memeorandum: Here's who won, and lost, and face-planted in the presidential money race last quarter (Politico)

11:10 AM ET, July 16, 2023

Top Items:

Ron DeSantis fires roughly a dozen staffers in a campaign shake-up — The Florida governor has struggled to break into Trump's lead and his campaign has been burning through money. — Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign has fired roughly a dozen staffers — and more are expected …

Discussion: CNN, USA Today, The Messenger, Deadline, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Florida Politics, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, HotAir and Political Wire

Politico:

Here's who won, and lost, and face-planted in the presidential money race last quarter — Nearly every candidate's fundraising came with a caveat. — Ron DeSantis has money problems. — Tim Scott is on a bit of a spending binge. — Rich candidates are parting with their money, while also-rans are struggling to break through.

Discussion: Raw Story, Balloon Juice, Florida Politics, CNN, Washington Examiner, The Hill, The Daily Caller, PoliticusUSA and Just The News

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

DeSantis campaign sheds staff amid cash crunch — Fewer than 10 staffers were let go Thursday, according to a person familiar with the campaign. — Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign is shedding staff as it navigates a cash crunch. — Fewer than 10 staffers were let go by the Florida …

Discussion: ABC News, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Mediaite, Just The News, New York Times, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Washington Post and Bloomberg

NBC News:

Ron DeSantis' campaign finances have some flashing warning signs — Most of DeSantis' money came from donors who “maxed out” and can't give again, as small donations have been a struggle for Trump's GOP challengers. — WASHINGTON — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped out top donors …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, New York Post, Rolling Stone, Associated Press and Political Wire

NBC News:
DeSantis visits Dairy Queen in Iowa after Trump's ‘Blizzard’ flub

Discussion: Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Insider, Florida Politics, HuffPost and The Gateway Pundit

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Covid Remarks Raise Questions of Antisemitism — The long-shot candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination has a history of embracing conspiracy theories. His latest comments claimed the virus spared certain ethnic and religious groups.

Discussion: The Hill and New York Post

Jon Levine / New York Post:

RFK Jr. says COVID was ‘ethnically targeted’ to spare Jews — Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dished out wild COVID-19 conspiracy theories this week during a press event at an Upper East Side restaurant, claiming the bug was a genetically engineered bioweapon that may have been …

Ruby Cramer / Washington Post:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests covid was designed to spare Jews, Chinese people — Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advanced a dangerous conspiracy theory this week that the coronavirus could have been a bioweapon “deliberately targeted” to spare Ashkenazi Jews …

Discussion: Mediaite, CNN, Raw Story, The Hill and National Review

ABC News:

7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes near Alaska Peninsula, prompting tsunami advisory — A tsunami advisory was in effect in some coastal areas, NWS officials said. — A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck near the Alaska Peninsula late Saturday. — The quake prompted the National Weather Service …

Discussion: KTUU, Associated Press, UPI, Metro.co.uk, TASS, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and Reuters

Benjamin Lindsay / The Wrap:

Democratic Lobby Group Airs Steamy Sex Scene Takedown of GOP: ‘Keep Republicans Out of Your Bedroom’ (Video) — The political ad comes from Progress Action Fund and asks Ohioans to vote no on the controversial State Issue 1 — In what might be the subjectively raciest political ad ever …

Discussion: HotAir

Associated Press:

At least 4 killed in mass shooting in small Georgia city outside Atlanta, spokeswoman says — The shooting occurred at around 10:40 a.m. in Hampton, a city south of Atlanta, officials said. — HAMPTON, Ga. — A county government official in Georgia says at least four people have been killed …

Discussion: Associated Press, Bearing Arms, ABC News, New York Post, Washington Examiner, The Hill, New York Daily News, Metro.co.uk, Just The News and The Messenger

Steven Shepard / Politico:

The Electoral College is the big factor in a third-party nightmare for Democrats — Battleground states may actually be the least likely places for non-major party candidates to draw support. — Democrats are rightly spooked by the prospect of credible third-party candidates this cycle.

Discussion: CNN, Outside the Beltway, Washington Examiner and National Review

MacKenzie Ryan / The Guardian:
Biden stability beats Trump volatility in 2024 match-up, experts suggest

Discussion: Raw Story and The American Spectator

Michael Scherer / Washington Post:
No Labels releases proposals to guide third-party presidential ticket

Discussion: ABC News and New York Times

Washington Post:

Personal debts said to scuttle nomination of Biden's acting cyber director — The rationale for not permanently nominating Kemba Walden to be national cyber director has stunned colleagues — The acting White House national cyber director was told in recent weeks that she would not be considered …

Discussion: Reuters

Ray Hartmann / Raw Story:

DeSantis asked by GOP officials in Florida to ban vaccine as ‘biological weapon’ — The Brevard County Republican Executive voted by a supermajority this week to call upon Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to ban sale and distribution of Covid “and all related vaccines” in the state, Florida Today reported.

Discussion: New York Times

Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:

Trump's outbursts met with silence so far by prosecutor, judge — Other defendants might get in trouble for publicly calling the prosecutor a deranged drug user. Not Donald Trump. — Since his indictment last month on charges of withholding classified documents, former president Donald Trump …

Discussion: The Messenger

Brittany Gibson / Politico:

Marianne Williamson campaign is deep in debt — The longshot's fundraising reports lay bare what has become apparent from volunteer staffing calls in recent days. — Democratic primary challenger Marianne Williamson raised $920,000 in her latest quarterly disclosure — but her campaign is on the hook for a fair bit of money.

Discussion: The Hill, Reuters and Political Wire

Kelly O'Donnell / NBC News:

Christie campaign raised $1.65 million in 25 days to close out second quarter — The super PAC backing the former New Jersey governor also brought in nearly $6 million. — Chris Christie's presidential campaign will report raising $1.65 million in the second quarter …