Harris’ red state blues

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Sep 03, 2026 View in browser   By Adam Wren, Dasha Burns and Will Steakin Presented by  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner Good Thursday morning. Your “first take” of the day should be from Dasha’s sitdown with Stephen A. Smith for this week’s episode of “The Conversation.” The highlight reel: Smith won’t run for president in 2028, offering his firmest rejection yet of speculation that’s surrounded him for the past year — some of which has been fueled by him. “I would give up my job if I won the presidency, but I'm not giving up my job to campaign for it,” the ESPN personality with a lucrative contract told Dasha. On how Democrats should deal with the insurgent left wing of the party: “Tell them to sit their ass down and get with the program.” So who would he back for president? Smith named Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as his top prospect for Democrats, but he also praised Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. On the Republican side, Smith favors Secretary of State Marco Rubio to VP JD Vance, whom he said is “an individual that tries to be too like Trump.” Watch on YouTube … Read more from POLITICO’s Jalen Beckford … and get in touch! In today’s Playbook … — Kamala Harris isn’t bothered by recent brushbacks from red-state Dems. — Donald Trump plans a midterm battleground blitz. — The Boldfaces: Mary Peltola, Josh Turek, Rob Sand, Adam Hamilton, James Talarico, Jon Cowan, Elon Musk, Ken Paxton, Emmanuel Macron, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and more. DRIVING THE DAY A parade of Democrats running in red states are telling Kamala Harris to stay away from their campaigns. The former vice president is shrugging it off. Harris’ orbit for the first time is acknowledging her potential toxicity to these Democrats and broadcasting her live-and-let-live approach to the brushbacks in an exclusive statement to Playbook as she teased an upcoming midterm swing. “It’s all good,” said Eduardo Negrón, Harris’ new spokesperson. “Vice President Harris will continue to raise money and travel on behalf of candidates in races where she can help make a difference. With Trump so unpopular and our deep bench of strong candidates, we are now seeing deeply red states in play this cycle. The Vice President believes we should be ruthless about competing everywhere and that means giving candidates in tough races the space to do whatever it takes to win.” The floodgates recently opened after two Senate candidates — Mary Peltola in Alaska and Josh Turek in Iowa — and Rob Sand, who is running for Iowa governor, rejected her involvement in their races. Adam Hamilton, the long-shot Democratic Senate candidate in Kansas, is piling on.  When asked this week whether Harris campaigning with him would undercut his own plans to win over disaffected independents, the Methodist megachurch pastor told Playbook: “No, that would not be helpful to my efforts.” “In Kansas, you're trying to reach 45 percent of the state who are Republicans and a lot of really good people who are Republicans, but their vantage point or their worldview may be a bit different than Kamala Harris.” Hamilton added: “Having somebody from California come in and try to tell Kansans who they should vote for is a pretty bad idea.” A spokesperson for James Talarico, who’s seeking to turn a Texas Senate seat blue, declined to comment on whether he would welcome Harris to his state to campaign with him. (Harris switched her endorsement to Talarico after backing Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the primary.)   A message from Anthropic: How SoFlo Solar runs their business with help from Claude. Luis Galarza and Laura Gutierrez founded SoFlo Solar to restore solar power for homeowners left with broken systems after installers went out of business. Claude helps them diagnose equipment across manufacturers, translate for crews, and log every job. Learn more.   Harris does enjoy a wellspring of support across the South, on which she is lavishing attention. And that’s a region the DNC elevated in its new early state nominating calendar. Still, Harris world is emphasizing her value in battleground states. A person familiar with Harris' scheduling said she's soon planning to announce travel to multiple states, including purple ones. But not all purple-state Dems are eager to welcome the former vice president. “I received 9,000 more votes than Harris in 2024,” Rebecca Cooke, the Democratic nominee running to unseat vulnerable Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) in western Wisconsin, said in a statement to POLITICO’s Alec Hernández, Lisa Kashinsky and Sam Benson when asked if she wants Harris to campaign with her. “I don’t need anyone to come and campaign with me in my district. I do the work of building relationships — including across the aisle — on my own.” Still, Cooke has been buoyed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who’s featured in ads and whose team worked to turn out voters ahead of her primary last month. A Cooke campaign aide told Alec and Lisa her team has also turned down offers from other national Democrats to campaign with Cooke in her swing district. Harris is slated to hold a canvass launch with Nevada AG Aaron Ford for his gubernatorial bid next month in Las Vegas, his campaign told Alec and Lisa. “As anyone who is interested in 2028 should do, Kamala Harris will be coming through. We are a pivotal state in the presidential election,” Ford said. “2028 starts right now in 2026.” Read more from Alec, Lisa, Sam and Adam On today’s Playbook Podcast: Dasha and Adam dig into Harris’ midterms strategy and what it might say about her 2028 prospects. Plus, POLITICO’s Erin Doherty joins to talk Stephen A. Smith and what a POLITICO Poll reveals about voters both parties are missing.   A message from Anthropic: As case loads grow at Arkana Labs, they use Claude to help process paperwork with 97-98% accuracy. Learn more.   THE DOWNLOAD TALK THIS WAY: Third Way is launching a “new economic bargain” platform as part of its ongoing effort to steer the party toward a more coherent and big-tent vision heading into 2028, Adam reports. The platform consists of what it calls 20 “ambitious and ruthlessly pragmatic” ideas , shared first with Playbook, targeting working-class voters. “The ideas primary is really only just beginning now,” Jon Cowan, Third Way’s president, said in an interview. “I think the pivot into September and the end of the primaries is actually when the real ideas primary to determine the future of the Democratic Party begins.” Third Way has also elevated a dedicated staffer — Sasha Galbreath, a former House policy adviser — to establish connections between the group and staffers for potential 2028 presidential and vice presidential candidates. The group is already in conversation with at least 16 potential candidates and their staffs, according to Cowan.  TRUMP’S ROADMAP: Trump told a gathering of Republicans at his Rose Garden dinner last night that he plans to campaign across the country alongside them this fall, POLITICO’s Alex Gangitano reports. “It’s all about 35 races,” Trump said, noting that he’ll lean on Speaker Mike Johnson to identify the most at-risk spots on the House map. He also called out Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who’s facing a tight reelection bid, and Texas AG Ken Paxton who’s running for Senate. “That he is needed there now to bolster Senate candidates underscores the political peril confronting the GOP as it faces the electorate in two months,” Alex writes. Cash splash: Elon Musk is spending big for Republicans, POLITICO’s Erin Doherty reports. Filings released late last night show Musk’s super PAC dropped roughly $800,000 across key House and Senate races, including those in Texas, Maine, Ohio, New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan and Alaska. JUST VANCE: VP JD Vance will take the podium at 1 p.m. for a White House briefing — the first since the departure of former press secretary Karoline Leavitt. DEM DISARRAY: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is under intense pressure to crack down on the two Democrats who voted with Republicans to salvage the GOP’s legislative agenda, POLITICO’s Riley Rogerson and Mia McCarthy report. Rank-and-file members are watching closely to see if Jeffries follows through on a “serious response,” in a big test of the would-be speaker’s ability to steer the ship should Dems flip the chamber. “It’s an open secret — we don’t want to end up with our own Freedom Caucus,” one House Democrat said.   Watch Susan Collins on On the Road with Jonathan Martin Sen. Susan Collins joins Jonathan Martin at Perry’s Lobster Shack in coastal Maine for a conversation on her reelection fight, Trump’s second administration, the future of the Republican Party and whether there is still room for a political middle. Watch now.     THE FRONT PAGE NOT MAKING SPACE: The White House mounted an unusual effort to get U.S.-based space companies to skip French President Emmanuel Macron’s space summit in Paris next week, leaving executives puzzled, POLITICO’s Audrey Decker and Cheyenne Haslett scoop. Officials told reps from SpaceX, Stoke Space, K2 Space and Astra that going could look like a tacit approval of EU policy positions and accused France of “anti-competitive practices.” The call had executives scrambling to figure out if they should participate — even as NASA and other administration officials do plan to attend. DEEP IN THE HEART: Paxton, as Texas’ AG, pushed for strict enforcement of Texas gambling laws, especially for fantasy sports sites and gaming machines. But after Paxton and his PAC took thousands of dollars from Kalshi and its CEO, he declined to sign on to nationwide efforts by other state AGs to rein in the platform, POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman reports. A spokesperson for Paxton’s campaign declined to comment. SCOTUS watch: If the Supreme Court take up nationwide brawl over prediction markets, it would mark a blockbuster showdown between states and markets like Kalshi and Polymarket U.S. — and who gets to regulate them, POLITICO’s Declan Harty writes. AD IT UP: Mike Bouchard, the GOP candidate running to succeed John James in Michigan’s 10th District, is up with a new ad, “Jump,” which aptly shows him leaping out of a plane and parachuting back to the ground as he vows to take on “radical socialism and rising costs.” The ad, backed by a seven-figure spend, emphasizes the Bronze Star recipient’s service in the Army and National Guard, including as recently as 2025. Watch the ad   A message from Anthropic: How SoFlo Solar runs their business with help from Claude   5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. HOT ON THE LEFT: The Trump administration has increasingly taken partial stakes in companies across the mining, energy, tech and defense sectors — and it’s sparking conversation among progressives about how a Democratic president might seize on that for the party’s approach to labor and climate policy, POLITICO’s Joseph Schatz writes. The admin is nearing a whopping $30 billion in equity stakes. It could become a bipartisan initiative as the idea gains traction with prominent Dems, who also urge more guardrails and coordination. 2. DIGGING IN ON DATA: The furor over data centers is prompting Democrats to try to steer that anger toward an under-the-radar tax provision in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, POLITICO’s Kelsey Brugger and Brian Faler report. GOP lawmakers who helped write the tax credits are calling the tactic a “huge stretch,” but the narrative has been gaining steam among Dems in recent weeks. 3. WAR REPORT: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is quietly extending deployments in the Middle East in a sign the Iran conflict could drag into 2027, while Trump privately mulls whether to declare the war over, WSJ’s Shelby Holliday and Alexander Ward report. Amid the Pentagon’s push to stymie leaks, it pulled decades of classified docs from a computer system commonly used by officials following WaPo’s report about concerns from senior military officials around the Iran war, WaPo’s Dan Lamothe and Alex Horton scoop. Pentagon spox Sean Parnell didn’t discuss the changes but didn’t dispute them.   A message from Anthropic: How a small lab is giving more patients next-day answers A kidney disease diagnosis is hard enough without a long wait for answers. As case loads grow at Arkana Labs, they’re using Claude to help process referral paperwork with 97–98% accuracy, so patients still get results the day after a biopsy. Learn more.   4. TRADE TENSIONS: House Republicans grilled USTR Jamieson Greer on the Hill yesterday about the potential harm from the trade war with Canada, as tariffs once again become a political flashpoint, Mia and colleagues report. Dance of the superpowers: While Trump gives Canada the cold shoulder, the White House is taking a different tack with China. Trump is preparing to host a formal state dinner when Chinese President Xi Jinping visits in three weeks, MS NOW’s Vaughn Hillyard and colleagues scoop. 5. ICED OUT: ICE announced its plans to build what will functionally be a voter database in a contract to the tune of $5 million, Wired’s David Gilbert reports, in the latest escalation of DHS’ push to weed out voter fraud. Federal agents have also been assigned to a new effort scouring for noncitizen voters, NYT’s Nick Corasaniti and Hamed Aleaziz write.   Follow the politics of rising power demand POLITICO Surge is here. This free daily newsletter tracks how AI, data centers, electrification and grid pressure are reshaping energy policy, infrastructure and climate politics. Subscribe Now.     TALK OF THE TOWN THE NAME GAME — Trump’s “Lake America” directive is roiling several mayors in cities scattered across upstate New York bordering the lake, who called the order “regrettable” and said it could upset voters there who supported Trump in 2024, POLITICO’s Elleiana Green reports. “The water is part of our identity,” said Oswego Mayor Robert Corradino, a Republican who said he previously voted for Trump. The geography wars are also forcing tech companies to pick a side, risking either crossing the White House or Democrats who might be in control next year, POLITICO’s Owen Dahlkamp reports. BYE BYE ROYALS — Trump isn’t losing any sleep over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to leave the U.S. and to return to the U.K. “I am happy ‌about it. I was not a fan,” Trump said in the Oval Office, per Reuters’ Bo Erickson. “I thought they treated the royal family with great disrespect. I didn't like it,” Trump said. MEDIA MOVES — Brandon Pope has joined FOX 32 Chicago as a political reporter. He’s previously worked for Chicago Public Media and Ebony Media. TRANSITIONS — Todd Malan is joining Google as VP of government affairs and public policy for Google Cloud. He previously worked at QTS Data Centers. … Newco Strategies has added Tony Carrk as a principal and Dallas Diaz as director of comms and digital. Carrk most recently was executive director at Accountable.us. Diaz most recently worked at the Strategic Organizing Center. … The Century Foundation has added Tonantzin Carmona as director of economic policy, Kyle Moore as chief economist, Sameera Fazili as a visiting senior fellow and moved Lorelei Salas to senior fellow. They previously worked at the Brookings Institution, the Economic Policy Institute, the CFPB and the Biden White House. … … Jacob Long has joined Texas Democrats as a senior comms adviser. He previously worked at SKDK and is a Hill alum. … Kaelan Hollon has joined The Herald Group as a VP. She previously worked at Provention Bio and is a Teva Pharmaceuticals, Reynolds American and PhRMA alum. … Joe Brady has joined the American Clean Power Association as senior director of federal affairs. He previously worked for the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute. WEDDING — Michael Brice-Saddler, D.C. politics reporter at NOTUS, and Alana Petett, account director at Blue State, got married Aug. 22 in Baltimore. They met on Hinge in 2019 before realizing they lived just a block apart in D.C. Pic, via Ezkl Photography … Another pic … SPOTTED: Katie Mettler, Rachel Chason, Rebecca Tan, Tashan Reed, Lauren Lumpkin and Sonia Rao. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Casey Contres, chief of staff for Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and Annalyse Keller, partner at Seven Letter, welcomed Beckett Contres on Aug. 25. Pic ... Another pic  HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. 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Michael Barnes (D-Md.), Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) and Michael Huffington (R-Calif.) … Mara Stark-Alcala … Kathi Wise … Melinda Warner … Graeme Crews … Kathleen Stanton of the Personal Care Products Council … Jamie Simpson of the Council for Innovation Promotion … Stuart Malec of the Progressive Policy Institute … Jonathan Silver … Sarah Peters of HB Strategies … Oheneba Amponsah … Interruptrr’s Elmira Bayrasli … David Fialkov of FFG Group … Mia Real … Zach Quimby of the National Apartment Association 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 editor Giuseppe Macri and deputy editor Garrett Ross. Corrections: Tuesday’s Playbook misstated the status of the legislation aimed at sanctioning Russia’s trading partners. It has cleared the Senate. Yesterday’s Playbook misstated Tom Manatos’ work affiliation. 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