Former President Trump’s fundraising efforts in the wake of his indictment on Thursday appear to have paid off, with his campaign raking in more than $4 million within 24 hours.

“This incredible surge of grassroots contributions confirms that the American people see the indictment of President Trump as a disgraceful weaponization of our justice system by a Soros-funded prosecutor,” the Trump campaign said in a press release on Friday.

The former president's team also touted that more than 25 percent of contributions came from first-time donors, claiming it confirmed his status as “the clear frontrunner in the Republican primary.”

A New York grand jury on Thursday indicted the former president on criminal charges for his role in a hush money payment that his longtime fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

Shortly after news of the indictment broke, Trump sent out a fundraising email promising that the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) “witch hunt” would “backfire massively.”

“Ever since I ran for president as a complete political outsider, the corrupt ruling class has tried to shut down our America First movement,” the email said. “The Deep State will use anything at their disposal to shut down the one political movement that puts you first.”

Former President Donald Trump is expected to travel to New York on Monday ahead of his scheduled arraignment on Tuesday on still unknown charges, a source familiar with the planning confirmed.

Details of the Tuesday arraignment are still being finalized, though a court spokesperson indicated it would be at 2:15 p.m. Eastern time.

Trump is expected to turn himself in ahead of the arraignment.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Secret Service agents were at the Manhattan courthouse where Trump will turn himself in, to tour the site and determine how the former president will get in and out securely.

Authorities are preparing for a frenzied atmosphere given the media attention and possible protests that will accompany Trump's arraignment.

A grand jury voted earlier Thursday to indict Trump on criminal charges for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign.

The indictment, which remains under seal, follows an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) that centered on a $130,000 payment fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the election.

Joe Tacopina, an attorney representing Trump in the case, has said he does not expect Trump to be handcuffed. But other details remain unknown, including whether he will have his mugshot and fingerprints taken.

New York state law does not allow for the public distribution of mugshots.

Trump is expected to be released after his arraignment on Tuesday because the charges against him do not include any violent felonies.

Former President Trump’s campaign blasted out a message to his supporters on Friday promoting comments from Republicans offering their support to Trump and slamming his indictment following Thursday’s bombshell news that the former president was facing criminal charges. 

But even more notable than the number of Republicans included on the list was the one name that Trump’s campaign decided to leave off of it: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

DeSantis, who’s considered Trump’s most formidable Republican challenger in the 2024 GOP presidential primary should he officially announce a run, was among a number of Republicans who slammed Trump’s indictment on Thursday. The indictment follows a probe by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) over the former president’s possible involvement in a hush money payment that was made during his 2016 campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels. 

Though details about the exact charges remain unknown publicly at this point, Republicans rallied together against the indictment, with some going to greater lengths to demonstrate their support for Trump than others. 

“D.A. Bragg should resign for his abuse of power and targeting on Donald Trump,” tweeted Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as a White House press secretary under Trump. Her comment was among a slew of Republican statements that the Trump campaign blasted out.

DeSantis, too, slammed the indictment in a statement posted to Twitter. But he notably did not mention Trump anywhere in his remarks and noted that he would not aid any extradition efforts should the circumstances warrant it — underscoring simmering tensions between the two men while publicly taking a stand against Bragg.

“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,” DeSantis said. 

“The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent,” he continued. “Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.”

Former President Donald Trump’s indictment by a Manhattan grand jury has sent the political and legal worlds into a frenzy.

Here’s what we know so far about the case against Trump, and what could happen next as the country awaits the former president's arraignment.

Surprise jury vote on Thursday

A Manhattan grand jury voted Thursday to indict Trump on criminal charges for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign.

The indictment, which remains under seal, follows an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) that centered on a $130,000 payment fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.

The indictment required support from a majority of the grand jury, which typically is made up of 16 or 23 people and hears evidence in secret. 

The timing of Thursday’s announcement came as something of a surprise. The grand jury had not met as scheduled on multiple occasions the past two weeks, and multiple reports emerged earlier in the week that it would go on a one-month hiatus that had previously been planned.

“I think what happened was the delay was because with all the hype, especially when President Trump came up about, ‘go protest,’ I think the jurors were frightened to come in. So I think that's why they held it off, let it calm down a little bit,” said Karen Santucci, a former New York grand jury court reporter who now directs Plaza College’s court reporting program.

Catch up with coverage of the Trump indictment from The Hill:

• George Soros responds to GOP attacks over Manhattan DA: ‘I don’t know him’
• DeSantis: Florida won’t cooperate with Trump extradition
• Republicans see indictment as boon for Trump in 2024
• Trump’s historic indictment: Five takeaways
• Ivanka Trump ‘pained’ over father’s indictment
• White House says it had no advance warning of Trump indictment

Trump is expected to be arraigned next week

Trump is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon at 2:15 Eastern time, according to a court spokesperson. 

A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office on Thursday said they have been in touch with Trump’s lawyers to coordinate his surrender.

Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, said on “Good Morning America” on Friday that much of what will happen is still unknown, but he does not expect Trump to be put in handcuffs.

“We’ll go in there, and we’ll proceed to see a judge at some point, plead not guilty, start talking about filing motions, which we will do immediately,” Tacopina said.

Speculation has been rampant for weeks over whether Trump would be handcuffed, fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken, though any mugshot would not be made public, in accordance with New York state law. That whole process will play out Tuesday under intense media attention. 

“I’m sure they’ll try and get every ounce of publicity they can from this thing,” Tacopina said.

Trump is expected to be released after next week’s arraignment since the indictment does not include violent felony charges.

We still don’t know the exact charges

The indictment stems from the hush money payment to Daniels before the 2016 election, but beyond that little will be known until Trump is arraigned.

The indictment — which contains the specific charges — will remain under seal until Trump appears in court for his arraignment on Tuesday, unless Bragg successfully asks a judge to unseal it early.

CNN and NBC News reported Trump is facing roughly 30 counts related to business fraud.

The specifics remain unclear, but a source familiar with the proceedings confirmed to The Hill that the indictment includes a felony.

The number and nature of the charges will provide more clarity about the case prosecutors intend to bring against Trump, and it could shed light on how much evidence they have against the former president.

But Trump’s lawyers have said they’ll fight them

While the specific charges Trump is facing won’t be known publicly for a few more days, the former president and his team have already made clear they intend to put up a fight.

“President Trump has been indicted. He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in Court,” Trump attorneys Joe Tacopina and Susan Necheles said in a statement shortly after the indictment was announced.

Tacopina told “Good Morning America” on Friday he plans to file motions “immediately, and very aggressively regarding the legal viability of this case.”

The former president took to Truth Social on Friday to preemptively attack the judge who will handle his case, Juan Marchan, claiming Marchan had previously treated his companies “viciously.”

“Appealing!” Trump added in all caps.

Possibility of protests

The specter of protests – and concerns about potential violence – are likely to linger for the next several days, particularly after Trump in mid-March urged his supporters to protest his eventual arrest.

“I’m going to New York on Tuesday. We MUST protest the unconstitutional WITCH HUNT!” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of Trump’s most ardent defenders, tweeted Friday.

Jesse Waters, a Fox News host, warned Thursday that the country “is not going to stand for” Trump’s indictment.

“And people better be careful. And that’s all I’ll say about that,” Waters said.

Other leading Republicans have sought to tamp down the idea of widespread demonstrations over Trump’s indictment, or call for any protests to remain peaceful.

There is expected to be a heightened police presence around the Manhattan courthouse where Trump will be arraigned on Tuesday, and authorities were unloading metal barriers in the vicinity days before the indictment was announced.

Trump will be accompanied by Secret Service agents throughout the process, and they will likely be coordinating with court authorities and local law enforcement.

Trump will keep running for president

Trump is running for the Republican presidential nomination for 2024, and he has for months said he would not drop out of the race even if he were indicted.

Statements from Trump and his team on Thursday made clear that remains the case.

“The political elites and powerbrokers have weaponized government to try and stop him. They will fail. He will be re-elected in the greatest landslide in American history, and together we will all Make America Great Again,” Taylor Budowich, head of the Trump-aligned MAGA, Inc. super PAC, said in a statement.

There is no legal standard that prevents Trump from running while under indictment, and even a potential conviction would not disqualify him from campaigning.

Other 2024 Republican hopefuls largely attacked Bragg and called the indictment politically motivated, though few defended Trump’s conduct or mentioned the former president by name.

Former Vice President Mike Pence dodged a question about if he’d call on Trump to drop out if he’s convicted, calling it a hypothetical matter. 

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), who is weighing a 2024 bid, said Trump should drop out of the race, but acknowledged he wouldn’t.

“To me the office of presidency is more important than any one person,” Hutchinson said on Fox Business Network.

Zach Schonfeld contributed reporting

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has launched an organization to oppose GOP policies in strongly Republican states to push back against policies that those states have implemented. 

Newsom said in a video he tweeted on Thursday that he is creating a group called Campaign for Democracy to oppose “authoritarian leaders” who are “directly attacking our freedoms in state after state.” 

The video shows clips of Republican politicians like former President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders as Newsom speaks. 

“We’re going on the road to take the fight to states where freedom is most under attack,” Newsom said. 

He said the organization will invest in “people and organizations where they’re fighting back.” He said the country is facing an “existential battle” for “who we are and who we’re willing to become.” 

“Extremist Republicans are systematically attacking the very foundations of our free society -- denying women equality, attacking communities of color, fetishizing weapons of war, banning books, restricting speech, and undermining the right to vote,” Newsom tweeted. 

The group’s creation is Newsom’s latest venture in battling against Republican leaders who have advocated for certain controversial policies. 

Newsom sparred with DeSantis after the Florida governor had dozens of migrants flown on chartered flights from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., last year. He challenged DeSantis to a debate over the issue in the aftermath. 

Newsom also launched a billboard campaign in September in seven Republican-led states with strict abortion laws in place to advertise California’s laws protecting abortion rights. 

He has been the subject of rumors about potential White House ambitions in the future as he has increasingly taken on a national profile. He said amid 2024 election rumors that he would not run for the presidency next year, even if President Biden were to decide not to run for reelection.

Republicans are rushing to defend former President Donald Trump after his indictment on Thursday in an alleged hush-money scheme, in a sign that the criminal charges could bolster his standing in the 2024 presidential race and ease his path to the GOP nomination. 

The indictment doesn’t bar Trump from running for the White House. Yet it marked an extraordinary turn for the former president, who is seeking to reclaim the Oval Office after a 2020 loss that roiled the GOP and sparked a party-wide reckoning over Trump’s political instincts and broader appeal among the country’s voters. 

While there’s still an uncertain road ahead for Trump, many Republicans said that the indictment would only strengthen his standing among an influential conservative base and complicate his GOP rivals’ efforts to cut into his support in an expectedly contentious 2024 primary. 

“It may turn traditional Republicans away from Trump but it solidifies his position with MAGA voters and will make it harder for other candidates to win them over,” said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor, adding that “Trump will make great use of this. It will give him a big fundraising boost and lots of free media.”  

“The indictment has put Trump back at the top of the polls, supercharged his online fundraising and scattered landmines in front of every Republican challenging him for the nomination.”  

Trump has given every indication that he will continue on with his presidential campaign in spite of the indictment, using the charges against him as a cudgel to argue that Democrats are desperate to take him out of the 2024 race because they fear a rematch against him. 

John Feehery, a Republican strategist, slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office is behind the indictment, saying that he made a mistake in charging Trump. 

“Bragg's a joke. This was a stupid thing for him to do," Feehery said, adding that Trump's opponents in the presidential campaign won't use this against him. "If this had more validity, they would use this against Trump but it's so stupid. Bragg doesn't come across as a prosecutor. He comes off as a political hack. Bragg is going to be the easy guy to attack.” 

Yet some Republicans said that the indictment carries considerable risks for Trump. He is the first current or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges and many in the GOP have already grown weary from the various controversies and dramas that have swirled around Trump and his political career. 

Kevin Madden, a longtime Republican strategist who worked as a senior adviser for Mitt Romney during his presidential bid in 2012, said for any other candidate the indictment "would be a huge obstacle that would prevent them from advancing politically."  

"But he's going to use this to his advantage. His team has already signaled they're going to paint this as politically motivated," Madden said.  

At the same time, Madden added, "Trump fatigue has set in and the nonstop focus on this...that's going to weigh heavily on some voters and over time the burden could get greater and greater on this.”  

"The biggest question is 'What are his declared opponents going to do?’” he continued. “This would be a gift to any other field of candidates...it should open it up and scramble the race but that's only if the other candidates try and take advantage of it.”  

For Republicans hoping to challenge Trump for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nod, the indictment also carries serious political risks. One Republican strategist who’s been in touch with multiple 2024 hopefuls said that the next several weeks could prove difficult for both declared and potential candidates.  

“Republicans are going to rally around Trump and so the question is: How do you find a way to go after him without pissing off a lot of the people that you’re trying to win over?” the strategist said. “I don’t know that I have a good answer right now.” 

For now, Trump’s rivals are standing behind him. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who jumped into the race last month, condemned the charges as a “dangerously politicized prosecution,” while former Vice President Mike Pence, a prospective 2024 candidate, called the indictment an “outrage.” 

Another 2024 contender, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, slammed the charges against Trump on Thursday, tweeting that the indictment is “more about revenge than it is justice.” 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who hasn’t yet announced a campaign but is widely expected to in the coming months, said that he would not “assist in any extradition request,” tweeting on Thursday that the indictment was “un-American.” Trump is a Florida resident, and while state law allows the governor to intervene in extradition matters if they are contested, he would not be able to stop it altogether. 

Early polling shows DeSantis has the most serious threat to Trump’s 2024 ambitions, making him the target of near-constant attacks from the former president and his allies. One DeSantis ally said that he could use the indictment to distinguish himself from Trump in the coming months and telegraph that he wouldn't bring the same kind of drama to the White House.  

Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, who doesn't support Trump, said, “politically for now [the indictment] will be a wash with Republican primary voters. Trump doesn't gain any votes, but he doesn't lose any core support.” 

Yet she argued that the charges are “very bad news for Ron DeSantis. For at least a week, it will be all Donald Trump all the time so DeSantis should put his book tour on hold.”  

“On the other hand, if he has any negative news that may come out, he should get it out next week because all eyes will be on Trump,” she added. 

How the indictment plays out among the broader electorate remains an open question. A Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday found that while 55 percent of voters surveyed believe that Bragg’s office is probing for “serious” claims, 60 percent also believe the case is politically motivated.  

Feehery, the Republican strategist, said Democrats are trying to use the charges against Trump to peel away independent voters. Ultimately, he predicted, that effort would come back to haunt them. 

"The long game is they're trying to influence independent voters,” he said. “They're hoping that there's enough of a stain that it has an impact on independent voters but when the FBI raided Mar a Lago, it backfired.”  

“The ultimate problem here is that people will start losing faith in the justice system,” Feehery added. “They're basically criminalizing politics and that's how Trump supporters will see it.”  

Yet others are less certain about what Trump’s indictment will mean for the 2024 presidential race. The first primaries are still nearly a year away and there’s likely a long legal road ahead for Trump, who also faces multiple other possible indictments in separate cases, including a federal investigation into his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection and a grand jury inquiry into his alleged intervention in the 2020 election in Georgia. Trump is expected to be arraigned next week in the New York hush-money case. 

“The most honest answer I can give: I don’t know. I don’t know what it means for the country, the GOP, 2024, etc.,” said Doug Heye, a Republican strategist. “I don’t know how voters react or how Trump will behave as this process plays out. And I suspect no one else does either.”

Former President Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury Thursday, making history as the first executive — sitting or former — to face criminal charges.

The indictment comes after District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) initiated a probe investigating Trump’s involvement in organizing hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.

The charges, explosive in any context, are made even more so because Trump is running again for the White House in 2024, and leads the field by a huge margin in the nascent race for the GOP nomination. 

Here are five takeaways from Thursday’s extraordinary development.

Charges filed, but specifics unclear

The indictment — which contains the specific charges — will remain under seal until Trump appears in court for his arraignment on Tuesday, unless Bragg successfully asks a judge to unseal it early.

The specifics remain unclear, but a source familiar with the proceedings confirmed to The Hill that it includes a felony.

Bragg has been probing a $130,000 hush money payment that Trump’s fixer, Michael Cohen, made to Daniels in October 2016, just weeks before the presidential election. 

A hush payment by itself is legal, but outside legal experts have suggested the indictment is likely to focus on charges of falsifying business records. Prosecutors would first need to show that Trump, with an intent to defraud, was personally involved in improperly designating reimbursements a legal expense.

That still amounts to a misdemeanor under New York law, carrying up to one year of jail time per count. 

But the inclusion of a felony charge suggests prosecutors believe they can make a case tying the record falsification to another crime, augmenting the maximum jail time to four years per count.

Trump has acknowledged the payment to Daniels, though he denies her claim the two had sexual relations. Trump’s attorneys have also claimed that Trump made the payment to protect false information from hurting his marriage. They have contended he did not make the payment to influence the election, nodding to the possibility that Bragg could seek felony charges by asserting the payments violated campaign laws in some fashion. 

Trump will be in court next week

Trump is set to be arraigned Tuesday, appearing in court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday so the charges against him can be read aloud.

One of Trump’s attorneys, speaking before the indictment was filed, said Trump plans to surrender to authorities.

“There won’t be a standoff at Mar-a-Lago with Secret Service and the Manhattan DA’s office,” attorney Joe Tacopina told the New York Daily News earlier this month.

Standard procedure indicates that Trump would provide fingerprints and potentially a mugshot before being released ahead of trial.

White-collar defendants are typically handcuffed as they walk into the courthouse in Lower Manhattan for their arraignment, when they formally enter a plea.

According to reporting from The Guardian, Trump has previously told those close to him that he wants to be handcuffed when appearing for the arraignment, believing it would be a greater show of strength.

Despite earlier signs from Trump’s legal team that the former president, a Florida resident, plans to arrive at the arraignment, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said the state “will not assist in an extradition request.”

Bragg’s office said Thursday evening that they contacted Trump’s attorney “to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office for arraignment.”

Trump and allies cry political persecution

The former president and his political orbit quickly denounced the indictment as a politically motivated effort to drag down Trump’s 2024 campaign.

“I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden. The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden,” Trump said in a statement.

Taylor Budowich, a spokesperson for a Trump-aligned Super PAC, claimed “political elites and powerbrokers” were united in an effort to try and stop Trump from returning to the White House.

And Trump’s attorneys representing him in the Manhattan case vowed to “vigorously fight” the charges in court.

Several of Trump’s potential rivals in a 2024 presidential primary also jumped to his defense on Thursday, condemning the prosecution as politically motivated.

DeSantis, perhaps Trump’s most formidable challenger, called the charges “un-American.” Vivek Ramaswamy, another 2024 candidate, warned the decision would undermine public trust and said it was a politicization of the Justice system.

What Trump says in the days to come will be closely watched. He caused an uproar in recent weeks when he called for supporters to protest and warned of “death and destruction” if Bragg moved forward with an indictment.

Not all Democrats are cheering

While a vast majority of Democrats hailed the indictment as a victory for the rule of law, not all of Trump’s critics are cheering. 

A handful of liberals are blasting the decision as a strategic mistake — politically speaking — since the Manhattan case features the least serious of the accusations Trump faces across various other investigations. 

Those other investigations include Georgia’s probe into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and the Justice Department’s examinations of Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the discovery of classified documents at his residence in South Florida. 

Given the seriousness of the potential charges in those pending cases, some liberals fear that Bragg’s decision will undermine any indictments that follow. 

“After inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, pressuring local officials to overturn the 2020 election, receiving financial kickbacks from foreign powers, and numerous other crimes during his presidency, it's embarrassing and infuriating that the first indictment against Trump is about…Stormy Daniels,” Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said in a statement. 

Some Democrats — including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who led Trump’s first impeachment — have been highly critical of the DOJ for failing to bring any charges against Trump even more than two years after the Jan. 6 attack. Green on Thursday joined that chorus. 

“The January 6th Select Committee and bold leaders like Jamie Raskin did their job,” he said. “It’s time for Merrick Garland and the Justice Department to do theirs.”

Other probes into Trump’s conduct are still ongoing 

While New York was the first to indict, Trump is being investigated by a number of entities across various probes.

Fulton Co. District Attorney Fani Willis (D) has also presented evidence to a grand jury about Trump’s attempts to influence the 2020 election there. Interviews from various jurors on the panel indicated that they recommended charges for multiple defendants in the matter.

Willis previously moved to block the release of a report from the grand jury, saying that charging decisions on multiple defendants were “imminent.” A judge ordered partial release of the report in February, however, which concluded there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 contest, undercutting a likely argument from Trump.

The known targets include former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and 16 Republicans who held a meeting to carry out the fake elector plot by voting to certify the election for Trump.

Trump has moved to quash the investigation, with Willis given until May 1 to respond.

Special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing two probes related to Trump, one reviewing efforts to block the transition of power following the 2020 election and another reviewing the mishandling of classified records at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump has lost several recent court battles dealing with those probes, with sealed orders from judges directing cooperation from a number of people close to the former president. Former Vice President Mike Pence, Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and other former White House aides have been ordered to testify in the Jan. 6 probe. 

Evan Corcoran, Trump’s attorney in the Mar-a-Lago probe, was also ordered by a judge to return and testify in that probe, with a judge determining he could not use attorney-client privilege to avoid answering numerous questions asked in a prior grand jury appearance. In the ruling the judge determined that the legal advice to Trump may have been in furtherance of a crime, allowing the piercing of attorney-client privilege.

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday called a Manhattan grand jury’s decision to indict former President Trump an “outrage,” and declined to say if Trump should drop out of the 2024 race if he's convicted.

"The unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage,” Pence said on CNN. “And it appears to millions of Americans to be nothing more than a political prosecution that’s driven by a prosecutor who literally ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president.”

A grand jury voted earlier Thursday to indict Trump on criminal charges for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign.

The indictment, which remains under seal, follows an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) that centered on a $130,000 payment fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the election.

Trump is expected to be arraigned next week, and his team and Bragg’s office are working on arranging his surrender to authorities.

Trump and his allies have widely decried the indictment as a political prosecution intended to damage his standing atop the polls in a GOP 2024 primary race.

Pence, who was steadfastly loyal to Trump during his time serving alongside him in the White House, is weighing weather to run for the White House in 2024.

Asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer whether Trump should be disqualified from being the 2024 presidential nominee or drop out of the race, Pence said “it’s a long way to that decision.” 

“I promise to answer that question if that approaches,” Pence said, adding that he did not want to talk about “hypotheticals.”

Donald Trump became the first president on Thursday to face criminal charges – an indictment that comes several months after the former president announced he’s running for reelection. 

Trump’s indictment comes in response to an investigation launched by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) regarding possible involvement in a hush money payment that was made during his 2016 campaign to an adult film actress. 

Details about the exact criminal charges remain unknown publicly at this point. 

The indictment has raised numerous questions over Trump's run for office, but legal scholars explain that Trump is still legally able to continue his White House bid while he faces criminal charges.

Saikrishna Prakash, a law professor at the University of Virginia’s School of Law, explains that the Constitution does not offer any disqualifications for candidates seeking the presidency if they’re either indicted or in jail.

“There is no disqualification that says that if you are indicted, you can't run in the Constitution. There's not even a disqualification that says that if you're in jail, you can't run. And so the Constitution itself has limited qualifications and doesn't say that you can't serve if you're indicted or in jail,” said Prakash, who’s also the author of “Prosecuting and Punishing Our Presidents” in the Texas Law Review.

The big unknown, however, is when the criminal prosecution – and possible conviction – might take place given Trump’s candidacy. Those questions could become murkier if the former president wins reelection for the White House in 2024. 

“The easy answer is we have no idea. We don't know because it's never happened,” said Susan Low Bloch, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown Law School. 

If Trump wins the presidency in 2024, Bloch sees two possibilities: "One is that the indictment and thereafter a trial goes forward, even though he's now president, or the indictment gets sort of suspended," she said.

She explained that she didn’t believe that a sitting president should be tried and indicted, but that the prosecution should take place after that person leaves office.

“My position is that the president is unique in our system, he or she is one person, and that the criminal system should be able to wait while the president carries out his or her duties and that it's basically bad for the country to have a president tied up in a criminal trial,” she explained. 

Prakash explained that while the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has taken the stance against indicting or prosecuting a sitting president, local prosecutors, like Bragg could make their own decisions on that and do not necessarily have to take the same position as the Justice Department. 

“The state attorney general or the state prosecutor or a local prosecutor, or Alvin Bragg or whoever, doesn't need to believe what the OLC believes, and therefore can come to a different conclusion and, you know, basically put the issue into court. And then the court would decide it,” he explained. 

The field of declared and prospective 2024 Republican presidential candidates on Thursday decried the indictment of former President Donald Trump on criminal charges for his alleged role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign.

Trump is one of a handful of declared GOP candidates running for the White House in 2024, with several others mulling a bid of their own.

Here’s what those other Republicans had to say about Trump’s indictment.

Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, perhaps Trump’s most formidable possible challenger in the 2024 race, called Trump’s indictment “un-American” and said the state would not assist in any extradition request. He did not mention Trump by name.

The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,” DeSantis, who is seen as Trump’s top rival in a potential 2024 GOP primary, tweeted after news of the indictment broke.

“The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent,” DeSantis continued, adding that Florida would not assist in an extradition request “given the questionable circumstances at issue.”

Trump is a Florida resident, but his attorneys have indicated he will turn himself in. He is scheduled to be arraigned next week.

DeSantis has not declared his candidacy, but is expected to do so in the coming months. 

A Fox News poll published Wednesday showed Trump drawing 54 percent in a GOP primary field, with DeSantis next closest at 24 percent.

Nikki Haley 

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has declared her 2024 candidacy, posted on Twitter that the case is “more about revenge than it is about justice,” linking back to a Fox News interview she conducted last week.

“From everything I’ve seen from this New York district attorney, this is something he’d be doing for political points,” Haley said in the clip. “And I think what we know is when you get into political prosecutions like this it’s more about revenge than it is about justice, and I think the country would be better off talking about things the American public cares about.”

Haley also previously served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.

She launched her campaign in February and has focused largely on what she says is the need for a new generation of leadership in the Republican Party.

Asa Hutchinson

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R ) urged caution in reacting to the news, but called it a “dark day” for the country. 

“It is a dark day for America when a former President is indicted on criminal charges. While the grand jury found credible facts to support the charges, it is important that the presumption of innocence follows Mr. Trump,” Hutchinson said in a statement. 

“We need to wait on the facts and for our American system of justice to work like it does for thousands of Americans every day,” he continued “Finally, it is essential that the decision on America's next President be made at the ballot box and not in the court system. Donald Trump should not be the next President, but that should be decided by the voters." 

Hutchinson has been critical of the former president in the past, calling a Trump 2024 bid a “worst case scenario.” 

Glenn Youngkin

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R ) echoed many of his fellow Republicans in reacting to the news, calling the move to indict Trump politicized. 

“It is beyond belief that District Attorney Alvin Bragg has indicted a former President and current presidential candidate for pure political gain. Arresting a presidential candidate on a manufactured basis should not happen in America,” Youngkin wrote on Twitter.

“The left’s continued attempts to weaponize our judicial system erode people’s faith in the American justice system and it needs to stop,” he added.

It is unclear whether Youngkin will launch a presidential bid, however he has been floated by many in the GOP as a potential contender. 

Mike Pompeo

Mike Pompeo, Trump’s former secretary of State and CIA director, who has traveled to early primary states as he mulls a 2024 bid, did not mention the former president at all in his statement, instead focusing his ire on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The Manhattan DA is undermining America’s confidence in our legal system,” Pompeo posted on Twitter. “Bragg is the same Soros-funded prosecutor who refuses to prosecute violent crimes and who has downgraded more than half of all felonies to misdemeanors.”

“Prosecuting serious crimes keeps Americans safe, but political prosecutions put the American legal system at risk of being viewed as a tool for abuse,” Pompeo continued. “DA Bragg - spend taxpayers’ money and your energy protecting law-abiding citizens. Not playing politics.”

Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and declared 2024 candidate, called the charges against Trump “politically motivated” and warned it could accelerate political polarization across the country.

“This is wrong. This is dangerous. We’re skating on thin ice as a country right now. I think we may be headed on our way to a national divorce,” Ramaswamy said in a video posted on social media.

He suggested that competitors in the 2024 GOP primary field should come together and make it clear that it should be up to the voters to decide who the party’s nominee is in 2024.

Ramaswamy called on those who may want to protest to “do it peacefully and do it lawfully.” The comments came after Trump earlier this month urged supporters to protest a potential indictment and later warned if charges were filed, it would bring “death and destruction.”

Former President Trump's presidential campaign fundraised off of the news of his indictment on Thursday, predicting that it would backfire on President Biden. 

"Ever since I ran for president as a complete political outsider, the corrupt ruling class has tried to shut down our America First movement," read the fundraising email, sent shortly after Trump was indicted. "The Deep State will use anything at their disposal to shut down the one political movement that puts you first.

"But I promise you this: This Witch Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden," the email said. 

News of the indictment on Thursday marks the first time a president has been charged in a criminal matter. While the charges laid out in the indictment are unclear, a source close to the former president told The Hill he will be arraigned next week. 

The White House has not commented on the indictment. The indictment, which remains under seal, follows an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) that centered on a $130,000 payment fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the election.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday called the indictment of former President Donald Trump “un-American” and said the state would not assist in any extradition request.

"The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,” DeSantis, who is seen as Trump’s top rival in a potential 2024 GOP primary, tweeted after news of the indictment broke.

“The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent,” DeSantis continued, adding that Florida would not assist in an extradition request “given the questionable circumstances at issue.”

A Manhattan grand jury on Thursday voted to indict Trump on criminal charges for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign.

Trump, who is a Florida resident, is expected to be arraigned next week.

Developing

Former President Donald Trump lashed out on Thursday after he was indicted in an alleged hush-money scheme, maintaining his innocence and accusing Democrats and law enforcement officials of “weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent.”

“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,” Trump said in a statement. “From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats - the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country - have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement.”

“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable – indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference,” he added.

The former president's comments came within minutes of reports that a grand jury in Manhattan had voted to charge Trump in a scheme to pay hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential bid to cover up an alleged affair. Trump has denied the affair.

The indictment has been expected for weeks. Earlier this month, prosecutors in Manhattan offered Trump and his lawyers the opportunity to testify before the grand jury, signaling that a decision on an indictment was close. 

Since then, Trump has sought to rally his base around the notion that he is the victim of a political witch hunt, rehashing a line that he has used for years both on the campaign trail and in the White House.

Yet the indictment has thrust his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination into unknown territory. He’s the first current or former president to be indicted on criminal charges, and it’s unclear how the matter will play out on the campaign trail. 

Trump sought to case the indictment as a political asset, claiming that the charges would “backfire massively” on both President Biden and Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney whose office is behind the investigation into Trump’s conduct.

“The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it,” Trump said. “So our Movement, and our Party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Former President Trump on Thursday afternoon issued a lengthy statement in response to his indictment in a case involving alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The historic indictment is the first time a president has been charged in a criminal matter and comes as Trump is mounting his third bid for the White House.

Here is Trump's statement:

“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats - the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country - have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement. You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this.

“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable - indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference.

“Never before in our Nation’s history has this been done. The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President, has never happened before. Ever.

“Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who was hand-picked and funded by George Soros, is a disgrace. Rather than stopping the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, he’s doing Joe Biden’s dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on. This is how Bragg spends his time!

“I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden. The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party - united and strong - will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Former President Trump was indicted on criminal charges in New York on Thursday for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign, according to a source familiar with the proceedings.

The history-making indictment marks the first time a president has been charged in a criminal matter and comes as several law enforcement entities are investigating Trump’s conduct in numerous probes.

The charges laid out in the indictment remain unclear.

The indictment, which remains under seal, follows an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) that centered on a $130,000 payment fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the election.

Trump’s company labeled Cohen’s reimbursement of the payment as a legal expense and did not disclose them in campaign expense reports.

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 and served time for his role in the matter on charges related to campaign finance violations and tax fraud. He claimed that Trump directed him to make the payment and that Trump reimbursed him in monthly installments that included a bonus.

The payment was made as part of a nondisclosure agreement as Daniels was prepared to go public with claims she has a sexual relationship with Trump – an affair he denies.

Trump has repeatedly dismissed the investigation as a witch hunt and previously called on supporters to protest his arrest.

Trump’s attorneys and campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The charges against Trump follow reports that the grand jury empaneled to hear evidence in the case was not set to meet again to weigh evidence until late April. Bragg retained the ability to call for a vote on the indictment even on days the grand jury was not meeting about the case.

Legal observers suggest an indictment of Trump would likely focus on charges of falsifying business records, but bumping that up from the misdemeanor to a felony could prove difficult.

A felony charge requires a connection to a second crime and would augment the maximum jail time from one year to four years.

State laws prohibit making “a false entry in the business records of an enterprise” — something Trump and Cohen may have violated by claiming the payments were for legal services that were never rendered.

Trump has also previously suggested the case extends beyond New York’s statute of limitations, which for most state felonies is five years. 

But the case could be “tolled” which allows for the extension of the timeline to bring criminal charges. New York allows such a move when a defendant has continually been out of the state.

Though the first charges to be filed against Trump, others could soon follow.

Trump on Monday sought to quash an investigation by Georgia authorities over his effort to influence the election there. Fulton Co. District Attorney Fani Willis said earlier this year that charging decisions are imminent.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has also appointed a special counsel to review both Trump’s role in the broader investigation into Jan. 6 and the mishandling of government records at Mar-a-Lago.

This story was updated at 5:57 p.m.

President Biden is tied with former President Trump and slightly trails Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in hypothetical matchups ahead of the 2024 presidential election, according to a Marquette Law School poll released Thursday.

Both Biden and Trump received 38 percent of support from respondents in a head-to-head matchup, while 20 percent of those surveyed said they preferred a different candidate and 4 percent said they would not vote.

Forty-two percent of respondents said they would support DeSantis in a hypothetical 2024 matchup, while 41 percent of those surveyed cast their support for Biden—a narrow lead well within the 3.8 percentage-point margin of error.

DeSantis had a much larger lead over Biden in a similar poll conducted by Marquette in January, beating the president 45 percent to 38 percent. Biden and Trump were also tied in the January poll, with both receiving support from 40 percent of respondents.

The latest Marquette Law School Poll was conducted from March 13 to March 22 with a total of 1,004 respondents participating in the survey.

Biden has yet to officially announce his reelection bid, but he is widely expected to seek a second term. He said earlier this month that he has “other things to finish” before deciding on whether to run again. 

A Monmouth University published on Monday found that 25 percent of Democrat respondents said they want Biden to run for reelection in 2024, while 44 percent of Democrats surveyed believe that Biden should step aside.

Both Trump and DeSantis have been labeled as the two leading contenders for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, though DeSantis has indicated an official announcement on a presidential run will not come until after his state’s legislative session is over. 

Trump, who faces a slew of legal battles and federal investigations into him and his company, announced his bid to run for president in November. 

Fifty-four percent of respondents said they prefer DeSantis to be the GOP nominee for president in 2024, as 26 percent of those surveyed said they’ll prefer Trump to be the party’s nominee. 

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said he is "tired" of hearing former President Trump's grievances in his latest media appearance this week.

"I think that no leader who is backward looking is a leader who can be victorious," Christie said on "The Hugh Hewitt Show" on Thursday when asked about Trump. "And I’m tired of hearing about his grievances."

Christie, once a friend and former ally to Trump, has kicked his attacks against the former president into high gear this week as he considers a potential bid for the White House. He also said during the Thursday appearance that Trump's first official 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas, was a "snoozer," noting that his "act is getting very old."

Hewitt additionally asked Christie what his thoughts were on claims that those who are jailed due to their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol are "political prisoners."

Christie rejected that characterization, saying "the idea that somehow this is a political action is just, to me, wrong."

He continued: "The idea somehow that this is a group of people who are praiseworthy, who were participating in the violence, you know, doesn’t make any sense to me at all."

When asked if some Republicans were trying to "legitimize" the Jan. 6 riot, Christie responded that Trump was attempting to do so.

"Well, I think Donald Trump’s trying to do that," Christie said. "And I think that the more oxygen he’s given on this issue, the more he tries to mainstream his particular point of view."

The former governor also told Hewitt that he no longer considers himself as a friend to Trump, adding that he has not talked to the former president since December 2020.

Christie made an unsuccessful run for the GOP nomination in 2016. He went on to lead Trump's 2016 transition team but was fired over bad blood with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The former governor was later a contender to become Trump's chief of staff in 2018 before he took himself out of the running; he again aided Trump's campaign in 2020, helping him with debate prep.

Christie has become a full-blown critic of Trump since the former president left office, however, and he told Axios this week that he "just can't" back Trump for the presidency again.

Christie, along with other potential candidates for the 2024 Republican nomination, made a trip to New Hampshire this week to speak at Saint Anselm College on Monday. He said to students there that whoever runs against Trump needs the "skill" to debate the former president on stage, pointing to himself as an example.

“You better have somebody on that stage who can do to him what I did to Marco [Rubio] because that’s the only thing that’s gonna defeat Donald Trump,” he said.

Christie said earlier this week that he would decide on whether he will run for president within the next 60 days.

Former President Trump expanded his lead in the GOP presidential primary race, with a 30-point advantage among Republican primary voters over his closest potential challenger, according to a new poll. 

The Fox News poll showed that Trump received 54 percent support, compared to 24 percent for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Trump’s margin is double the 15-point lead that he had in Fox’s poll last month. 

The new poll also found former Vice President Mike Pence came in third with 6 percent, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley tied with 3 percent each and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott received support from 2 percent of GOP primary voters. The remaining candidates received 1 percent or less, while 3 percent said they were not sure. 

Trump and Haley have officially launched their bids for the White House, while most of the others included in the poll have not but are rumored to be possible candidates. 

Pollsters found Trump improved his standing from last month’s poll among almost every major demographic except for white men with college degrees, which DeSantis leads by 12 points. 

Six in 10 voters who backed Trump during the 2020 presidential election said they would prefer him in 2024, while a quarter said they support DeSantis and 5 percent support Pence. 

The latest poll comes as Trump could potentially be charged in a Manhattan investigation into a hush money payment that was made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election for her to remain quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is believed to be close to deciding as he invited Trump to testify before a grand jury earlier this month, which is often an indication that a charging decision is near for the subject of the investigation. The grand jury is expected to take a previously scheduled hiatus until late April. 

Daron Shaw, a Republican pollster who conducts Fox News surveys with Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, said the potential of Trump being indicted in the probe has helped him “quite a bit” among Republican primary voters. 

“They view the case as politically motivated and it reanimates feelings that Trump is still fighting forces they see as corrupt and out of control,” Shaw said. 

The poll released late Wednesday found almost three-quarters of primary voters said a candidate sharing their views on the issues is more important to determining their presidential primary vote, while only 18 percent said their ability to win in November is more important. 

The survey was conducted from March 24 to 27 among 1,007 registered voters. The margin of error was 3 percentage points. The margin of error for Republican primary voters was 4.5 points.

Republicans say they have a good argument to make when it comes to this classic election question: Are you better off than you were four years ago? 

Inflation is high, crime is up, stocks are flat or falling and immigration is out of control, GOP operatives say. 

But Democrats — and even some Republicans — argue emphatically that Americans in 2024 will feel they are much better off than they were four years ago, when the country was suffering through the pandemic in the final year of Donald Trump’s presidency.

They say many Americans will remember the Trump presidency as among the darkest times in U.S. history and point out his four years in office included two impeachments — the second over a riot at the Capitol.

“Good luck with that argument,” said Democratic strategist Christy Setzer. “Personally, I'd think voters remember the Trump years as a time of constant anxiety, chaos and cruelty — hence voting him out.”

To be sure, the are you better off argument has some pluses for the GOP. But it may also be a double-edged sword, inviting call-backs to Trump even as he is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination next year.  

“It's an invitation to run with Trump, whether or not he’s on the ticket,” said Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, who opposes the former president. 

“It’s not a winning strategy for the Republican Party,” Del Percio added. “It’s looking backwards.”

Biden’s poll numbers have been underwater for months and a Gallup poll out this week showed that voters disapprove of his handling of foreign affairs, energy policy and the environment. When it comes to the key issue of the economy, only 32 percent of those surveyed approve of Biden’s performance.

A Real Clear Politics average of national polls this week showed just 28 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction. 

Republicans see Biden’s weaknesses as an opportunity to draw a contrast. They say they have a good argument to make that the country was on more solid footing before Biden took office.

“In just over two years, Biden has tanked the economy, opened up our borders, embarrassed America on the world stage, worsened a supply chain crisis, and stoked the coals of division in our country,” said Republican National Committee spokesperson Emma Vaughn. “Americans are less safe, and their paychecks are worth less as a result of Biden’s reckless policies.

“Come 2024 voters will send him packing home to Delaware for good,” she said. 

Even Republicans who are desperate to see Biden lose next year are hesitant to talk about the Trump era and urged party operatives not to make the comparison. 

“I don’t think people really want to go back to the Trump years because they were so tumultuous,” said Republican strategist John Feehery.

He and other Republicans say there is a case to be made in pointing to Biden’s flaws — from inflation to the border — as a way to make the case that the country needs to move in a different direction. 

“He’s out of touch, barely cognizant and that’s why his poll numbers are so low,” Feehery said. “Not only is he from the past but his ideas are from the past. They need to make that connection to his view of the world.” 

One Republican strategist said the comparison between Biden and Trump is a good one to make “because at the end of the day, the biggest issue will be the rising cost of groceries and the inability to pay soaring bills.” 

“Even if things seemed not so great under Trump with all his shenanigans and bullshit, this election is going to be about the economy, period,” the strategist said. 

GOP candidates are taking issue with some of Trump’s positions.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to announce a bid for the presidency in the coming months, has sought to undermine Trump’s handling of COVID-19 and lockdowns during 2020. 

“You take a crisis situation like Covid, the good thing about it is that when you’re an elected executive, you have to make all kinds of decisions, you’ve got to steer that ship,” DeSantis said in January. “And the good thing is that people are able to render a judgment on that: whether they re-elect you or not.” 

But Democrats say they will win any argument that compares Biden’s tenure to Trump’s. Biden, they say, helped bring the nation back from a deadly pandemic and an economy that was quickly tanking as a result. 

They also tout the record job growth under Biden and highlight his legislative wins.

“If Republicans overall election strategy is to compare the Trump presidency to Biden, then who am I to stop them from handing Democrats the White House for another four years?” said Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau.

Wisconsinites will have the final say Tuesday in a consequential state Supreme Court election that will determine the high court’s ideological makeup and its expected decisions on key issues such as abortion and redistricting.

Though the judicial election is technically nonpartisan, voters must decide between Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz – identified as a liberal candidate – and former state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly – a conservative candidate.

Protasiewicz and Kelly were the two top vote-getters in last month’s primary, which was the first leg of the race to fill the open seat vacated by conservative Justice Patience Roggensack.

The race has become one of the most expensive and closely watched contests in the country, as the court could weigh in on the state’s 1849 abortion ban, redistricting, and possible future election result disputes.

Here are five things to know about the Wisconsin Supreme Court race ahead of next Tuesday:

It's a battle between a liberal candidate and a conservative

Protasiewicz and Kelly are advancing to the April 4 election to determine who will replace Roggensack on the high court. 

The race is understood to be nonpartisan in name only. Protasiewicz has been outspoken on several issues, including her support for abortion rights, and notably called the state’s legislative maps “rigged.” She’s also received support from Democratic names and groups like Hillary Clinton, NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation and Emily’s List.

Kelly has been less clear during the race about how he’d rule on some issues like abortion, though he has been backed by several prominent anti-abortion groups in the state. The Associated Press reported Kelly has done some work for Wisconsin Right to Life, though the group has said he was not on their payroll. Past clients of his have also included the state GOP. 

Both candidates used their first and only debate last week to suggest they would be fair and impartial judges. Kelly said he’s made no commitments to abortion opponent groups that have supported him, particularly regarding the 1849 law that would criminalize abortion with few exceptions.

Protasiewicz has said she’d recuse herself from cases relating to the state Democratic Party.

Abortion, redistricting loom over the race

A lawsuit that could determine abortion rights in Wisconsin for years to come is expected to make its way up to the state Supreme Court following Tuesday’s election.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) filed a lawsuit last June to block the state’s 173-year-old ban on abortion, arguing the 1849 law conflicts with modern abortion legislation. The ban, which offers very limited exceptions for the medical procedure, was triggered after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to access abortion.

Kelly has received endorsements from groups opposed to abortion rights, such as Wisconsin Right to Life; while Protasiewicz has received the backing from proponents of abortion rights including Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.

Experts also believe that legal challenges to Wisconsin’s legislative maps could be brought to the state Supreme Court if Protasiewicz wins the election. Protasiewicz has previously denounced the state maps. saying in a debate, “I don’t think anybody thinks those maps are fair. Anybody.”

Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who chairs the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has also backed Protasiewicz and will be campaigning for her ahead of the election, according to NBC News. The Republican State Leadership Committee’s  (RSLC) judicial arm, the Justice Fairness Initiative, also spent six figures on an ad buy for Kelly.

Another test on attitudes toward crime

While there’s been plenty of focus on abortion and redistricting in the race, Kelly’s campaign and outside GOP groups are looking to garner voter turnout by campaigning on crime. One ad launched by Kelly’s campaign includes several law enforcement officers backing the former Supreme Court justice and targeting Protasiewicz on her record of criminal sentencing as a judge.

Another ad, launched by WMC Issues Mobilization Council, accuses Protasiewicz of giving lenient sentencing to a criminal defendant accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. 

The Milwaukee County circuit judge defended her record on criminal sentencing during the pair’s only debate, arguing “I have sentenced thousands of people. And it’s interesting that a handful of cases have been cherry-picked and selected and twisted, and insufficient facts have been provided to the electorate.”

Money is pouring into the race

Millions of dollars are being spent in the race, with Protasiewicz’s campaign vastly out fundraising that of Kelly’s.

Campaign filing reports published on Monday found Kelly’s campaign had raised roughly $2.2 million between Feb. 7 and March 20, while Protasiewicz’s campaign had raised close to $12.4 million in that same time frame. One analysis of the race by WisPolitics.com published on Wednesday suggests that spending in the race is approaching close to $45 million when spending from outside groups are factored in.

The sheer amount of money being spent in the race underscores Wisconsin’s status as among a handful of pivotal battleground states for both Democrats and Republicans. Party control has remained divided within the state, though Republicans enjoy a legislative edge. Wisconsin has a Democratic governor, and both parties in the Senate.

The state also has a GOP-dominated state legislature, and Wisconsin’s congressional delegation in the House has a 6-2 Republican majority.

National spotlight on Wisconsin race

While state judicial races tend to receive more attention at the local or state level, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race has dominated the national spotlight.

Former President Obama has encouraged Wisconsinites to head to the polls, and Hillary Clinton has notably endorsed Protasiewicz. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has donated $20,000 to Protasiewicz’s campaign, according to campaign documents filed on Monday. Leonard Leo, the co-chairman and former executive vice president of the Federalist Society, has donated $20,000 to Kelly’s campaign. 

While the state Supreme Court elections could have implications for issues like abortion and redistricting, the high court could also hear potential lawsuits challenging the 2024 presidential election results. In 2020, the Wisconsin Supreme Court narrowly upheld President Biden’s win in Wisconsin and rejected legal challenges from former President Trump to contest the results.