The impact of the Chris Christie vacuum

Who will Christie supporters vote for?

Hours after Gov. Chris Christie dropped out of the GOP primary, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis took the debate stage in Des Moines. While Christie had not qualified for the debate, his absence meant even fewer opportunities to remind voters of some harsh truths: Namely, that Donald Trump is on the verge of locking down the GOP nomination.

Christie could still have an impact, mainly in New Hampshire. A good portion of his voters appear inclined to support Haley. As she continues to narrow the gap with Trump, that could make a difference. (Christie hasn’t formally endorsed her, adding a bit of a wrinkle.)

But once New Hampshire passes, his support is unlikely to help Haley. In some states it might even hurt her, given how unpopular Christie currently is with the Trump base. So yes, his voice will be missed. But his endorsement, or lack thereof, is unlikely to have much of an impact after January.

What’s next for the Biden campaign

President Joe Biden is ramping up his case against Trump. And two powerful back-to-back speeches were met with collective sighs of relief from many corners of the Democratic Party.

What’s behind the shift? I know from working on three presidential campaigns that there is always a lot happening behind the scenes. This week, I spent an afternoon with senior members of the Biden-Harris campaign team and walked away with two big takeaways.

One, Trump’s record is going to continue to be a focus. As campaign communications director Michael Tyler told me, “they have the receipts” and they are planning to use them. This includes a plan to “drive social media conversation about crazy, ridiculous, extreme things that Republicans are saying in real time.”

And two, they are focused on meeting people where they are. This is an old communications term that reflects the importance of evolving how you reach people. Their plan is to rely on early and ambitious paid media investments, on targeted and more traditional media. They also plan to use social media as an organizing and communications tool. According to deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty: “A significant amount of the conversation that happens online actually happens in private.”

Tune in on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET for more insights from inside the Biden campaign as its communications and digital teams gear up for the fight ahead. Long live Dark Brandon.

Some people you should know: The St. Paul City Council

In a historic first, St. Paul swore in its first all-woman city council earlier this week.

That makes St. Paul possibly the largest city in the United States to ever have an all-female city council, according to the Center for Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

All seven council members are under the age of 40 and six are women of color.

When members were sworn in earlier this week, incoming council President Mitra Jalali told the crowd, “A lot of people who were comfortable with majority male, majority white institutions in nearly 170 years of city history are suddenly sharply concerned about representation. … My thoughts and prayers are with them in this challenging time.”

It was a powerful and overdue moment. And hopefully just one of many such moments this year.

Jillian Frankel’s weekend routine

The Iowa caucuses are just a few days away, and our NBC News embeds are on the ground talking with voters and attending the final surge of candidate events. You can follow Jillian on X @JillianFrankel for her latest reporting from the Hawkeye State.

What show are you bingeing on right now?

I’m a few years late on this one, but finally watching and loving “30 Rock.” I’m happy to confirm it’s as funny as ever.

What’s the last book you read?

I binged Katy Tur’s memoir, “Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History” on a few flights over the last few months — such an incredible primer for covering presidential politics.

What time do you wake up on the weekends?

On weekends, I try to “sleep in” until 7 a.m. or so before packing up my gear and hitting the road to cover campaign events across Iowa. If I’m not working, I like to catch up on all of the articles I’ve missed during the week and sneak in a quick run before starting my day.

How do you take your coffee?

I should probably branch out a bit, but I typically drink iced coffee with a splash of milk. Easy enough to find wherever I go!

Jen Psaki

Jen Psaki is the host of “Inside with Jen Psaki” airing Sundays at 12 p.m. ET and Mondays at 8 p.m. EST. She is the former White House press secretary for President Joe Biden.  

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