CBS News
DNC chair says remaining candidates for GOP nomination are “ultra MAGA”
On the day of the first Republican nominating contest, a Democratic National Committee memo is painting the remaining Republican field as a group of politicians driven so far to the right by former President Donald Trump that none of them can win a general election.
“The competition for the MAGA base has resulted in the most extreme, far right GOP field in history,” DNC chair Jamie Harrison said in a memo shared first with CBS News.
The memo offers a glimpse into the thinking of President Biden’s allies as the GOP enters a critical stage of the 2024 election — and following a CBS News poll released Sunday that showed a higher percentage of likely voters nationwide in a general election choosing any of the three of the likely GOP nominees for president over Mr. Biden. In the poll, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley led by eight points, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by three and Trump by two over Biden.
Harrison argued, however, that while Trump has “reached new lows this cycle,” Haley and DeSantis have been “jockeying to outdo Trump with his own base.” He pointed specifically to anti-abortion laws that both candidates signed as governors of their respective states and both candidates’ record of opposing the Affordable Care Act.
Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Incumbent candidates, such as Mr. Biden, typically have a built-in advantage. Among the reasons for that is the fact that over the course of a primary race, the winning candidate of the opposing party is often pulled further into the extremes of their respective party. Then, once that candidate has won the nomination, they need to convince members of the opposing party to vote for them in a general election.
“With each debate, town hall, and media appearance, the Republican contenders have doubled down on an agenda that is deeply out of touch with the American people,” he wrote.
For his part, Trump has worked to ensure he maintains the loyalty of his base in spite of the promises made by his opponents.
“[DeSantis] and Nikki Haley will never secure a border and they’ll never come close to it. It’s only words,” Trump said at a rally Sunday in Indianola, Iowa.
The impact of a more conservative GOP nominee will also affect down-ballot races, according to Harrison’s calculation.
“Republicans’ race for the MAGA base has left them saddled with unpopular policy positions that will weigh them down in a general election, and be a liability for down-ballot Republican candidates,” he wrote.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.