Press

With the presidential election less than two weeks away, both VP Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump are making their closing economic pitches. ROKK Partner and Democratic strategist Kristen Hawn spoke about the issue with Bloomberg’s Balance of Power. One of the issues Kristen focused on was the importance of bipartisan support for the next administration.

“For any big policy change, whether it’s minimum wage or the taxes that are going to sunset that we’re going to have to deal with at the end of 2025, whoever’s president of the United States is going to have to work with both chambers, likely both parties to get it done,” said Hawn.

Catch the full episode and additional insights from Kristen Hawn on Balance of Power.

For the first time in decades, the seat for Republican party leader is up for the taking. Republicans John Thune (R-S.D.), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Rick Scott (R-FL) have all put their hats in the ring. The fight between tradition and embracing a new era for the republican party will center this contentious election.

In fact, they said, no matter who is elected as the next leader, they cannot decentralize power and democratize the GOP conference on their own.

Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, former top spokesperson to former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and former chief of staff of the Senate Republican Conference, said that “Senator Tillis is acting as a proxy for McConnell” who isn’t publicly discussing changes to the conference but is passionately arguing against certain reforms in closed-door meetings.

Learn more on this perspective from ROKK Partner Ron Bonjean as he speaks to the game plan of one of McConnell’s allies with FOX News.

Former President Trump’s historically influential endorsement could prove unconvincing in the Republican Senate leader race — if he chooses to offer one at all. 

Senate Republicans, including those who will be newly elected, will gather in Washington, D.C., shortly after the election in mid-November to hold a secret ballot to determine the next GOP leader. 

The next leader will succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history

Trump could choose to weigh in, but he could run the risk agitating Republicans in the Senate “would not appreciate being told who to support from anyone outside the chamber,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, a former top spokesperson to former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and former chief of staff of the Senate Republican Conference. 

Any such endorsement could also prove moot if Trump doesn’t win the presidential election, which will be held roughly a week prior to the leadership vote. 

“We may not know the outcome of the November election for who controls the White House until after the race is over,” Bonjean pointed out. 

Read the full article including ROKK Solutions Partner Ron Bonjean’s analysis with FOX News. 

Former union leader Dan Osborn’s independent run for U.S. Senate in deeply Republican Nebraska has shown unexpected strength and if he pulls off an upset victory could make the Navy veteran a Washington wild card next year. 

A series of recent polls has shown Osborn within striking distance of incumbent Republican Senator Deb Fischer, a surprise in a state where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump leads Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris by 18 percentage points and that last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 2006.

ROKK Senior Vice President John LaBombard shared his thoughts on the matter with Reuters

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rising profile is raising the question of whether he could appear on a debate stage with President Biden and Donald Trump — and what impact that could have on the presidential race.

It’s not yet clear if Kennedy, who has seen scattered polling throughout his candidacy, will even be able to qualify for a televised forum, as the independent candidate has also yet to collect enough signatures for most state ballots.

Kristen Hawn, Democratic Strategist and Partner at ROKK Solutions, spoke with The Hill about why Biden may have the edge over his rivals in the 2024 Presidential race.  

Comms leaders from the private sector joined Axios at a reception event for conversations about how they are navigating AI and engaging in politicized cultural issues in a high-stakes election year.

Why it matters: Corporate communicators are the first to respond to political, economic and cultural crises on behalf of a company, and the stakes of doing so have never been higher in a contentious election year that will be defined by the rise of AI.

Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean was in conversation with Sabastian V. Niles, Salesforce president and chief legal officer, discussing the importance of deliberate engagement on social issues. Read the full conversation here.

On Indivisible’s website, the first words you’ll find—in large font and all caps—are “Defeat MAGA. Save democracy.” The progressive organizing group, formed shortly after Donald Trump’s 2016 win, sees the stakes of this fall’s presidential election as enormous, even existential. Yet when it deploys more than 2,000 volunteers to canvass neighborhoods in Arizona over the next seven months, the presidential race is the last topic it plans to bring up.

“We’re not going to be knocking on doors trying to convince people to vote for Joe Biden,” Indivisible’s co-founder Ezra Levin told me. Instead, its volunteers will be trying to turn out voters for just about every other Democrat on the ballot—including the party’s nominees for U.S. Senate and House seats and its candidates for the Republican-controlled state legislature—as well as a referendum that could restore abortion rights in Arizona.

ROKK Senior Vice President John LaBombard spoke to The Atlantic about whether Democrats’ tactic will work this election season. 

Democrats met with pro-Palestinian protesters have had an array of responses to the interruptions — from yelling back to attempting to connect them to Russia. 

But President Biden, who has faced a host of cease-fire supporters across the country, has been markedly more sympathetic. Even though they wholly disagree with his Israel policy, he often sides with the protesters’ sentiments, urging event security to let them be before being escorted away.

ROKK Senior Vice President John LaBombard spoke with The Hill about how Biden’s reaction to recent protesters seems to be authentically him.

Infighting among Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives, and a threat to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership role, have put him under pressure to further delay action on a long-sought aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and other key allies.

With Kyiv running short of munitions as it fights off a Russian invasion, its Republican allies in Washington hope to see Johnson unveil an aid package that can move swiftly through the House and the Democratic-led Senate, and onto Democratic President Joe Biden’s desk soon after lawmakers reconvene on Tuesday following a two-week break.

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean offered his prediction on when House-Senate passage of Ukraine funding will happen in this piece by Reuters. Read the full article here

President Biden’s campaign is doubling down on courting former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s supporters, targeting a potential weak spot for former President Trump going into the general election.

Haley’s supporters and Trump’s critics have pointed to the 40 percent of the vote she won in the South Carolina primary as evidence of cracks in Trump’s Republican base of support. 

John LaBombard, ROKK SVP and long-time advisor of swing- and red-state Democrats, spoke with The Hill about how Biden can win over Haley’s supporters.