Democrats try going low

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Ever since President Donald Trump came on to the political scene, hes been known for his brash remarks and abrasive speech patterns.

The Democratic response, as put by former first lady Michelle Obama, has mostly been: When they go low, we go high.

Not anymore, it seems.

As Democrats grapple with Republican power in Washington and an increasingly unenthusiastic base begging lawmakers to do more to thwart Trumps agenda they are starting to pick up on the tactics that shot Trump to the presidency in the first place.

Be unapologetic.

Be blunt.

And go big.

California Gov.

Gavin Newsom is the most obvious example of how this strategy is playing out right now.

In case you hadnt noticed, the governors X account has turned into novels of CAPITAL LETTERS and rambling speeches.

Hes poking fun at Republican lawmakers especially his muse, Trump.

My colleague Gitanjali Poonia had an interesting breakdown on Newsoms posts.

Read more on that here.

Conservatives are not fans.

They call Newsoms new play cringy and embarrassing.

But thats the point, the California governor argues.

And he wants more Democrats to pick up similar plays.

If nothing else, weve called out the absurdity of the normalization of Donald Trump, Newsom said on a press call on Wednesday.

When Fox is sitting there oh so concerned about these tweets and all caps, theyve missed the entire point.

Also on that call was Texas state Rep.

Nicole Collier who, if you havent seen, camped out in the Texas state Legislature this week as she refused to be given a police escort.

Collier was one of the state Democrats who fled Texas earlier this month to stop Republicans from passing their congressional maps, so in response, GOP leaders forced those lawmakers to have police escorts to ensure they return to the Legislature each day.

Collier, in refusing, was confined to the state House.

She joined the press call from the bathroom and was subsequently removed just a half-hour later, telling us on the call that she was being threatened with a felony.

Apparently, I cant be on the floor or in the bathroom, Collier said.

Collier is being praised by Democratic leaders for how shes defying Republican leadership, making her another example of how Democrats want to hit back at the majority party.

The strategy, in my opinion, was best put by Sen.

Cory Booker, D-N.J., who became an early example of a Democrat standing up to Republicans when he spoke for more than 25 hours on the Senate floor earlier this year.

This is what he told us: I learned very early when I was playing grade school basketball.

I still remember we were down by 20 (points) in a game, and in the locker room, I was angry and complained to my coach that the referees werent calling fouls and that he had to do something about that.

And my coach yelled back at me and said, If theyre not calling fouls, you need to get out there and start fouling.

Booker added that Democrats still believe in a just and fair game.

But he noted that the party needed to be more comfortable to fight fire with fire and to stoop low where the competition is.

Will it work? Time will tell.

Republicans will argue that its not just Trumps personality that attracts voters.

They also like his policies on the economy and immigration areas that Democrats have struggled to message on.

But it could be a starting point for Democrats to prove to their base they are fighting back and make sure they dont suffer from low turnout in next years midterm elections.

After all, a lot of these races will come down to who can get more people to cast their ballots.

Stories driving the week Redistricting gambles: As California legislators begin the process of reconfiguring its congressional districts and creating a more Democratic-friendly map in next years midterms, the party could be pushing itself into a national redistricting war and one that would likely hold them at a disadvantage.

Epstein saga : The Justice Department will begin the process of providing files related to its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after lawmakers approved a slew of subpoenas earlier this month.

Mike against mail-in: Sen.

Mike Lee, R-Utah, joined Trumps calls to eliminate mail-in voting, posting several times over the weekend to make it easy to vote but hard to cheat.

Best in show: Blake Moore Utah Rep.

Blake Moore was recognized this week by being awarded the Congressional Management Foundations Democracy Award for Constituent Service.

What does that mean? His office was named as the best office for working with those who live in his district because of his timely and consistent communication, their casework protocols, newsletter materials, and other innovative methods to reach out to constituents.

Team Moores primary focus has been and will always be constituent service, Moore said in a statement.

We put a strong emphasis on getting out into communities, engaging with Utahns, helping with questions and casework, being a consistent resource, and providing seamless services and experiences.

The award is one of six categories honoring lawmakers each year, and each category recognizes a Republican and Democrat.

The category won by Moore is awarded to offices that demonstrate outstanding attention to detail, empathy, and persistence in solving constituent problems, according to the CMF website.

Moore, along with other winners, will get to celebrate with a nominees reception, a winners lunch and a formal ceremony next month.

Quick hits From the Hill : Rep.

Mike Kennedy says deportations are necessary consequence of Biden border policy.

...

In Africa, Sen.

Curtis saw firsthand why China is winning.

...

Lawmakers investigating Meta after reports that it allows AI chatbots to flirt with children.

From the White House: D.C.

residents overwhelmingly oppose Trumps police takeover.

...

Will Trump get to heaven? The president thought about it aloud .

...

Department of Education bans federal funds from supporting political activism on college campuses.

From the courts: Utah lawmakers want governor to appoint state Supreme Courts chief justice.

...

Appeals court throws out Trumps $454 million civil fraud judgment (ABC News) Whats next House and Senate will remain out next week.

But we could start to see some information from the Epstein files more on that here .

As always, feel free to reach out to me by email with story ideas or questions you have for lawmakers.

And follow me on X for breaking news and timely developments from the Hill..

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