Press

Historically high levels of illegal immigration have made border security a major issue heading into the 2024 election season.

For Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), the Arizona Democrat-turned-independent, this moment also represents an opportunity to build her image as a bipartisan deal-maker who can get things done in a divided Congress months ahead of a critical deadline in which she must decide whether she will run for reelection as an Independent in a battleground state.

ROKK Senior Vice President and former aide to Sen. Sinema, John LaBombard, spoke with the Washington Examiner about how the senator has been involved in border security negotiations.

Democrats are scrambling to put state abortion-rights initiatives on the ballot this year in the hope that the measures will drive turnout and boost their candidates in national and local elections.

But those initiatives may not give Democrats the lift they are aiming for, according to a POLITICO analysis of five abortion-related measures that have appeared on the ballot since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Voters decisively upheld abortion rights in every single case. But those margins were largely driven by Republican voters who also voted for GOP candidates.

ROKK SVP and long-time advisor of swing- and red-state Democrats, John LaBombard, spoke with POLITICO about what ballot initiatives mean for candidates.

Over the past year, DEI initiatives have been increasingly criticized by conservative advocacy groups and activists. While federal law prohibits private employers from considering race and other protected characteristics in employment decisions, they have the discretion to take steps to remedy racial imbalances in their workforces.

Corporations have seen an increase in attacks to their DEI policies by conservatives who threatened to sue, causing some to modify the policies or dial back from programs geared towards underrepresented groups.

ROKK has published research about how voters on both sides believe companies should have the right to execute DEI policies as they feel fit with Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, which is featured in this USA Today. You can also find the full report here.

No topic has consumed or defined technology more in the past year than artificial intelligence, capturing the attention of Silicon Valley investors, Hollywood entertainers and Washington, D.C. lawmakers. 

So what lies ahead? That’s what was discussed at AI: Balancing Innovation & Regulation, a live journalism event hosted by The Messenger on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. They brought government, industry, and advocacy leaders together in Washington, D.C. to to cover advances in AI as well as legislative and regulatory priorities. 

ROKK Solutions attended this invite-only event in Washington, D.C. where government, industry, and advocacy leaders discussed advances in AI as well as legislative and regulatory priorities. Read the full article here.

The White House is stepping up its criticism of the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, placing more moderate Republican members worried about their seat in next year’s crucial election in a political dilemma. 

House Republicans are planning a vote for next week to formalize the inquiry after months of congressional investigations attempting to paint Biden as corrupt. The White House, meanwhile, has spent the last few days on a concerted effort to tie the conference to its more far-right members, including casting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) as the sole lawmaker calling the shots. It’s also painted Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as caving to certain lawmakers by calling for a vote on the matter.

ROKK Senior Vice President, John LaBombard, spoke with The Hill about how voters may view Republican house members who go through with the impeachment inquiry. Read more here.

GOP hopeful Nikki Haley faces a moment of truth in the next primary debate Wednesday in Alabama: Can she seize on her momentum and put in a top-level performance that will turn her into a real rival for the presidential nomination to former President Trump?

The former United Nations ambassador has seen boosts from her previous debate performances, and another standout showing could propel her ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has long been considered Trump’s closest rival. 

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner, Ron Bonjean spoke with The Hill about the upcoming GOP debate. Read more here.

According to polls, the GOP race for 2024 continues to show former President Donald Trump as the consistent favorite. Now, with just under seven weeks until the first contest of the GOP primary season, billionaire Republican donor Charles Koch is looking to change that. Koch’s political network, Americans for Prosperity Action, is throwing its weight behind former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who’s been steadily rising in popularity among Republicans.

ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean shared his insights with NPR Morning Edition host A Martinez. Listen to the full conversation here.

A group of self-styled political independents filed paperwork with the FEC this week to launch a new Super PAC aimed at swinging independent voters to support former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in her bid to secure the Republican presidential nomination.

Led by five entrepreneurs — including Jonathan Bush, the cousin of former President George W. Bush, and billionaire CEO Frank Laukien — the PAC, called Independents Moving the Needle, says it will focus its efforts on New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary. 

Jeff Grappone, EVP at ROKK Solutions and veteran Republican strategist in New Hampshire, shared his insights with ABC News on the importance of winning over independent voters during the New Hampshire primary. Read the full article here. 

The House this year has been mired in chaos, punctuated by a 15-round speakership vote, an eight-person regicide, flirtations with government shutdowns and policy stagnations. Next year’s elections could determine if the Senate follows suit.

Rabble-rousing Republicans are running for a handful of Senate seats, including Kari Lake in Arizona, Alex Mooney in West Virginia, Jim Marchant in Nevada, James Craig in Michigan and more. Meanwhile, dealmakers like Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, are retiring.

That means the normally staid Senate could become more like the often chaotic House, injecting further drama into Congress, if several big-name Republicans win their elections next year. 

John LaBombard, SVP at ROKK Solutions and former top aide to Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., shared his insights with ABC News on whether the House’s lack of decorum will make its way into the Senate. Read the full article here. 

While Ramaswamy is packing his schedule with stops across Iowa, including multiple events on Tuesday and Wednesday, he has failed to move up in the 2024 Republican primary race and is increasingly at risk of becoming an afterthought. He is polling in the mid to high single digits and has left critics asking what his endgame is or if he is staying in the race only to boost former President Donald Trump.

After an earlier flurry of attention, the 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur and first-time political candidate is gaining more notice over his debate provocations than for signs that his campaign is resonating with voters.

ROKK Co-Founder and GOP strategist Ron Bonjean spoke to The Associated Press about Ramaswamy’s position in the Republican presidential candidate field. Read the full article here.