PM Semafor Washington, DC: GOP plays defense | Semafor

The article says Republicans are changing their plans, Democrats face some surprising problems, and new news about jobs, elections, and a university investigation is unfolding.

Think of the upcoming elections like a big school contest:

• Republicans are moving their helpers. A Republican fundraising group stopped spending more money in North Carolina and started spending millions in Kansas instead. They think the Kansas race needs more help.
• Some “safe” Democratic states look less safe. In Oregon and Minnesota, Republican candidates are doing better than expected. It is like a team that usually wins suddenly seeing the other team catch up.
• Vice President JD Vance is practicing for the future. He is giving speeches to help Republican candidates. His speeches show how he might try to lead the Republican Party after President Trump.
• The job report was weaker than expected. The country added only about 29,000 jobs, instead of the 84,000 experts expected. This is like expecting 84 children to join a playground but only 29 showing up. Because the job market looks weaker, the Federal Reserve may wait before changing interest rates.
• A Cornell University case is being investigated. New York’s attorney general will investigate how university police and local officials handled an alleged sexual-assault case. The governor said the response was not good enough and wants the law changed.

Big idea: Political groups are watching the “scoreboard” closely and moving their money and attention to places where elections may be closer than expected.