Impact2020: April 28, 2020
Welcome to your Impact2020 briefing for Tuesday, April 28. President Donald Trump is losing ground in Florida, elections in Ohio and Maryland (mostly) wrap up today, and the latest debate over holding the GOP convention in North Carolina.
On the Ground
Lasting damage?
President Donald Trump’s popularity is diminishing in the must-win swing state of Florida, David Smiley and Francesca Chambers report for the Miami Herald.
They write that recent polls “have found Trump falling behind … Joe Biden and struggling to win the trust of voters in his home state. Surveys also suggest Trump is losing ground with senior citizens — a conservative-leaning demographic that is most vulnerable to the severest symptoms of COVID-19.”
Credit: Alex Brandon/AP
Trump has been unable to hold campaign rallies and Mar-a-Lago fundraisers due to the coronavirus outbreak. And his “performance during the pandemic could do lasting damage.”
“Trump has had this incredible ability to make people forget his craziness on a day-to-day basis. But this one is too big,” said Florida Democratic strategist Ben Pollara. “People are still going to be wearing masks in November.”
Waiting game
Ohio and Maryland are conducting elections today almost entirely by mail, serving as test cases for other upcoming contests across the country.
In Ohio, ballots must have been postmarked by Monday and arrive by May 8 or be dropped off at a county elections board by today to count for the state’s presidential primary and other local contests. So we won’t know the final results for several weeks, Amber Roberson of the Coshocton Tribune notes.
For those who are submitting their ballots in person, Ohio voting advocates are raising concerns about long lines forming at a limited number of polling locations amid the pandemic, Rick Rouan reports for the Columbus Dispatch.
Meanwhile, voters in Maryland’s 7th congressional district will be voting primarily by mail to replace the late Rep. Elijah Cummings. Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Barker has more on the “unusual” election there.
Convention caution
Planning for the Republican National Convention is still moving forward despite growing skepticism from local officials the event can occur as scheduled amid the coronavirus crisis.
Following a “contentious debate” the Charlotte City Council voted 6-5 to accept a $50 million security grant tied to hosting the GOP convention late August, Alison Kuznitz reports for the Charlotte Observer.
“We need to stop this charade right now,” City Council member Braxton Winston said. “We should not tell our city staff or CMPD to plan for something that we know is not going to happen. And for democracy’s sake, we all need to come together to figure out how to make a virtual convention work.”
Kuznitz notes that “the region isn’t expected to see a possible COVID-19 peak until late June, when local hospital systems could experience the greatest strain on resources.”
Trail Mix
Election disruption
Lawrence Mower previews the trial over Amendment 4, which granted voting rights to more than 1 million felons in Florida, for the Miami Herald.
South Carolina elections officials want to know whether voters can request an absentee ballot because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Joseph Bustos reports for The State.
Four Democratic groups “filed to intervene and defend the Nevada secretary of state’s office against a lawsuit filed by a conservative-leaning vote monitoring group challenging the state’s planned all-mail primary election in June,” Riley Snyder writes for the Nevada Independent.
“Pennsylvania’s absentee ballot deadline must be extended during the coronavirus emergency or some voters will be unconstitutionally disenfranchised, a group of nonpartisan advocacy groups said in a lawsuit.” The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Lai has more.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is moving its state convention in June to an all-virtual format, WisPolitics reports.
“Kansas Democrats have already more than tripled their turnout from the 2016 presidential caucus after switching to an all-mail May 2 party primary this year,” scoops Bryan Lowry for the Kansas City Star.
Battle for Congress
The Fresno Bee’s Kate Irby explores how Rep. Devin Nunes of California taps into outrage to raise millions for his campaign.
Kansas and Missouri are staring at massive budget holes due to the coronavirus, but their congressional representatives aren’t eager about the idea of bailing out the states. Bryan Lowry and Jonathan Shorman explain the situation in the Kansas City Star.
Number of the Day
6%
Biden leads Trump 44% to 38% in a new national USA Today/Suffolk University poll. Trump was up by three points in their December survey.
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“All in” on Joe Biden
Credit: Michael Zorn/Invision/AP, File
Howard Stern had enough when a listener called in to the Sirius XM show to defend Trump’s disinfectant remarks as “sarcastic.” Troy L. Smith of Cleveland.com summarized the explosive event, which revealed that Stern is pulling for the former vice president.
For planning purposes
April 28
Biden holds a virtual town hall with Hillary Clinton on the impact of COVID-19 on women
Ohio primary (conducted mostly by mail)
Maryland 7th congressional special election (mostly by mail)
May 2
Kansas primary (conducted by mail)
May 12
Nebraska primary
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This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 12:03 PM.