POCs take center stage, but why isn’t the GOP celebrating?

How race and identity are shaping politics, policy and power.

Dec 05, 2023 View in browser   By Brakkton Booker With help from Ella Creamer, Rishika Dugyala, Jesse Naranjo, Bianca Quilantan and Teresa Wiltz  Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy have their makeup touched up during a break in the Nov. 8 Republican presidential debate in Miami. | POLITICO illustration/Photo by AP What up, Recast family! With the cease-fire long forgotten, Israel expands its ground attack in Gaza. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers hear from presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn on the rise of antisemitism on their campuses. And the Gen Z slang term “rizz” is the Oxford Dictionary’s “word of the year.” First, though, we take a look at the one aspect of the next GOP debate no one is talking about.  What is perhaps the most enduring theme of the Republican presidential primary so far — other than Donald Trump deeming his rivals as too inconsequential to bother debating — is that the televised debates remain a showcase of the GOP’s broadening diversity. Even with the shrinking number of participants for Wednesday evening’s debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, few could have predicted at the outset of the primary season that half of the remaining slate of GOP candidates would be people of color: former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has enjoyed a boomlet in her candidacy in recent weeks, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamay, the author of the bestseller “Woke, Inc.” Both are of Indian descent. Despite their unquestioned and well-documented disdain for one another — underscored by the cringey and extremely personal exchanges from last month’s debate in Miami — each in their own way are exciting the GOP’s mostly white primary voter base enough, according to polling, to qualify for the debate.   Was The Recast forwarded to you by a friend? Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter here. You'll get a weekly breakdown of how race and identity are the DNA of American politics and policy.   “That’s what makes it so interesting, right?” Rina Shah, a veteran Republican strategist said of the makeup of the fourth and final GOP debate of the year. Shah, who is of Indian descent herself, tells The Recast that Ramaswamy and Haley both highlight their second-generation backgrounds on the campaign trail — albeit in very different ways. Ramaswamy “leans into his identity when it's convenient,” Shah says, referring to times when Ramaswamy snatches a line from former President Barack Obama’s 2008 playbook, describing himself as a “skinny guy with a funny last name.” Haley, on the other hand, talks about her identity in a way that’s “naturally and seamlessly woven into why it matters to the ideas she is proposing as [a candidate to be] the next leader for the free world,” Shah says. Haley greets Ramaswamy at a forum Nov. 17 in Des Moines, Iowa. | Charlie Neibergall/AP “She doesn't want her ethnicity or her race to define her as an American. She wants to blend in — she talked about needing to assimilate in South Carolina,” Shah says, referring to Haley’s home state where she broke barriers becoming the first woman and first person of color to serve as governor in 2010. The RNC did not respond to The Recast’s request for comment on this story. As foreign policy has increasingly taken center stage at the GOP debates, Haley and Ramaswamy have engaged in trading some of the most pointed barbs during the primary season so far. Haley called him “scum” at the previous debate, while Ramaswamy attacked her for what he says is a mischaracterization of his stance on Israel, posting to his website: “WRONG. Keep lying, Nimarata Randhawa. The desperation is showing.” Ramaswamy’s use of Haley’s maiden name was seen by many as a way to mock his political rival and draw attention to her otherness. Haley was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa and has used her middle name for her entire political career. So far, the attacks and counter attacks between the two remaining GOP candidates of color appear to be mere footnotes in the larger story of the GOP presidential primary. Ramaswamy saw an early boost in his candidacy following the first debate in Milwaukee this summer, leading some GOP strategists to speculate about his chances of becoming the vice presidential candidate for the eventual Republican nominee. While his standing in national polling has receded a bit, it can’t be ignored that he’s outlasted and outpolled more established politicians — like North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who on Monday joined the likes of Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and former Vice President Mike Pence and suspended his presidential bid.     Still, many veteran GOP operatives, such as Alice Stewart, argue the anti-Trump wing of the GOP is beginning to coalesce around Haley. Case in point: Americans for Prosperity Action, the influential Koch brothers super PAC, threw its support behind Haley. “The Koch brothers have tremendous buyer's remorse with Donald Trump,” Stewart says, “and where they're willing to put their money and their manpower [this cycle] says a lot.” When asked why the GOP isn’t trumpeting the diversity of its spate of presidential candidates, Stewart demurs. Ramaswamy and Haley trade barbs during the Aug. 23 GOP primary debate in Milwaukee. | Morry Gash/AP “Look, I don’t play identity politics,” she says, adding that the best candidate who can topple Trump for the nomination and go on to beat President Joe Biden is the one who’ll get her vote. “To your point, there's no secret that the GOP has been a party of old white men and diversity is a good thing. But at the end of the day, electability is the most important thing.” That electability argument is something that all GOP contenders are grappling with as Trump remains the dominant force in the party in national and early voting state polling — including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who are both white. What is clear is that Haley’s momentum is catching the attention of many Republican leaders, with some whispering that Christie should quit the race. Those whispers come as a recent Emerson College poll shows Haley has more than double the support of both Christie and DeSantis in New Hampshire, with 18 percent of potential primary voters favoring her, compared to Christie and DeSantis, who garnered 9 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Trump, meanwhile, lapped them all, with 49 percent. You know we’ll keep watching to see how this all plays out. All the best, The Recast Team   ANTISEMITISM ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES  Harvard President Claudine Gay, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill and other university officials testify Tuesday before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Capitol Hill. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Tension, scrutiny and a good old-fashioned raking over the coals were all on display Tuesday morning when the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee gaveled in the much-anticipated hearing dubbed “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism.” As POLITICO education reporter Bianca Quilantan explains, Republicans, led by Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), relished having clear targets to go after, which has mushroomed into a top-tier political topic that’s been dividing Democrats in particular. Bianca has more: In the hearing, top university presidents defended their responses to antisemitism on their campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard, acknowledged an “alarming” rise in antisemitism at the university amid the tensions that have roiled campuses across the country since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and Israel’s military response in Gaza. Gay has been under pressure from prominent donors, alumni, members of Congress and one of her predecessors over Harvard’s response to antisemitism and protests against Israel. On Tuesday, she defended her efforts to combat hate on campuses but also acknowledged some shortcomings. “I’ve sought to confront hate while preserving free expression,” Gay said. “This is difficult work, and I know that I have not always gotten it right.” Gay testified alongside the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and MIT at a hearing amid bipartisan concerns that many top higher education leaders haven’t done enough to stop hate on their campuses. Foxx told the presidents that “institutional antisemitism and hate are among the poisoned fruits of your institutions’ cultures.” Foxx and a slew of other Republicans sought to tie rising campus antisemitism to their longstanding complaints that higher education is too progressive and intolerant to conservative views. Read more here.   HOUSTON MAYORAL RUNOFF  U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, both Democrats, will face each other in a runoff this weekend for Houston mayor. | Patrick Semansky, Michael Wyke/AP The closely watched Houston mayoral runoff is just days away and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Texas state Sen. John Whitmire faced off one last time Monday evening before voters head to the polls. Both Jackson Lee and Whitmire cruised past a large field of candidates, though neither of the long-time politicians were able to secure more than 50 percent during last month’s general election. They are both Democrats but competing in a race that is technically nonpartisan to replace the term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner.  Crime in the city, along with H-Town’s deteriorating infrastructure and potential budget shortfalls, have been dominant issues in the race. Turnout for the Dec. 9 runoff is expected to be low.   ICYMI @ POLITICO “I Just Lost All Confidence in This Guy” — That’s the scathing assessment of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). POLITICO’s David Cohen reports that Graham’s comments come on the heels of Austin’s recent remarks about the Israel-Hamas war. Out of Congress, But Banking on Celebrity? — Recently expelled GOP House member George Santos is now available on the app Cameo, where celebs make personalized videos – for a price. POLITICO’s Anthony Adragna has more.   THE RECAST RECOMMENDS “Flores and Miss Paula,” a novel by Melissa Rivero, is centered on a Peruvian immigrant mother in Brooklyn and her millennial daughter as they navigate a complex relationship in the throes of grief. The new Thai series, “Analog Squad,” throws it back to 1999 and follows the ups and downs of a pretend family. In “American Symphony,” now streaming on Netflix, multiple Grammy Award-winning musician Jon Batiste struggles to compose an epic symphony while his writer wife, Suleika Jaouad, battles leukemia for a second time. And if you’re in the mood for another documentary, don’t miss “Invisible Beauty,” which explores the life of model/activist/fashion icon Bethann Hardison. WILLOW moves away from rock in her softer, soulful new track, “alone,” with a black-and-white, contemplative music video. Go behind the scenes of Beyoncé’s world tour with the “Renaissance” movie, in theaters now. Drake pays homage to Albanian Independence Day in the music video for “Polar Opposites,” which also sees the rapper playing poker and pool while lamenting lost love. TikTok of the Week: Interesting outfit choice   Follow us on Twitter Brakkton Booker @brakktonbooker Rishika Dugyala @rishikadugyala Teresa Wiltz @teresawiltz Jesse Naranjo @jesselnaranjo   Follow us

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