Oblique Bloom County references and more in today's ELECTIONS NEWS:
HOUSE
- CA-25: 538 preview of the special for Katie Hill's seat. | Also, there had been thought that Trump bagman George Papadopolous wouldn't follow through with his threatened run, but he announced it on Fox, so it's presumably at least semi-serious.
- NJ-02: Freshman conserva-Dem Van Drew is facing pushback from local Dems over his opposition to impeachment, and could be looking at a serious primary challenge if he votes No.
- MD-07: Family dynamics getting ugly as the children of late Rep Cummings have endorsed his aide, rather than their step-mother.
SENATE
- GA (B): The cold war between Trump and gov Kemp over who will be appointed to the Isaakson seat is getting hot. Trump wants spear-carrier Rep Doug Collins, while Kemp wants a not-white guy candidate, with an eye towards countering GA's leftward drift. After a tense White House meeting, Kemp hasn't budged and plans to name financial services exec Kelly Loeffler. In response, Congressional Trump-bot Matt Gaetz has called for Kemp to be primaried, and Collins has publicly threatened to run in the special election in 2020.
- AR: Democrats will not be able to field a candidate to oppose Sen Cotton. The state party says they weren't able to find a way under Arkansas law to replace their initial candidate, who dropped out after the filing deadline. Disappointing, although Cotton would have been safe regardless.
- TX: Local Dems concerned that the current field isn't getting any traction against Sen Cornyn.
STATES
- MO: DGA-sponsored poll from PPP has GOP incumbent Parson up 45-36 over possible Dem nom Galloway.
- TX: Texas Democrats have gotten their hands on the TX GOP's 2020 campaign strategy. Interestingly, the GOP-led elimination of straight-ticket voting is seen as a major vulnerability.
- 538 look at possible trifectas coming out of 2020.
ODDS & ENDS
- A US district court found that the MI GOP's effort to block the state independent redistricting commission was unlikely to succeed and denied an immediate restraining order.
- In a move that's become depressingly typical, the GOP-controlled legislature is moving to strip powers from incoming Dem governor Beshear.
- Dems have a reasonable shot at flipping the PA House next year.
- $15 minimum wage initiative to appear on the FL ballot in 2020, which could potentially goose Dem turnout.
- OK initiative to expand Medicaid also appears to have qualified for the ballot.
- TX Dems suing the state to add more campus voting locations.
Huh. That DMN article doesn't go into details about how the GOP playbook got leaked. Guess the Deep State has infiltrated... the Texas Republican Party?
Posted by: tivalasvegas | 11/29/2019 at 11:49 PM
Yeah, unclear. Although you'd be surprised how often people leave briefing books and the like at coffee shops.
Posted by: Gaius Sempronius Gracchus | 11/29/2019 at 11:58 PM