Impact2020: June 19, 2020
In your Impact2020 briefing for Friday, June 19, we wrap up the week discussing President Trump’s rally in Tulsa and how the town is preparing, Kamala Harris’ history of trying to avoid controversy as pressure mounts for Joe Biden to pick her as his running mate, and whether a quartet of governors could help Biden in battleground states.
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On the Ground
Tulsa readies for Trump
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum issued an executive order imposing a curfew for the area surrounding BOK Center ahead of President Trump’s campaign rally on Saturday, reports Tulsa World. In his order he says he’s received information that “shows that individuals from organized groups who have been involved in destructive or violent behavior in other states are planning to travel to the City of Tulsa for purposes of causing unrest in and around the rally.”
Trump supporters who had been camping outside of the center for days were being moved out Thursday night, according to Tulsa World. Police said those who refuse to leave will be cited or arrested.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said that more than a million people requested tickets for the event and told Trump in Washington on Thursday that “Oklahoma is ready for your visit.”
He added, “It is going to be safe. We are really, really excited.” But health concerns remain. “Public health experts consider crowding 19,000 people into an arena very risky during a pandemic, and Trump supporters such as Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., are urging older people and those with underlying health conditions to stay home,” reports Tulsa World’s Randy Krehbiel.
Trump supporters won’t be the only ones in town. A three-day Juneteenth event starts today, and will feature civil rights leader Al Sharpton. And, “A Trump counterprotest is planned for Veterans Park on Saturday, and protesters are likely outside the BOK Center,” writes Krehbiel.
Avoiding controversy
David Lightman takes a closer look at how Kamala Harris, who is “at the top of every analyst’s list of possible vice presidential running mates” for Biden, has often avoided taking sides on such controversies as legalizing marijuana and police using deadly force.
Indeed, “Harris has been criticized widely by some Black and Latino activists for her tough-on-crime stands” but a different reason for concern for others was that “Harris had a reputation in California as a prosecutor and attorney general who waited rather than led, who moved on controversial issues only once she saw what was politically viable,” notes Lightman.
Credit: Paul Sancya, AP
And the latest political analysis from Sabato’s Crystal Ball listed among her weak points that she “sometimes tries to be all things to all people.”
Peace Officers Research Association of California President Brian Marvel, who praised Harris for her “open door” policy as attorney general, also raised the question, “Is she going to stand firm on her 2020 positions?”
A boost for Biden
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign hopes four Democratic governors with elevated approval ratings might give him an “important edge in battleground states that, collectively, would nearly guarantee him victory on Election Day,” reports McClatchy’s Alex Roarty.
Campaign officials say that they’ve already been in touch with Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Tony Evers of Wisconsin. Biden officials and Democratic strategists believe the governors will be key to “making a blunt case that Trump’s response to the pandemic has worsened public health and the economy — and contrasting it with their own actions… that so far have earned higher marks from the public.”
Republicans say it won’t help because “many voters ultimately don’t care what their governor thinks when it comes to the presidential race anyway.”
In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost Pennsylvania even though Wolf was already governor. And in 2012, Republican nominee Mitt Romney lost Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania even though each of those states had a Republican governor.
Or as Scott Walker, former GOP governor for Wisconsin put it, “...they really didn’t have an impact. It’s not unusual to have people vote for one party for statewide office and vote differently for the presidential race.”
Still, Democratic operatives say the governors’ overall name recognition is rising as well thanks to widely-watched daily news conferences and appearances that could give them “extra credibility on an issue that might be voters’ No. 1 concern when they vote in November.” And that could make future attacks against Trump’s handling of the coronavirus more potent.
Trail Mix
Election Disruption
Absentee ballots are going to all of New Jersey’s registered Republican and Democratic voters, reports Jonathan D. Salant for the NJ Advance Media.
Delaware’s House passed a bill to expand voting by mail for the rest of the 2020 election season. The bill now heads to the state Senate, reports WDEL’s Amy Cherry.
Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan “is launching a bid to be the state’s next governor, which if successful would make her the nation’s first African American woman to lead a state,” writes Alan Suderman for the Associated Press.
Battle for Congress
Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri blocked an effort by Senate Democrats to remove Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol, reports Bryan Lowry for the Kansas City Star.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida introduced the first bill in the U.S. Senate to compensate college athletes for their names, images and likenesses, Alex Daughtery reports for the Miami Herald.
Governor watch
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide mask order. The Sacramento Bee’s Sophia Ballog has more.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and other state officials are considering a similar order, report News & Observer’s Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, Steve Wiseman, Sophie Kasakove and Ben Sessoms.
Presidential campaign watch
Miami Herald’s David Smiley reports that Biden’s campaign is launching a bilingual ad blitz across battleground states that Trump won in 2016, marking the first time Spanish-language commercials for him will air in Florida.
Vice President Mike Pence will kick off his “Faith in America” tour in Waukesha County, Wisconsin on June 23, reports Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Evan Frank.
Convention update
CNN is reporting that Charlotte, N.C. is among a few cities being considered for “smaller gatherings” associated with the Democratic National Convention. If that happens, “Charlotte would become the first city with parts of both conventions,” reports Charlotte Observer’s Jim Morrill.
Protest fallout
Housing Secretary Ben Carson says that the White House has discussed a federal holiday marking “Juneteenth,” McClatchy’s Francesca Chambers reports.
South Carolina House Speaker Jay Lucas announced the creation of a new committee to address law enforcement procedures and tactics, civil asset forfeiture and sentencing reform, report Maayan Schechter and Emily Bohatch for The State.
Number of the Day
63
The percentage of Biden supporters in the latest Fox News poll who say that fear of Trump winning is behind their choice to vote for the former vice president.
For Planning Purposes
June 20
Trump holds a rally in Tulsa, Okla.
May fundraising reports are due to the Federal Election Commission
June 23
Kentucky and New York hold primaries
June 28
Pence travels to Dallas to visit First Baptist Church and participate in the Celebrate Freedom Rally
July 7
Delaware and New Jersey hold primaries
Not a voting line
It’s a line of people waiting outside for unemployment help in Kentucky. Gov. Andy Beshear has pledged to give more in-person help. Photo credit: Lexington-Herald Leader
Don’t forget
In the latest episode of the Beyond the Bubble podcast, the team discusses whether the allegations made in John Bolton’s book will matter in November, and why some liberal activists who think the party should select an African-American woman are ready to make an exception for Elizabeth Warren. Download it on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 12:35 PM.