| | | |  | | By Adam Wren | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Makayla Gray On today’s Playbook Podcast: Adam and Megan Messerly discuss Mark Kelly’s formidable fundraising figures — and what they mean for 2026 and beyond.
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| Happy Friday. This is Adam Wren. Get in touch. MUST LISTEN: “The Conversation” is back! Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sat down with Dasha for the first episode of season three. On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Bessent sounded off on world leaders, political rivals of President Donald Trump, the Fed and more. On California Gov. Gavin Newsom: “I think Gavin Newsom may be cracking up, some of these things he’s saying. I think he may be in over his hairdo. … To say strange things like President Trump is a tyrannosaurus rex, what the hell does that mean? I can say Gavin Newsom is a brontosaurus with a brain the size of a walnut.” More from POLITICO’s Aaron Pellish On the state of the economy: “We are going to see a fantastic economic year in 2026. We set the table, now we're going to have the banquet. … I think the Republican Party is happy to run on the economy in 2026.” Watch the full episode … Listen and subscribe on Apple or Spotify In today’s Playbook … — Kelly is making his Mark on 2026 — with an eye toward 2028. — Vance caps off a week in the spotlight. — D.C. battens down the hatches ahead of mega winter storm.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 1, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | KELLY’S GREEN: As he increasingly flirts with a 2028 presidential run, Mark Kelly is winning friends up and down the ballot — if not influencing his Trump administration enemies. In an effort to help flip the House and Senate in 2026, Kelly has strategically used his star turn as Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Public Enemy No. 1 to ramp up his giving and fundraising to competitive candidates, party committees and state parties to the tune of nearly $5 million last year, according to figures shared exclusively with Playbook. Since Trump in late November attacked the Arizona senator and other national security Democrats with a Truth Social post accusing them of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH,” one of the biggest questions in political circles has been just how much Kelly would benefit from Trump fashioning him into a foil. That post has raised Kelly’s profile, boosted further by Hegseth announcing an investigation into Kelly. We don’t yet have Kelly’s total fundraising number. But what he raised and gave away will likely only be a fraction. His moves thus far — and the spotlight that Trump has shone on him — have positioned him to be a key fundraiser for Democrats in 2026, and offer him a platform to build out a 2028 base. Kelly made more than $1 million in direct contributions and transfers to Democrats across the country, bringing his total direct contributions to more than $1.4 million for 2025. That includes $100,000 each to the DCCC and the DSCC and more than $280,000 to the DNC and state parties combined. As for the Senate, the DSCC vice chair has raised or contributed more than $2.3 million for the committee since the start of last year. He also raised $1 million for other Democrats in the fourth quarter alone by signing emails, text messages and ads. Early-state intrigue: Kelly also made direct contributions to approximately 30 state parties, including in potential early nominating 2028 states like Iowa, Michigan, South Carolina and New Hampshire. He also made two trips to South Carolina and one trip to Michigan, along with travel to Nevada. “There’s definitely a message there that resonates with Nevada voters across the board,” Nevada Democrats Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno told Playbook, saying Kelly drew a diverse crowd to the event he attended and praising his contribution to the state party. “So yes, I know there'll be a number of people that will probably throw their hat in the ring, but he has definitely sparked the interest of some Nevada voters.” That's not to mention off-year election trips for Democrats in North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia. “Senator Kelly is working overtime to support Democrats running in tough races because he knows that taking back the House and Senate is critical to holding Trump accountable and delivering relief from rising costs for American families,” Jacob Peters, a Kelly spokesperson, told Playbook. Kelly’s chits make it clear that attention from Trump can be a major boon for a potential 2028 presidential candidate. But more than anything, Kelly’s rising national profile, much like that of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's, shows Trump has a unique ability to elevate foils. Trump has a great deal of power to pare the Democratic field. “I’m sure that will be something we want him to do” as the 2028 presidential race gets closer, one Republican close to the White House told Playbook, though they noted that it’s still early. But do Republicans who want to keep the White House think he's making smart bets by elevating the Newsoms and Kellys of the opposition? “Newsom is a perfect foil because his record is so horrendous,” Dave Carney, the veteran New Hampshire GOP political consultant, told Playbook. “He will tell you whatever he thinks you want to hear.” One minute, Carney said, “he sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger — a moderate Republican. But then he gets beat up from the left, and he, you know, scurries back there.” As for Kelly? “Kelly's a press thing,” Carney said. “He's not a real thing.” There’s at least one candidate who Carney does not want to see Trump elevate: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. “He's the first candidate in the history of America that I'm aware of where his vice presidential search in not being picked has helped him,” Carney said, citing Shapiro’s fundraising ability. “There’s a lot of assets he has.” The drawback for Democrats vying for the nomination: Trump’s ire and retribution could lead to a rolling and unpredictable flavor of the month for some time leading up to 2028. Or, as Carney put it: “The president has the capacity — demonstrated over time — that he can beat the shit out of more than one person at a time.” TRUMP TURNS LEFT: The president has spent the first part of a highly contentious midterm year talking about a new slate of populist economic ideas … with a handful of Senate Democrats? POLITICO’s Alex Gangitano digs into the surprising left turn by Trump. Trump’s outreach to Democrats comes as voters’ concerns over the cost of living hang over the midterms, with Dems and Republicans vying to stake its claim as the party with the right affordability agenda. “It’s a problem that the White House recognizes Republicans alone can’t solve — and in some cases, a problem for which congressional Republicans are reluctant to embrace Trump’s solutions,” Alex writes. Inside the White House thinking: A senior White House official tells Alex that Trump is looking for populist policies to deal with the high cost of living, not traditional Republican ideas for the economy. The White House views talking to Democrats as a way to blend “what might be termed traditional Republican approaches and traditional Democratic approaches” to address domestic problems, the official said. “While these proposals are more populist in orientation, it doesn’t mean just taking off the shelf a Democratic proposal and refashioning it. It is trying to figure out the ways in which the free market and Trump-ist populism can be advanced using different paradigms.”
| | | JUST VANCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT: VP JD Vance will wrap up a busy week — Minnesota speech, new baby on the way — with a headline speech to the annual March for Life today, another big moment for the anti-abortion movement. The rally begins at 11 a.m. and will also feature remarks from Speaker Mike Johnson and a video from Trump. The administration teed up the march with a suite of new anti-abortion policies and enforcement actions that could have “sweeping implications for medical research and health care access,” POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. Not good enough: But some anti-abortion advocates called these policies the “barest of bare minimums,” agitated that Trump hasn’t done more to limit abortion pills and expand the Hyde amendment. A DIFFERENT TONE: Vance’s comments in Minneapolis yesterday sought to lower the temperature amid weeks of immigration enforcement and protests in the metro area, calling for local officials to cooperate with the feds to help reduce tensions, POLITICO’s Myah Ward reports. Castigating demonstrators and the press less than usual, Vance urged empathy and admitted that ICE agents may sometimes err — even telling the Washington Examiner’s Mabinty Quarshie and Christian Datoc that they’d be disciplined “when justified.” He also said that “right now,” at least, Trump doesn’t need to invoke the Insurrection Act. NO LOVE LOST: Meanwhile, a recent focus group of Gen Z, Trump-voting men all agreed on one thing: They aren’t sold on Vance in 2028, POLITICO’s Samuel Benson writes in. In the focus group conducted virtually on Monday by Longwell Partners — all nine participants said they either don’t want Vance as the 2028 Republican nominee, or aren’t sure who they want. So, who do they like? A wide range: Marco Rubio (“I think he’s doing a great job as secretary of State”); Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (“He handled Covid well”); Vivek Ramaswamy (“He’s also pretty young and super articulate”); and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) (“He’s also more America First”). But James Fishback, the controversial Florida gubernatorial candidate, was the most-discussed alternative. “He’s young, he’s, like, very articulate in terms of what he says, and he’s focusing on, like, the people of Florida in particular,” said Mukeesh S. in California. Read Sam’s full story
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| | | | MINNESOTA LATEST ALL EYES ON MINNEAPOLIS: Vance’s comments notwithstanding, a rally and business blackout are planned for today calling on ICE to leave the city, The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Dee DePass previews. Amid the ongoing tumult, a federal magistrate judge said no to the Justice Department’s effort to charge Don Lemon for actions tied to the controversial St. Paul church protest this weekend, CBS’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez and colleagues scooped. The judge’s rejection reportedly “enraged” AG Pam Bondi. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also posted a photo of one of the arrested protesters doctored to add tears to her face; White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson mocked critics of the alteration. More from WaPo Fallout on the Hill: The Homeland Security funding bill passed despite sweeping Democratic fury over ICE operations, along with a lopsided 341-88 vote in favor of a “minibus” funding several other agencies, POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus reports. If these bills make it through the Senate next week, they’ll avert a government shutdown, largely rejecting both Trump’s requested cuts and Democrats’ desired spending boosts. (The looming winter storm is bearing down on that timeline, though, as POLITICO’s Inside Congress reports.) The difference between this vote and the significant Democratic support for the Laken Riley Act a year ago is “a sign of how quickly the political ground has moved” on immigration lately, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky writes. Around the country: Maine Gov. Janet Mills decried ICE’s new operation in her state, comparing them to a “secret police” and saying the feds had refused to share data and information about the people arrested, per the Portland Press Herald’s Billy Kobin. In Chicago, the first criminal trial resulting from Operation Midway Blitz — in which a man was accused of soliciting the murder of Border Patrol leader Gregory Bovino — ended in acquittal, per the Chicago Tribune’s Jason Meisner. THE NEXT ESCALATION: OMB has requested a massive review of the money that 13 Democratic-led states, including Minnesota, and D.C. receive from nearly every federal agency, per CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz and colleagues. This is not (yet) a funding freeze, but it does amount to another unprecedented effort by Director Russell Vought to target blue states over allegations of fraud, waste and abuse. The deadline for agencies to provide data is Monday.
| | | | New from POLITICO Introducing POLITICO Forecast: Tomorrow’s conversations about global power, tonight. Forecast brings forward-looking insight from POLITICO’s global newsroom, including coverage tied to major international gatherings like Davos, to help you understand where politics, policy and power are headed.
➡️ Subscribe Now | | | | | BEST OF THE REST ANOTHER JOB FOR RUBIO: Trump has appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as chair to bid on Miami as the site of the 2035 World Expo, POLITICO’s Kimberly Leonard writes in from Miami. The announcement follows the upcoming FIFA World Cup games set for Miami and Trump’s push to bring this year’s G20 to neighboring Doral. The decision further demonstrates Trump's investment in South Florida and Miami, which is already the site of his future library. MEGATREND: Homicides and violent crime more broadly are plunging across the country. An analysis from WaPo’s Tim Craig and colleagues shows some crimes returning to pre-pandemic levels — and mass shootings lower than they’ve been dating back to 2006. And the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice says the homicide rate for 2025 may drop to the lowest level going back to 1900, per the NYT. RACE OF THE DAY: Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is running to replace Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), has earned the endorsement of Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), according to the announcement shared exclusively with Playbook. “Right now we need fighters in the U.S. Senate,” Murphy said in a statement. “Fighters that are willing to take on Donald Trump and his corporate bakers. Fighters who will bring new energy and spirit to the Senate.” More campaign trail bites: Former Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) is kicking off a comeback bid today in a Florida congressional race, NOTUS’ Reese Gorman reports. … The RNC took its next procedural step toward holding a GOP midterms convention, Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser scooped. … Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon jumped into the race against GOP Sen. Ashley Moody, per POLITICO’s Kimberly Leonard and Kylie Williams. … Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) filed initial documents to run for governor, per the Star Tribune’s Sydney Kashiwagi. WAR AND PEACE: The Trump administration is weighing whether to pull out all U.S. troops from Syria after more than a decade, as Damascus’ forces have routed the Kurdish militia that has long worked with the U.S., WSJ’s Lara Seligman scooped. GOP hawks reacted with concern. Russia-Ukraine latest: With Greenland perhaps on the back burner now, the Trump administration is refocusing on trying to end the Ukraine war — and as POLITICO’s Eli Stokols reports, the Greenland resolution has both provided Kyiv hope about striking a deal and left some lasting scars on Western allies. MEDIAWATCH: “Contractor indicted over alleged leaks to Washington Post,” by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney: “Auelio Perez-Lugones faces six felony charges related to unauthorized disclosure and possession of classified information.” THE LATEST CBS DRAMA: “Sharyn Alfonsi, Scott Pelley’s jobs are on the line after pushing back against Bari Weiss’ CBS News shakeups: sources,” by the N.Y. Post’s Alexandra Steigrad: “CBS News is willing to buy out contracts of talent and executives, sources said. Alfonsi’s is up in a few months.”
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| | | | THE WEEKEND AHEAD FRIDAY PROGRAMS … POLITICO “The Conversation”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. C-SPAN “Ceasefire”: Reps. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and Mike Flood (R-Neb.) … Alex Conant and Ty Matsdorf. PBS “Washington Week”: Peter Baker, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Stephen Hayes and Idrees Kahloon. SUNDAY SO FAR … Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: FBI Director Kash Patel … Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) … Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) … Peter Schweizer. CBS “Face the Nation”: Canadian Ambassador Kirsten Hillman … Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. CNN “State of the Union”: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill. ABC “This Week”: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Panel: Donna Brazile, Chris Christie and Rachel Scott. NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Ken Burns. Panel: Ashley Etienne, Matt Gorman, Ryan Nobles and Susan Page. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). Panel: Meghan Mobbs, Hans Nichols, Reince Priebus and Juan Williams. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) … Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) … Gordon Wood. Panel: Jack Butler, Margaret Talev and Joe Khalil. MS NOW “The Weekend”: Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). PBS “Compass Points”: Carla Sands, Sherri Goodman, Eric Edelman and Matthias Matthijs.
| | | | POLITICO Pro A new year brings new policy challenges—and deeper questions. POLITICO Pro delivers authoritative reporting, expert analysis, and powerful tools to help professionals understand and anticipate the business of government, in Washington and beyond.
➡️ Learn More about POLITICO Pro | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | WINTER STORM WATCH — A massive winter storm is incoming this weekend, set to dump snow and other precipitation across a swath of the country containing the majority of all Americans living in the lower 48. The latest projections from WaPo’s Capital Weather Gang predict five to 10 inches or more of snow in D.C., plus more ice. The National Weather Service’s winter storm watch for the area begins at 7 p.m. tomorrow. Ahead of the storm’s arrival, hardware stores across the DMV have been shoveled out of sleds, snow survival gear and, well, shovels. Arlington’s Casual Adventure Outfitters told Playbook it’s awaiting a new shipment of portable emergency shovels, ice scrapers and sleds today, posting updates on the delivery via social media. The Home Depot in Northeast D.C. only had a few shovels available. And it was a similar story at other stores in the area. Grocery stores have been hit hard, too. The Capitol Hill Trader Joe’s and the one on 14th Street both saw shelves wiped out last night. The fun part: Keep an eye on the social media accounts of the Washington DC Snowball Fight Association, which is planning a major throwdown likely on Sunday morning. Unusual move: “Trump Administration Taps Data Centers for Backup Power Ahead of Snowstorm,” by WSJ’s Amrith Ramkumar and Scott Patterson: “The Energy Department is ordering U.S. grid operators to make backup electricity generation from facilities such as data centers available in case of power outages.” STRICTLY BALLROOM — Architect Shalom Baranes showed the Commission of Fine Arts details of his plans for a new ballroom and the rest of the White House, per Bloomberg. They include a possible new colonnade on the second story of the West Wing to add symmetry with the ballroom’s construction. Not so convinced: federal judge Richard Leon, who’s hearing a challenge from the National Trust for Historic Preservation that seeks to halt the ballroom’s construction. He sounded skeptical of Trump’s bid to build the ballroom without congressional approval, per POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein. DAVOS DOWNLOAD — The first posthumous “Lally Lunch” at Davos drew its characteristic global Who's Who, Dasha writes in from Switzerland. For years, Lally Graham Weymouth hosted a Davos luncheon that always drew an unexpected collection of VIPs. This year, at a luncheon hosted in her honor by Dina Powell McCormick and David Rubenstein at the request of Don Graham and Katherine Weymouth, was no exception. Speakers included Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Lim Chow Kiat, Christine Lagarde, Fareed Zakaria, David Ignatius, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Brian Moynihan, Luis Moreno, Alan Fleischmann and Michael Dell. SPOTTED: Jason Miller, Tony Sayegh, Alexandra Preate, Saudi Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Jamie Dimon, Nir Bar Dea and Kristalina Georgieva. — SPOTTED at the POLITICO Davos Party yesterday: Richard Moore, João Aguiar Machado, Brando Benifei, Lukas Sieper, Ann Mettler, Jeromin Zettelmeyer, Karel Lannoo, Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Kerry Kennedy, Maria Teresa Kumar, Pedro David, Claus Strunz, Sebastian Matthes, Moritz Seyffarth, Matthew Kaminski, José Manuel Sanz Mingote, Andrew Sollinger, Helga Flores Trejo, Paolo Ganino, Max Haot, Ingrid Hengster, Robert Prince, Steve Ubl, Ed Williams, Greg Prager, Sebastian Vos, Cédric de Meeûs, James Rosenfield, Louis Carranza, Justin Saia, Ryan Heath, Cally Baute, Jamil Anderlini, Justine Lore, Dasha Burns, Anne McElvoy, Jamie Dettmer, Peter Snowdon, Kathryn Carlson, Gordon Repinski, Cristina Gonzalez, Sveva Berti, Mona Marsti and Mariona Espin. TRANSITIONS — Laura Dogu has been named the new U.S. chargé d’affaires for Venezuela, the next step toward potentially reopening an embassy in the country, per Bloomberg. She currently holds that position in Colombia. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jesse Hunt, founder and president of Monadnock Strategies and an RGA and NRSC alum, and Kim Hunt, a senior director of program development at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, welcomed son Jackson on Jan. 14. He joins big sister McKenna. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: POLITICO (19) … Reps. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) and Derek Schmidt (R-Kan.) … Norah O’Donnell … POLITICO’s Annie Snider, Aaron Pellish, Joe Anuta and Jordan Bowen … WSJ’s Alex Ward … Scott Mahaskey … Loyce Pace … Patrick Reis … Brian Cooke of the Institute of International Education … Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell … Mike Gallagher of Intrepidity … Erika Gudmundson of Good Comms … Matt Simeon … Missy Foxman of the Entertainment Software Association … Erik Olson … Laura Keiter of Media Matters for America … Annie Shuppy … Daniel Workman … Tom Daffron … Harvard Institute of Politics’ Amy Howell … Scott Pace … Jay Riestenberg … Antonio Villaraigosa … former Reps. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) and Marty Russo (D-Ill.) … former Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) … International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety’s Ryan Heisler … Maru Vázquez of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office … Aaron Bonnaure … Heidi Zhou-Castro … Hannah Hagen … Isabella Ulloa … Matthew Hoppler … Eric Koch … Suzanne Kennedy … Andres Portillo Boyer Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Garrett Ross.
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