Where Democrats can find some good news

By Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza

With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

With Rep. Mary Peltola's (D-Alaska) win in the state's special election, Alaska’s independents seem poised to swing dramatically toward the Democrats — and that could be an ominous sign for Republicans throughout the nation. | Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP Photo

THE ELECTION — 18 days left until Election Day. … 5,237,230 early votes already cast as of 10:24 p.m. Thursday, per the United States Elections Project . … Georgia Secretary of State: “Early Voting Continues Breaking Records; On Par With Presidential Level Turnout”

AMERICA’S CLOSEST SENATE RACE — Our colleague Natalie Allison got her hands on some new polling data out of Nevada that shows the closely watched race between Democratic Sen. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO and Republican ADAM LAXALT tightening even further. “Laxalt has inched ahead of Cortez Masto by 2 percentage points, within the poll’s margin of error, a gain from a month ago when he was down 3 percentage points, according to a poll conducted this week by the conservative Club for Growth and shared exclusively with POLITICO.”

TRUSS FALL — “Yes, the Liz Truss debacle matters for Americans,” by Ryan Heath, who runs down four areas of impact to keep an eye on. (No. 1: The potential political resurrection of former PM BORIS JOHNSON.) Related read: WaPo’s Karla Adam and William Booth on the early jockeying for succession

POLITICO illustration/AP Photos/iStock

A NEW NATIONAL BELLWETHER? — We've been writing all week about the palpable shift toward Republicans in recent polling. But if Democrats are looking for some good news, our David Siders reports this morning that they can find it way up north. Alaska’s independents seem poised to swing dramatically toward the Democrats, and that could be an ominous sign for Republicans throughout the nation — if not in 2022, then beyond.

“In a state that DONALD TRUMP carried by 10 percentage points in 2020, Alaska’s closest approximation to the former president [SARAH PALIN ] hit a wall. And for the first time in nearly 50 years, Alaska had sent a Democrat to the House. It probably wouldn’t have happened without Alaska’s unusual ranked-choice voting system. The state hadn’t turned Democratic overnight, after all. But it was possible that Palin’s loss had revealed something alarming for Republicans about the limitations of a MAGA personality’s appeal in the post-Donald Trump presidential era — not just in Alaska, but in the Lower 48, as well.”

MUSK RUSSIA TWEETS SPUR NATSEC CONCERNS — “Biden administration officials are discussing whether the U.S. should subject some of ELON MUSK’s ventures to national security reviews, including the deal for Twitter Inc. and SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network,” Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs and Saleha Mohsin scooped .

“U.S. officials have grown uncomfortable over Musk’s recent threat to stop supplying the Starlink satellite service to Ukraine … and what they see as his increasingly Russia-friendly stance following a series of tweets that outlined peace proposals favorable to President VLADIMIR PUTIN. They are also concerned by his plans to buy Twitter with a group of foreign investors.” (Among those investors: Saudi Prince ALWALEED BIN TALAL, and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.)

— Related read: “Musk said he will cut nearly 75 percent of Twitter’s staff if he takes control,” by WaPo’s Elizabeth Dwoskin, Faiz Siddiqui, Gerrit De Vynck and Jeremy B. Merrill: “… a change likely to have [a] major impact on its ability to control harmful content and prevent data security crises. … Twitter and Musk are expected to close the purchase by next Friday.”

POLITICO illustration/Getty Images/iStock

CLOAK AND JOGGER — With few notable exceptions, the political memoirs of long-serving senators are sleepy affairs, stuffed with myth-building and self-importance, and short on original insights or genuinely surprising or new information. All of which is why one revelation in Sen. PATRICK LEAHY’s (D-Vt.) new memoir — popularized in a recent viral Twitter thread by POLITICO alum Garrett Graff — is such a shocker.

It reads like something out of a spy movie: In the run-up to war in Iraq, Leahy was out for an early-morning walk when two mysterious, fit-looking joggers approached and asked him about his intel briefings. Specifically: Had he seen File Eight?

“Quickly thereafter I arranged to see File Eight, and it contradicted much of what I had heard from the Bush administration,” Leahy recounts in a can’t-miss excerpt this morning in POLITICO Magazine .

“It was the eeriest conversation I’d experienced in Washington. I felt like a senatorial version of BOB WOODWARD meeting DEEP THROAT — only in broad daylight.”

THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: ROBERT DRAPER — NYT contributor ROBERT DRAPER has covered wars in Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. But his new book, “Weapons of Mass Delusion: When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind,” is about a war closer to home: the battle for the future of the GOP over the 18 months since the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

In this week's Playbook Deep Dive, Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza unwinds Draper's chronicle of what has happened to the GOP, and America, through his character-driven account of the people and events shaping the extremes of American politics today. Listen here … Subscribe here on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

TALK OF THIS TOWN — Michael Schaffer’s latest Capital City column, on whether the public is turning against the Beltway gerontocracy: “Voters Are Worried About Chuck Grassley’s Age, And That’s a Good Thing”

Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. If you were approached by mysterious joggers asking about your reading habits of top-secret intelligence, would you engage them in conversation? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade , Eugene Daniels , Ryan Lizza .

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Ohio Rep. TIM RYAN may be running Democrats’ most valuable Senate campaign — even if he doesn’t win.

“The self-described Democratic ‘underdog’ is neck-and-neck with J.D. VANCE,” Burgess Everett reports from Toledo . In so doing, Ryan is “forcing Republican groups to spend more than $30 million countering him rather than on Democratic-held seats in places like Arizona and Colorado.”

That, in turn, is buoying Dems’ hopes nationwide.

“He is going to be responsible, one way or the other, for helping Democrats hold the Senate. Win or lose,” says JUSTIN BARASKY , who managed Ohio Democratic Sen. SHERROD BROWN’s victorious 2018 campaign.

The poll numbers are close enough that you can hear a sense of incredulity creeping in as people whisper about the campaign: Could Ryan actually pull off the seemingly impossible and flip a GOP Senate seat… in a Trump state… in a brutal cycle for Dems?

“Ryan takes a different tack than most Democrats, attacking China and criticizing the national party … to the point that Republicans say he’s running like one of them,” Burgess told Playbook on Thursday night. “Ryan has an outside shot at winning, but needs to counter strong headwinds apparent throughout the rest of the state — he’d really be shocking the world if he does. One of his strengths is he talks like a real person even as he’s pretty on message and focused — like, say, a mix of Sherrod Brown and JON TESTER . In a different political climate, he might be favored to win, even in Ohio.”

— Related read: “Tim Ryan Is Winning the War for the Soul of the Democratic Party,” by Alec MacGillis for the NYT

BIG PICTURE

TRUST ISSUES — “How Disinformation Splintered and Became More Intractable,” by NYT’s Steven Lee Myers and Sheera Frenkel: Trump’s continued false and misleading claims demonstrate that “disinformation has metastasized since experts began raising alarms about the threat. Despite years of efforts by the media, by academics and even by social media companies themselves to address the problem, it is arguably more pervasive and widespread today.”

— “Cleta Mitchell Is Training Thousands of Trump Loyalists to Monitor the Polls on Election Day,” by N.Y. Mag’s David Freedlander

— “Alleged voter intimidation at Arizona drop box puts officials on watch,” by WaPo’s Yvonne Wingett Sanchez in Phoenix

IN THE YEAR 2022 — “Slavery is on the ballot for voters in 5 U.S. states,” by AP’s Kimberlee Kruesi: “More than 150 years after slaves were freed in the U.S., voters in five states will soon decide whether to close loopholes that led to the proliferation of a different form of slavery — forced labor by people convicted of certain crimes.”

BATTLE FOR THE SENATE

WEARING IT LIKE A … WELL, YOU KNOW — “Herschel Walker embraces his badge controversy,” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Shannon McCaffrey and Greg Bluestein: “Standing in front of an oversized American flag at a crime-themed campaign rally here, HERSCHEL WALKER said he wanted to acknowledge some ‘superheroes.’ As the crowd applauded, seven sheriffs’ officials trooped onto the stage. ‘I’m going to always support them,’ Walker said and flashed what has become a recurring prop in the final weeks of Georgia’s U.S. Senate campaign — an honorary sheriffs’ deputy badge.”

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE

MID-MICHIGAN DEEP DIVE — “Slotkin vs. Barrett: Country's most expensive House race is a close one,” by the Detroit News’ Melissa Nann Burke: “‘This race is still turning on the biggest question in American politics: What matters most — inflation or abortion?’”

A HELPING HAND — “Freedom Caucus sends Republican candidates guide on navigating DC, pressure from GOP leadership after election,” by Fox News’ Tyler Olson

BATTLE FOR THE STATES

JUST POSTED — “Democratic Secretary of State Candidates Struggle Against Election Deniers,” by NYT’s Nick Corasaniti

CHANGE OF TUNE — “With mission to elect GOP governors, Arizona Gov. Ducey steps away from criticism of Kari Lake,” by Arizona Republic’s Stacey Barchenger

A SURPRISINGLY COMPETITIVE RACE — “Feud with tribes threatens Oklahoma governor’s reelection,” by AP’s Sean Murphy

IN PENNSYLVANIA — “Shapiro emphasizes Jewish faith as he warns of Mastriano’s extremism,” by WaPo’s Colby Itkowitz in Montrose, Pa.: “In the open race for governor of Pennsylvania, [Democrat JOSH] SHAPIRO, 49, speaks in blunt terms about [Republican DOUG] MASTRIANO , 58, whose comments and far-right ties have been repudiated by political leaders from both parties. With under three weeks left until Election Day, the race, which polls show Shapiro leading, stands out for its charges of antisemitism, clashes over religion and personal identity and the Democrat’s warnings about the dangers his rival represents to voters.”

HOT POLLS

— Pennsylvania: Democrat JOHN FETTERMAN and Republican MEHMET OZ are tied in the Senate race at 46% in the latest InsiderAdvantage/FOX 29 poll . And Shapiro leads Mastriano in the gubernatorial race, 49% to 42%.

— Colorado: In a newly created toss-up House district, Democrat YADIRA CARAVEO’s internal poll has her down 2 to BARB KIRKMEYER, 46% to 44%. … In the Senate race, Civiqs finds Democratic Sen. MICHAEL BENNET pulling away from JOE O’DEA, 54% to 41%, and Democratic Gov. JARED POLIS beating HEIDI GANAHL, 55% to 40%.

— Oregon: One of the best polls for Democrat TINA KOTEK in the gubernatorial race in a while: Civiqs has her ahead of CHRISTINE DRAZAN, 47% to 39%, as independent BETSY JOHNSON falls to 7%. Democratic Sen. RON WYDEN leads JO RAE PERKINS, 55% to 38%.

— Washington: Democratic Sen. PATTY MURRAY has a comfortable lead over TIFFANY SMILEY, 55% to 41%, per Civiqs .

HOT ADS

— Pennsylvania: The DCCC’s latest ad in the fight for an open House seat in Western Pennsylvania seeks to tie GOP nominee JEREMY SHAFFER to unpopular gubernatorial candidate DOUG MASTRIANO on abortion.

— California: Facing a competitive reelection campaign, Democratic Rep. KATIE PORTER is up with a new ad on pricey Los Angeles broadcast TV warning Orange County voters that Republican SCOTT BAUGH is “a lobbyist law-breaker in politics for himself.”

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Prime Minister Liz Truss leaves 10 Downing Street on Oct. 19, 2022 in London, England. Liz Truss faces her third PMQs as Prime Minister against a backdrop of discontent in the Conservative party and an all-time low personal popularity rating.

MORE POLITICS

THE REVIEWS ARE IN — “Mr. Cuomo’s affect is flat and heavy, coming to us with all the spontaneity of someone delivering a keynote at a hematology conference,” NYT’s Ginia Bellafante writes of former Gov. ANDREW CUOMO’s new podcast.

WHERE POLITICAL CAREERS GO TO DIE — The conventional wisdom in Los Angeles amid the racism scandal engulfing City Hall was that the fallout could only benefit Democratic Rep. KAREN BASS’ mayoral bid. But it also served as a reminder of the political morass she will inherit if she defeats RICK CARUSO — and the dead-end that the nation’s second most populous city has become for Democrats’ political careers, David Siders and Alexander Nieves report this morning .

“This is a horrible job right now,” said MATHEW LITTMAN, a Democratic strategist and former Biden speechwriter based in Los Angeles. “Whoever the next mayor is, it’s basically like leading England after World War II.”

CONGRESS

PUMPING THE BRAKES — “Senate Dems press SEC chair to slow Wall Street rules,” by Declan Harty: “In a previously unreported letter, a dozen Democrats led by Sen. JON TESTER of Montana asked [SEC Chair GARY] GENSLER to give the public more time to weigh in on the raft of rules the agency is proposing. The SEC’s agenda includes a landmark climate risk disclosure rule for public companies, new transparency requirements for hedge funds and a revamp of the stock market’s plumbing.”

JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH

AT THE OATH KEEPERS TRIAL — Prosecutors deployed text messages sent by Oath Keepers founder STEWART RHODES in the leadup to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack in which he was “venting his disappointment with Trump’s refusal to invoke the Insurrection Act, a move he believed would permit the Oath Keepers to take up arms to prevent Joe Biden from taking office,” Kyle Cheney writes . “Rhodes repeatedly exhorted his Oath Keeper brethren in the weeks before Jan. 6 to prepare to engage in a bloody battle if Trump refused to act, the messages reveal.”

TRUMP CARDS

MAL FIGHT CONTINUES — Trump is claiming ownership over a handful of the documents seized by the FBI from his Mar-a-Lago compound, while DOJ pushes back that they belong with the National Archives. “The letter, filed on Thursday by the Justice Department, describes disputes over ownership and executive privilege claims involving a batch of 15 records that have undergone early review,” NYT’s Charlie Savage writes . “It likely foreshadows larger fights to come over the main bulk of roughly 13,000 documents and other materials F.B.I. agents took from Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s club and residence, in a court-authorized search in August.”

WHO’S TALKING — KASH PATEL, a key adviser to Trump, sat down on Oct. 13 with the grand jury investigating Trump’s handling of sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago, CNN’s Katelyn Polantz, Zachary Cohen and Casey Gannon report .

— And former Sen. KELLY LOEFFLER (R-Ga.) and former White House counsel PAT CIPOLLONE gave testimony to the grand jury investigating Trump’s efforts to influence the 2020 election, CNN’s Sara Murray, Zachary Cohen and Evan Perez report .

AND WHO MAY BE SOON — “Appeals court: Graham must testify in Georgia election probe,” by AP’s Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C.

AT THE TOM BARRACK TRIAL — “Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Testifies in Defense of Trump Ally,” by WSJ’s James Fanelli

POLICY CORNER

THE LOAN LITIGATION — After another win on Thursday when Supreme Court Justice AMY CONEY BARRETT declined to halt Biden’s student loan relief plan and a Missouri judge dismissed a GOP-led effort to squash it, things are looking up for the administration. “The legal battles over the sweeping debt relief program, which offers up to $20,000 of loan forgiveness to tens of millions of Americans, are far from over — and the issue could potentially end back at the Supreme Court in a matter of days or weeks,” Michael Stratford writes . “But, so far, several Republican-appointed judges have been cool to efforts by GOP state officials and conservative groups to put an immediate halt to Biden’s plan.”

AN ENCOURAGING TREND — “Military suicides drop as leaders push new programs,” by AP’s Lolita Baldor

WAR IN UKRAINE

WHERE THINGS ARE HEADED — “Russian, Ukrainian troops gird for major battle in Kherson,” by AP’s Sabra Ayres and Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv

WAR REPORT — “Ukraine improvises with aging air defenses to counter Russian missiles,” by WaPo’s Isabelle Khurshudyan in Kyiv

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Multiple foreign nationals charged in alleged schemes to send military technology to Russia,” by CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz and Holmes Lybrand

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AMERICA AND THE WORLD

THE SANCTIONS SCUTTLE — As Biden considers lifting a number of sanctions on countries like Venezuela and Iran, he’s running into some significant pushback in Congress. “Some lawmakers, knowing the topic will play well on the campaign trail, vow to do everything they can to stop the sanctions from being lifted,” Nahal Toosi writes . “It’s the type of drawn-out political fight that could make U.S. sanctions less effective over time if adversaries come to believe that, no matter what they do, Washington will never lift penalties on them. It’s playing out as the United States, determined to limit its military exposure abroad, has grown more reliant on sanctions, including against Russia.”

THE ECONOMY

MEGATREND — “U.S. Home Sales Drop for Eighth Straight Month in September,” by WSJ’s Nicole Friedman

THE PANDEMIC

LABYRINTH — CDC Director ROCHELLE WALENSKY’s push to get information about health crises out faster to Americans is already running up against the agency’s limited authority, congressional inaction and an entrenched culture within the building, Krista Mahr and Erin Banco report this morning .

“If she fails, the CDC risks repeating the mistakes it made during the pandemic, in which millions did not have the clear, real-time information they wanted to protect themselves,” they write. “Public trust in the agency has plummeted over the last three years; a further decline would mean even fewer people are listening to the government when another deadly Covid-19 wave hits, or a dangerous new disease emerges.”

THE NEW NORMAL — “CDC advisers recommend adding Covid shots to routine immunization schedules for kids, adults,” by Lauren Gardner

ABORTION FALLOUT

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Pentagon will pay for service members to travel for abortions,” by Lara Seligman

MEDIAWATCH

WHEN YOU’VE LOST NEWSMAX — “Newsmax bans Lara Logan after QAnon-style rant, condemns her words in ‘the strongest terms,’” by CNN’s Oliver Darcy: “In a bizarre interview, [LARA] LOGAN told host ERIC BOLLING that ‘the open border is Satan’s way of taking control of the world,’ and later added that the world’s elites ‘want us eating insects [and] cockroaches’ while they ‘dine on the blood of children.’”

TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Laura Barrón-López, Abha Bhattarai, Nikole Killion and Jake Sherman.

SUNDAY SO FAR …

FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) … Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas). Panel: Karl Rove, Catherine Lucey, Juan Williams and Rich Edson.

ABC “This Week”: Katie Hobbs … Kari Lake … Rusty Bowers … Bill Gates. Panel: Donna Brazile, Marc Short and Rachael Bade.

CBS “Face the Nation”: Speaker Nancy Pelosi … Scott Gottlieb … Kara Swisher … Chris Krebs.

CNN “Inside Politics”: Panel: Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan, Audie Cornish and Jeremy Diamond.

NBC “Meet the Press”: Panel: Cornell Belcher, Ashley Parker, Danielle Pletka and Kristen Welker.

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Mark Warner might be a Swiftie .

Liz Truss definitely is a Swiftie .

Joe Biden visited an iconic Pittsburgh locale . John Fetterman even wore a suit for the occasion.

OUT AND ABOUT — POLITICO CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and editor-in-chief Matt Kaminski hosted a book party on Thursday night celebrating the release of “Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress’s Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump” ( $28 ) by our own Rachael Bade and WaPo’s Karoun Demijirian at Dauphine’s. The Playbook and POLITICO teams were out in full force to support the pair’s years of writing and reporting, including co-authors Eugene and Ryan ( pic of the three! ), editor Mike DeBonis and deputy editor Zack Stanton.

SPOTTED: John Bolton, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, Molly Jong-Fast, Sahil Kapur, Luke Broadwater, Elisabeth Bumiler, Heather Podesta, Bill Duryea, Jonathan Allen, Jeremy Adler, George Conway, Scott Sloofman, Julie Davis, Jessica Estepa, Jon Kott, Matt Fuller, Josh Gerstein, John Hudson, Jeremy Herb, Liz Goodwin, Lisa Leonard, Heidi Przybyla, Bethany Irvine, Jef Pollock, Anna Edgerton, Rob Crilly, Natalie Allison, Zach Montellaro, Ally Mutnick, James Adams, Sudeep Reddy and Keith Urbahn.

— A tribute for the late Bernard Shaw was held at the National Press Club on Thursday, which featured video compilations of Shaw’s work at CNN, including many of his most iconic moments, as well as warm words from former colleagues and friends. Judy Woodruff, Wolf Blitzer, Bishop Nathan Baxter, Tom Johnson, Sam Feist, Sandy Kenyon and Ted Turner all delivered remarks in remembrance of Shaw and his work.

— Paramount’s DeDe Lea hosted a CBS News midterm election briefing breakfast at the National Association of Broadcasters on Thursday. CBS’ Robert Costa interviewed Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and congressional correspondent Nikole Killion interviewed DNC senior advisor Cedric Richmond. Norah O'Donnell moderated a panel featuring “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan, Major Garrett and Caitlin Huey-Burns. SPOTTED: Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Senay Bulbul, Dana Daoud, Ismail Esau, Vince Evans, Liz Johnson, Doug Calides, Elena Kuhn, Kristen Orthman, Buckley Carlson, Jackie Rooney, Samantha Runyon, David Becker, Eugene Daniels, Margaret Talev, Betsy Fischer Martin, Nkechi Nneji, Dominick Mastrangelo, Mark Lima, Ashley Etienne and Fin Gomez.

— SPOTTED at an Avisa Partners-Al-Monitor roundtable with CNBC Middle East anchor Hadley Gamble: UAE Ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba, Egyptian Ambassador Motaz Zahran, Tunisian Ambassador Hanene Tajouri Bessassi, U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking, Turki Al Faisal, Elad Strohmayer, Johan Janssen, Marco Margheri, Maria Maalouf and Joseph Haboush.

TRANSITION — Carly Holden is now SVP at Risa Heller Communications. She most recently was VP of communications at Conde Nast. … Ana Mascareñas is now senior adviser for environmental justice in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at HHS. She most recently was a consultant at the University of Washington School of Public Health.

ENGAGED — Colin McCune, a House finance assistant, on Saturday proposed to Jessica Weiner, press secretary for the Republican Study Committee. The couple, who met at Texas Tech, got engaged in Newport, R.I. Pic

WEDDINGS — Kate Irby, deputy Congress editor at POLITICO, and Steven Seifert, a trade analyst for the Department of Commerce, got married Oct. 7 in Baltimore, Md. The couple met at a brunch at Buffalo and Bergen in Union Market. Pic

— Samuel Mitchell Dashiell Jr., senior specialist for U.S. comms at Philip Morris International, and Lindsey Barrington Dashiell, a lawyer, got married on Oct. 1 in Marion, Mass. The two first met up together for a drink at Apéro in Georgetown just as friends with mutual friends. But what they thought would be a 30-minute meet-and-greet turned into a two-plus-hour night — Lindsey was very interested, Sam was in love. Pic, via Jenny Moloney Photography

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Christina Noel, director of media relations at API and a Marco Rubio alum, and Rob Noel, president of Washington Writers Network and also a Rubio alum, on Monday welcomed Max Robert Noel, who came in at 9 lbs and 20.5 inches.

BIRTHWEEK (was Thursday): Mike Robertson

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) … POLITICO’s Dafna Linzer, Ben Lefebvre, Rachel Jongerius, Victoria Blinn and Connie French … WaPo’s Taylor Lorenz … Hope Hicks … CNN’s Mikayla Bouchard … Cate Martel of The Hill … Bob Charrow of Greenberg Traurig … AT&T’s Kim Hart … AgencyIQ’s Rachel Gartlan … Hannah Edwards … Eric Heighberger of the House Homeland Security GOP … Kaitlyn Dwyer of Rep. Mike Carey’s (R-Ohio) office … Jamari Torrence … Megan Smith of shift7 … Charlie Joughin … NBC’s Anna Schecter Zigler … Alison Baker of Straus/Baker … Matt Ide of Rep. Andy Biggs’ (R-Ariz.) office … Joe Franco … K&L Gates’ Andrew Tabler … Jon Rawlson … Nimi Uberoi of the NSC ... Kathleen Porter … Edelman’s Alex Abrahamson … former Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) (6-0)

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