The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, Carolyn Fiddler, and Matt Booker, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.
Leading Off
●NY-04: Rep. Kathleen Rice was part of the disorganized attempt to prevent Nancy Pelosi from taking back the speaker's gavel, which proved spectacularly unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the New York Democrat cast a protest vote on Thursday for 2018 Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams (who very much was not running for speaker) instead of Pelosi. Now, thanks to her misguided activism, Rice's anti-Pelosi efforts may just earn her a foe in next year's primary.
Campaign ActionOn Tuesday, prior to the vote for speaker, the Washington Post's David Weigel wrote that Nassau County Legislator Siela Bynoe was considering just such a challenge. A group called the Young Progressives of Nassau County also set up a campaign on CrowdPAC to raise money for Bynoe if she were to get in. Bynoe didn't say anything about her interest until Thursday, when she told Newsday that she hadn't spoken to the Young Progressives about their draft campaign, informing the paper she was "learning like you are." However, she didn't rule out the possibility of a congressional bid, saying, "Right now I'm focused on serving the constituents of Legislative District 2."
As is the case with just about any incumbent, it won't be easy for anyone to primary Rice, who served as Nassau County district attorney before she was elected to the House in 2014. That said, the new election cycle has just dawned, and things could always get interesting if Rice picks up an opponent who can bring in a credible amount of money—and harness progressive anger.
New York's 4th District, which is entirely located in Nassau County and includes most of the town of Hempstead (which, if it were incorporated as a city, would be the second-largest in the state), backed Clinton 53-44, so even if Rice were to falter, Team Blue should keep it without too much trouble.