With help from Brakkton Booker, Ella Creamer, Rishika Dugyala and Teresa Wiltz

Hi, Recasters! The U.S. is reportedly brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas to exchange some hostages, New York City’s mayor blames the federal government’s handling of the migrant influx for the Big Apple’s planned budget cuts, and calls for expelling George Santos from Congress are growing louder. Today, we focus on a history-making mayor-elect in a small Indiana city.

Earlier this month, something unusual happened under-the-radar in Terre Haute, Indiana, population 58,335: After more than a dozen years of Republican control over its mayoralty, Democrat Brandon Sakbun, a 27-year-old political newcomer, was elected as the youngest mayor in the small city’s history.

That fact alone might warrant a footnote in the annals of Indiana politics if it weren’t for a) the background of its new mayor-elect, and b) the unique position Terre Haute’s county holds in national politics. (And clearly, it was a win that Vice President Kamala Harris noticed.)

In the last 130-plus years, Vigo County, home to Terre Haute, has cemented itself as a key bellwether county for the nation, voting for the winning presidential candidate in all elections but three, one of those being 2020. While Indiana as a whole has backed only a handful of Democratic presidential candidates in the last century, it has elected Democrats to Congress and the governorship on occasion, and Democrats have enjoyed moderate success in its cities.

Sakbun just unseated a four-term Republican mayor in the county’s largest population center by 20 percentage points, which could foretell opportunities for Democrats in the future.

“When you have a good conversation on the concept of economic development, public education, social mobility through giving folks a chance to chase their version of the American dream,” Sakbun, who was commissioned an Army Ranger officer, tells The Recast, “a lot more folks realize that they truly are Democratic in some of their principles.”

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Then there’s Sakbun himself. The son of Cambodian and Jamaican immigrants, he’ll be the first person of color to occupy his hometown’s mayoralty. With his family’s own American dream story and his growing up in the Terre Haute school system, Sakbun, who still serves in the National Guard, says he developed a belief in the power and duty of public service, and it’s been a throughline for him.

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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

THE RECAST: Tell me a little bit about why you chose to get into this race.

SAKBUN: For me, Terre Haute is a community that really impacted me in my formative years as a child. My parents are from Cambodia and Jamaica, and for an immigrant family to come and be accepted in a small, kind of up-and-coming Midwestern town, it was the American dream come true. So I’ve had a lot of influence throughout my entire life, decisions that led to me joining the military. A lot of that comes from the folks here in Terre Haute, Indiana. And I decided to join the race because I saw a huge need here in Terre Haute.

I saw declining populations, concerning poverty rates that continued to increase, a lot of [children] removed from homes. And just those jarring statistics made me ask the question of, “Can we do more? Can we be better as a community?”

THE RECAST: You were a Ranger, which isn’t easy. And in college, you did ROTC while doing schoolwork, running for student government and all your other extracurriculars. What fuels you?

SAKBUN: Part of it is my family [and] some of the experiences that they’ve been through. My father’s a genocide survivor. My mom is the youngest of 13 kids from rural Jamaica and seeing that tenacious drive that they had to fight, get to America, to fight to succeed in America, it is inspiring. Part of it is just throughout my entire life, I’ve always tried to chase serving others.

You know, Jesse, we’ve all got one shot, one life to have an impact. So in my eyes, I would rather spend my career trying to have a positive impact on the world.

THE RECAST: You’re about to be the youngest mayor Terre Haute’s ever had and the first person of color to serve in that office. What does that mean to you?

SAKBUN: I, at times, get frustrated with the conversation. “Well, this person’s the first.” To me, here in 2023, to still be having conversations [about] breaking barriers, only highlights how much further we need to go as a society.

THE RECAST: Indiana isn’t necessarily blue country and it honestly hasn’t really been purple country for some time now. And the incumbent you just unseated was a four-term Republican mayor. What do you think drove that win?

SAKBUN: When you look at Hoosiers across our state, when you have a good conversation on the concept of economic development, public education, social mobility through giving folks a chance to chase their version of the American dream … a lot more folks realize that they truly are Democratic in some of their principles.

And I think part of it is messaging. I knocked on 7,000 doors this election. There were many times when I had the conversation of, “Well, sir, well, ma’am, we can agree to disagree on a national issue right now, we truthfully can, but from a mayor’s perspective, are you satisfied with the current direction of the city of Terre Haute? Do you believe that it is time for change?” Winning in a predominantly conservative state starts with humility and having genuine conversations and saying, “We may agree to disagree, but what can we fundamentally agree on in terms of the direction of our city or state?” Politics has grown incredibly divisive, as you know.

I really look at this past election and the civility that my opponent Mayor Duke Bennett and I showed across the campaign trail as a model to what politics should be. We had some really good debates and at times we would agree to disagree, but we stayed away from the negativity that you see at the federal level with someone like the former president, Donald Trump and the current president, at times, Joe Biden, and this GOP primary we’re already starting to see.

THE RECAST: What do you make of the comparisons I’ve been seeing between you and Pete Buttigieg?

SAKBUN: You always want to be the first you. I mean, we have similarities. But find your own chapter in the American story. Find your own chapter within your community and focus on improving your community and those around you. That’s kind of how I take it. I do stay focused on what I can do for Terre Haute, what my story will be. Is it fun at times to have that national attention and comparisons? Yes, it is. But it’s not my focus.

THE RECAST: Do you see higher elected office in your future?

SAKBUN: No, not at this time. I’m really focused on Terre Haute, Indiana, and Vigo County and the community that raised me. What opportunities arise in the future? Perhaps.

SHOWDOWN IN THE GARDEN STATE

The Democratic race for New Jersey’s Senate seat will easily be one of the most intriguing contests of next year’s primary season.

Tammy Murphy, wife of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, officially entered the race last week with a well-produced video highlighting her tenure as first lady, during which she worked to drive down the state’s maternal mortality rate and reduce racial disparities associated with the issue.

And she’s rolled out a slew of key endorsements, locking in the majority of the New Jersey congressional delegation, including Democratic Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, both of whom are thought to have passed on a Senate bid to focus on the 2025 governor’s race.

Murphy will be facing off against Rep. Andy Kim, who was the first to announce he was seeking the office in September.

Both Kim and Murphy are chasing history. Murphy would be the first woman to represent New Jersey in the Senate, while Kim would be the state’s first Asian American to do so.

Part of the intrigue surrounding this race of course has to do with the embattled incumbent, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. He along with his wife are facing multiple federal corruption charges, including accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for helping the Egyptian government.

Oh, yes, let’s not forget, too, that Menendez — who maintains he’s done nothing wrong — has not said whether or not he’ll seek reelection.

But as our POLITICO colleagues Dustin Racioppi and Matt Friedman point out, Democrats in the state are desperate to move on from the scandal-plagued Menendez. Shortly after Murphy announced she was running, Democrats in Hudson County, once-considered the epicenter of Menendez’s power base, announced they were backing the first lady.

Kim, a three-term congressman, is casting himself as a soft-spoken outsider, but one who, unlike Murphy, has a legislative record to run on. He leads Murphy head-to-head in early polling.

According to one poll of likely voters, Kim tops Murphy 40 percent to 21 percent with about a third of respondents saying they were undecided. Just 5 percent said they were supporting Menendez.

Another poll by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers underscores how much work both Kim and Murphy have to do to boost their name recognition ahead of the June 2024 primary. Some 68 percent of registered voters in the state were unsure or had no opinion of Kim; 71 percent said the same of Murphy.

ICYMI @ POLITICO

Voting Rights Act Gutted? — A federal appeals court issued a decision Monday that could significantly weaken the enforcement of the landmark Voting Rights Act — and is likely headed to the Supreme Court. POLITICO’s Zach Montellaro reports the ruling bars citizens and advocacy organizations from bringing suits that challenge the legality of voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race.

“D.C. Has Abandoned As” — New York City Mayor Eric Adams continues to blame the feds for the worsening migrant crisis in the nation’s most populous city. POLITICO’s Jason Beeferman reports the mayor claims he’ll have to cut billions from city programs to help offset costs caused by the surge in migrants to the city.

WATCH: George Santos’ no good, very bad year: A timeline from POLITICO’s Renee Klahr here.

California’s Waning Clout — Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) is the latest House member to announce he is not seeking reelection. POLITICO’s Charlie Mahtesian reports the Cardenas retirement is emblematic of California’s diminished clout in Washington.

THE RECAST RECOMMENDS

Y?ko Ogawa’s new short story, “Beauty Contest,” (translated by Stephen Snyder) explores beauty, youth and grief with a dash of dark humor.

From Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company comes “Rustin,” a biopic focused on forgotten civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, the architect of the March on Washington.

PinkPantheress collabs with Central Cee on a nostalgic dance video, “Nice to meet you.”

“Bye Bye Barry” explores the extraordinary talent and sudden retirement of Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders.

Drake and J. Cole shake up the office and play table tennis, boxing, basketball and chess in “First Person Shooter.”

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