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▪ Shutdown stakes set to rise
▪ Trump-Mamdani rivalry intensifies
▪ GOP raises alarms over election results
▪ Musk the trillionaire?
Democrats are feeling bullish about staying the course on the government shutdown following their sweeping wins this week.
Ahead of Election Day, hopes had risen in both parties that the election could mark a turning point in the shutdown, especially as it was set to break the record Wednesday for the longest in U.S. history.
A handful of moderate Senate Democrats have been privately meeting to discuss what they would need to vote this week or next to reopen the government after a more than month-long funding lapse.
But the extent of Democrats’ victories in key races in Virginia and New Jersey seems to have stalled progress that Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee had been making, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports.
They point to President Trump’s remarks suggesting that the shutdown is partly responsible for Republicans’ poor performances. He said polls showed the shutdown was a major negative factor for the GOP, as was his name not being on the ballot.
“Last night, it was not expected to be a victory. It was very Democrat areas. I don’t think it was good for Republicans,” Trump said in remarks to GOP senators. “I’m not sure it was good for anybody. But we had an interesting evening, and we learned a lot.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) read Trump’s remarks on the Senate floor, adding into the record Trump’s acknowledgement of the shutdown hurting Republicans. Polls have continued to show more Americans blaming the GOP for the shutdown than Democrats.
Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) demanded another bipartisan meeting with Trump and Republican congressional leaders, saying they want to address the “GOP shutdown” and “Republican health care crisis.”
“Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the pair concluded, using Trump’s go-to Truth Social signoff.
But The Hill’s Al Weaver reports that divisions among Democrats remain and are deepening as the group of moderate-leaning members signals they’re ready to end the shutdown while their progressive colleagues feel invigorated to continue their opposition.
Trump still isn’t showing much interest in negotiating with Democrats. He pressed Senate Republicans at the White House on Wednesday to eliminate the filibuster to allow the GOP to reopen the government without any Democratic votes.
Trump said eliminating the filibuster is necessary for Republicans to avoid another result like what happened Tuesday, suggesting the midterm elections are at stake.
That push has previously not been well-received among many Republicans who have supported keeping the filibuster in place. But Bolton reports that support among Senate Republicans is picking up steam following the White House breakfast Wednesday.
Still, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Wednesday there aren’t enough votes for the idea, which he has himself vocally opposed.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has floated raising the stakes of the shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Wednesday it would reduce flight capacity by 10 percent at 40 “high-traffic” areas around the U.S. starting Friday if the shutdown isn’t over.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford called the move “appropriate to continue to take the pressure off of” air traffic controllers, who are set to miss their second paycheck next week amid the record-long shutdown.
▪ The Hill: Officials to reduce air traffic if shutdown surpasses Friday.
▪ NPR: How the shutdown compares to previous ones.
Smart Take with Blake Burman
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) first made news several weeks ago during the shutdown by saying the rising cost of health care needs to be addressed, citing how premiums will increase for her own children. After Tuesday night’s elections, we are now starting to hear more Republicans echo similar calls, saying affordability in America needs a further focus. I spoke with Greene on Wednesday night.
“I believe the election yesterday was a referendum on not delivering what November 2024 was about,” she told me. “It was about ‘America First.’ It was about MAHA and it was about cost of living and putting Americans’ issues above everything else, and that has not been the focus for months now.”
President Trump urged Republicans to talk about his efforts to lower costs. This was the key issue in 2024, remains the top issue in 2025 and likely will be a driving topic in 2026. After five straight years of inflation, the compounding impacts remain, and now it’s Republicans who are having to politically deal with the key issue.
Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.
3 Things to Know Today
1. California Republicans are suing to block a new congressional map from taking effect after voters overwhelmingly approved redrawing the state’s district lines. The new map, if enacted, could cost five GOP House members their seats.
2. The race for a vacant U.S. House seat in Texas is heading to a runoff after no candidate received a majority of the vote. The tight Republican House majority will narrow further after one of the two Democrats who advanced wins the runoff in December.
3. The Oval Office now has gold-script signage on the outside, the latest change Trump has made to the White House in his second term.
Leading the Day
EMPIRE STATE RIVALRY: One of the biggest rivalries in politics is set to intensify as Trump and Zohran Mamdani (D) gird themselves to battle each other following Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral race.
The Hill’s Amie Parnes reports that Mamdani’s win could escalate an already tense relationship between the president and mayor-elect. Trump has regularly branded Mamdani, a democratic socialist, as a “communist” and threatened to cut off funding to the city if he were to become mayor.
“If you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump said in an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday.
Trump even gave a last-minute endorsement to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, his one-time rival whom he clashed with throughout his first term in the White House, in an effort to block Mamdani’s win.
But Mamdani made clear in his victory speech he plans to oppose Trump as necessary, calling out the president by name several times.
“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” he said.
Trump has also threatened to deploy the National Guard into the Big Apple, as he has done in a few other Democratic-led cities.
“Trump will no doubt try to punish Mamdani by threatening New York’s federal funding, but he should be careful — Mamdani knows how to mobilize young voters, including many who fueled Trump’s own coalition last year,” Democratic strategist Anthony Coley said, adding he expects it is “going to get nasty.”
Republicans have been eager to use Mamdani’s win to go after congressional Democrats, with the House GOP quickly releasing an ad tying Democrats in 49 battleground districts to Mamdani and socialism.
The rivalry between Trump and Mamdani also seems natural given the city’s status as Trump’s former home. And the two of them represent very different generations of New York.
Trump did seem to leave the door open to softening his stance on Mamdani on Wednesday, saying he would work with him “a little bit.”
“And we’ll help him. We’ll help him. We want New York to be successful,” Trump said. “We’ll help him. A little bit, maybe.”
Mamdani’s win is also raising questions for what the future holds for the Democratic Party, as competing progressive and moderate wings can point to victories from Tuesday’s results, The Hill’s Caroline Vakil reports.
While Mamdani energized a young progressive base on his way to an upset victory in the Democratic primary and a win in the general election, moderates also had a strong night as former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) each scored double-digit victories over their Republican opponents in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, respectively.
Democrats said the party should use Tuesday’s wins as an impetus to come together and gear up for the midterms. But it likely won’t put to bed the internal debate over the party’s direction.
▪ The Hill: Why Dems should be hopeful but also cautious.
HISTORIC FIRSTS: The election Tuesday saw several major firsts and history-making results in contests throughout the country.
Mamdani made history as the first Muslim elected as mayor of New York City. He’s also the youngest person elected mayor in more than a century.
Spanberger was elected the first female governor of Virginia. The commonwealth was guaranteed to have elected its first female leader as Spanberger faced Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R).
Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) was the first Muslim woman to be elected to statewide office anywhere in the U.S.
Sherrill is just the second woman to be elected governor of New Jersey, following former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who served as a Republican in the 1990s but has since left the party and endorsed Sherrill this year. With Sherrill’s win, Democrats prevailed in their third consecutive gubernatorial race in New Jersey for the first time since the 1960s.
And Detroit elected its first female mayor as City Council President Mary Sheffield (D) easily secured victory in the heavily Democratic-leaning city.
WARNING SIGNS BLINKING: Republicans are evaluating what Tuesday’s results could mean for the party as it looks ahead to next year’s midterms, with some worrying the GOP isn’t understanding voters’ discontent with the Trump administration.
The Hill’s Julia Manchester reports that some Republicans believe their party didn’t focus enough on issues like affordability.
“We got our a–es handed to us,” said Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in a video on the social platform X, arguing for a greater focus on affordability over identity politics.
Vice President Vance brushed off the results, saying in a post on X that “it’s idiotic to overreact to a couple of elections in blue states.” But he echoed sentiments that Republicans need to focus on affordability, saying it’s “the metric by which we’ll ultimately be judged” in 2026.
Still, Republicans said the results are a “wake-up call” before next year’s midterms. GOP donor Dan Eberhart called the night a “nuclear disaster” for the party.
Democrats also more directly notched a big win in the battle for the House in 2026, as the ballot measure to allow California to redraw its congressional lines passed with flying colors.
Election handicapper Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted 11 House races in the Golden State toward Democrats after the measure passed, including five seats currently held by Republicans, while one shifted toward the GOP.
But the Democratic push to win back control of the House won’t be easy. Republicans still likely have the advantage in the redistricting battle, and Democrats took a big blow on Wednesday when centrist Democratic Rep. Jared Golden announced he won’t be seeking another term in office in Maine.
Golden represents a conservative-leaning district that voted for Trump last year, and his retirement will have Republicans eyeing it even more as a pickup opportunity.
▪ ABC News: Elections give Democrats a roadmap, but not a ticket.
GREENE DENIES 2028 SPECULATION: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) denied reports that she’s considering a presidential run in 2028, telling NewsNation that her focus is on her House district.
“The only thing that I’m focused on is being a representative for my district,” the Georgia Republican told “The Hill” on NewsNation.
NOTUS reported that Greene has been telling colleagues about her interest in seeking the White House, with one source saying she believes herself to be “real MAGA” while others have strayed. They said Greene believes she has the “national donor network” to win a GOP primary.
But Greene denied the report and allegations from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) that she’s on a revenge tour. Ocasio-Cortez alleged that the Georgia Republican wanted to run for Senate next year but Trump told her not to.
“It’s not true,” Greene said. “I see the Senate as basically where all good things go to die.”
Greene has received significant attention in recent weeks for several issues where she has broken with many members of her party, including on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the GOP’s handling of the government shutdown. She also notably went on “The View” on Tuesday.
Greene has denied that she’s changed, saying she is the same person she was when she was first elected.
HERITAGE PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES: Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts apologized Wednesday to the right-wing think tank’s staff for his defense of Tucker Carlson that spurred significant backlash and caused a split in the conservative movement.
Roberts’s apology came in an all-staff meeting, video published by the Washington Free Beacon revealed.
The apology is the latest attempt at damage control for the initial controversial video that Roberts posted in which he defended Carlson’s decision to interview white nationalist Nick Fuentes, pushing back against those he accused of trying to “cancel” them.
Roberts’s statement sparked outrage among Republican politicians, conservative allies and members of Heritage’s own staff, who shared their concerns at the all-staff meeting.
Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow, told Roberts he showed “a stunning lack of both courage and judgement.”
“I don’t know how I can stand here with a straight face and tell you that I have confidence in your leadership,” she said.
Following the meeting, Roberts posted another video on X on Wednesday, saying he would challenge Carlson.
“Everyone has the responsibility to speak up against the scourge of antisemitism, no matter the messenger. Heritage and I will do so, even when my friend Tucker Carlson needs challenging,” he said.
Roberts has said he wouldn’t resign from his role over the controversy.
When and Where
The president will make an announcement at 11 a.m. He will participate in multilateral meetings with Central Asian leaders at 6 p.m. and then have dinner with them at 7 p.m.
The Senate will meet at 10 a.m. with a vote expected at 5 p.m.
The House will not convene today.
Zoom In
SCOTUS SKEPTICAL: The Supreme Court gave a frosty reception Wednesday to the Trump administration’s arguments about the president’s authority to enact wide-ranging tariffs.
Chief Justice John Roberts and two of Trump’s own appointees, Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, seemed concerned about Trump’s use of emergency powers to justify the tariffs, The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld and Ella Lee report.
“The justification is being used for the power to impose tariffs on any product, from any country, for any amount, for any length of time,” Roberts said. “I’m not suggesting it’s not there, but it does seem like that’s major authority.”
Trump has pointed to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which allows the president to “regulate” imports to address certain national emergencies, as legal justification. But small businesses and Democratic-led states suing over the policy argue that the law wasn’t intended to be used for tariffs.
A loss for Trump could result in the administration being forced to refund billions of dollars to companies that have paid the tariffs. But the administration reportedly has explored alternatives to keep the tariffs in place on other legal grounds if it loses.
Wednesday’s arguments marked the first time during Trump’s second term that the court heard the underlying legal merits of one of his biggest agenda items rather than on the emergency docket, where he has often won.
▪ CNN: Takeaways from the tariff arguments.
▪ Politico: Justices wonder how Trump could refund tariffs.
REDISTRICTING BATTLE: Democrats received another win on Tuesday when Kansas Republicans decided against attempting to call a special session to conduct its own redistricting ahead of the midterms.
State House Speaker Dan Hawkins (R) ended the push after weeks of advocacy from GOP lawmakers to try to target Rep. Sharice Davids, the lone Democrat in Kansas’s congressional delegation, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
Republicans can still try to draw a new map during the state Legislature’s regular session, which begins in January, and state Senate President Ty Masterson (R) said it would be a priority next year.
“We’ve won the first round in this fight against gerrymandering,” Davids told the outlet in a statement, acknowledging that the battle isn’t over.
Meanwhile, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said on Tuesday that his state will hold public hearings and launch a commission to explore potentially redrawing its maps. Democrats have been eager to redraw the map and target Rep. Andy Harris, the lone Republican in the state’s delegation.
But the push remains up in the air as Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) declared his opposition to the efforts last week.
▪ USA Today: Virginia Senate leader slams Maryland counterpart over redistricting.
▪ Politico: Pressure ramps up on Dems to redistrict after election wins.
Elsewhere
WORLD’S FIRST TRILLIONAIRE?: A key vote happening Thursday could determine whether Elon Musk is on track to potentially become the world’s first trillionaire or leave his car company, Tesla, entirely.
Investors are set to gather for Tesla’s annual meeting in Austin, Texas, and vote on whether to grant Musk enough stock that could make him a trillionaire, the AP reported. The possibility has sparked heated debate.
Supporters argue that Musk is the only one who can lead the company to dominance in the future, and the pay package is necessary to incentivize him and keep him focused. Detractors have said the company’s board of directors is too beholden to the tech CEO, that his behavior has been reckless, and that the amount is too much.
Musk must receive approval from a majority of the company’s voting shareholders, but he gets to vote his own shares, which make up 15 percent of the company.
Even if the vote is approved, the tech leader must meet operational and financial targets to receive the package.
Many shareholders have come out in favor of the vote, but others have criticized Musk’s leadership of Tesla.
The vote also comes as Musk has waded into some political issues after leaving his role in the White House earlier this year overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cost-cutting.
Like Trump, the tech titan weighed in on the New York City mayoral race on Monday, calling on voters to support Cuomo.
Musk also continued his feud last month with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has been serving as the acting administrator of NASA, arguing that he’s trying to “kill” the agency.
Musk more recently cheered Trump’s decision to renominate Jared Isaacman as head of NASA. Isaacman, who worked with Musk at SpaceX, was tapped for the role earlier this year but his nomination was pulled days after Musk left the White House amid a feud with Trump.
Trump and Musk seemingly reconciled at Charlie Kirk’s memorial in September, meeting with each other and shaking hands, though the pair have otherwise not appeared together following the tech CEO’s criticism of the president’s signature legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
▪ Reuters: New York seeks to dismiss lawsuit from Musk’s X over hate speech law.
GRAHAM BACKS SCOTT: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) backed fellow South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (R) in rebuking Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) for the incident in which she allegedly berated airport security for not greeting her upon her arrival.
Scott pushed back on Mace on Tuesday after an incident report claimed she went on an expletive-laced tirade directed at Charleston International Airport staff. The senator noted that Mace allegedly mentioned him during the exchange, and he wanted to make clear he had only had “positive” experiences at the airport.
Graham later backed Scott up.
“I concur with @SenatorTimScott’s statement when it comes to the men and women who provide security at the Charleston International Airport,” Graham said in a post on X on Tuesday.
“I have had similar personal experiences and have had nothing but positive, respectful engagements with the police officers and TSA agents who provide security for the Charleston Airport,” he added.
The incident adds to other allegations from former staff members who claimed Mace created a toxic work environment, which the congresswoman has denied.
▪ The Hill: What to know about Mace’s airport incident.
Opinion
In US v. Comey, the prosecutors will be on trial, writes former federal prosecutor Greg Wallance in The Hill.
The ironies of Dick Cheney, writes The Washington Post opinion contributor James Mann.
The Closer
And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for our weekly Morning Report Quiz!
Coming off the elections this week, we’re going to do an election-related quiz tied to the states where the major elections took place.
Be sure to email your responses to jgans@thehill.com — please add “Quiz” to your subject line. Winners who submit correct answers will receive deserved newsletter fame on Friday.
Mamdani defeated Cuomo’s independent candidacy to be elected New York City’s next mayor, mirroring the defeat that the former governor’s father took decades earlier. Who defeated Mario Cuomo to be elected mayor?
1. Fiorello La Guardia
2. Ed Koch
3. Rudy Giuliani
4. Michael Bloomberg
Sherrill’s election is set to make her New Jersey’s second female governor. Her running mate, Dale Caldwell, is set to become lieutenant governor. Why is Caldwell’s election also notable?
1. He’s the first Black person elected lieutenant governor
2. He’ll be the second Democrat to hold the position
3. He’ll be the first man to hold the position
4. He’s the youngest to be elected to the position
Virginia was guaranteed to elect its first female governor as Spanberger and Earle-Sears faced off. How many times in U.S. history previously have two women been the major party nominees for governor of a state?
1. 3
2. 5
3. 7
4. 10
Two Democrats flipped seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission in relatively low-profile races still seen as indicators of how voters are feeling in the battleground state. When is the last time that Democrats won a statewide election to state office in Georgia?
1. 1992
2. 1996
3. 2006
4. 2018
