Rod Blum

Republican candidates will likely not be hindered by the tariff tit for tat between Donald Trump and China that some warn could start a global trade war as long as the U.S. economy remains strong, the president’s new chief economic adviser said Wednesday.

Lawrence Kudlow, a former Reagan aide who started last week, also suggested Trump’s proposed steel and aluminum tariffs could be little more than a move to get China to the negotiating table over its trade practices. And he suggested a U.S. trade deal with Canada and Mexico could be near.

This week … general election matchups were set in Illinois, Mississippi got a new senator and California primary fields took shape.

Fourteen vulnerable lawmakers were worth at least $1 million at the start of this Congress. These include House incumbents and senators whose November re-election races are rated either Toss-up, Tilts or Leans by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.

Personal money isn’t always advantageous in a tough campaign, but it can be helpful. Just one of these members has donated or loaned money to their campaign so far this cycle.

Less than eight months before Election Day, the midterm landscape is still taking shape. It’s still not clear whether Democrats will have a good night (and potentially fall short of a majority) or a historic night in the House that puts them well over the top. But mounting evidence nationally and at the district level points to a Democratic advantage in a growing number of seats.

Democratic prospects improved in a handful of seats in Pennsylvania, thanks to a new, court-ordered map. And the party’s successes in state and local elections over the last 14 months demonstrate a surge in Democratic voters, particularly in blue areas, that could be problematic for Republican candidates in the fall. GOP incumbents in districts Hillary Clinton carried in 2016 might be particularly susceptible to increased Democratic enthusiasm.

Iowa Rep. Rod Blum failed to disclose his ownership role in a new internet company of which he is one of two directors, according to a report.

Blum was listed as a director of the Tin Moon Corp when it was incorporated in May 2016, The Associated Press reported. One of the services the company offers is helping businesses rebound after Food and Drug Administration safety violations by burying warning letters under positive internet search results.

With Republicans focusing on the economy as their strongest message for the midterms, an issue advocacy group with close ties to House GOP leadership is launching a million-dollar digital ad campaign to tout the Republican tax law. 

American Action Network’s latest digital push, shared first with Roll Call, will run in the districts of 20 Republican lawmakers who voted for the GOP tax plan in December, including members of leadership and others who are more vulnerable this year. 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is naming 11 candidates Wednesday in the first round of its Red to Blue program, which highlights strong Democratic recruits.

The list of 11 candidates, obtained first by Roll Call, includes recruits running in 10 competitive Republican-held seats and in an open seat Democrats are hoping to keep blue.

A year out from Election Day, eight of the top 10 most vulnerable House incumbents are Republicans. These are the members least likely to return to Congress in 2019.

Twenty-three Republicans sit in districts Hillary Clinton won last fall, but only four of them make the top 10. Two Democrats, both in districts President Donald Trump won, take two spots near the bottom. GOP strategists admit that if they can’t pass a tax overhaul, more Republicans will be in trouble because the party risks lower turnout from a disappointed base.

DES MOINES, Iowa — As Democrats try to find a way to win back the White House and control of Congress, party members in Iowa and other rural states are worried about being abandoned by the national party.

Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price was in Las Vegas last week for the Democratic National Committee’s fall meeting and said Democrats cannot take Midwestern states like Iowa for granted.

Rep. Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio, recently visited volunteers who cuddle with infants going through opiate withdrawal in Dayton. 

The volunteer Infant Cuddle Program at Miami Valley Hospital was launched recently and Turner got to thank the cuddlers last week.