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| Axios Sneak Peek |
| By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Zachary Basu · Jul 06, 2022 |
| Welcome back to Sneak. Smart Brevity™ count: 970 words ... 3.5 minutes. ⚡ Situational awareness: The only abortion clinic in Mississippi officially shut down at the close of business, a day before the state's "trigger ban" is set to take effect. |
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| 1 big thing: DeSantis takes fight to school boards |
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| Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the so-called "Stop WOKE Act" to restrict how race is discussed in schools on April 22. Photo: Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images |
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| Florida's Ron DeSantis is blazing a controversial new trail for GOP governors — putting his muscle behind conservative school board candidates who align with his agenda, Axios' Stef Kight reports. Why it matters: School boards have become ground zero for political fights over COVID-19 restrictions, curricula involving racism and the rights of LGBTQ students and transgender athletes. DeSantis, who's running for re-election this year, is widely viewed as a rising force in the GOP and a 2024 presidential prospect. Driving the news: In a move described as "unprecedented," DeSantis last month announced endorsements of 10 candidates for school boards across Florida. Some advocates expect more before the Aug. 23 election. The big picture: Some other governors have waded into education-related contests — though none have matched DeSantis' engagement at the local level. - Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt endorsed his current head of public education Ryan Walters to be state superintendent. Walters, who heads to a primary runoff next month, advocates for removing critical race theory (CRT) from school curricula as a top priority.
- Virginia's Glenn Youngkin made so-called parental control in schools a core tenet of his winning campaign last year. As governor, he recently tried unsuccessfully to force early elections this year for all nine school board seats in Loudon County, which has been a hotbed for political wars over public school policies following a high-profile sexual assault case.
Screenshot from RonDeSantis.com Zoom in: Groups with largely conservative views, including The 1776 Project and Moms for Liberty, are also engaged in school board contests in Florida. - The 1776 Project, the first national PAC specifically launched to boost school board candidates opposed to CRT, plans to pour around $300,000 into races in Florida, the PAC's founder Ryan Girdusky told Axios.
- By comparison, the group has spent about two-thirds of that in Texas, New York and Georgia combined. It's considering engaging in some contests in California.
- Politico recently reported that dozens of committees with Florida GOP ties were putting money toward candidates who share DeSantis' views.
What we're watching: Candidates endorsed by DeSantis and described as "pro-parent" include: - April Carney, who decided to run for the Duval County school board after her kids struggled with school COVID policies. She has raised more than $74,000 already, while incumbent Elizabeth Anderson has raised over $75,000 — hefty sums for school board races.
- Fred Lowry in Volusia County, who promoted QAnon conspiracy theories and questioned the reality of the pandemic.
- Monica Colucci in Miami-Dade County, whose platform includes opposition to CRT and protecting "female athletes and the integrity of female sports."
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| 2. 💸 Dems eye state-level "baby bonds" |
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| Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios |
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| Democrats around the country are launching or discussing state-formed "baby bond" programs — government-backed funds created at birth for some young Americans to access after they turn 18, Axios' Sophia Cai reports. Why it matters: As President Biden's economic agenda stalls in Congress, some Democrats are turning to individual states to enact social policies to address the racial wealth gap and intergenerational poverty. What we're watching: Lawmakers in Connecticut and the District of Columbia have set up programs that place the initial capital in a broad range of asset classes, much like a pension plan. - In D.C., qualifying babies start with $500 and receive as much as $1,000 for each year their parents' income doesn't exceed three times the federal poverty threshold.
- In Connecticut, babies that qualify for the state's Medicaid program receive $3,200.
- Massachusetts has set up a task force to explore issuing baby bonds.
- Washington state and New Jersey have also considered proposals. A California bill would create a version of the program for children who have lost a parent to COVID-19.
What they're saying: "What's happening is really positive," Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who made federal baby bonds a core plank of his 2020 presidential campaign, told Axios. "I'm happy to see it taken to the laboratories of democracy." Share this story. |
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| 3. 📉 Charted: Split-ticket districts are disappearing |
 Data: Pew Research Center (1972-2012), UVA's Crystal Ball (2016, 2020); Note: Data includes districts that elected independent representatives. Because of missing data, 1984 figures exclude Ohio's 21 House districts and 1988 figures exclude Mississippi's 5 House districts; Chart: Simran Parwani/Axios The number of congressional districts that vote for a House representative and a presidential candidate from opposing parties plummeted from 190 in 1972 to 16 in 2020, according to data reviewed by Stef. At least four factors are likely to blame: - The shrinking number of elected Southern Democrats.
- Worsening polarization.
- The decline in competitive districts because of redistricting.
- The geographical clustering of like-minded populations.
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| A message from Axios |
| Business news worthy of your time |
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| Together, Axios Markets, Axios Macro, and Axios Closer decipher what the daily deluge of news, statistics, and analysis really means — and why it matters. Subscribe for free |
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| 4. 💰 Cornyn committee raises $9 million |
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| Photo: Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images |
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| Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) joint fundraising committee — formed at the start of the 2022 midterm election cycle — has raised $9 million for Senate Republican campaigns so far, Axios' Alayna Treene has learned. Why it matters: It's no secret Cornyn is eager to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as GOP leader. The formation of the Cornyn Victory Committee (CVC) has allowed the Texas senator to position himself as the potential future leader and shore up goodwill among his colleagues. - That task has become especially urgent for Cornyn in the wake of the internal GOP backlash he's faced for his handling of the bipartisan gun deal, which passed the Senate with 14 Republican votes.
- Cornyn was booed at the Texas GOP convention in the midst of the negotiations.
Keep reading. |
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| 5. 🇬🇧 Cover du jour |
| Courtesy of the BBC's "Tomorrow's Papers Today" If you thought U.S. politics was messy ... The British government is in full-fledged crisis mode after Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeatedly refused to resign today, despite suffering a record number of government resignations (at least 46, as of the sending of this newsletter). - With even his most loyal allies turning against him, it's only a matter of time before Johnson is forced out. But he won't go quietly.
Live updates. |
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| A message from Axios |
| Business news worthy of your time |
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| Together, Axios Markets, Axios Macro, and Axios Closer decipher what the daily deluge of news, statistics, and analysis really means — and why it matters. Subscribe for free |
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| 📬 Thanks for reading! Send us tips or feedback by hitting reply to this newsletter or emailing us at sneak@axios.com. |
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