Democrats step up pressure on Menendez following conviction: From Politico Desk

Welcome to the online edition From the Political Deskis an evening newsletter bringing you the latest coverage and analysis from the election campaign, the White House and Congress from the NBC News political team.

In today’s edition, Senior National Political Reporter Sahil Kapoor looks at what’s next for convicted Senator Bob Menendez, Deputy Political Editor Adam Wollner reviews the second day of the Republican National Convention, and National Political Reporter Steve Kornacki breaks down the historic age gap between Donald Trump and his new running mate.

Show notes: After the Republican National Convention this week, tune in for a special edition of our nightly “From the Politics Desk” newsletter, bringing you the latest news and analysis from our team in Milwaukee.

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Senate Democrats urge Menendez to resign or face expulsion after conviction

Sahil Kapoor, Kate Santaris, Frank Thorpe V

Democrats are stepping up pressure on Sen. Bob Menendez (DNJ), with more senators calling for him to resign and some threatening to expel him after he was convicted Tuesday of 16 federal charges, including bribery and acting as a foreign agent.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.J., a previous harsh critic of Menendez, joined calls for the New Jersey Democrat to resign shortly after the verdict.

“In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must do the right thing for his constituents, the Senate and our country and resign,” Schumer said in a brief statement.

But other Democrats went beyond simply calling for his resignation, saying they would support expulsion if he refused to resign immediately. Senate rules do not require a senator to resign over a felony conviction.

“As I said when he was indicted, public office is a sacred trust and Senator Menendez has betrayed that trust,” Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania said on X. “Now that a jury of his peers has returned a guilty verdict on all 16 charges, including acting as a foreign agent, Senator Menendez should either resign or be removed from the Senate.”

Following his indictment, Menendez resigned as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as the trial progressed but continued to serve on the committee and vote on the floor — a position that could quickly become untenable following his conviction in a bribery scheme that included acts benefiting the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

The Senate Ethics Committee is already investigating Menendez and said Tuesday it would complete its investigation “expeditiously.” If Menendez refuses to resign, the committee could recommend that the Senate expel him. Expelling a lawmaker requires a two-thirds majority of senators, or 67 votes.

Since 1789, the Senate has expelled only 15 senators, 14 of whom were expelled from the Senate for their role in the Confederacy. The last expulsion came in 1862, when a group of senators were expelled for supporting the Confederate Rebellion.

Menendez’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29, just before Election Day, when voters will decide who will fill the seat for the next six years. Menendez, who is running for reelection as an independent, has said he intends to appeal the ruling but has not said whether that will affect his reelection plans or whether he plans to resign from the Senate.

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What to see on the second night of the Republican National Convention

Adam Wallner

The theme of the second day of the Republican convention will be “Make America Safe Again,” with speakers expected to focus on immigration, border security and crime.

Tonight’s schedule features many prominent Republicans, from former President Donald Trump’s former primary opponents and vice presidential nominees to major lesser candidates.

Trump’s former rivals: In an attempt to show unity, three of Trump’s opponents in the 2024 presidential primary – former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswami – are scheduled to address delegates at the convention. Haley and DeSantis have had rocky relationships with Trump, while Ramaswami fully endorsed the former president after dropping out.

NBC News’ Ali Vitali reports that Haley’s speech will be aimed at people who are unsure about whether to vote for Trump.

Vice Presidential candidates: After selecting Vance as his running mate, President Trump has also turned the spotlight this week on other candidates who have been under consideration or floated as possible running mates in recent months. Tonight, those Republican candidates include Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik.

House Leadership: Stefanik, who is the chair of the House Republican Conference, is among several party leaders speaking on the House floor this evening, including Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (who, like Trump, survived the 2017 shooting) and Majority Whip Tom Emmer. In addition to the presidential race, Republicans will be looking to focus on the race for control of the House, where they hold a slim majority.

Senate Candidates: Speaking of lower-level races, Republicans will also be putting the spotlight on their Senate candidates this evening, as they seek to win control of the Senate this fall. Candidates vying for Democrat-held seats in Trump-backed states include Jim Justice in Virginia, Tim Sheehy in Montana and Bernie Moreno in Ohio. In key battleground states, candidates include Kali Lake in Arizona, Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, Mike Rogers in Michigan, Sam Brown in Nevada and Eric Hovde in Wisconsin.

NBC News’ Bridget Bowman reports that McCormick changed his planned remarks to address the assassination attempt on President Trump on Saturday. McCormick was sitting in the front row at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and took cover when the gunman opened fire.

Two incumbent senators seeking reelection will also be speaking: Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas; Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana, who is running for an open seat in a heavily Republican state; and Sen. Hung Kao, who is expected to face a tough fight in Democratic-leaning Virginia, where recent polls suggest the race may be tougher than expected.

What the historic age gap between Trump and Vance means

Steve Kornacki

A 39-year-old nominated as a major party’s national candidate in any election is noteworthy, but Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance’s age is even more significant because of how different he is from the other candidates and what it means for the election.

Not only is Vance the fifth-youngest vice presidential nominee from either party, he is nearly 40 years younger than the new nominee, Donald Trump. The age gap between Trump and Vance is the largest in history so far between a presidential candidate and a running mate.

View this graphic on nbcnews.com

For comparison, Vance is less than half the age of 81-year-old President Joe Biden and 20 years younger than Vice President Kamala Harris, the largest age gap ever between major party vice presidential candidates.

View this graphic on nbcnews.com

In terms of numbers, Vance’s age stands out in a way we’ve rarely seen before, especially in a campaign in which the passage of time has played an outsized role.

Concerns about Biden’s acuity were already taking hold before his disastrous performance in the June 27 debate. A CBS News/YouGov poll in February asked voters whether they thought Biden would serve out a second term if reelected, and 44% said they didn’t. And a new NBC News poll conducted after the debate found that 65% of voters considered Biden’s mental and physical health a “big” concern. For Trump, the figure was 35%, which is obviously much lower than Biden’s but still historically high.

In theory, there’s an opportunity for Republicans. Broadly speaking, there’s a widespread desire to move away from older political leaders. A CBS News/YouGov poll in June found that more than half of voters (53%) said the country would be better off if more young people ran for office. Among those under 30, that figure rose to 67%.

And it’s among these younger voters that Trump is already making visible gains: In our latest poll, Trump trails Biden by just 4 points head-to-head with voters under 30; in 2020 exit polls, Biden led by 24 points among that same demographic.

The alluring possibility for Republicans is that Mr. Vance’s arrival could solidify those gains and help their candidate move forward. Of course, as the saying goes, age is just a number, and it remains to be seen whether Mr. Vance actually comes across as new and youthful to voters.

That’s all from the Politics Desk. If you have any comments, please email us here. politicsnewsletters@nbcuni.com

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