Impact2020: April 2, 2020

Welcome to your Impact2020 briefing for Thursday, April 2. Joe Biden might have to take a page out of Bernie Sanders’ playbook, the Democratic convention gets delayed, and Michigan’s governor and the president put their feud on pause (sort of).

On the Ground

Sanders to the rescue?

Bernie Sanders just may be the answer to Joe Biden’s Latino voter problem, McClatchy’s David Catanese reports. Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign was successful at engaging Latino voters, a group that’s projected to be the largest nonwhite voting bloc in the general election.

Hispanic leaders say they think if Biden mirrors “Sanders’ strategy by pouring exponentially more resources into outreach, hiring more Hispanic advisers as decision-makers, and clearly articulating how policy proposals will specifically impact their communities” soon, then he will have a greater chance of winning over those voters in November.

Catanese has more on how the Biden team plans to focus on Latino outreach for the general election.

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The latest delay

The Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee “has been pushed back to mid-August as organizers try to navigate the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic,” Bill Glauber reports for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“The event, originally scheduled for July 13-17, will instead be held the week of August 17. It’s unclear how many days the convention will be held as planning remains in flux.”

Biden told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” that he believed the convention would need to be postponed until August.

The Democratic gathering will now take place one week before the Republican convention in Charlotte. GOP leaders have not signaled they will make any changes to the four-day event.

Trump vs. Whitmer, cont.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is continuing to raise her national profile amid the coronavirus crisis. Whitmer, who has faced backlash from President Donald Trump and is on Biden’s VP shortlist, has been making the rounds on national TV programs, including “The Daily Show” Wednesday night.

“I don’t think any of us has energy to deal with politics right now,” Whitmer said during her appearance, donning a “That woman from Michigan” t-shirt.

Melissa Nann Burke of The Detroit News explained the back story behind the shirt: “Whitmer’s allies attacked Trump as misogynistic and childish after he referred to her as ‘the woman from Michigan’ — which Whitmer supporter Amanda Burden of Farmington Hills is plastering on T-shirts.”

Trump and Whitmer have still tried to work together, Burke reports. “The tensions deescalated this week after the pair spoke by phone Tuesday about getting badly needed medical supplies and resources to health care workers in the hard-hit state, where confirmed cases topped 9,300 Wednesday and 337 have died.”

Trail Mix

Election disruption

• A federal judge slammed Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and state lawmakers “for ignoring their responsibilities by not postponing next week’s election because of the coronavirus pandemic,” Patrick Marley reports for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

• Gov. Brian Kemp said “he lacks the power to delay Georgia’s May 19 primary even as he announced he would issue a statewide shelter-in-place order amid the coronavirus pandemic,” Mark Niesse and Greg Bluestein write for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

• A handful of Texas towns and special districts are forging ahead with their May 2 elections because Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency proclamation suspending parts of the state’s election code didn’t apply to some special elections, Alexa Ura reports for The Texas Tribune. The state constitution says the contests must be held within 120 days after a vacancy occurs.

• Maryland’s legislative leaders are asking Gov. Larry Hogan to explore an in-person voting option for June 2 primary, Emily Opilo and Pamela Wood write for the Baltimore Sun.

• North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger opposes some of the state board of elections’ recommendations to make it easier to vote by mail, saying he’s concerned that loosening laws could create problems similar to the 9th congressional district mail ballot scandal in 2018, Steve Harrison reports for WFAE.

• Nearly 8 million postcards detailing how to request a ballot will soon arrive in Ohio voters’ mailboxes ahead of the April 28 primary election, Cleveland.com’s Andrew J. Tobias notes.

Hello, April

• Trump voted for the first time in Palm Beach County, Fla., Anthony Man reports for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He cast a ballot by mail ahead of the state’s March 17 primary.

• Rep. Devin Nunes called California’s decision to close schools “way overkill” and said he wants people to return to work over the next “week to two weeks,” Kate Irby reports for the Fresno Bee. He made the comments the same day Trump praised California’s efforts to contain the new coronavirus.

Coming up...

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Number of the Day

86 percent

The number of Wisconsin voters who said it was appropriate to close schools and businesses, and restrict public gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest Marquette Law School poll.

For Planning Purposes

April 7

Wisconsin primary

April 10

Alaska primary (done by mail)

April 17

Wyoming primary (done by mail)

April 26

Puerto Rico primary

April 28

Ohio primary (done by mail)

Well, that was awkward

Whoopi Goldberg asked Sanders a blunt question about his candidacy on The View on Wednesday, and it’s still trending. Talk about #HotTopics!

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This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Impact2020: April 2, 2020."