September 21, 2022
Our special thanks to those who participated in this week’s Arizona Chamber Fly-in. Congressman Erik Paulsen and I enjoyed visiting with each of you who attended. The pandemic robbed members of Congress from interacting with Americans… and the pandemic robbed Americans from interacting with members of Congress and their staff members. Thankfully, that’s all in the rearview mirror.
Both the Senate and the House returned to Washington right after Labor Day, and both are scheduled to leave town by the end of September. Patrick Robertson has written an excellent summary of Congress’ legislative agenda – what’s possible in the next 10 days and what is going to get pushed off until the lame duck session. Patrick’s Washington Whispers articles are always good, and this week’s is exceptionally well done.
Ramona Lessen monitored the September 20th hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, entitled “Tightening the Screws on Russia.”
While Patrick summarized the legislative agenda, the political agenda is also on the front burner, and the water is boiling. Republicans expect to take back the House of Representatives; the question is how many seats they will hold next January. The very conservative low is about 220, and the realistic high is around 230. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will present this Friday the House Republicans’ ‘Commitment to America’ in Pittsburgh, which they hope will help them achieve the biggest majority possible in the next Congress.
The Senate is way too close to call. The key states have been – and still are – Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Republicans had momentum through the spring, but Democrats took some back over the summer. Republicans now sense a slight breeze at their back as inflation, interest rates, and the economy become more impactful. Senate Republicans are beginning to feel cautiously optimistic that they could hold a one or two seat majority next January.
Today’s Total Spectrum Spotlight interview is with Nathan Gonzales, the Editor and Publisher of Inside Elections, which provides nonpartisan analysis of Senate, House, and gubernatorial, and presidential elections. Nathan provides important context and fascinating observations on November’s elections.
Congressman Erik Paulsen has planned a number of really important interviews for our Total Spectrum Spotlight series. The next interview should be distributed next week, and as always, we welcome your thoughts and comments.