Impact2020: July 24, 2020
In today’s Impact2020 briefing, we’re ending the week talking about Trump’s cancellation of the RNC in Florida, the underlying friction in the Biden campaign and why the former vice president is struggling with Latino voters even as he leads in most polls.
On the Ground
Cancellation ‘the right decision’
After mounting concerns about safety and security amid rising cases of novel coronavirus in Florida, President Trump on Thursday pulled the plug on the Jacksonville part of the Republican National Convention.
Trump told reporters at the White House, “We’re going to do some other things with tele-rallies and online the week that we’re discussing ... I’ll still do a convention speech in a different form. But we won’t do a big crowded convention per se, it’s just not the right time for that.”
As Jim Morrill and Francesca Chambers report for the Charlotte Observer and McClatchy, it does not appear that it’s going to “dramatically change what is planned for Charlotte.” The North Carolina city is still scheduled to hold the “business” part of the convention at the end of August with 336 of 2,500 delegates in town for the renomination of the president and vice president.
The reaction in Charlotte isn’t exactly celebratory as the city won’t reap the economic benefit of a full convention. Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs said, “I think the whole thing is a sorry saga. We always knew that the virus was really the problem. There was this political wrangling but we had a public health issue.”
As for Convention CEO Marcia Lee Kelly, she called Trump’s move “the right decision, as the health and safety of our team, our partners in Jacksonville, and the American people is paramount. I’m incredibly grateful for my team and staff who worked around the clock to plan this historic 5-star event, and we look forward to formally re-nominating President Trump.”
Trump will be in North Carolina again before August. On Monday, he will tour the facility of a biotech company and “talk about the push to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and accelerate manufacturing and distribution once it is developed,” reports Brian Murphy for the News & Observer.
Returning home
Vice President Mike Pence goes back to his home state Friday “to talk with higher education leaders about safely reopening schools amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic,” reports the Indianapolis Star’s Arika Herron. It’s a continuation of school reopening stops the vice president has been making recently.
In Indianapolis, he will meet with college and university leaders at Marian University. “It’s unclear what Pence’s message to higher education leaders will be or who all will be included in the conversation,” Herron notes.
What we do know is that the talk happens as Indiana’s colleges and universities are welcoming students back onto campuses. “Most of the state’s schools do have plans to resume in-person instruction, though many have amended their schedules to limit student travel and are developing robust protocols to test students for COVID-19,” Herron writes.
Joe Biden released a plan for reopening schools last week that called on Congress to pass a $30 billion emergency education package to support building upgrades and sanitation protocols before students returned for in-person instruction.
An inside look at the Biden campaign
McClatchy’s David Catanese interviewed 18 senior and junior Biden aides and Democratic officials, allies and donors in contact with the campaign to find out how the campaign pulled off a delicate transition of power in March “without much drama.”
Catanese describes how Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, a former President Barack Obama aide and Beto O’Rourke presidential campaign manager, was discreetly approached about becoming Biden’s campaign manager in January, but didn’t have a formal offer until March.
“This delicate transition of power in Bidenworld could have sparked internal warfare at a critical moment in the 2020 race. But unlike the factional infighting prevalent in the orbits of President Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Biden’s team pulled off the change without much drama — a feat emblematic of the former vice president’s campaign culture throughout the highs and lows of his journey from a former primary frontrunner on the brink of demise to a favorite over the incumbent roughly 100 days out from the general election,” writes Catanese.
While Biden seems to be doing well in the polls, there’s some friction. Catanese reports that “some Democrats still grumble that the campaign has lacked decisiveness under O’Malley Dillon on the execution of big-picture strategy and state-level staffing, which lagged for months into the summer, frustrating applicants, lower-level staffers and allies.”
Why is Biden underperforming with Hispanic voters?
In the new episode of McClatchy’s Beyond the Bubble, Alex Roarty, David Catanese, and Kristin Roberts discuss whether Democrats have reason to be worried about Biden’s lackluster support from Latinos as well as whether Trump’s disadvantage in the polls is as dire for the GOP as it seems.
Catch a clip here or download the full episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts
Trail Mix
Battleground state watch
Mike Pence travels to Miami on Monday to promote the Trump administration’s progress on efforts to bring a coronavirus vaccine to market, reports Miami Herald’s David Smiley.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jaime Harrison has called for a statewide mask mandate in public spaces in South Carolina, The State’s Joseph Bustos reports.
Once one of the country’s most popular governors, Florida’s Ron DeSantis suffered a 31-point drop in approval ratings in a Quinnipiac University poll over the last three months, reports Miami Herald’s David Smiley.
Battle for Congress
All four senators from Kansas and Missouri backed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will remove Confederate officers’ names from Army bases, reports Bryan Lowry for the Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle. By the way, thanks to all of those who messaged us about the dropped word in yesterday’s subject line. Kansas City (Missouri) is clearly not the same as Kansas.
David Lightman explains why California Rep. Tom McClintock opposed removing Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol for the Sacramento Bee.
Both of Missouri’s Republican senators support the Trump administration’s Operation Legend, but weren’t informed about the plan before it launched, reports Bryan Lowry for the Kansas City Star.
Sabato’s Crystal Ball latest projection has shifted South Carolina’s 2nd District Congressional race from “safe Republican” to “likely Republican.” The State’s Maayan Schechter breaks down what that might mean.
Number of the Day
11%
That’s the percentage gap between those who support Biden and those who support Trump in a statewide Fox News poll. The same poll found Biden leading Trump in Michigan and Minnesota.
Ok, then…
Sign spotted out in Alexandria, Va., and apparently available on Etsy (because what’s not anymore?)
Photo credit: Me
For Planning Purposes
July 24
Joe Biden holds virtual finance event
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar participates in virtual Biden campaign roundtable
Jill Biden holds virtual event in Texas
Pence visits Indianapolis, Ind.
July 25
Pence travels to Massachusetts and meets with Gov. Charlie Baker
July 27
Trump visits North Carolina
July 31
Trump holds a fundraiser in Tampa
August 1
Trump holds a fundraiser in Miami
August 4
Primaries in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington
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This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 12:13 PM.