2022 midterm election thread

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weatheriscool
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Trump pours money into a midterm race for the first time
Source: Politico
Former President Donald Trump’s political operation is plowing cash into Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary — his organization’s first major financial investment in a midterm race and an indication that he’s willing to dig into his massive war chest to defeat his foes.

Trump’s Save America PAC has transferred $500,000 to a super PAC devoted to defeating Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, whom the former president has targeted over his refusal to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. Those close to Trump’s political apparatus describe it as an initial cash infusion ahead of the May 24 primary, which pits Kemp against Trump-endorsed former Sen. David Perdue.

Trump is opening his account for another candidate for the first time since leaving the White House. The former president — who continues to capitalize on a deep well of small donor support — has stockpiled more than $110 million, making his committee one of the most well-funded organizations in politics. While Trump has cut small checks to favored candidates and spent money to stage rallies, he had yet to direct a sizable sum toward bolstering a particular contender.

The move underscores the importance — and urgency — of Georgia in Trump’s eyes. Kemp has a substantial polling lead over Perdue and has far outpaced his rival in fundraising, despite absorbing more than a year of attacks from the former president. Trump recruited Perdue into the primary and nudged out another candidate who threatened to cut into Perdue’s vote. The former president recently held a rally for Perdue, recorded a TV advertisement for him and hosted a fundraiser benefiting his campaign.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/1 ... e-00024987
weatheriscool
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Iowa Supreme Court: Finkenauer qualifies for Senate ballot
Source: AP
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that Democratic Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer qualifies for the primary ballot, rejecting a lower court decision and allowing her to continue her campaign for the nomination and the chance to face longtime Republican Sen. Charles Grassley.

The court’s decision leaves Finkenauer as the likely front-runner in a race with two lesser-known candidates ahead of Iowa’s June 7 primary. The winner will run against Grassley, who is seeking an eighth term in the Senate.

“This is a moment for all advocates for democracy — Democrats, Republicans and Independents — to celebrate the enduring strength of our democratic process and a reminder to never take it for granted,” Finkenauer said in a statement.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm ... SocialFlow
weatheriscool
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Trump-era EPA chief Scott Pruitt files to run for Senate in Oklahoma
Source: The Hill
Trump-era Environmental Protection Agency Chief Scott Pruitt will run to represent Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate.

Pruitt officially filed on Friday to run for the seat currently held by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). Inhofe announced earlier this year that he would not run for reelection.

It had been previously reported that Pruitt was considering a Senate bid.

Pruitt helmed the agency tasked with protecting the environment until resigning in 2018 amid several ethics controversies.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... li=BBnbcA1
weatheriscool
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Walker raises $5.5M in Georgia Senate race, trailing Warnock
Source: AP

By JEFF AMY

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Republican Herschel Walker said Friday that his U.S. Senate campaign had raised $5.5 million in the first three months of 2022, a big haul that is still dwarfed by the $13.6 million that Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock raised in the same period.

A former football star, Walker is the GOP front-runner, but faces five other Republicans in the May 24 primary. A June 21 runoff, if necessary, would settle the Republican nomination.

Georgia will be a key battleground in the 2022 midterm elections to determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Republicans had long dominated statewide races until Georgia helped elect Joe Biden to the presidency and enabled Democrats to control the Senate by electing Warnock and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff in a January 2021 runoff.

Walker has raised $14.6 million since announcing his run. Campaign spokesperson Mallory Blount said Walker had close to $7.4 million in cash.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm ... e136d71e2b
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caltrek
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Redistricting Mess Forces Ohio to Split Primary, Delay Legislative Races
by Kevin Koeninger
April 15, 2022

https://www.courthousenews.com/redistri ... ive-races/

Introduction:
(Courthouse News) Arguably the most important race in the 2022 (Ohio) primary is the battle for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, which includes author J.D. Vance, former state treasurer Josh Mandel, former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken and businessman Mike Gibbons.

While Timken has a wealth of experience as a party operative, Vance and Mandel have garnered the most attention, at least in part because of their brash behavior and willingness to provide critics with provocative quotes.

…In a recent debate, Mandel and Gibbons, who had a slim lead in February polling, were involved in a face-to-face altercation during a disagreement over stock trades, which prompted Mandel to tell his counterpart, “two tours in Iraq, don’t tell me I haven’t worked.” Gibbons’ campaign called Mandel “unhinged” after the debate and accused him of lying about Gibbons’ investment record as a tactic to make up ground in the primary.

Vance is also no stranger to controversy, and has used the financial backing of venture capitalist billionaire Peter Thiel to put himself in the thick of the Republican primary. He touts himself as a “conservative outsider,” and has been endorsed by several far-right politicians, including U.S. Senator Josh Hawley and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, as well as conservative activist and radio host Charlie Kirk.

…The Democratic Party has rallied behind Congressman Tim Ryan, whose working class roots and center-left politics make him a formidable threat in an increasingly conservative Ohio.
The article also discusses problems in settling on a redistricting map for Ohio. A situation which will apparently result in primary voting on two separate days, with state legislative races to be voted upon separately from the U.S. Senate race.
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weatheriscool
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Utah Democrats back independent Evan McMullin for U.S. Senate in a historic vote
Source: Salt Lake Tribune

Murray • In an extraordinary move on Saturday, Utah Democrats voted to back independent candidate Evan McMullin over Democrat Kael Weston to challenge the winner of the Republican primary later this year.

At the Utah Democratic Convention at Cottonwood High School in Murray, McMullin received 782 of the delegate’s votes, nearly 57%, to Weston’s 594 votes, according to preliminary results.

It’s an unprecedented measure for Utah’s Democrats, who grappled between party loyalty or backing an outsider to increase the likelihood of defeating a Republican in November. The Democrats were motivated by the prospect of unseating Sen. Mike Lee, who is running for his third term this year, and won the support of Republican around 75% of delegates at his party’s convention.

Lee still needs to defeat challengers Ally Isom and Becky Edwards in his June primary to face McMullin in the general election.

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/20 ... emocratic/
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caltrek
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Two Top Idaho Officials Driving Heated Race for Governor
by Carson McCullough
April 22, 2022

https://www.courthousenews.com/two-top- ... -governor/

Extract:
BOISE, Idaho (Courthouse News) — The last several years of American politics have seen no small share of unconventional contests. But the current gubernatorial race in Idaho may be shaping up to be one of the wildest yet.

Positioned as the front-runner is Governor Brad Little, seeking reelection for the first time after winning the job in 2018. Little has enjoyed a long career in Idaho politics, serving in the state Senate for nearly 10 years before being elected to two terms as Idaho’s lieutenant governor under Governor Butch Otter.

But despite Little’s history with the lieutenant gig, it is that job’s current occupant that has challenged his reelection. Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, also a Republican (and endorsed by former President Donald Trump last year), is making a bid for the top job after a strained relationship with the governor has commanded most of her time in office.
….
While polling data for the governor’s race is scant, surveys that have been done certainly indicate Little is the one to beat. A poll released by the Idaho Dispatch at the top of the year reported that nearly 60% of Idaho voters say they plan to back Little. McGeachin trailed in a distant second with just 18% support, and no other candidate managed to crack double-digits.

While the Democratic Party nominated former Idaho representative Paulette Jordan for the governor’s race four years ago that saw her rake in more than 231,000 votes — the most a Democratic candidate for governor has ever received in the state, but still shy of the 361,000 earned by Little — no competitive Democratic candidate has emerged this cycle.
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caltrek
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Greg Abbott’s Enhanced Border Inspections Cost Texas $4.2 Billion In Economic Losses
by Alex Henderson
April 27, 2022

https://www.alternet.org/2022/04/greg-a ... es-report/

Introduction:
(Alternet) Democratic former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who is running against Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas’ 2022 gubernatorial race, has been lambasting his political opponent for imposing enhanced inspections on commercial trucks entering Texas from Mexico.

Abbott’s recent political stunt, O’Rourke stresses on the campaign trial, was terrible for Texas’ economy — and economic consulting firm the Perryman Group is now saying that Texas suffered losses of $4.2 billion in gross product.

Abbott’s enhanced inspections made it much more difficult for commercial truck drivers entering Texas from Mexico to deliver fresh produce and other goods. Long delays resulted in fresh produce going bad. And the inspections temporarily caused the closing of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, which links Pharr, Texas with Reynosa, Mexico in the state of Tamaulipas.

Abbott’s political theatrics, according to Perryman, not only affected the Texas economy, but the U.S. economy in general. Texas isn’t necessarily the final destination for Mexican goods that enter the U.S. via the Lone Star State, and those trucks often make their way to the Midwest and other parts of the U.S. to deliver a variety of fruits and vegetables.

The economic losses, Perryman reports, will be difficult or “impossible” to make up.

caltrek's comment:...and the Republicans are slated to make gains in 2022 and 2024 because the Democrats are being blamed for our economic problems?
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caltrek
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Why Republicans are Favored to Win the Senate — and How Democrats Could Stop Them
by Andrew Porkop
April 26, 2022

https://www.vox.com/23030164/senate-202 ... tlegrounds

Introduction:
(Vox) Democrats’ control of the 50-50 Senate could well be washed away by a red wave in this fall’s midterm elections.

Republicans appear favored to win back the Senate for two simple reasons. First, the national environment has moved in their favor. Biden’s approval rating is low. The GOP has improved in generic ballot polls and won the governor’s seat in Virginia last November.

Second, the Senate is already split 50-50, so a net gain of even just one seat for Republicans would flip the chamber into their hands.

However, Democrats do still have a way to hold on. The main thing they have going for them is a decent map — they aren’t defending any seats in states Trump won in 2020, while Republicans are defending two states Biden narrowly won. If Democrats manage to hold their losses to a minimum, or make up for them by defeating Republicans elsewhere, they could keep Senate control. But if the national environment keeps looking so dire for the party and the president, that would be a tall order.

Most analysts expect Democrats to lose the House. Losing the Senate would be an even more painful blow. Senate control would give Republicans veto power over Biden’s appointees — new Cabinet secretaries and subcabinet officials, as well as judges, including even a future Supreme Court justice should a vacancy unexpectedly arise. A GOP takeover would dramatically constrain the next two years of Biden’s presidency, and set progressives up for even more disappointment in this administration than they’ve already faced.
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Re: 2022 midterm election thread

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Today is a disastrous day for Democrats' 2022 chances

Updated 1644 GMT (0044 HKT) April 28, 2022

The news that the US economy unexpectedly shrank over the first quarter of the year is an absolute body blow to Democrats already reeling amid growing economic concerns ahead of the 2022 midterm election.

The country's gross domestic product fell at an annualized rate of 1.4% between January and March -- a stunning reversal from the 6.9% GDP growth that the US recorded in the final quarter of 2021. (The GDP is seen as a broad guide to the overall health of a nation's economy.)

And in a decidedly ill omen, the GDP shrinkage was the worst performance of the measure since the economy went into recession amid the shutting down of the country in the spring of 2020.

Addressing recession fears on Thursday, President Joe Biden said: "Well, I'm not concerned about recession. I mean, you're always concerned about recession, but the GDP, you know, fell to 1.4%."

The GDP news comes on the heels of newly released polling data from Gallup that suggested that economy confidence is extremely low among the American public.
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