Top of the Hour

Good morning from Hotline. Today we’re tracking:

• HOW moderate Democrats will avoid a tea party moment

• WHY former Vice President Kamala Harris wants the DNC to release the 2024 autopsy

• WHO will run in the newly proposed districts in Tennessee

Let’s get after it.

What's News

BATTLE FOR THE SENATE: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), a former DSCC chair during the 2020 cycle and the honorary chair of the ModSquad PAC, “is urging her fellow party members to nominate moderate Democrats and avoid a Democratic tea party this November.” 

• THE MODERATOR. Cortez Masto “is among a cohort of moderate Democrats attempting to sway their party’s base to back centrist candidates over progressive firebrands in several battleground Democratic primaries. A trio of Midwestern primaries in Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota will put her message to the test.”

• GIVE US THE WHEEL. Some progressives reject moderates’ electability argument. Justice Democrats co-founder Corbin Trent told Hotline: “The same f**king idiots that have been picking our 'electable' candidates since 2008 have lost us 1,000 seats nationwide through that and then lost to … [President] Trump twice.” (Hotline reporting)

MI SEN: The DSCC is launching an audio ad campaign targeting 2024 nominee Mike Rogers’ (R) comments regarding the Iran war’s impact on rising gas prices. Titled “Price Surge,” the 30-second ad dubs Rogers “Price Hike Mike” and highlights a clip of Rogers telling an attendee at a March campaign event: “We’re gonna be fine, we got plenty of oil.” The ad, shared first with Hotline, will air on Pandora, Sirius, and Spotify during commuting hours. (Hotline reporting)

MAINE: In the Senate race, oyster farmer Graham Platner (D) said his campaign raised about $1.5 million after Gov. Janet Mills (D) suspended her bid last Thursday. Sen. Susan Collins’ (R) campaign said it also experienced a surge of interest since Platner became the presumptive Democratic nominee, but didn’t disclose its fundraising totals since Mills’ exit. (Portland Press Herald)

• BACK ON AIR. Platner released his first TV ad since Mills’ exit, targeting Collins’ “symbolic opposition” and “weak condemnations” in a 60-second spot. Titled “‘Disqualifying,’” the ad features Platner slamming Collins for “sell[ing] us out to the president and to the Epstein class.” (Politico) 

• DITTO. Collins is going on the air with her first general election ad of the cycle, launching a $600,000 buy over two weeks. The ad spotlights the senator’s push to secure $6 million to upgrade the Eastport Breakwater, a signal to her role as Appropriations Committee chair. (Semafor)

• ME-02: Maine Auditor Matt Dunlap (D) released his first TV ad ahead of the June 9 primary to replace the retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D). The spot, titled “Bar Harbor,” highlights his biography, including his upbringing, time in public service. It also emphasizes his progressive credentials such as support for Medicare for All. The ad will air “on broadcast and cable networks across the Portland, Bangor, and Presque Isle media markets.” (release)

NH SEN: Former Sen. John E. Sununu’s (R) campaign has paid for digital marketing services from a consulting firm run by Jack Daly, who pled guilty in 2023 to defrauding thousands of conservative political donors. Sununu’s campaign paid Better Mousetrap Digital, Daly’s firm, $1.825.61 in 10 separate payments between Dec. 19, 2025 and Feb. 11 according to quarterly FEC reports. 

• TIMELINE. The campaign’s payments came after NOTUS’s October 2025 report on Daly’s firm, which led to the RNC, the Trump National Committee Joint Fundraising Committee, and several campaign committees suspending their payments to the firm. Sununu’s campaign did not return Hotline’s request for comment. (Hotline reporting)

2028 WATCH: Former Vice President Kamala Harris has reportedly told donors she believes the DNC should release its buried autopsy of her and former President Biden’s failed 2024 campaign. She has indicated to donors that she has no issue with releasing the autopsy but has not discussed it with DNC Chair Ken Martin “and did not know about his decision to keep it under wraps until it happened.” 

• THE NEXT CAMPAIGN. “Harris is sounding out friends and party luminaries,” including Rev. Al Sharpton, about what she should do in the run-up to 2028.” (NBC News)

VOTING: A federal judge ruled the Justice Department does not have to return the materials FBI agents seized in a raid on an election center in Fulton County, Georgia. Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts “said the county would pursue all available legal options and called … the DOJ’s efforts to probe the 2020 election a coordinated effort aimed at harassing and intimidating the county.” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• MAYBE LATER. Though most Senate Republicans see the SAVE America Act, which would require photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote, as doomed, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said he would force another vote on the legislation during the second vote-a-rama for Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill, which should take place later this month. (Punchbowl News)

WHITE HOUSE: The FBI raided Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas’ offices and a cannabis retail business she co-owns “as part of an ongoing corruption investigation.” In a statement, “Lucas suggested the investigation was politically motivated and cited her recent push to have Virginia redraw its congressional districts to give Democrats a 10-1 advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.” (Washington Post) 

REPUBLICANS: The RNC “sent 34 staffers to 17 states last week to run canvassing operations targeting voters who don’t frequently turn out for elections.” Its initial spend is “seven figures,” per a spokesperson, and it will target battleground states such as Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, along with Alaska and Maine. The party plans to send more staffers later this month. (NOTUS)

PA GOV: Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) is sitting on a $37 million war chest after he raised $3.6 million from March 31 to May 5 in his pre- primary report, according to a senior aide. His presumptive opponent, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R), has not released her pre-primary numbers. (CBS News)

CO GOV: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D) has contributed $2.5 million to a super PAC backing Sen. Michael Bennet’s (D) candidacy for governor, “which is more than any Republican has raised in the race.” Bloomberg donated $1.25 million in the latest reporting period, building on an additional $1.25 he contributed last year. The super PAC has $4.6 million in the bank after spending $1.2 million on ads. (CPR)

GA GOV: Trump hosted a tele-rally with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R), his pick for governor, last night as Jones struggles against healthcare executive Rick Jackson (R). Trump said: “There’s a lot of confusion. Everyone’s saying I endorsed them. I didn’t. I endorsed a man named Burt Jones.” Jackson has touted himself as a pro-Trump Republican. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

REDISTRICTING ROUNDUP: Tennessee Republicans released and voted in committee on a proposed congressional map that aims to give the GOP a 9-0 advantage in the state delegation. Democrats currently hold one seat in the state, anchored in the Memphis and Shelby County area. The new map splits Shelby County into three seats, linking the southwestern county with Williamson County in Middle Tennessee. (Tennessean)

• SMASHVILLE. The new map also further divides Nashville and its surrounding counties into five districts. (WPLN)

• THE ONLY TEN I SEE. Take a look at the map here.

• MISSISSIPPI. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) suggested he may pursue congressional redistricting at the earliest possible time to eliminate the sole Democratic seat in the state. Reeves recently called a special session in wake of the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act decision to reconsider the state’s Supreme Court districts, but he said no “final decisions have been made on congressional redistricting” and that he has the authority to expand the scope of the special session. He said Republicans are considering whether that would apply for 2026 or 2028. The Magnolia State held its primary in March, making any midterm congressional redistricting likely a difficult lift in court. (Daily Caller)

• INDIANA. The ouster of half a dozen state senators who opposed redistricting could open up the door for the chamber to reconsider drawing new, gerrymandered maps that favor Republicans in upcoming years. Though Gov. Mike Braun (R) said it was “too late” for any action this year, “Republican senators on both sides of the redistricting debate said they expect it will return for the 2027 session.” (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

LAW AND ORDER DJT: Trump’s lawyer asked the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stay its decision supporting writer E. Jean Carroll’s $83 million defamation award so the president won’t need to pay it as he appeals to the Supreme Court. In his filing, Trump’s lawyer “told the appeals court that Carroll’s lawyer does not oppose the request for a stay as long as Trump increases the bond posted after the verdict by $7.4 million to cover any post-judgment interest that would accrue during a possible Supreme Court review.” (AP)

Paging the Hotline

Care to share your feedback on the newsletter? Have a tip? Just want to say hello? Drop us an email here.

Hotline editor Kirk A. Bado and National Journal editor-in-chief Jeff Dufour decode emerging digital trends in politics.

Hair of the Dog

"Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash" (The Atlantic)

Our Call

Tennessee Republicans are worried about Rep. Andy Ogles (R-05). The embattled legislator has been caught in several scandals, including lying about his background, campaign finance issues, and the disappearance of money raised for a memorial. The new map seems to address those issues by unnaturally linking his home base of Maury County in Middle Tennessee with plenty of reliably red terrain before joining with Shelby County, home to Memphis, on the other side of the state. The proposal also removes the more liberal Davidson County from the seat, stunting DCCC-backed Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder's (D) chances to unseat Ogles. While the focus of the map was to undo the Democratic seat in Memphis, it does not feel accidental that Tennessee Republicans would look to shore up a weak incumbent against a strong challenger. — James A. Downs  

Fresh Brewed Buzz

“A Hacker Stole Thousands From Cory Booker's Senate Campaign” (NOTUS)

“A federal judge unsealed a purported Jeffrey Epstein suicide note on Wednesday. … Online influencers pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein's death after it was ruled a suicide, but the Justice Department and FBI—now headed by one of those influencers, Kash Patel—concluded last July that he had in fact died by suicide.” (Axios)

“Inside a MAGA influencer’s turn against the right-wing machine” (Washington Post)

Remembering CNN founder Ted Turner: the Mouth of the South who invented modern TV. (CNN)

“What Are ‘Teen Takeovers’ and Why Are Police Struggling to Stop Them?” (New York Times)

“Over the course of an eight-hour deposition, Florida surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky faced the same question again and again: Why did he remove a man’s liver instead of his spleen?” (NBC News)

“Joint Base Andrews Was Leaking Jet Fuel. Maryland Didn’t Know for Months.” (NOTUS)

Trump gave reporters a first look of the UFC fight at the White House this summer. The president “estimated that as many as 100,000 people would attend the fights, with roughly 4,000 seats on the South Lawn itself and the rest of the crowd watching on eight viewing screens set up at The Ellipse.” (Washington Examiner)

Rooster's Crow

The House is in at 9 a.m. for a pro forma session. The Senate is in at 10 a.m. for a pro forma session.

President Trump will greet Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at 11 a.m. At 11:15 a.m., the president will participate in a bilateral meeting, and at 11:45 a.m., he will participate in a bilateral lunch. Trump will participate in a policy meeting at 3 p.m. At 4 p.m., he will sign executive orders. The president will participate in policy meetings at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. 

Swizzle Challenge

Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK AL)’s congressional district borders the Pacific Ocean.

Jay Sulzmann won yesterday’s challenge. Here’s his challenge: What state elected a governor who died before taking office, leading to the “three governors controversy” where three people claimed to be the rightful officeholder?

The 3rd correct email gets to submit the next question.

Shot...

“If she’s the lead horse, it will be easy to cut her legs. She comes with baggage.” — A prominent donor to former Vice President Kamala Harris discussing her potential 2028 run (NBC News)

...Chaser

“Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left!” — King Arthur

“Yes I have.” — Black Knight

“Look!” — Arthur

“It's just a flesh wound.” — Black Knight (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

Kirk A. Bado, Hotline Editor

Associate Editor: Hannah Thacker

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