TL/DR –
The Democratic party’s generational divide continues to drive key Senate primaries, with similar dynamics seen on the House side. Several long-serving Democratic incumbents are facing well-funded primary challengers, highlighting generational and ideological differences within the party. In particular, fourteen House Democratic incumbents are facing primary challengers who raised at least $100,000 from July through September, a significant increase from previous years.
Welcome to the digital edition of NBC News Politics Desk. The newsletter chronicles the latest political reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill, and beyond.
Yesterday’s edition examined the generational divide within the Democratic Party in Senate primaries. Today, we delve into how this dynamic is unfolding in House races and preview the upcoming New York City mayoral debate.
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🚨 Breaking news: Ex-national security adviser John Bolton has been indicted by a federal grand jury, a senior Justice Department official said. Bolton is the third person charged federally in the past month after President Donald Trump called for their prosecution. Read more →
Well-funded Challengers Target House Democrats
By Ben Kamisar, Bridget Bowman and Joe Murphy
The Democrats’ party rift is triggering more primaries against longtime lawmakers, with recent fundraising reports indicating imminent challenges for some veteran Democrats due to generational and ideological divides.
Fourteen House Democratic incumbents face primary challengers who raised at least $100,000 from July-September, with nine also outraised by their opponents. This includes some hopefuls investing their own money into campaigns against established incumbents, spotting a rare political opportunity.
Only four out of the hundreds of sitting House members who ran for re-election last year — two Democrats and two Republicans — suffered primary losses. However, party tension is providing more financial support for primary challengers than in recent years.
Two Democratic primary challengers raised over $1 million in Q3: venture capitalist Eric Jones, challenging Rep. Mike Thompson, and former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, opposing Rep. John Larson.
Three Democratic primary challengers also raised over $500,000 in Q3: former Biden aide Jake Levine, town councilman Jack Perry, and health care executive Quincy Bareebe.
Hoyer, Larson, Sherman, Thompson, and more House Democrats were outraised by primary challengers.
Zohran Mamdani Vs. Andrew Cuomo: A Campaign Depicting Clash of Ideologies
By Ben Kamisar
As Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo ready for their first general election debate along with Republican Curtis Sliwa, their contrasting stands on various issues become more apparent.
Cuomo sees nearly 34-year-old Mamdani as too inexperienced for the role of NYC’s mayor and believes he represents a faction of the Democratic Party that is going off track.
Mamdani sees Cuomo as embodying a faulty Democratic establishment, contributing to the affordability crisis, and someone who lost public confidence due to sexual misconduct allegations, which Cuomo denies.
Follow the debate coverage on our live blog →
🗞️ Top Stories of the Day
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- ⛔ Shutdown, Day 16: Several Senate Democrats are rejecting a potential exit from the shutdown: simultaneous votes to reopen the government and temporarily extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies. Read more →
That’s it from the Politics Desk for today. Any feedback regarding the newsletter can be directed to .
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