Daily Kickoff
👋 Good Wednesday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at Rep. Dean Phillips’ bid for chair of the HFAC Mideast subcommittee, and talk to Floridians who noshed with former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan yesterday during a fundraising trip to the Sunshine State. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Seth Magaziner, Barbra Streisand and Mat Ishbia.
President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address last night to a rowdy joint session of Congress in a speech that was punctuated by frequent shouted interjections and jeers from Republicans and enthusiastic support from Democrats.
Biden’s speech touched little on foreign policy, focusing primarily on domestic policy and the economy in particular. In a brief mention, Biden said that “we must give hate and extremism in any form no safe harbor.” The president also said that “we must finally hold social media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit.”
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) appeared to be angling for a handshake with the president as he entered the chamber — securing a plum spot near the center aisle of the chamber — but was boxed out by a fellow Republican and did not attempt to reach in for handshake. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) secured a middle seat in the back row of the chamber, making him one of the first lawmakers to greet Biden as he entered.
Freshman New York Republican Reps. Marc Molinaro and Nick LaLota were among the handful of lawmakers who stuck around to chat with Biden after the speech. They sat in a row with other freshmen New York Republicans during the speech. That group was among the most frequent to offer Biden polite applause from the Republican side during the 72-minute speech (beating Biden’s previous SOTU speech, which clocked in at just over an hour, by about 11 minutes).
Santos also had a tense confrontation with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who told reporters after the speech that Santos is “a sick puppy” and an “embarrassment,” and that he “certainly shouldn’t be in the aisle trying to shake the hand of the president of the United States and dignitaries coming in.” Romney added that he hopes Santos will be expelled and that he was disappointed that House Republican leadership hasn’t pushed Santos to resign.
Fresh off last night’s SOTU, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) — who could be seen at times shushing GOP colleagues and shaking his head in response to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) jeers during last night’s address — will be the man of the hour tonight at a dinner fundraiser in Washington hosted by lobbyist Jeff Miller.
warming up
Larry Hogan stops by a Jewish deli in Florida

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan met with Jewish community leaders at a Miami-area deli on Tuesday during a swing through Florida to raise money ahead of a possible 2024 presidential run, reports Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch. Earlier in the day Hogan had breakfast with former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT).
Aventura adventure: “Our allies, including Israel, need a strong and united America leading the world,” Hogan, a Republican, tweeted after the event, which took place at Mo’s Bagels & Deli in heavily Jewish Aventura, just north of Miami. Attendees at the event included Aventura Mayor Howard Weinberg and other local officials and Jewish leaders. Weinberg, a Democrat, told JI that Hogan “comes off as genuine and thoughtful” but said he “doubt[s] Governor Hogan would do well in a Republican primary.”
Pro-Israel promotion: “He talked about his strong support for Israel and standing [against] the BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] movement,” David Weinman, executive director of An America United, an advocacy organization affiliated with Hogan, told JI. Hogan addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition’s November conference in Las Vegas.
2024 vibes: Hogan said last week that he was giving “very serious consideration” to running for president in 2024. The two-term Maryland governor, whose term ended in January, is a prominent critic of former President Donald Trump, and the moderate Republican maintained high approval ratings in the heavily Democratic state.
On the menu: At Mo’s, Hogan ordered “a delicious corned beef sandwich,” according to Weinman.