The TGIFest of TGIFs

Good morning!

It’s only been three days since the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, but it feels like it’s been years?? I’m taking the day off to (hopefully) not spend one moment thinking about elections. I will return Monday!

Elections: Nikita Biryukov talked to Republican officials who blame the war in Iran, rising prices, typical midterm backlash, and, of course, President Donald Trump for GOP losses on Tuesday. Ocean County GOP Chair George Gilmore told Nikita his party has to get serious about picking the right candidates. “Right now, we’re at the point of not being a viable entity, and we can’t let that happen,” he said. Meanwhile, state Sen. Jon Bramnick (R), a longtime Trump critic, cited the party’s love affair with a president much of the state loathes.

D.C.: Dave Levinthal at the Washington Sun reports that some of the most prolific stock and bond traders in Congress will not be returning in January after being ousted at the polls. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R), felled by Democrat Rebecca Benentt on Tuesday, lost reelection after Democrats repeatedly slammed him for millions in stock trades.

SCOTUS: Ann E. Marimow at the New York Times reported Thursday that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito, a Jersey boy, has told people close to him that he does not intend to immediately announce his retirement. Democrats feared Alito would step down to give Trump a chance to appoint a replacement before Democrats take control of the Seante in January.

Pemberton: Something I had not noticed amid all the other insane election news is Pemberton Mayor Matthew Bianchini — the guy who charged at a critic during a council meeting — lost reelection in a major way Tuesday, winning just 29% of the vote to challenger Belinda Fontanez. Bianchini conceded Wednesday in a Facebook post he wrote using AI.

Trump: The GOP’s push to redraw congressional district boundaries in states where they are generally favored backfired big time. The National Democratic Redistricting Committee said the GOP made zero net gains in states where they redistricted to give Republicans an edge. In fact, Democrats won some districts that were redrawn to make them safe for the GOP.

Booker: Now that U.S. Sen. Cory Booker has won reelection a third time, he’s headed to South Carolina for two visits today and on Nov. 20. Guess which state is first in Democrats’ presidential primary calendar?