Eyes on 2024: Dems spike the football, GOPers point fingers

Tuesday’s Democratic victory in the Georgia Senate runoff has led to a predictable response — a Democratic victory lap and Republican recriminations. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took a victory lap Wednesday, praising the party’s “great candidates” over “MAGA Republicans,” and looked toward 2024, where he said President Biden would be “very helpful” to Democrats during a cycle with a tough Senate map. 

Reporting on the other side of the aisle, the NBC News Capitol Hill team heard a list of complaints from Republican lawmakers in the wake of their loss. 

South Dakota Sen. John Thune blamed former President Trump’s “obsession with the 2020 election” for becoming “an albatross and a real liability.” 

 Retiring Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt told NBC that “candidates matter. And I think we’ve lost two or three or four races we didn’t have to lose this year.” Retiring Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy echoed that message. 

 But some disagreed — South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said that “the Trump factor helped some and hurt some,” and Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford said that there’s “just no way to ever tell” whether Trump’s presence was helpful or hurtful to Republicans. 

In other 2024 news: 

Heads up, Atlanta TV stations: The AP explores how Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s win in the Georgia Senate runoff secures the state’s battleground status going into 2024.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

McCormick for Senate round two?: The AP also reports on how Trump’s struggles in 2022 changes the landscape for Republican David McCormick, who ran against Trump’s endorsed Mehmet Oz and is considered a top Senate candidate for 2024. 

Donor dinner party: Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., is hosting a dinner with some top donors after his decisive re-election as he weighs a potential run for president, the Washington Post reports. 

Search party: NBC News’ Scott Wong reports on one of the most important first tasks for newly minted Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, picking someone to lead the DCCC. 

Soros opens his wallet: After spending millions on the 2022 midterms, Politico reports that Democratic donor George Soros made a $50 million donation to a Democratic super PAC earlier this month, a sign that Soros will continue to wield his influence in 2024.