Impact2020: June 5, 2020
In your Impact2020 briefing for Friday, June 5, we look at a unique issue that could cost Joe Biden in Florida, the latest in the Republican National Convention saga, and Gov. Roy Cooper’s standing ahead of his reelection fight in North Carolina.
On the Ground
What could cost Biden in Florida
Puerto Ricans in Florida are facing a difficult choice, the Miami Herald’s Bianca Padró Ocasio and Alex Daugherty report: “Vote for a candidate who has failed to come out strongly in favor of statehood. Or vote for President Donald Trump, who they view as hostile to the whole idea. The only other option: stay home.”
Puerto Rico will hold a statehood vote in November, but the effort has received little support from Joe Biden.
“If [Biden] is really interested, then he should talk more about our issues,” said Cassandra Santiago, who is among the estimated 50,000 Puerto Ricans who became Florida residents after Hurricane Maria. They are a sought-after demographic for both parties in 2020.
She added, “If he talked about it, it would be the kind of thing that would make me think like, ‘Wow, so I do want to vote for Biden.’”
The Biden campaign is trying to address the concerns, including the planned release of a policy proposal on issues the island is facing. But it likely won’t include any changes to his position on status, according to Puerto Rico Sen. Carmelo Rios, who co-chairs Biden’s campaign on the island.
The Herald notes that “Biden has said that he believes in self determination for the island, a position that many Puerto Ricans in Florida see as an attempt to avoid weighing in on a divisive topic.”
Not giving up on the convention
North Carolina Republicans are making another play to keep the GOP convention in Charlotte by filing a bill to require capacity attendance at all events, report Tim Funk and Brian Murphy for the Charlotte Observer.
And on Thursday, the Charlotte host committee sent a letter to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, offering to host a meeting “as soon as possible” to try to keep the convention in Charlotte, write Funk and Murphy. The committee acknowledged health concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also said the convention would bring “a substantial and much needed economic boost” to the city’s travel and tourism industry.
Meanwhile, Republicans are beginning to scout other locations to hold the celebration of Trump’s renomination, but they aren’t necessarily finding enthusiasm from local leaders.
Party officials toured Nashville on Thursday, but Mayor John Cooper said there’s no money to bring the convention to the city, the Nashville Tennessean’s Duane W. Gang and Natalie Allison report.
At another potential location, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office made clear they’re not seeking the convention, Jeff Adelson writes for NOLA.com.
And in Texas, Tarrant County Republicans are drafting a letter to send to Trump offering potential sites, writes Anna M. Tinsley for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. But in Dallas, “officials haven’t heard a thing. Nor are they laying out a welcome mat, unlike some of the competition,” reports the Dallas Morning News’ Todd J. Gillman.
Cooper still leads
He may be drawing criticism from Republicans for not allowing a full convention in Charlotte and for his approach to re-opening the state amid the coronavirus, but Cooper still holds a considerable lead over Republican challenger Dan Forest in the North Carolina governor’s race.
Brian Murphy reports for the Charlotte Observer that “Cooper has consistently led Forest by double figures in polling.”
Credit: Ethan Hyman, News & Observer
In fact, a new Public Policy Polling survey showed Cooper leading Forest 50% to 39%. And a Civitas poll found Cooper leading 49% to 37%. Additionally, the poll showed Cooper’s job approval at 63%, slightly down from a previous poll.
Specifically on reopening, the Civitas poll “also found that 51% said they believe Cooper’s reopening of the state was about right. About a quarter (26%) said it was too slow and 19% said it was too fast,” Murphy notes.
Listen Up
More protests over George Floyd’s death and police violence are planned this weekend, including one that’s expected to be the largest yet in Washington, D.C. More here from McClatchy’s Michael Wilner and Tara Copp how the White House and Pentagon are responding.
On the latest episode of the Beyond the Bubble podcast, McClatchy’s Alex Roarty spoke with two journalists who have been covering the protests on the ground: Joe Bustos of The State and Carl Juste of the Miami Herald. Download it on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts.
Trail Mix
Election disruption
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill that will make all registered voters eligible to vote by mail in the August and November elections. But a majority of voters will need to have their ballot notarized under the new law, Crystal Thomas reports for the Kansas City Star.
A Nashville judge ruled that Tennessee must give any registered voter the option to cast a ballot by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic, Brett Kelman reports for the Nashville Tennessean.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed legislation placing conditions on her plan to automatically restore voting rights to some of the state’s felons, Ian Richardson and Stephen Gruber-Miller report for the Des Moines Register.
Republicans in Tarrant County, Texas, opposed any expansion of mail in ballots in court because of the coronavirus, Anna M. Tinsley reports for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
With Trump set to appear at a July 3 Mount Rushmore fireworks display, organizers have scrapped plans to mandate social distancing and limit the crowd size, the Sioux Falls, S.D., AP reports.
Battle for Congress
Current Colorado Democratic Senate candidate and former Gov. John Hickenlooper was held in contempt by the state’s ethics commission after refusing to comply with a subpoena and testify about his alleged violations of a state gift ban, the Denver Post’s Justin Wingerter reports.
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she was “struggling” whether to support Trump in the election, leading the president to commit to campaign against her when she’s up for reelection in 2022, Michelle Theriault Boots writes for the Anchorage Daily News.
Battleground state watch
“Republican leaders in five Texas counties shared racist Facebook posts, some of which also floated conspiracy theories, leading Gov. Greg Abbott to call for two of them to resign,” Patrick Svitek reports for the Texas Tribune.
Meanwhile, calls to remove a Confederate marker from a Tarrant County, Texas, courthouse are growing in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Anna M. Tinsley notes for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Number of the Day
11%
That’s how much that Trump’s favorability rating slipped among white Catholics in a month, from 48% to 37%, according to a new national PRRI poll.
For planning purposes
June 6
Virgin Islands holds its Democratic caucus
Biden addresses the Texas Democratic Party convention
June 9
Georgia and West Virginia hold primaries
June 11
Trump holds private fundraiser in Dallas
June 23
Kentucky and New York hold primaries
Today in the Rose Garden...
Trump’s speculation on what George Floyd would think came during a press conference on the economy that was full of bizarre moments. See the entire event here.
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This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 12:02 PM.