Impact2020: April 20, 2020
Welcome to your Impact2020 briefing for Monday, April 20. This is McClatchyDC Politics Editor Adam Wollner filing in for Meta Viers. So obviously this means we’re going to talk about Wisconsin. In addition, we examine Joe Biden’s new focus as he prepares for the general election and the tightrope elected officials must walk amid the pandemic.
On the Ground
The WOW factor
Ever since Donald Trump’s election in 2016, suburbs around the country have been slipping away from the GOP. And the critical “WOW” counties in Wisconsin — traditionally one of the most reliably Republican areas in the country — are no exception.
The suburban Milwaukee counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington are still solidly Republican. But as the state’s political expert Craig Gilbert writes in a deep dive for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, they’re not what they used to be.
The results in this month’s state Supreme Court race, where the Democrat-backed candidate scored a surprise victory, underscored that this part of the state is no longer delivering overwhelming margins for the GOP.
“These declines can’t be written off as just the by-product of one spring election,” Gilbert notes. “The drop in the conservative margin in all three counties was bigger than it was statewide. And it echoes a recent trend in partisan races.”
So, what does this mean for the fall? Gilbert writes that the gap isn’t necessarily bad for Trump “as long as his gains in exurbs, small towns and the countryside outweigh his slippage in cities and suburbs. …”
“But Trump’s demonstrated weakness among suburban voters — especially women — represents one clear vulnerability for him this November as he and … Joe Biden compete in one of 2020’s top battleground states.”
Shifting gears
As for Biden, he is subtly readjusting his campaign message as he transitions to the general election, McClatchy’s Alex Roarty reports.
The former vice president often cast himself during the Democratic primary as someone who could return the country to normalcy after a chaotic Trump presidency. Now, Biden is emphasizing how he can deliver sweeping change if elected.
Roarty writes that “although top Biden officials acknowledge the new rhetorical focus will help win over the progressive diehards who supported Bernie Sanders in the short term, they insist it’s a message they will continue preaching through the fall — especially during the fallout of a coronavirus pandemic they say is highlighting the deep inequities many Americans face.”
Where’s the line?
The Miami Herald’s David Smiley identifies a unique dilemma for elected officials in Florida and across the country during the COVID-19 crisis: where do you draw the line between public service and political campaigning?
On one hand, officials’ primary responsibilities during a time of social distancing and financial uncertainty include providing public information and assistance to the public. On the other hand, those same conditions are halting traditional campaigning in an election year.
“Ethics experts say the line between public office and political campaigning has always been blurry,” Smiley writes. “But the question of politicking in a pandemic presents a whole new challenge for candidates.”
Trail Mix
Swing state watch
Even after the state’s election mess earlier this month, Wisconsin GOP legislative leaders still aren’t showing an appetite for making changes to the voting system, Riley Vetterkind reports for the Wisconsin State Journal.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Julia Terruso looks at how third parties are approaching the 2020 election in Pennsylvania.
Election disruption
“Nevada Democrats and three national party-aligned organizations have filed a lawsuit against the secretary of state’s office … over alleged inequities for the planned all-mail June primary election,” the Nevada Independent’s Riley Snyder reports.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said there’s “no reason” to postpone the state’s June 9 primaries, Lucas Daprile writes for The State.
Biden won Wyoming’s Democratic nominating contest with 72% of the vote, earning him 10 delegates, Nick Reynolds writes for the Casper Star-Tribune.
Church and state
A district judge issued a temporary restraining order against part of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order that limited church gatherings to 10 or fewer people, the Wichita Eagle’s Michael Stavola reports.
Veepstakes
Kamala Harris said she “would be honored” to be Biden’s running mate, Joe Garofoli and Tal Kopan write for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Patrick Condon sizes up Amy Klobuchar’s chances to be Biden’s VP in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Listen Up
For more on the veepstakes, make sure to check out the latest episode of the Beyond the Bubble podcast. Download it on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts
Number of the Day
60%
In a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Biden leads Trump 60% to 10% among voters who have a negative opinion of both candidates. In 2016, Trump won that group against Hillary Clinton.
For Planning Purposes
April 28
Ohio primary (almost entirely by mail)
May 2
Kansas primary (done by mail)
‘How will the transition … to digital affect your panhandling?’
Former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe explains how the art of begging donors for cash has changed amid the pandemic on CBS’ “Tooning Out the News.”
Wait, there’s more
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