Impact2020: May 7, 2020
Welcome to your Impact2020 briefing for Thursday, May 7. Two of Joe Biden’s potential running mates are making moves, Kansas congressional races see a flood of out-of-state money, and the latest on the stock sale controversy in North Carolina.
On the Ground
The veepstakes heats up
Two black women who are seen as leading contenders to be Joe Biden’s running mate are stepping into the spotlight this week.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein writes that former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams is “trying to shore up one of her biggest perceived weaknesses — foreign policy.”
Abrams published an article in a trade journal laying out her foreign policy vision, and she has an upcoming book that focuses on the global threat of authoritarianism. “It’s the latest phase of Abrams’ extraordinarily candid effort to persuade Biden to select her for the No. 2 spot, flipping the script of potential running mates who usually sidestep public talk of a promotion while working behind the scenes to do just that,” Bluestein reports.
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite, AP
Meanwhile, Rep. Val Demings of Florida isn’t being as coy as she once was about her interest in the position. She told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that she “would be honored to serve alongside Joe Biden and do everything in my power to get this country back on track.”
The Orlando Sentinel’s Mark Skoneki and Steven Lemongello note that when reports first surfaced about Demings as a possible pick, she would only say she was “humbled” by the possibility.
Money: It’s not just from Kansas anymore
Democrat Barbara Bollier and Republican Kris Kobach, two of the top contenders for Kansas’ open Senate seat, are getting the bulk of their campaign cash from out-of-state donors, Bryan Lowry reports for the Kansas City Star.
Bollier raised $1.6 million from donors who live outside Kansas through the end of March, about 64% of her contributions from individuals. Meanwhile, Kobach raised nearly $300,000 from out-of-state contributors, which accounted for 69% of his total haul.
The state’s two freshman House members, Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and Republican Rep. Steve Watkins, are also seeing out-of-state money flowing in as they defend their seats.
Davids raised $1.1 million, or 64% of her total, from out of state. Watkins received $360,000, or 69%, from outside the state, while his two challengers collected more than 80% from Kansas donors.
More on the high-stakes Senate and House races here.
A coincidence?
More stock drama in North Carolina: “Sen. Richard Burr was not the only member of his family to sell off a significant portion of his stock holdings in February, ahead of the market crash spurred by coronavirus fears. On the same day Burr sold, his brother-in-law also dumped tens of thousands of dollars worth of shares,” ProPublica’s Robert Faturechi and Derek Willis report in a story published in the Raleigh News & Observer.
Gerald Fauth, who is also an appointee of President Donald Trump on the National Mediation Board, “sold between $97,000 and $280,000 worth of shares in six companies — including several that have been hit particularly hard in the market swoon and economic downturn.”
Burr’s lawyer responded: “Senator Burr participated in the stock market based on public information and he did not coordinate his decision to trade on February 13 with Mr. Fauth.”
Trail Mix
Battleground state watch
The Denver Post’s Conrad Swanson obtained an audio recording of Colorado Republican Party Chair and U.S. Rep. Ken Buck pressuring a local party official to submit incorrect election results to set the primary ballot for a state Senate seat.
A Florida judge signaled he’d rule in favor of the 17 felons who sued the state arguing the state legislature’s voting bill was unconstitutional. But as Lawrence Mower writes for the Tampa Bay Times: “The legal battle over the law is far from settled.”
Ahead of its August county primary, Miami-Dade, Fla., is sending more than 500,000 mail-in ballot requests as a way to reduce the number of voters heading to the polls, reports Miami Herald’s Douglas Hanks.
“Gun control advocates are gearing up to make Texas their top political battleground in November,” Patrick Svitek writes for the Texas Tribune.
Malachi Barrett recaps Jill Biden’s virtual events with Michigan voters for MLive.com.
Convention watch
Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez said organizers are still planning an in-person convention in Milwaukee, Bill Glauber reports for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Number of the Day
32%
In a new Monmouth University national poll, 37% of voters said they thought Tara Reade’s allegation against Biden was “probably true”. But Biden still won 32% of their votes, compared to 59% for Trump.
Want more? Get ready to download a new episode of the Beyond the Bubble podcast later today on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts)
For planning purposes
May 7
Biden holds virtual events in Florida and a “Military Families for Biden” call
Trump meets with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the White House
May 12
Nebraska primary
May 19
Idaho and Oregon primaries
May 22
Hawaii primary
The weirdest beef ever?
Credit: Getty Images
Two Guns N’ Roses references for you this week. Axl Rose and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin traded words on Twitter. Joey Morona of Cleveland.com has a funny, quick take of what happened.
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