Does money pay off in the race to take on Brown?: The contentious primary for one of this year’s most consequential Senate races is just over a week away. In Ohio, businessperson Bernie Moreno, state Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose are vying for the Republican nomination to face Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Moreno was boosted by an endorsement from Trump, and has the backing of Sen. J.D. Vance, state Attorney General Dave Yost and Reps. Jim Jordan, Warren Davidson and Max Miller (his son-in-law). But Dolan has pulled some notable support of his own, most recently former Sen. Rob Portman. It’s already a high-dollar contest, with Republicans pouring in $28 million on ads just from the beginning of the year through the primary, according to ad tracker AdImpact. Dolan has spent heavily on the airwaves, with $6 million coming from his campaign and more than $5 million from a super PAC supporting him. But he is also facing a barrage of attacks from the Club for Growth, which is backing Moreno. Moreno and Dolan have loaned themselves $4.2 million and $9 million, respectively. Can a far-right challenger oust an incumbent in Illinois?: Republican Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois’ ruby-red 12th Congressional District faces a challenge from the right next Tuesday from Darren Bailey, a former state legislator. During his 2022 primary bid for governor, Democrats boosted Bailey because they saw him as less electable in the general election. He won the nomination, but ended up losing by more than 10 points to Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. Both Bost and Bailey are fiercely loyal to Trump, who backed both of them during their 2022 bids. But Bost was the one to claim the Trump endorsement this time around — an asset he hopes can neutralize Bailey’s attacks that he’s a “D.C. insider.” Bost, a member of the pragmatic Republican Main Street Partnership, is just one of a handful of Republicans in safe seats who are enduring challenges from conservative opponents. The winner of the primary faces an easy path to victory in the general election. And if it’s Bailey, he would be one of the new members who inch the conference to the right. How will the Israel-Hamas war impact The Squad?: The first electoral challenge for The Squad is happening at the end of next month in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, held by first-term Rep. Summer Lee. (Rep. Greg Casar of Texas was uncontested in his primary last week, and the rest of The Squad’s primaries are later this year.) Lee, who has been outspoken about her support for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war and called for a permanent cease-fire, will compete in a primary against Edgewood Borough Council Member Bhavini Patel. Patel has needled Lee for these positions. Lee has been in hot water among some members of the Jewish community over her comments about the Israel-Hamas war, with a group of Pittsburgh-area religious leaders calling them “divisive.” She recently canceled a planned appearance with a Muslim group after she received intense backlash because other scheduled speakers have made antisemitic and homophobic comments. The district, which includes Pittsburgh, has a prominent Jewish population. Who will prevail in Alabama’s new district?: Democrats are eager to flip Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, a newly drawn seat that increases Black voters’ influence and is a likely pickup for the party in November. But they have to sort out their nominee first. Shomari Figures, a former deputy chief of staff to Attorney General Merrick Garland, and state House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels will compete head-to-head in an April 16 runoff. Figures earned around 44 percent of the vote last week — more than 20 points ahead of Daniels — but couldn’t clear the majority threshold to avoid a runoff. During the primary, Figures benefited from more than $1.7 million from Protect Progress, a pro-crypto super PAC that boosted him. Republicans will have a runoff too, between former state Sen. Dick Brewbaker and attorney Caroleene Dobson. Is Menendez running?: Scandal-ridden Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez hasn’t said if he’s running for reelection. But he hasn’t competed in any of the county conventions — which have primarily turned into battles between Rep. Andy Kim and first lady Tammy Murphy — and has posted meager fundraising numbers. While he has made it clear he doesn’t plan to resign amid his mounting legal troubles, he has evaded the reelection question. But he won’t be able to avoid it much longer: The state’s filing deadline is March 25. Menendez has not made any efforts to collect signatures to get on the ballot, the New Jersey Globe reported, although he could make a last-second decision to do so. Happy Monday. Reach us at mfernandez@politico.com/@madfernandez616 and lukenye@politico.com/@Lawrence_Ukenye. Days until the Mississippi primaries: 1 Days until the Illinois and Ohio primaries: 8 Days until the Pennsylvania primaries: 43 Days until the Republican National Convention: 125 Days until the Democratic National Convention: 161 Days until the 2024 election: 239
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment