Matt Gaetz becomes latest Kevin McCarthy defector to attract primary challenger: from political office

Welcome to the online version of From the political officean evening newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team on the campaign trail, the White House and on Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, national politics reporter Bridget Bowman notes that four House Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker now face major challenges. Plus, Senior Political Editor Mark Murray explains how voters have a more optimistic view of Donald Trump’s presidency than Joe Biden’s.

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Gaetz becomes the last McCarthy defector to draw a primary challenger

By Bridget Bowman

The decision made nearly seven months ago to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker has already had lasting implications on Capitol Hill. The move is now making its way onto the campaign trail, threatening several primaries that could help shape the GOP’s future in the House.

Florida Representative. Matt Gaetz became the last House Republican to vote to impeach McCarthy in order to nominate a primary challenger. Aaron Dimmock, a former Navy aviator, according to the Pensacola News Journal, ran against Gaetz on Friday, just before the deadline to enter the race.

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Gaetz, McCarthy’s agitator-in-chief, wasted no time trying to link Dimmock to the California Republican, publication on that McCarthy would “have one of his puppets direct.”

Gaetz also said in a statement to NBC News: “I am excited to welcome Missouri-based DEI instructor Aaron Dimmock to the campaign. Aaron is no longer in Kansas City. This is Trump country. Our pronouns are USA and MAGA.

Dimmock did not respond to a request for comment. Although he listed a Florida address on his campaign filing, the ID was listed as a Missouri driver’s license.

Of the eight House Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy last year, six are seeking re-election. And four of them now face primary challengers: Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia, Eli Crane of Arizona and Gaetz. All four seats are in Republican territory, so the winner of the primary will be favored in the general election.

Earlier this month, an outside group linked to a McCarthy ally took to the airwaves with ads targeting Mace, Good and Crane. Gaetz and Crane won’t face their primaries until late summer, while Mace and Good will have their primaries in mid-June.

They are not the only ones facing the primaries this year. Gaetz himself has supported challengers seeking to eliminate his own Republican colleagues, endorsing Republicans running against Reps. Tony Gonzales of Texas and William Timmons of South Carolina. He also supported former Sen. Darren Bailey, who lost a primary race to Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois last month.

It’s not uncommon for more centrist lawmakers, like Gonzales, to find themselves facing major adversaries on the right. But the fact that some far-right Republicans are also facing opposition within the party shows that the Republican establishment is preparing for a fight over the direction of the party.

And neither side is backing down.

These are the poll numbers that should worry Biden the most

By Mark Murray

Recent 2024 polls have been all over the place. But taken together, they further confirm how the contest between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump remains competitive — and relatively stable — with nearly six months until Election Day.

CNN’s latest national poll finds Trump up 6 points (although still within the margin of error). The NBC News survey gave Trump a 2-point lead, while Marist gave Biden a 3-point lead (both within the margin of error). And polls from Quinnipiac University and the Pew Research Center showed essentially a tied race.

And the polls in battleground states — particularly Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — are just as close.

Whichever survey you choose, the new polls underscore that voters continue to have better memories of Trump’s presidency than Biden’s — and perhaps that should concern Biden’s re-election campaign more than any horse racing result.

Take for example the CNN poll, which found that 55% of Americans believe Trump’s presidency has been a success, compared to 39% who say the same about Biden’s presidency.

Even more striking, 61% of respondents in the CNN poll believe Biden’s presidency has been a failure, compared to 44% who feel the same about Trump’s presidency.

Or look at last week’s NBC News national poll, which showed Trump holding a 7-point lead over the candidate with the best record (46% of voters chose Trump, while 39% chose Biden).

Or consider the Pew poll, which found that 42% of voters said Trump was a good or great president, compared to 28% who said the same about Biden.

Or take the CBS News poll in battleground Michigan, which gives Biden a 2-point lead among the state’s likely voters but also shows 62% say the state of the state’s economy Michigan under Trump was very or somewhat good, compared to 38% who say the same for Michigan’s economy today.

The half-full news for Biden is that he has a strong story to tell voters – with unemployment at an all-time low and hundreds of thousands of jobs being created every month.

The Biden team can also remind voters of the millions of jobs lost during Trump’s final year as president, when Covid destroyed the job market. The Biden campaign has aired television ads attacking Trump’s handling of the economy.

Yet voters consistently say they have a sunny view of Trump’s presidency and a murky view of Biden’s. That’s more telling than any horse racing poll.

That’s all from The Politics Desk for now. If you have any comments (like or dislike), please email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com