Elections news - August 22, 2020

Man, soon we're going to be out of primaries to cover, and more in today's ELECTIONS NEWS:

PRIMARY RESULTS

Yet more primaries the past two weeks.  Results of note:

• MN-05: "The Squad" made a clean sweep of the primaries, as Rep Ilhan Omar held on easily against a well-funded challenger.
• GA-14: QAnon-er Marjorie Taylor Greene won her runoff, and is a prohibitive favorite in the general.  The GOP could have chosen to crush her, but did not, so MTG will now take the coveted Super Awful seat being vacated by Steve King.
• FL-15: The eighth House incumbent to fall in the primary this year is Rep Ross Spano (R).  Spano, like Steve Watkins was a freshman plagued by legal/ethical issues.
• A charming set of super downballot wins in Vermont, where the position of High Bailiff - heretofore basically a sinecure - is to be used as a platform for criminal justice reform.
• Four progressive pickups in the MN legislature, two against pretty awful centrists (the other two were more local issue-driven).
• Alachua County, FL (Gainesville) Sherriff Darnell - who's been a foe of reform and openly backed Rick Scott  in 2018 - fell to reformer Watson.
• In a pleasant GOP primary surprise, Clay County, FL Sheriff Daniels - scandal-plagued and who also planned armed vigilantes to assault BLM protestors - was turfed out.
• Progressive Monique Worrell won for state attorney in Orange & Osceola Counties (basically, Orlando and suburbs).
• Really bad incumbents - like homophobic and anti-Semitic - lost to progressives in Florida HD-88 and HD-14.
• Staunch lock 'em up Broward County, FL DA retiring after 44(!) years; lukewarm reformer to replace him.
• WA-10: There was some worry Dems might get locked out of the general here - top two primaries can be weird - but that was avoided, as the GOP were the locked out ones.
• WA LG: Dems also locked down both slots in the lieutenant governor race.  This one is of more interest than usual, as gov Inslee is seen as quite likely to be named to a position in a putative Biden administration.

HOUSE

• MA-01: There's this whole possible scandal involving Alex Morse, the progressive challenger to conserva-Dem Rep Neal.  Maybe he acted in a sexually inappropriate way towards students, or maybe it's hugely blown out of proportion by people who are maybe even working for Neal?  It's pretty unclear, but at this point, the majority of progressive organizations are continuing to back Morse.  The race may be tight.
• TX-23: After going to runoff, and then a lengthy recount, Tony Gonzales is at last named as GOP nominee.  Of course, his Dem opponent won outright months ago, which certainly won't hurt.
• AK-AL: Could this finally be the year where Dems take down Rep Don Young?
• Cook now predicting ($) Dems net 0-10 seats in the House.

SENATE

• AZ: OHPI poll has Dem Kelly up 48-43 on GOP incumbent McSally. [Lean D]
• GA(A): SurveyUSA poll has GOP incumbent Perdue up 44-41 on Dem Ossoff.  [Tossup]
• GA(B): SurveyUSA poll has: GOP incumbent Loeffler 26, GOPer Collins 17, Dem Warnock 17, Dem Leiberman 13. [Lean R]
• IA: PPP poll has Dem Greenfield up 48-45 on GOP incumbent Ernst.[Tossup]
• KS: SurveyUSA poll has GOPer Marshall up 46-44 on Dem Bollier. [Lean R]
• ME: PPP poll has Dem Gideon up 49-44 on GOP incumbent Collins. [Tossup]
• NC: PPP poll has Dem Cunningham up 48-44 on GOP incumbent Tillis. [Tossup]
• MA: The Dem primary got hotter than ever as Rep Kennedy got a somewhat surprise endorsement from House Speaker Pelosi.  Polling has been mixed, with Sen Markey mostly having a narrow lead.
• SC: Cook moves race to Leans R.  Dem Harrison is still not particularly likely to beat Lindsay Graham, but this one is feeling a bit tighter than expected.

STATES & LOCAL

• NC Rep David Lewis (R) was forced to resign from the House in the wake of charges over tax evasion.  Lewis was the architect of NC's notorious Congressional gerrymander, and will not be missed.
• In a development the Kansas Democratic Party did not particularly need, a 19 year old primaried out an incumbent...and then turned out to have done a number of rather nasty things in his younger days (revenge porn, for one).  Dems are trying push him to drop out and are mounting a write-in campaign for the incumbent in the general.