Congressional Progressive Caucus chair walks back comment on Israel being 'racist'

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, on Sunday said she did not mean to call Israel a "racist" state.

"Words do matter," said Jayapal (D-Wash.) in a statement, "and so it is important that I clarify my statement. I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist."

Jayapal was responding to criticism across the political spectrum about comments she made during a panel discussion at a Netroots Nation conference in Chicago on Saturday. "I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state," she said after the panel was interrupted by protesters chanting "Free Palestine."

House Democratic leaders, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), issued a joint statement rejecting Jayapal's Saturday remarks. “Israel is not a racist state. As House Democratic leaders, we strongly support Israel’s right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people," they said, though they added: "Certainly, there are individual members of the current Israeli governing coalition with whom we strongly disagree."

Republicans also assailed Jayapal's remarks. "This is truly disgusting, especially coming from a member of Congress," tweeted Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

In her statement Sunday, Jayapal distinguished between criticism of Israel as a nation and criticism of Israel's current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Netanyahu's extreme right-wing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies," Jayapal said.

She also explained her off-the-cuff remarks Saturday by saying she was "responding to the deep pain and hopelessness that exists for Palestinians and their diaspora communities" but added: "I in no way intended to deny the deep pain and hurt of Israelis and their Jewish diaspora community that still reels from the trauma of pogroms and persecution, the Holocaust, and continuing anti-semitism and hate violence that is rampant today."

Jayapal also said: "I offer my apologies to those who I have hurt with my words, and offer this clarification."

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is to address Congress on Wednesday. Herzog, who was elected to the largely ceremonial position in 2021, served as leader of Israel's opposition in the Knesset, its parliament, from 2013 to 2018 during one of Netanyahu's earlier stints as prime minister. Some Democrats, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), have said they will not attend.

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Teamsters president says he’s asked the White House not to intervene if UPS workers go on strike

NEW YORK — The head of the Teamsters said Sunday that he has asked the White House not to intervene if unionized UPS workers end up going on strike.

Negotiations between the delivery company and the union representing 340,000 of its workers have been at a standstill for more than a week with a July 31 deadline for a new contract approaching fast.

The union has threatened a strike if a deal is not reached by the time the collective bargaining agreement expires. Asked during a webcast with members Sunday on whether the White House could force a contract on the union, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said he has asked the White House on numerous occasions to stay away.

“My neighborhood where I grew up in Boston, if two people had a disagreement and you had nothing to do with it — you just kept walking,” O’Brien said.

“We don’t need anybody getting involved in this fight,” he said.

The Teamsters represent more than half of the Atlanta-based company’s workforce in the largest private-sector contract in North America. If a strike does happen, it would be the first since a 15-day walkout by 185,000 workers crippled the company a quarter century ago.

Before contract talks broke down, both sides had reached tentative agreements on several issues, including installing air conditioning in more trucks and getting rid of a two-tier wage system for drivers who work weekends and earn less money. A sticking point in negotiations is wage increases for part-time workers, who make a minimum of $16.20 an hour, according to UPS.

Last week, UPS said it will temporarily begin training nonunion employees in the U.S. to step in should there be a strike.

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European Union finalizes migrant deal with Tunisia

The agreement also covers trade and investment, macro-economic stability, and the green energy transition.

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Marianne Williamson campaign is deep in debt

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.

Williamson’s campaign reported about $270,000 in unpaid debts, according to financial reports filed Saturday. That was more than twice the $105,000 it reported in cash on hand.

The low fundraising haul comes after the author-turned-long-shot candidate told volunteers on a Zoom call this week that the campaign needed to increase its donations. Williamson said she couldn’t continue investing personal funds into the campaign. The latest disclosure shows that she’s now spent $220,000 on her presidential bid.

In an interview two days before the filing was released, campaign manager Carlos Cardona said that fundraising was a top priority for the campaign and that his goal was to double this quarter’s total for the next disclosure.

"I'll be working around the clock to make sure fundraising numbers look great for the next quarter and to make sure we can continue to work hard on this campaign,” Cardona told POLITICO.

In addition to the pressure to fundraise, the Williamson campaign is also fighting accusations from former staffers that her candidacy is a “grift” connected to the sale of her books. Williamson made her career as a best-selling author and has a new book, “The Mystic Jesus: The Mind of Love,” that is scheduled to be released this September.

The latest financial disclosure shows more than $800 spent on Barnes & Noble in 21 different transactions, though it does not specify what was purchased at the bookstore. One former employee who was granted anonymity to discuss internal campaign dynamics said that the campaign offered to send staffers copies of Williamson’s books, if they had not already read them, to help them better understand the candidate’s policies and perspective.The former employee shared a receipt with POLITICO for a purchase of Williamson’s books that matched the amount and approximate date of one of the Barnes & Noble transactions listed on the FEC report.

Cardona and the campaign press secretary Duran Brown did not respond to a request for comment about the Barnes & Noble expenses. Cardona was also not campaign manager during the second quarter (which is what is covered in the filing). He was promoted into the position June 30 — after two previous campaign managers departed in as many months.

Williamson's campaign has defended itself against accusations that she is boosting book sales through her presidential run.

“Was Andrew Yang trying to sell his book, you know, that he had last election? Was Joe Biden trying to sell his book? Was Barack Obama trying to sell his book? You know every candidate has a book,” Cardona told POLITICO ahead of the filing when asked about the grifting allegations and connection between Williamson’s candidacy and the new book.

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Sinema outraised by Gallego again, further clouding her future

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who shook up the 2024 landscape last year when she became an independent, was outraised by her chief Democratic challenger for the second consecutive quarter — again by a nearly two-to-one margin.

Sinema, who has not said whether or not she will seek a second term next year, raised $1.7 million from April 1 through June 30. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who launched a bid for her seat in January, brought in $3.1 million in that same period.

Sinema has stockpiled nearly $10.8 million in her bank account — almost three times more than Gallego — but the representative has shown considerable momentum. He outraised her by a similar ratio in the first three months of the year.

The reports, which were due Saturday, add another layer of intrigue to what is potentially the most complicated Senate contest of the cycle. Senate Democrats are not only closely watching how Sinema and Gallego’s campaigns progress, they’re looking for some insight into whether she chooses to run again at all.

Sinema has been quiet about her intentions. Her candidacy would split the field into an unpredictable three-way race. If she siphons away too many voters from the Democratic nominee, she could boost Republicans’ odds to flip the seat.

Sinema’s fundraising total dropped slightly from her first-quarter haul of $2.1 million. Less than $9,000 of her second-quarter number came from contributors who have donated less than $200 — a sign of continued meager grassroots enthusiasm. Gallego, in comparison, brought in $1.7 million from small-dollar contributions last quarter.

Sinema remains reliant on corporate PACs to fill her coffers and notably did not receive any donations from the campaign accounts of her fellow senators. She did nab one contribution from FOX Corporation PAC.

Gallego, on the other hand, did not raise any money from PACs in the past three months, his report showed.

In Arizona, only one major Republican, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, is in the race. He reported raising $608,000 last quarter. But Republicans are watching closely to see if Kari Lake, who lost last year’s contentious race for governor, declares a campaign.

Arizona isn’t the only Senate contest that national Democrats are closely watching. They are also waiting to see if Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) decides to seek reelection in a state that former President Donald Trump won by 39 points.

Manchin reported raising nearly $1.3 million during the second quarter — roughly triple what he brought in during the first three months of the year and a sign that he is keeping his options open for another run. He has said a final decision won’t come before the end of the year.

Without Manchin, Senate Democrats have virtually no chance of keeping his seat, and they are encouraging him to run for reelection. Manchin’s haul surpassed the two Republicans who have launched campaigns for his seat — Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) — and the embattled incumbent has a whopping $10.7 million cash on hand, according to totals shared first with POLITICO.

Across the map, Senate Democrats could find a lot of things to celebrate from their candidates’ campaign finance reports.

The six most endangered Democratic incumbents raised a collective $21.4 million, according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign finance data. The two most vulnerable other than Manchin, Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, brought in more than $5 million each and had banked $10.5 million and $8.7 million, respectively.

All of those incumbents — Manchin, Tester, Brown, and Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) — had more than $5.5 million in cash on hand at the end of June. Collectively, they have nearly $50 million already banked.

“Similar to last cycle, our incumbents outraised Republicans and had strong grassroots support in their states. And the same thing is happening this cycle,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the chair of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm.

He also said he was still hopeful that Manchin would seek reelection: “I talk to him regularly. He's still thinking through what he wants to do, but I'm encouraging him to run for Senate.”

Of the core six Democratic incumbents, Manchin has the most in his bank account, with $10.7 million in his campaign account and $2.2 million in his leadership PAC — money that will go a long way in West Virginia if he chooses to run.

Few top Republican Senate candidates had to file fundraising reports because they launched campaigns after the deadline for the second quarter. That includes Army veteran Sam Brown in Nevada and businessman Tim Sheehy in Montana.

The reports offered other hints on the intentions of the undeclared prospective candidates. In Montana, GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale, who has told congressional colleagues he plans to challenge Tester, raised $442,000. While that total is a paltry number compared to other Senate candidates, it is more than three times what he raised in the first three months of the year.

Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), who is considering a run against Baldwin, raised only $114,000, which could signal that he is not gearing up for a statewide campaign.

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DeSantis campaign sheds staff amid cash crunch

Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is shedding staff as it navigates a cash crunch and looks to refocus resources on Iowa.

Fewer than 10 staffers were let go by the Florida governor’s campaign Thursday, according to a person familiar with the internal deliberations and granted anonymity to describe them. Each of the aides was involved in event planning, and some of them may soon wind up at an allied outside group. Never Back Down, the pro-DeSantis super PAC, has received resumes from staffers who’ve been let go, a person familiar with the group said.

The decision to shed the staff comes as the DeSantis campaign has struggled to meet its fundraising expectations. Though the governor raised $20 million in the second quarter of this year, $3 million of that was earmarked for the general election. In addition, only about 15 percent of his donations came from small-dollar donors, a level he will likely have to enhance in order to keep up with former President Donald Trump, who has built a robust small-dollar network over the years. DeSantis’ campaign spent more than $1 million on payroll, payroll taxes, insurance and processing fees in the second quarter with roughly 90 staffers on the books.

Despite his fundraising difficulties, DeSantis remains firmly in second place in the GOP primary behind Trump, and Never Back Down has raised more than $100 million.

“Americans are rallying behind Ron DeSantis and his plan to reverse Joe Biden’s failures and restore sanity to our nation, and his momentum will only continue as voters see more of him in person, especially in Iowa,” said DeSantis spokesperson Andrew Romeo. “Defeating Joe Biden and the $72 million behind him will require a nimble and candidate-driven campaign, and we are building a movement to go the distance.”

DeSantis is expected to campaign heavily in Iowa, where he is preparing to embark on a tour of the state’s 99 counties, an ambitious plan that would require extensive event staff. It is likely that Never Back Down would help stage at least some of those events; last week, the organization sponsored a DeSantis appearance in New Hampshire.

While polls have shown DeSantis trailing in Iowa, his advisers have argued they have an opportunity in the state. They note that this past week Trump attacked the state’s popular Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, for remaining neutral in the race and that Trump skipped a forum in the state hosted by evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats.

“Donald Trump gave us an opening in Iowa this week, and we’re taking it,” Romeo said.

In addition to the event staffers’ departure, two senior DeSantis campaign advisers, Dave Abrams and Tucker Obenshain, have left the campaign to work for a pro-DeSantis nonprofit organization. Abrams had been serving as the senior communications adviser and media director, and Obenshain led the campaign’s external affairs.

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Tim Scott is the longshot candidate raising the most cash — by less than $1 million

GOP candidates hoping to knock off Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis raised a combined $21 million from donors in the second quarter — underscoring just how difficult it is to break out of the pack.

The former president and Florida Governor still have a firm financial lead on the rest of the field. DeSantis’ campaign reported raising more than $20 million, while Trump’s campaign, which had not yet filed Saturday evening, teased that it had raised $35 million.

Leading the rest of the field in fundraising, excluding money from the candidates themselves, were the two South Carolinians. Sen. Tim Scott raised $6.2 million, followed by Nikki Haley at $5.3 million. For Scott, the figure was relatively strong compared to the field but less than he raised in his best quarter of his most recent Senate campaign. The senator also spent more than he raised over the quarter. He still had $21 million cash on hand, largely thanks to his strong history of fundraising as a senator.

The best quarterly fundraising totals beyond Trump and DeSantis came from two longshots who threw in substantial shares of their own funds. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum put $10.2 million into his own campaign while bringing in $1.5 million in donations, while biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy added another $5 million of his own money this quarter while raising $2.3 million from donors.

After that, the cash drop-off was sharp. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie brought in $1.7 million in the second quarter, while former Vice President Mike Pence brought in $1.1 million since launching his campaign in June.

Texas pastor and businessperson Ryan Binkley also added nearly $1.6 million of his own money to his under-the-radar campaign while raising a bit shy of $200,000.

A handful of longshot candidates had yet to crack the $1 million threshold through the end of June. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez brought in $945,000 through the first weeks of his campaign, while former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has been in the race since April, brought in $583,000.

Larry Elder, who was a strong fundraiser during his bid during the California recall election for governor, brought in just $468,000. Former Rep. Will Hurd raised $274,000, although that was done in a bit over a week as the former Texas representative announced his presidential bid in late June.

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