Anchor of the Early Brief newsletter at @WashingtonPost. Formerly at @AP, @TheMessenger and @CNN. Email: dan.merica@washpost.com
Washington, D.C.
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Woman in ad who said a Democrat endangers kids pleaded guilty to endangering kids
via @LauraBeveridge7: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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Dan Merica retweeted
In a @pewresearch survey last year, just 27% of Americans (and 30% of Republicans + R-leaning independents) said they like it "when politicians you agree with humiliate their political opponents."
President Donald Trump’s brand of brash, sometimes offensive, politics has shaped the GOP for a decade.
But bipartisan outrage over Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad shows how candidates can fail when they try to embody the president’s shock-jock style.
More here: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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I don't expect everyone to know this, but it is immensely funny because Iowa is home to one of the United States' most storied multi-day bike rides.
And it regularly goes through the district Mitchell is seeking to represent.
Joe Mitchell: "Thank God you're building the ballroom. Thank God you're getting rid of those awful bike lanes. We don't ride bicycles in Iowa."
Community note
Iowa hosts RAGBRAI, the world's largest multi-day bike tour since 1973 with thousands of riders yearly. Iowa also has extensive bike trails and lanes.
ragbrai.com
iowadot.gov/modes-travel/b…
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Former Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) makes a rare political statement today to support @DavidFlippoNV, blaming Amodei for "handing a Democrat her best chance in the history of this seat because he did not get his way."
rgj.com/story/opinion/2026/1…
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President Donald Trump’s brand of brash, sometimes offensive, politics has shaped the GOP for a decade.
But bipartisan outrage over Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad shows how candidates can fail when they try to embody the president’s shock-jock style.
More here: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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Dan Merica retweeted
“The question is, do you have to replicate [Pelosi] in order to be successful?”
@AnnaLissRoy on the understated Hakeem Jeffries and the test that awaits the would-be speaker: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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Democrats are expanding their House map.
Do they have the money to actually deliver?
Our Early Brief this AM: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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I asked Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor and Vivek Ramaswamy's fiercest critic during the 2024 nomination fight, about the attack ad and Vance's defense.
"For the last decade, our party has been infected by a corrupted moral center," he said.
Full comment here:
WOW -- Vance *defends* Ramaswamy's reprehensible ad 👇
Q: Ramaswamy's campaign put out a controversial ad featuring his opponent's mother. Some Republicans are backing away from that. Do you think that ad was appropriate?
JD VANCE: Well, I'll be honest with you. Whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern. My concern is who is gonna govern. I have to admit I'm a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans who are whining more about that ad than they are about what the Democrats want to do.
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In the final weeks of the 2026 midterms, political candidates have dragged their opponents’ families into campaigns, reflecting how divisive politics has become, with few barbs, if any, off-limits.
More here: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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Trump’s questionable election ‘goodies’ are getting more bespoke
From The Early Brief: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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Striking how many Democrats told @merica that there’s little enthusiasm for Troy Jackson in the Maine Senate race.
But they see anger at Susan Collins as reason enough for him to win, which polling backs up washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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A little news here:
Troy Jackson told me that he can relate to Maine voters who feel let down by Susan Collins because he voted for her in 1996 when he was still a Republican and she was running for her first Senate term. washingtonpost.com/politics/…
Troy Jackson knows he wasn’t Maine Democrats’ first choice to challenge Susan Collins.
And he knows he isn’t the most charismatic candidate to run for Senate.
But the Democrat also knows something else: It may not matter.
From Biddeford: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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Troy Jackson knows he wasn’t Maine Democrats’ first choice to challenge Susan Collins.
And he knows he isn’t the most charismatic candidate to run for Senate.
But the Democrat also knows something else: It may not matter.
From Biddeford: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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Camp Lejeune veterans and their families have been pleading for help for years. Their stories are heartbreaking.
I wrote about them here: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
The president says here that he will only fund help for these families if his party does well in an election.
Trump on Camp Lejeune water contamination claims: "If we win the House and Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible ... if we don't win, there's no money."
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Bob Seale, the one-time chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against David Flippo, raising questions about his personal finances and campaign finance reports.
More here: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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Dan Merica retweeted
I love this story from @AnnaLissRoy about Democrats trying to redefine themselves as manly men washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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This is what the cycling community has been worried about for months.
"All of us feel helpless," said a cyclist who has been using the area for over three decades.
From June: Trump’s plan for golf course threatens pillar of D.C. cycling culture - washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/…
Trump releases his plan to re-do the East Potomac Park golf course in DC. His graphic does not show the current road which runs around Hains Point, or the picnic and memorial areas at the end. Getting rid of those public areas would be terrible.
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Troy Jackson told Susan Collins to ‘shut up’ during the final Maine Senate debate: washingtonpost.com/elections…
An AFL-CIO organizer is making these buttons at his event tonight in Biddeford
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Dem groups like @StatesProjectUS have raised serious money to seize control of state legislatures.
Some operatives believe Dems could be competitive in as many as 500 state legislative districts.
More here: washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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