Daily Kickoff
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we interview Long Island congressional candidate John Avlon, and report on Queen Rania of Jordan’s downplaying of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks during a speech this week in Qatar. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Tom Suozzi, Richard Lewis and Jeff Zients.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced on Tuesday that he’ll step down from his leadership role at the end of the year, ushering in a generational change in Senate Republican leadership after his 17-year tenure as the top GOP Senate leader. McConnell, 82, has long been a strong ally of the Jewish and pro-Israel community.
McConnell’s announcement, which comes amid growing odds Republicans will retake the Senate in November, follows increasing debate in the Republican Conference over the Kentucky senator’s leadership style and priorities, his support for Ukraine, his nonexistent relationship with former President Donald Trump and growing health concerns.
In a speech on the Senate floor, McConnell mentioned his pride in pushing the emergency foreign aid package through the Senate last month, and alluded to the growing isolationism within his party, a trend he’s sought to combat.
“I’m un-conflicted about the good within our country, and the irreplaceable role we play as the leader of the free world… Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time,” McConnell said. “I believe more strongly than ever that America’s global leadership is essential to preserving the shining city on the hill that Ronald Reagan discussed. For as long as I am drawing breath on this earth I will defend American exceptionalism.”
McConnell’s resignation puts him in a position to sidestep some potential conflict with Trump, whom McConnell has thus far not endorsed, and is a further reflection of Trump’s dominance over the GOP. McConnell’s release of his grip on the Senate GOP could also give more space for the growing isolationist wing of the party to exercise its influence in the Senate.
The three most likely contenders to succeed McConnell are Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), former Senate GOP Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the Republican Conference chairman. All hail from the traditional wing of the Republican Party, though Barrasso has more support among Senate GOP hardliners.
But with Trump as the expected GOP presidential nominee, it’s very possible an outsider with stronger MAGA credentials could emerge as an alternative. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) ran unsuccessfully against McConnell in 2023, and could reemerge as a candidate. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), who is currently leading Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, has been floated as another possibility, and one senator said as many as 10 candidates could ultimately make a bid for the top job.
And in Israel, in what could potentially be the first seriousthreat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyuahu’s government, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called for an end to draft exemptions for the country’s Haredi population, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
After the army proposed lengthening mandatory IDF service and reserve duty, sparking an uproar over the negligible number of Haredim who serve in the army, Gallant said the Defense Ministry would only support legislation on the matter if there is a consensus within the coalition – something that is highly unlikely to happen. Gallant has the support of a number of Likud lawmakers and war cabinet member Benny Gantz and his party. While some of Netanyahu’s far-right and Haredi partners have talked about the need for more young Haredi men to enlist, they generally oppose broad, coercive measures, and some are against any change to the status quo.
If the Knesset does not approve a plan to gradually conscript Haredim in the coming months, the IDF may have to send call-up letters to all Haredi 18-year-olds, in keeping with a Supreme Court ruling – something that Haredi parties are unlikely to tolerate, and could trigger their exit from the coalition.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir faced a blow yesterday when the country’s war cabinet voted to wrest from him decision-making powers over authority on the Temple Mount during Ramadan next month, after he sought to severely curb the number of Muslim worshippers permitted to visit the holy site.
career change
John Avlon pivots from punditry to politics

John Avlon, a former longtime editor and CNN commentator, has recently found himself in an unfamiliar role as he sits for interviews to discuss his new campaign to flip a Republican-held swing seat on Long Island. The moderate Democrat, who jumped into the primary in New York’s 1st Congressional District last week, has long been involved in politics, albeit mostly behind the scenes. Early in his career, he served as a speechwriter for then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and more recently helped to launch the centrist group No Labels, with which he is no longer affiliated. But even as Avlon acknowledges that there is “a natural tension between journalism and politics,” the first-time candidate told Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel in an interview this week that he has “always believed they should be complementary,” citing Teddy Roosevelt’s work as a columnist for The Outlook magazine after he served as president.
LaLota challenge: In his quest to unseat Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY), a vulnerable freshman Republican in Suffolk County whose district covers a large swath of eastern Long Island, Avlon claims the incumbent is “too far” and “too right,” while accusing him of embracing former President Donald Trump and rejecting bipartisan legislation “because he’s not interested in solving problems. The core of my message is that we need to build the broadest possible coalition to defeat Donald Trump, defend our democracy and win back the House from his MAGA minions,” said Avlon, who has long been an outspoken critic of Trump.
Finding the fix: Avlon, a self-described policy “wonk,” was eager to delve into what he described as “common-sense” Democratic proposals, such as restoring state and local tax deductions, expanding child tax credits and mitigating climate change, among other things. “My rule when I was a columnist,” said Avlon, who helped revive The Daily Beast before joining CNN in 2018 as an anchor and political analyst, “was I didn’t want to criticize unless I had a solution.”
‘No room for neutrality’: In conversations with voters, Avlon said he has learned that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza is a “top area of concern,” an issue he approaches with characteristic pragmatism. “We need to focus on the underlying principles so that we can depolarize this issue while being true to our values and any sense of perspective,” he said. “I’m strongly pro-Israel for a lot of reasons having to do with democracy, the fact that they’re one of America’s closest allies in the world, and there’s an enormous number of connections between our two countries and particularly our communities here in New York and on eastern Long Island,” Avlon said. But having lived through Sept. 11 “up close,” he clarified, “when you see a community and a country as viciously attacked by such a horrific and barbaric act of terrorism as Oct. 7 was, there’s no room for neutrality.”