Hot Dish 07.16.24

By Sydney Kashiwagi

Greetings from Milwaukee and welcome to another DC Dish.

I’m here at the Republican National Convention with my colleagues Ryan Faircloth and Glen Stubbe this week and we’ll be bringing you all the latest.

RNC: Delegates got straight to work on opening day of the convention on the heels of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Ryan and I reported.

All 39 Minnesota delegates threw their support behind Trump, who easily clinched the party’s nomination and named U.S. Sen. JD Vance as his VP pick. Trump also made a surprise appearance at the end of the night standing with Vance.

Republicans approved a new party platform that includes a more relaxed position on abortion and controversial immigration priorities: “Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history,” and “Deport pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again.”

Kip Christianson, a Minnesota RNC delegate who serves on the platform committee, said the new platform is concise and forward-looking. He noted that Trump “had a deep hand in rewriting this platform and tearing 50 pages of bloat out of it.”

And while some delegates had said they wished the platform included stronger language opposing abortion, Christianson said he didn’t think it was necessary.

VANCE RESPONSE: Minnesota politicians, not surprisingly, broke along party lines in their reaction to the news about Vance.

DEM RESPONSE: “Remember when JD Vance said he would’ve overturned the 2020 election to install Trump for another term? Remember when JD Vance called for a nationwide abortion ban? I do — and Americans will too,” Sen. Tina Smith said on X.

GOP RESPONSE: “Senator JD Vance is a champion of conservative values, an ardent campaigner, and an excellent choice for Vice President. Congratulations, Senator. Americans are ready to put the Trump-Vance administration in the White House!” Rep. Tom Emmer said on X.

UP NEXT: There are still three more days of events lined up. Tonight, Emmer is expected to take the RNC stage in the evening and contrast President Joe Biden and Trump’s records on crime, regulation and trade, according to a source familiar with his plans. He will also likely talk about how Republicans hope to flip Minnesota this year.

It’s still unclear when Trump will give his official speech to delegates. We’ve heard Tuesday, someone told me Thursday today. So TBD.

HARD FEELINGS IN CD2: While some Republicans took a victory lap following attorney Tayler Rahm’s announcement that he is suspending his campaign to work as Trump’s Minnesota senior advisor, others were not thrilled about the news.

Some grassroots Republicans criticized Rahm’s decision after they helped boost his campaign and clinch the Republican endorsement, only to exit the race and effectively cede the GOP lane to Joe Teirab, who national Republicans quickly coalesced behind.

“I don’t really want to bash Tayler. He’s a great guy who stood up to a lot of pressure from DC and the establishment,” said Will Beck, who chairs Senate District 41 and is also deputy chair of the Second Congressional District. “There are many of us who plan to vote for Tayler in the primary.”

It’s a sentiment that Rahm’s core volunteers of as many as four dozen share, Beck said. He also said he knows of others who are generally upset and may not “show up to vote at all.”

WILL HE BACK TEIRAB? In announcing his departure from the campaign, Rahm did not say if he would throw his support behind Teirab.

Asked Tuesday about his plans, Rahm said he hasn’t made a decision. “Nobody has reached out to me specifically [asking] who should I vote for, so I haven’t made that comment to anyone,” he said.

For now, Rahm said that he “respects the way everyone feels” and understands that some of his supporters may be disappointed.

A source close to him said that it’s only been a few days “since this massive shakeup and he transitioned. Give the guy some time.”

ABSENTEE TOTALS: So far,193,303 Minnesotans have submitted absentee ballots in the state primary, 9,221 of those ballots have been accepted, according to the latest figures from the Secretary of State’s Office.

WHERE’S WALZ:

Gov. Tim Walz has no public events on his schedule today.

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