
Daily Kickoff: Maryland matchups + Nikki Haley teases ‘24 run at CUFI
👋 Good Tuesday morning!
The Aspen Security Forum kicks off this evening in Colorado. We’ll be at the forum throughout the week — email us to let us know if you’re there, too.
It’s primary day in Maryland. Voters in the Old Line State and beyond are eyeing at least two congressional races that have attracted lots of attention — and in one case, lots of outside spending.
Former Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) and former state prosecutor Glenn Ivey are facing off in Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, which Edwards previously represented before a failed Senate bid.
Read our interview with Edwards.
Read our interview with Ivey.The race has become the site of the largest spending yet by AIPAC’s United Democracy Project super PAC, which has spent $5.9 million attacking Edwards and boosting Ivey, supplemented by an additional $426,000 from Democratic Majority for Israel supporting Ivey. J Street has spent $728,000 supporting Edwards and opposing Ivey.
A recent poll from a pro-Edwards groupshowed Ivey leading Edwards by five percentage points.
In the state’s 6th Congressional District, former Washington Free Beacon reporter Matthew Foldi is hoping for a Republican primary win that will set him up to take on Rep. David Trone (D-MD) in November.
But congressional races aren’t the only ones we’re watching. Maryland is the latest site of a battle for the heart of the Republican Party. Kelly Schulz, a former commerce secretary under her mentor, outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan, is battling against state Del. Dan Cox, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump.
In Maryland’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, former Robin Hood Foundation CEO Wes Moore and former DNC chair Tom Perez are locked in a tight race, with state Comptroller Peter Franchot closing in.
But be prepared to wait. Maryland election officials only start counting mail-in ballots on Thursday. This means that many of the close races aren’t likely to be decided for days.
eye on 2024
Nikki Haley teases White House run in speech to pro-Israel group

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley
Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley teased a potential run for the White House in 2024 in a speech on Monday at a gathering hosted by Christians United for Israel just outside of Washington, D.C., Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Trial balloon: Speaking about the possibility of a new Iran deal at the group’s annual summit, Haley, the Republican former governor of South Carolina, said, with a grin and a wink, “If this president signs any sort of deal, I’ll make you a promise, the next president will shred it on her first day in office” (formatting from a pre-delivery copy of Haley’s speech obtained by JI).
Strong response: Haley’s comments were met with loud cheers and a standing ovation from an audience of more than 1,000. “Just saying, sometimes it takes a woman,” she quipped following the applause, deviating from the prepared remarks.
Tough talk: Haley opined that she did not think President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East last week “went well” and accused the president of being insufficiently willing to use force against Iran to prevent the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Biden said during his trip to the Middle East last week that military force would be a “last resort.” In lieu of a deal, Haley said, “If it ever looks like Iran is close to getting a nuclear weapon, we must act, swiftly and decisively,” and, “At a minimum, we should give Israel everything it needs to defend itself and destroy Iran’s nuclear program.”