Impact2020: August 19, 2020
Guess what? We’ve hit the middle of the Democratic National Convention. In this Impact2020 briefing, we take a look at how the party is pitching Joe Biden’s candidacy thus far and how that could change in the next two days. Plus, we have the latest on Donald Trump’s swing-state tour and wrap up Florida’s high-turnout primary.
On the Ground
Policy takes a backseat at DNC
We’re now halfway through the Democratic national convention and we’ve seen a lot, but McClatchy’s David Catanese tells us what we haven’t seen: “extensive talk of what’s exactly to come” if Joe Biden is elected.
This convention, Democrats are leaning into “the anxiety of a nation reeling from a pandemic and summoning the urgency required to defeat President Donald Trump” rather than policy, Catanese writes. He notes that it’s in line with “Biden’s preference for using shared values and empathy over policy prescriptions as political motivators.”
Maria Cardona, a Democratic National Committee member, said “it was absolutely intentional” that the core of most speeches mentioned dire consequences if Biden is not elected. “We’ve seen so many polls lately that have Joe Biden up by 12 to 15 points. That can lead to complacency, that can leave people thinking … there’s no way [Trump] can get re-elected. No, there is a way,” Cardona added.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a Biden campaign co-chair, said Democrats often “overthink,” which leads to division. “This time we’re making it very clear and we’re united,” he said. “This is two people with hearts and experience against a president that has neither. Keep it simple stupid.”
Credit: Carolyn Kaster, AP
So what can we expect for the rest of the convention? Catanese reports that those familiar with the planning said the proceedings “would naturally turn towards making a more affirmative case for the Democratic ticket” when running mate Kamala Harris speaks tonight. And Thursday night will “spend a significant slice of time showcasing Biden’s life story.”
Coming up: The Beyond the Bubble podcast team will have a NEW episode on Friday wrapping up the Democratic convention. Download: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts
Trump brings border talk to Arizona
Trump made a trip to Arizona on Tuesday as part of his plan to “distract attention from the Democratic convention.” The Arizona Republic’s Ronald J. Hansen, Daniel Gonzalez and Rafael Carranza write that Trump “told hundreds of supporters in Yuma he had kept key promises to build a border wall, cut taxes and protect Americans from foreign criminals and invaders” in a 45-minute speech.
He also warned against a “radical and beyond socialism” Democratic agenda of stripping away gun rights and reopening the nation’s borders, the Republic reports. “The Biden-Harris plan is a step-by-step recipe for abolishing America’s borders,” Trump said.
Trump also received an update on construction of the border wall in Yuma, telling reporters he plans to charge a toll for people entering the U.S. from Mexico. And he mentioned the coronavirus pandemic in the context of praise for Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.
Trump will continue his swing state tour with a visit to Pennsylvania tomorrow.
Mail voting leads to high turnout in Florida
Mail ballots fueled high turnout in Florida’s primary, with more than 3.8 million voters participating in Tuesday’s election, the Miami Herald’s David Smiley reports. It’s the highest rate for an August primary during a presidential election year in the state since 1992.
Of the more than 900,000 ballots cast in South Florida, more than two-thirds were by mail. Smiley writes that the increased participation generated expectations of a high-turnout contest between Biden and Trump in November. “And if Florida is expected to once again be a key electoral battlefield, mail ballots — one of Trump’s most controversial foils this year — will almost certainly play an unprecedented role.”
Florida Democrats cast more than 1.1 million mail ballots before Tuesday’s election, compared to 766,000 for the Republicans.
Many Republicans showed up to the polls in person heeding Trump’s warning about mail ballots. One voter, Miguel Gil, said he received a mail-in ballot, but added, “I don’t trust the post office right now. I feel it will get lost or manipulated.”
Trail Mix
Battle for Congress
Former Navy pilot Scott Franklin defeated Rep. Ross Spano in the GOP primary in Florida’s 15th congressional district, the AP’s Brandon Farrington writes. Spano, who is facing ethics investigations, becomes the eighth House member to lose renomination this year.
Laura Loomer, a “far-right … provocateur whose hate speech got her banned from social media,” won the Republican primary in Florida’s safely Democratic 21st district, earning praise from Trump, Terry Spencer reports for the AP.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez won the GOP primary in Florida’s 26th district and will face Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Alex Daugherty writes for the Miami Herald.
In the South Carolina Senate race, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham launched a new ad attacking Democrat Jaime Harrison’s career as a lobbyist in Washington, The State’s Joseph Bustos reports.
Election disruption
The Wisconsin Elections Commission recommended keeping Kanye West off the state’s presidential ballot because his campaign did not file his paperwork on time, Daniel Bice reports for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The Trump campaign is suing New Jersey over its plan to send mail ballots to every registered voter this fall, accusing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of a “brazen power grab,” Jonathan Salant reports for NJ.com.
Missouri Republicans plan to appeal a judge’s ruling rewriting a redistricting ballot measure, the Kansas City Star’s Jason Hancock reports.
Convention watch
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only Democrat serving in statewide office in the battleground state, was among the 17 speakers who delivered Tuesday night’s keynote convention address, the Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas writes.
Brian Murphy has more for the Charlotte Observer on local activist Cozzie Watkins, who spoke for North Carolina during the Democratic convention’s virtual roll call.
Number of the Day
55%
That’s how many Americans who say the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is yet to come, according to a new CNN poll.
What an Intro
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert took the convention even farther out of Milwaukee and put it in the Marvel Universe for this intro to his monologue about the Democratic convention.
For Planning Purposes
Aug. 19
Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren address the DNC
Pence visits Darien, Wis.
Aug. 20
Joe Biden delivers his speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination
Trump visits Scranton, Pa.
Aug. 24-27
The Republican National Convention takes place
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This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 1:30 PM.