Press

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.

Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, is readying for her national close-up. How else to interpret her recent controversial trip to Texas to “fix” her smile, documented in a lengthy video?

You know, the one she posted on X, Facebook and Instagram, singing the praises of Smile Texas, the cosmetic dental clinic that remedied what she said had been a problem incurred long ago in an accident while bicycling with her children. The one that chronicled her journey to, she said, “a smile that I can be proud of and confident in.”

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean spoke to The New York Times about what being in Trump’s circle has meant for Kristi Noem.

House Speaker Mike Johnson begins the two-week spring recess with a threat against his leadership. With the GOP’s majority soon shrinking to one seat, how will Johnson and the Republicans govern?

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean spoke with NPR’s Steve Inskeep on Morning Edition about House Speaker Johnson’s leadership as the house begins its two-week spring recess.

One of U.S. President Joe Biden’s key campaign messages, that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy, is winning over fewer Black supporters and those without college degrees than other segments of his political base, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Worries about political extremism and threats to democracy have emerged as among Americans’ top concerns, following historic events including Republican former President Trump’s attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, the Supreme Court’s move to end the nationwide right to abortion and a surge in migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Rodell Mollineau, co-founder and partner, spoke with Reuters about how voters should be viewing Trump and Biden’s accomplishments and failures when looking to the future. Read the full article here.

The race for the next Republican Senate leader has the potential to further expose deepening divisions within the party as the conference looks to select a new head in November after the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Ky., steps down from his post. 

While the Republicans boast 49 seats in the Senate, they don’t all champion the same brand of conservatism. This has become more evident in the Trump era as the party’s positions and base shift. 

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean spoke to Fox News about what the fight for the next Republican Senate leader will look like for those who want to join the race. Read the full article here.

Donald Trump is sailing into battle against President Joe Biden powered by anger over the two policy issues that have driven his comeback campaign so far: immigration and the economy.

Trump came close to sweeping the board in the 16 “Super Tuesday” Republican primary races, putting him on the verge of clinching the party’s nomination and allowing him to train his full fire on Biden ahead of the November election.

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean spoke with Reuters about the disconnect on how voters view the economy. Read the full article here.