K STREET’S ELECTION FORECAST: 2024 is already shaping up to be an election cycle for the ages, but a new forecast from Husch Blackwell Strategies chief executive Andy Blunt asks whether, for all the tumult of the last few months, the race for control of Washington has “fundamentally changed.” — Andy Blunt, the son of former Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), concedes that it’s almost certainly too early to tell how the change atop the Democratic ticket and the assassination attempt against Trump will bear out in November. But “this cycle is the Senate Republicans’ to lose,” while Trump — for now — has maintained a slight polling edge over Democrats. The electoral map looks certain to guarantee razor-thin majorities in Congress, even if control of both chambers flips, he argues. — “The House outlook has changed the most in recent weeks,” Blunt writes. “Earlier, it appeared Democrats had the inside track to reclaiming the majority they lost in 2022, but the second round of redistricting did not result in the type of projected gains that most observers believed would occur.” ICYMI — A NEW GIG FOR DUNN: “Anita Dunn, a top adviser to President Biden and architect of his 2020 campaign, will leave the White House next week to advise the largest super PAC supporting Vice President Harris,” The Washington Post’s Michael Scherer reports. — “The decision, which has long been discussed as a possibility inside Biden’s inner circle, marks the first major exit from Biden’s core team since he decided to step aside from the presidential campaign and endorse Harris … Dunn will be a senior adviser to the independent group Future Forward, which has committed at least $300 million to support Harris, and an adviser to its partner organization Future Forward USA Action.” — “Dunn will work on super PAC efforts that can coordinate with the Harris campaign, meaning she will not be able to consult on independent ad placement or message strategy, say people familiar with the arrangement.” — Scherer reports that Dunn doesn’t plan on rejoining SKDK, the powerhouse Democratic political and consulting firm she helped start, or any other consulting firm for that matter. Meanwhile, our Eli Stokols reports that Jordan Finkelstein, one of Dunn’s top aides and a senior member of the White House comms shop, will follow Dunn to serve as an adviser at Future Forward. CLEAN UP ON AISLE FTC: “Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, who recently pledged $10 million to elect Kamala Harris, insisted in an awkward interview Tuesday that he is not buying influence with the vice president after he urged her to fire a top federal official investigating some of his business ventures,” the Washington Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross writes. — The LinkedIn co-founder and venture capitalist “last week called on Harris to fire Federal Trade Commission chairwoman Lina Khan, whom the billionaire accused of ‘waging war on American business’ through aggressive anti-merger actions. ‘And so I would hope that Vice President Harris would replace her,’ said Hoffman.” — Hoffman was asked about the outcry sparked by his comment by CNN's Jake Tapper on Tuesday. Tapper “asked Hoffman whether his comments are an example of ‘rich people getting to buy levels of influence.’ But Hoffman insisted that isn't the case and claimed he is able to ‘separate my role as a donor and expert.’” — “‘I totally agree with not buying levels of influence,’ said Hoffman, who organized a call for Harris with a group of major donors days before she launched her presidential campaign. ‘I've never had a conversation with Kamala Harris about this.’ Tapper appeared unconvinced by Hoffman's argument.”
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