Impact2020: April 24, 2020

Welcome to your Impact2020 briefing for Friday, April 24. Republicans are anxious about their crowded Kansas Senate primary field, Amy Klobuchar’s VP prospects are facing headwinds, and Democrats are trying to make their campaigns more efficient.

On the Ground

Primary concerns

Republicans are growing increasingly concerned that a crowded and drawn-out primary battle could cost them a Senate seat in Kansas.

The Kansas City Star’s Bryan Lowry reports that Kansas GOP Chairman Mike Kuckelman has asked two candidates in the race, state Senate President Susan Wagle and former Johnson County Commissioner Dave Lindstrom, to drop out, citing poor fundraising and polling data.

Kuckelman wrote in letters to the candidates: “I ask that you put the good of the Party — as well as the good of our state and country — ahead of all personal interests. If that is indeed your first priority, it is clear that the best course is to end your campaign. It is time to allow our Party to coalesce behind a candidate who will not only win, but will help Republicans down the ballot this November.”

Credit: KS GOP Chairman Mike Kuckelman/Facebook

Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Rep. Roger Marshall are the other two Republicans running to replace retiring GOP Sen. Pat Roberts. National Democrats believe a Kobach nomination could create an opening for state Sen. Barbara Bollier, despite the electorate’s conservative bent.

Veepstakes watch

Amy Klobuchar is seen as a leading contender to be Joe Biden’s running mate, but she is facing increasingly vocal opposition from black and progressive activists who fear she won’t excite the party’s base.

McClatchy’s David Catanese writes that the Minnesota senator’s “moderate political profile, midwestern roots and timely endorsement of the former vice president ahead of his string of Super Tuesday primary victories” have placed her on Biden’s VP shortlist. “But to her most ardent critics, the elevation of Klobuchar would amount to a stinging snub of two of the Democratic Party’s most vital constituencies: liberals and women of color.”

“It would be a mistake to assume that black voters are just so excited about Joe Biden that he could pick anyone and still maintain that enthusiasm,” said author Tiffany D. Cross. “He can’t.”

You can get the latest 2020 presidential campaign news from David Catanese via text. Impact2020 subscribers, sign up here.

Voter data upgrade

The Democratic National Committee is making a system-wide change to its central hub of voter information, hoping it will allow their campaigns to be more efficient at contacting and persuading voters in the November elections, McClatchy’s Alex Roarty reports.

“DNC officials say that in years past, its voter file ... has been plagued by wrong or partial information. When voters moved, for example, their relocation would create a new file in the system but not erase the old one, causing headaches for campaigns in need of up-to-date information.

But a new algorithm seeks out, identifies, and merges the duplicate files. “The new National Record Linkage system will affect about one-fifth of the total voter file, or about 60 million individual records,” reports Roarty.

DNC officials hope that “the new algorithm will help the campaigns for de-facto presidential nominee Joe Biden and down-ballot candidates avoid time-consuming mistakes like reaching out to voters who have moved to a different location. And in the case of voters who have just moved, it will help make sure a campaign has a complete list of the issues and concerns that motivates them.”

Trail Mix

Election disruption

• “Biden is calling on Congress to provide enough money for every state to allow voters to cast a ballot by mail this November,” the AP’s Bill Barrow reports.

• Ohio’s secretary of state is warning that slower-than-expected mail delivery could upend the state’s ongoing primary election, Rick Rouan writes for the Columbus Dispatch.

• North Dakota’s June 9 will be conducted entirely by mail, Jake Wright reports for the Dickinson Press.

• Wisconsin health officials said 19 voters and poll workers in April’s election tested positive for COVID-19, Riley Vetterkind notes for the Wisconsin State Journal.

Swing state watch

• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended the state’s stay-at-home order until May 15, but allowed some businesses to reopen, Kathleen Gray and Todd Spangler report for the Detroit Free Press.

• Thousands of people are expected to protest Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ stay-at-home order at the state Capitol, marking the third such demonstration in the state in less than a week, Molly Beck and Bill Glauber write for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Battle for Congress

• Shay Stautz, a leading Republican to take on Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick in Arizona’s 2nd district, dropped out of the race, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez reports for the Arizona Republic.

Convention watch

• DNC chairman Tom Perez said he expects to hold an “in-person convention” in Milwaukee, but didn’t rule out that portions of the event may have to be conducted virtually, the AP’s Bill Barrow reports.

Ready for download

Remember Francesca Chambers’ report that black leaders were upset with the White House’s lack of engagement on the coronavirus pandemic?

Well, the latest episode of the Beyond the Bubble podcast dives further into that issue, while also examining whether Biden has a problem with young voters of color. Download it from: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts There’s a clip available on YouTube now.

Number of the Day

49%

That’s how many Latino voters said they would vote for Biden in November, according to a new poll conducted by Latino Decisions. Another 10% said they were leaning towards the former vice president. By comparison, Barack Obama won 71% of Latino voters in 2012, and Hillary Clinton won 66% in 2016.

For planning purposes

April 28

Ohio primary (conducted almost entirely by mail)

May 2

Kansas primary (conducted by mail)

Available for pre-sale

Need something to put next to your Dr. Anthony Fauci bobblehead? You can pre-order one of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. From the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum: “We received a lot of requests to make a bobblehead of Governor DeWine and other Governors who have been instrumental in the continued fight against COVID-19…” Can’t wait to see which other governors get the bobblehead treatment.

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