justice UU Lalit had agreed to take up these petitions after the 2022 Dussehra vacation but the matter hasn’t been taken up for hearing so far.
The Supreme Court had on February 13 dismissed a petition challenging notifications for delimitation of assembly constituencies in the newly created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, saying “there is absolutely no merit in any of the contentions raised by the petitioners”.
A Bench of Justice SK Kaul and Justice AS Oka had, however, clarified that it had not ruled on the validity of the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which is pending before another Bench.
The top court had on August 28, 2019 referred petitions challenging Presidential Orders nullifying Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into union territories to a five-judge Constitution Bench. In March 2020, it had refused to refer it to a larger Bench of seven judges.
There are around two dozen petitions challenging the Presidential Order nullifying Article 370, including those by Delhi-based advocate ML Sharma, Jammu and Kashmir-based lawyer Shakir Shabir, National Conference Lok Sabha MPs Mohammad Akbar Lone and Justice Hasnain Masoodi (retd), bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal and his party colleague Shehla Rashid.

There is another PIL filed by former interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir Radha Kumar, Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak (retd), Major General Ashok Mehta (retd), and former IAS officers Hindal Haidar Tyabji, Amitabha Pande and Gopal Pillai, who have urged the top court to declare the August 5 Presidential Orders “unconstitutional, void and inoperative”.
As the petitions didn’t get listed after March 2, 2020, former Jammu and Kashmir MLA Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami had moved the Supreme Court in August last year seeking an early hearing of petitions challenging the validity of abrogation of special status of the erstwhile state.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 17, 2023
Trump pick for World Bank chief makes early exit after climate stance misstep

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World Bank president David Malpass on Wednesday said he would leave his post by the end of June, months after running afoul of the White House for failing to say whether he accepts the scientific consensus on global warming.
Malpass, appointed by Donald Trump, will vacate the helm of the multilateral development bank, which provides billions of dollars a year in funding for developing economies, with less than a year remaining in a five-year term. He offered no specific reason for the move, saying in a statement, “after a good deal of thought, I’ve decided to pursue new challenges”.
Treasury secretary Janet Yellen thanked Malpass for his service in a statement, saying: “The world has benefited from his strong support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, his vital work to assist the Afghan people, and his commitment to helping low-income countries achieve debt sustainability through debt reduction.”
Yellen said the United States would soon nominate a replacement for Malpass and looked forward to the bank’s board undertaking a “transparent, merit-based and swift nomination process for the next World Bank president”.
By long-standing tradition, the US government selects the head of the World Bank, while European leaders choose the leader of its larger partner, the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Pressure to shake up the leadership of the World Bank to pave the way for a new president who would reform the bank to more aggressively respond to climate change has been building for over two years from the United Nations, other world leaders and environmental groups.
In November 2021, special adviser to the UN secretary-general on climate change Selwin Hart called out the World Bank for “fiddling while the developing world burns” and said that the institution has been an “ongoing underperformer” on climate action.
Pressure on Malpass was reignited last September when the World Bank chief fumbled answering a question about whether he believed in the scientific consensus around climate change, which drew condemnation from the White House.

In November, special envoy on climate change John Kerry said he wants to work with Germany to come up with a strategy by the next World Bank Group meetings in April 2022 to “enlarge the capacity of the bank” to put more money into circulation and help countries deal with climate change.
More recently, Yellen has launched a major push to reform the way the World Bank operates to ensure broader lending to combat climate change and other global challenges.
Malpass took up the World Bank helm in April 2019 after serving as the top official for international affairs at US treasury in the Trump administration. In 2022, the World Bank committed more than $104bn to projects around the globe, according to the bank’s annual report.
A source familiar with his thinking said Malpass had informed Yellen of his decision on Tuesday.
The end of the fiscal year at the end of June was a natural time to step aside, the source said. The World Bank’s governors are expected to approve the bank’s roadmap for reforms with only minor changes at the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank set for mid-April.
Still, World Bank sources said they were surprised by his decision to step down before the joint meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Morocco in October.
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

February 16, 2023
SC assures Bilkis Bano of early hearing of her plea against remission to convicts

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday assured Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped and seven members of her family killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots, that her plea against the remission of the sentence of 11 convicts will be heard soon after the constitution of a new bench.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala assured Bano, represented through her lawyer Shobha Gupta, that the new bench will be formed at the earliest.
Gupta mentioned the matter for urgent hearingand said that a new bench needs to be constituted by the Chief Justice of India as Justice Bela M Trivedi recused from hearing the plea.
CJI Chandrachud said, “I will do so at the earliest. The matter will be listed soon”.
Earlier, on January 24, the hearing on Bano’s plea challenging the remission of sentence of 11 convicts in the gang-rape case by the Gujarat government could not be held in the top court as the judges concerned were hearing a matter related to passive euthanasia as part of a five-judge Constitution bench.
On that day, the petition was listed for hearing before a bench of Justices Rastogi and CT Ravikumar.
Both Justices Rastogi and Ravikumar were then busy hearing, as part of a Constitution bench headed by Justice K M Joseph, the pleas seeking modification of guidelines on the execution of a “Living Will or Advance Medical Directive” for permitting passive euthanasia.
On January 4, Justice Trivedi had recused from hearing a batch of pleas challenging the remission of the sentence of 11 convicts in Bano’s case.
Bano had moved the apex court on November 30, 2022 challenging the “premature” release of 11 lifers by the state government, saying it has “shaken the conscience of society”.

Besides the plea challenging the release of the convicts, the gang-rape survivor had also filed a separate petition seeking a review of the apex court’s May 13, 2022 order on a plea by a convict.
In its May 13, 2022 order, the apex court had asked the state government to consider the plea of a convict for premature release in terms of its policy of July 9, 1992 which was applicable on the date of conviction and decide it within a period of two months.
All 11 convicts were granted remission by the Gujarat government and released on August 15, last year.
Bano’s review plea against the May 13, 2022 order, however, was dismissed by the top court in December last year.
The victim, in her pending writ petition, has said the state government passed a “mechanical order” completely ignoring the requirement of law as laid down by the Supreme Court.
“The en-masse premature release of the convicts in the much talked about case of Bilkis Bano has shaken the conscience of the society and resulted in a number of agitations across the country,” she has said in the plea.
Referring to past verdicts, the plea said en-masse remissions are not permissible and, moreover, such a relief cannot be sought or granted as a matter of right without examining the case of each convict individually based on their peculiar facts and role played by them in the crime.
“The present writ petition challenging the decision of the State/ Central Government granting remission to all the 11 convicts and releasing them prematurely in one of the most gruesome crimes of extreme inhuman violence and brutality,” it said.
The plea, which gave minute details of the crime, said Bilkis and her grown-up daughters were “shell-shocked with this sudden development”.
“When the nation was celebrating its 76th Independence Day, all the convicts were released prematurely and were garlanded and felicitated in full public glare and sweets were circulated,” it said.
The top court is already seized of PILs filed by CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali, Revati Laul, an independent journalist, Roop Rekha Verma, who is a former vice chancellor of the Lucknow University, and TMC MP Mahua Moitra against the release of the convicts.
Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed.
The investigation in the case was handed over to the CBI and the trial was transferred to a Maharashtra court by the Supreme Court.
A special CBI court in Mumbai had on January 21, 2008 sentenced the 11 to life imprisonment on charges of gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of seven members of her family.
Their conviction was later upheld by the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court.
The 11 men convicted in the case walked out of the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. They had completed more than 15 years in jail.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 7, 2023
Trump committee burns through cash in early months, new filings show

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Despite those high expenses, the fundraising committee — which had money in the bank going into December — still distributed significant funds to Trump’s campaign committee, enabling him to pay staff and fund a variety of campaign initiatives over the holidays.
But the high costs of fundraising are an ominous sign, as the early days of campaigns are often a time for candidates to reap easy cash from enthusiastic donors.
Trump has significant fundraising work to do ahead of what could be a grueling election cycle. His campaign reported only $3 million in cash on hand, compared to more than $19 million that his campaign had at the same time in the 2020 election cycle. Four years ago, the then-president also did not have a competitive primary approaching.
The former president’s fundraising numbers would still be enviable for many candidates. December is typically a slow fundraising month, and the fundraising committee raised more than $15 million in October and November, mostly before Trump’s presidential campaign launched. Declining rates of return on digital fundraising is a problem that has plagued many candidates. But Trump was once considered the exception to his party’s digital fundraising woes, as he raised record sums online during the 2020 election cycle and continued raising large amounts of money after he left office in 2021.
“President Trump has raised $21.3 million in the last quarter, proving that he is an unstoppable force that continues to dominate politics,” said Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign. “The campaign built out a second-to-none operation both on the national level and in early states since announcing. The President will wage an aggressive and fully-funded campaign to take our country back from Joe Biden and Democrats who seek to destroy our country.”
Trump will still benefit from significant outside money. A super PAC backing him, MAGA Inc., reported having $54 million in cash on hand at the end of 2022 and will likely look to target potential GOP primary opponents in advertising — a costly part of any campaign.
Overall, Trump’s fundraising committee spent over $250,000 on top political consultants and staff, while his campaign spent another more than $330,000 on staff and consultants.
The joint fundraising committee paid more than $4,400 to GS2LAW PLLC, the law firm representing Trump in his lawsuit against journalist Bob Woodward over audio of their interviews released by Woodward. Other major campaign expenses in December included $67,000 spent at Mar-a-Lago and a $5,000 donation to the Republican Party of Iowa.

The filings give some clues as to who exactly is working with Trump in the early days of his campaign. Aides say Trump’s 2024 operation, headquartered in West Palm Beach, Fla., not far from Trump’s Mar-a-lago club, is expected to be scrappier than the large 2020 campaign based at a high rise in Virginia.
Over $50,000 went towards paying advisers like Boris Epshteyn and Christina Bobb, who have assisted the former president on his numerous legal cases. The fundraising arm also paid longtime Trump aides like Lynne Patton, who has worked closely with the Trump family for years and was with Trump since his first campaign, and Dan Scavino, Trump’s director of social media in the White House who will continue that work on the campaign.
Other aides included in the filing include Margo Martin, who worked for Trump in the White House and has continued to be a press and communications aide for his reelect, Liz (Harrington) Shrew, a spokeswoman for Trump who frequently appears on right-wing media, Justin Caporale, a Melania Trump aide-turned-operations adviser, and Danny Tiso, a press lead for the campaign.
Vincent Haley and Ross Worthington, Trump’s top policy advisers and speechwriters who worked with him in the White House, are on the campaign payroll. And so are two of the people frequently at Trump’s side: Natalie Harp, the young OAN anchor-turned-aide, and Walt Nauta, Trump’s former military aide in the White House who moved down to Florida to continue to work for Trump and found himself at the center of Trump’s Mar-a-lago document drama.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 1, 2023
Ready to face early polls if BJP-led Centre dissolves LS: BRS’ KTR

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Hyderabad: Alleging that the NDA government at the Centre shows step-motherly treatment towards Telangana, ruling BRS leader K T Rama Rao claimed his party is ready for early elections to the Parliament and the state assembly if the BJP dissolves the Lok Sabha, showing its willingness for polls ahead of schedule.
The BJP-led government has not announced any new institution or funds to Telangana and not even delivered on the promises made to the state in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, he alleged.
The NDA government waived off loans for its “corporate friends”, he alleged. “…especially those in BJP in the state, they talk big. If they have guts, let them dissolve Parliament. Then, we can go for early polls together,” he told reporters in Nizamabad on Saturday.
“They say ‘sab ka saath, sab ka vishwas’. But, their actions are ‘sab kuch bakwas’ (all rubbish). The value of rupee is moving towards the ‘pathalam’ (abyss), the debt is mounting towards the sky. Such is the situation prevailing in the country today,” he said.
The BRS and BJP have been engaged in political one-upmanship ahead of Assembly polls to be held towards this year-end.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 29, 2023
Gallego’s early Sinema challenge squeezes Senate progressives

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On the other hand, longtime Sinema critic Sanders (I-Vt.) is suggesting that he’d be open to backing Gallego: “I’ve not heard from Gallego, but it’s something we would certainly look into.”
Arizona’s 2024 Senate contest is already testing the power of incumbency among Democrats — a dynamic felt most acutely on their left flank in the chamber. Liberals aired their share of frustration with Sinema during the last Congress, when she wielded her majority-making vote to cut sweeping bipartisan deals. But coming out early for Gallego risks making life harder while Sinema still serves.
Progressives who are behind Gallego, a fifth-term House Democrat, hope they can eventually secure endorsements from Sanders and other upper-chamber liberals, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Merkley declined to comment on Gallego this week. Meanwhile, Warren said it’s “too early.”

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) speaks with reporters as she departs a vote at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 23, 2023.
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Francis Chung/POLITICO
For now, the Senate Democratic campaign arm is refraining from talking about a potential Gallego-Sinema matchup. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also demurred this week, only saying it’s “much too early” and praising Sinema as an “excellent” senator.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee can help in races with independent candidates who would caucus with the party, even without officially endorsing them. In 2012, the campaign arm took out ads against GOP nominee Charlie Summers in Maine, despite never formally endorsing Angus King, who ran as an independent and continues to caucus with Democrats. The party also backed Independent Al Gross in the 2020 Alaska Senate race.
But it’s been years since the DSCC had to confront a serious Democratic challenge to an independent senator who, despite the ire she sparks on the left, more often than not votes with the party.
Progressives see plenty of reasons for frustration with Sinema, who voted against changing the filibuster, supports business-friendly tax policies and opposed a push to raise the minimum wage to $15 in the 2021 coronavirus relief bill. She’s also rubbed some of her colleagues the wrong way on a political level: for example, she backed her friend and former colleague Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy when he challenged Markey in the party’s 2020 Massachusetts Senate primary.
But Sinema’s also played a central part in some of President Joe Biden’s biggest legislative accomplishments so far, including laws on infrastructure, same-sex marriage and gun safety. That’s not lost on Senate Democrats who recognize the value of her affable relationship with Senate Republicans and ability to shape significant bipartisan legislation.

While the incumbent has $7.9 million in the bank for a potential run and Gallego blasts her as in the pocket of big donors, he isn’t just hunting in the grassroots for money to spend against Sinema. Gallego is set to host a high-dollar fundraiser in Washington on Feb. 28, with the suggested contributions starting at $500, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO.
Larry Cohen, board chair of the Sanders-aligned Our Revolution, said that “Democrats have an obligation to support the Democratic nominee and build the Arizona Party.” Yet even as outside organizations push for more Gallego endorsements, spokesperson Rebecca Katz said that’s not where the candidate is devoting his attention.
“While a number of Ruben’s colleagues have reached out to offer their encouragement, this decision belongs to the people of Arizona, and that’s who he’s focused on,” Katz said. “Caring more about what powerful people in D.C. think than actual Arizonans is kind of the whole problem with Sinema.”
Only a small group of Senate Democrats are willing to even entertain questions about Gallego, all while declining to talk about a potential Sinema reelection bid. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called Gallego a “very impressive and effective legislator” and welcomed the Arizonan’s interest in a move across the Capitol. But Blumenthal also made clear that he rarely endorses in primaries and highlighted that Sinema’s reelection plans are up in the air.
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), could also face pressure to back Gallego, according to a Democrat close to the Arizona congressman. Luján said Wednesday that “Ruben’s a good person, cares about people” but was noncommittal about the race, only observing that “at the end we’ll see how this all plays out.” Menendez declined to comment and said he’s focused on his own reelection.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are more than happy to watch it all from the sidelines, continuing to publicly hope Sinema ends up with switching caucuses and joining them on the other side of the aisle. Republicans have lost the last three Senate races in Arizona, most recently in 2022, when Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) defeated Blake Masters.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said this week that the Gallego bid is a “big dilemma for the Senate Democratic majority.”
“I’m pretty sure you were asking a bunch of questions along those lines right before we came out here,” McConnell told reporters gathered for his weekly press conference. “I look forward to reading which answers, if any, you got.”
Zach Warmbrodt and Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

January 26, 2023
ChatGPT’s paid version available for USD 42 a month for some early users

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New Delhi: Some ChatGPT users on Monday posted on social media that they have been granted access to a “ChatGPT Professional” version which costs $42 a month.
OpenAI, the Microsoft-owned AI company that developed the sensational chatbot, was yet to confirm the pricing.
AI developer Zahid Khawaja posted the screenshot of ChatGPT pricing, showing $42 per month. He said that paid system responds faster than the free version.
However, another Twitter user posted that “I very much wanted to pay for a plan but 42$ is just too much”.
AI research organisation OpenAI has said it will soon monetise its ChatGPT platform, after seeing a mammoth response to its AI chatbot that can write poems, essays, emails and even codes.
The Microsoft-owned company said it is “starting to think about how to monetize ChatGPT” as a way to “ensure long-term viability.”
“Working on a professional version of ChatGPT; will offer higher limits and faster performance,” said Greg Brockman, President and Co-Founder, OpenAI.
ChatGPT last reported over a million users.

ChatGPT Professional will be always available (no blackout windows), fast responses from ChatGPT (no throttling) and as many messages as you need (at least 2X regular daily limit).
“If you are selected, we’ll reach out to you to set up a payment process and a pilot. Please keep in mind that this is an early experimental programme that is subject to change, and we are not making paid pro access generally available at this time,” said the company.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 23, 2023
Early action electrifies 2024 Senate battle

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Candidates scrambled to stake a claim in the battleground of Michigan after Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced she’d be stepping down. Republicans are jumping into races in Indiana, West Virginia and Ohio. And the expected retirement of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is creating such a prime opportunity that Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) didn’t even wait on the incumbent’s announcement before launching her campaign.
“Folks want to have ‘first mover’ advantage. And that’s what you’re seeing in each one of these places. People recognize that there’s a good chance to win, so they want to get out and stake a claim,” said Jason Thielman, the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
It’s a particularly important moment for Republicans, whose lackluster candidates last cycle cost the party Senate control as Democrats vastly outraised them and GOP nominees struggled to attract independent voters. Republicans are banking on a different outcome this time, hoping part of that formula will be National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and GOP leaders wading into primaries to help deliver better general election candidates, if needed.
Porter joins early Republican Senate candidates like Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan, West Virginia Rep. Alex Mooney and Indiana Rep. Jim Banks. Former Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.) will visit Washington next week to meet with GOP senators, and Dolan is expected to hit the Hill in February for his own round of Senate meetings. And incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced his reelection campaign on Friday.
More campaign launches in both parties are expected to become official in the coming days and weeks.
“Recruitment is a top priority for us in the cycle. So we’re certainly thrilled to see a number of top-tier candidates already launching their campaigns,” Thielman said. He said the NRSC is “having conversations with many more and I think you’ll only see acceleration.”
The Democratic strategy is all about retrenching around the three most vulnerable Democrats: Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Montana Sen. Jon Tester and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin. Only Brown has committed to running again next fall. Beyond that, Democrats are defending five states where President Joe Biden won narrowly in 2020: Nevada, Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania. That’s a lot of terrain for Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Gary Peters to defend.
“In states that are viewed as competitive there is a desire to keep as many of the incumbents running for re-election as possible,” said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). “Sen. Schumer, I think, has already started that [work].”

Peters will help arbitrate an open and potentially crowded primary in his home state of Michigan, which is friendlier turf of late for Democrats but still likely to be a top-tier Senate race. Michigan Democratic Reps. Debbie Dingell and Elissa Slotkin are looking at the open seat, in addition to any number of Republicans — including Rep. John James (R-Mich.), who lost to both Peters and Stabenow in the past.
Elsewhere, Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) say they are running for reelection, and Kaine and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) are preparing to do so. Those senators’ runs are critical for Democrats to keep control of the chamber. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is also ramping up her campaign for a third term.
Less clear is what will happen in Arizona. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who essentially caucuses with Democrats, is undecided as Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) prepares to launch his own bid and Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) passes on a Senate run.
Republicans could have a pile-up of their own if failed 2022 gubernatorial and Senate candidates Kari Lake and Blake Masters both run for the GOP nomination against more centrist opponents.
Democrats’ pickup opportunities appear scant at the moment, marking a highly defensive cycle for a party that just achieved a real, if slim, majority. Provided they win the presidency, Democrats can afford to lose only one seat next year and still maintain Senate control.
“Every reporter I talked to in October and November was convinced that Democrats were going to be in the minority right now. We’re not. In fact we picked up a seat,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said. “Yes, the map in ‘24 is challenging. But if Republicans continue in the direction they’re already trending in, I feel good.”
Brown’s first declared opponent, Dolan, hails from the more centrist wing of the party, so he’s sure to have competition in Ohio. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and businessman Bernie Moreno are among the conservatives weighing bids.
Yet Dolan is moving quickly to establish prime position after a third-place finish in last year’s primary, a bid he launched in September 2021.
“Matt is aggressively moving around the state this week locking down support,” said Dolan adviser Chris Maloney. “We have received requests for meetings in D.C. and will be entertaining them in due time.”
Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) was the first to announce he was running for Manchin’s seat two months ago, but more may jump in soon. Gov. Jim Justice (R) said this week he is “seriously considering” the race, as is Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who lost to Manchin in 2018. Morrisey told POLITICO that he is “seriously evaluating the options [and] will decide on a pathway” by April.
In Montana, Republicans are bracing for a clash between GOP Reps. Matt Rosendale, a Freedom Caucus firebrand, and Ryan Zinke, a baggage-saddled former Cabinet secretary who passed on a race in 2018. Tester previously beat Rosendale in 2018, and former DSCC Chair Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) expressed confidence his Democratic colleague could do it again: “He is Mr. Montana.”
Daines has indicated he’s willing to intervene in primaries if needed to produce viable candidates, which could make for tough decisions down the stretch. In the meantime, Republicans are hoping Tester’s and Manchin’s indecision works to their advantage.
Still, Manchin already has $9.4 million on hand. Even that sum pales to the amount Porter may need to prevail in California, where Feinstein’s safe Democratic seat could nonetheless soon spark the most expensive race in the country. Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) both could enter the primary soon.
And Banks’ early splash into the open seat in Indiana has accelerated a potential clash with Daniels over a safe, GOP-held seat opened up by GOP Sen. Mike Braun‘s run for governor. Banks is already rolling out endorsements while the conservative Club for Growth prepares to spend as much as $10 million against the former governor.
Like Dolan, Mooney and Porter, Banks is hoping the early jump helps him seal the deal.
“I’ll be the first in the race,” Banks said in an interview ahead of his Tuesday launch. “I’m sure others will run as well. I like my chances.”
Marianne LeVine contributed to this report.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

January 20, 2023