The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, Carolyn Fiddler, and Matt Booker, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.
Leading Off
● NC-Sen, GA-Sen-B: A massive new scandal unfolded Thursday afternoon when the Center for Responsive Politics and ProPublica reported that Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina had sold as much as $1.72 million in stock holdings just before the markets tanked as the coronavirus pandemic worsened. Later that same evening, the Daily Beast reported that Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia had similarly liquidated her assets and even bought shares in a teleworking company that has seen its price tick up.
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At least three other senators, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, Oklahoma Republican Jim Inhofe, and Georgia Republican David Perdue, also recently sold stock in large quantities, but none of the sales appear timed to have taken advantage of any possible foreknowledge of the downturn.
Burr, however, as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, had been receiving intelligence briefings on the threat posed by the virus and had offered reassurance to the public, even saying on Feb. 7 that "the United States today is better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats, like the coronavirus."
But in private, as NPR separately reported earlier on Thursday, Burr was issuing dire alarms about the disease. "It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history," he told members of a high-priced North Carolina social club, according to a secret recording from Feb. 27. "It is probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic." He urged travelers to Europe to instead stay home and warned that school closures would be forthcoming—two weeks before the Trump administration or local officials took either step.
Burr, it appears, believed what he was telling wealthy donors rather than ordinary Americans: On Feb. 13, he sold a large portion of his stock portfolio in more than 30 separate transactions. That included hospitality companies like Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, whose share prices have since collapsed, saving Burr considerable sums.
After ProPublica's report came out, a Burr spokesperson's entire response was "lol." The next day, Burr did not deny that he had sold his assets because he feared the effects of the coronavirus but claimed he did so based "solely on public news reports." He also asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate his activities, but that request has done nothing to mitigate the intense political fallout.
While many public figures have called on Burr to resign, the most ominous remarks came from Burr's fellow home-state senator, Republican Thom Tillis, who issued a statement saying that Burr "owes North Carolinians an explanation" while pointedly emphasizing that his own "top priority is protecting the physical and economic health of every North Carolinian"—not making a buck off of widespread suffering. It's unusual in the extreme to see one Republican senator take another to task in this manner, but Tillis faces a difficult re-election battle this fall, and the last thing he wants is Burr tainting him.
Or maybe there's an even worse possibility for Tillis: Burr, who has already said he won't seek re-election in 2022, could be forced to resign, which would lead to a special election this fall for the final two years of his term. (Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper would appoint a replacement in the interim from a list of three names provided by the state Republican Party.) Simultaneous Senate races in swing-state North Carolina would fire up Democrats even further and put Tillis' own political survival deeper in jeopardy.
Loeffler, meanwhile, also received private briefings on the pandemic as a member of the Senate Health Committee, and she, too, put out statements downplaying the risks. Late last month, she tweeted, "Democrats have dangerously and intentionally misled the American people on #Coronavirus readiness," and she was still insisting on March 10, "The consumer is strong, the economy is strong, & jobs are growing, which puts us in the best economic position to tackle #COVID19 & keep Americans safe."
Ultimately, Loeffler sold stocks worth as much as $3.1 million in 30 different transactions between the end of January and mid-February, alongside just two purchases. One of those was for a technology company called Citrix, which makes software that allows users to remotely access computing resources and has seen its share price rise recently as more and more people have begun working from home.
Loeffler, who with her husband is worth at least $500 million and is the richest member of Congress, claimed that her investment decisions are made by "third-party advisors" without her knowledge. Since she's up for election in November, and since she hasn't pissed off Donald Trump in the way Burr has, Republican knives have largely remained in their sheaths. However, her ultra-conservative rival in this fall's all-party primary, Rep. Doug Collins, tweeted on Friday, "People are losing their jobs, their businesses, their retirements, and even their lives and Kelly Loeffler is profiting off their pain? I'm sickened just thinking about it."
But whether or not Republicans like Collins and Tillis keep exerting pressure on the likes of Loeffler and Burr, Democrats are certain to keep up the attacks as the pandemic rages.
Election Changes
● Indiana: Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb has postponed Indiana's presidential and downballot primary from May 5 to June 2.
● Mississippi: Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has postponed Mississippi's primary runoffs for downballot office from March 31 to June 23. The only race at the congressional level with such a runoff is in the GOP primary in the 2nd Congressional District, a safely blue seat held by Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson.
● North Carolina: North Carolina's Board of Elections has postponed the state's primary runoffs for downballot office from May 12 to June 23. The only race at the congressional level with such a runoff is in the GOP primary in the 11th Congressional District, an open Republican seat.
● Ohio: While the question of when or even if Ohio will conduct in-person voting for its presidential and downballot primaries remains unresolved, cleveland.com reports that officials are considering holding an all-mail election. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine says he is discussing the possibility with the legislature, which is set to reconvene this week.
● Oregon: Republican Secretary of State Bev Clarno says that Oregon's May 19 presidential and downballot primaries will proceed as planned. In a statement, Clarno explained, "Because Oregon votes by mail we do not have to be concerned about social distancing issues at polling places that so many other states are struggling with."
● Virginia: Democrats and Republicans in several congressional districts in Virginia are slated to pick nominees next month at conventions, rather than in June's primary, but those plans might change. The most notable districts holding conventions are the 5th and 7th, where Republicans are set to gather on April 25.
The 5th District GOP has posted a memo summarizing a recent call with the executive committee of the state Republican Party in which the local party has concluded it could reschedule its convention for some time between May 23 and June 6. The memo also adds that it's not permissible at this point to switch from nominating candidates at a convention to the state-run primary, which is on June 9. The website for the 7th District GOP doesn't contain any updates, but it's likely that the same guidance applies.
Senate
● AZ-Sen: While GOP Sen. Martha McSally said on Wednesday that she was suspending all political advertising for 30 days due to the coronavirus, the Phoenix New Times reports that her campaign launched three new Facebook ads that very same day.
● MI-Sen: Politico reports that the Better Future MI Fund, a super PAC funded by the conservative DeVos family, is spending $1 million on a new TV and digital ad campaign against Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The spot attacks Peters for a pension he earned as a result of his service in the state Senate.
Gubernatorial
● Utah: Thursday was the deadline for candidates in Utah to file their declaration of candidacy form with the lieutenant governor's office, which all contenders are required to do in order to be on the June 23 primary ballot. The state has a list of candidates who turned in this form here, but some of these people may not end up on the ballot this June.
This is because Utah allows candidates to reach the primary either by turning in enough signatures to qualify for the ballot or by winning enough support at their party convention (candidates can also use both methods). The deadline to turn in signatures is April 13 (Update: This post initially had the wrong date), while both parties will hold their conventions two weeks later on April 25: Because of the coronavirus, these gatherings will be virtual events. The lieutenant governor's office, which administers elections in Utah, will release its final list of primary candidates on April 29.
● UT-Gov: A total of eight Republicans and six Democrats filled out declaration of candidacy paperwork for the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Gary Herbert. Republicans have controlled this office since the 1984 election, and there's no indication that they're in any danger of losing power in a race that Daily Kos Elections rates as Safe Republican.
The only Republican who is going with the signature route and avoiding the convention is businesswoman Jan Garbett, who has unsuccessfully run for office as a Democrat and a member of the United Utah Party. The candidates who say they'll both collect petitions and compete at the convention are former party chair Thomas Wright; Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox; and former Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, who served as governor from 2005 to 2009.
Former state House Speaker Greg Hughes announced in January that he would only go through the GOP convention route, while Salt Lake County Council chair Aimee Winder Newton said last month that she would do the same thing because of the high cost of gathering petitions. Businessman Jeff Burningham was also collecting signatures, but he announced this month that he'd only compete at the convention because of the dangers of the coronavirus. Perennial candidate Jason Christensen is also restricting his efforts to the convention.
House
● CA-25: Republican Mike Garcia is out with a survey from 1892 Polling that gives him a 43-39 lead over Democrat Christy Smith ahead of the May special election. This is the first poll we've seen of the contest for this 50-44 Clinton seat in northern Los Angeles County.
● FL-19: Businessman Casey Askar announced Friday that he was joining the crowded August GOP primary for this safely red seat in the Naples area. Askar is the founder and president of Askar Brands, which the Naples Daily News recently described as "a national leader in quick service and casual dining restaurants with more than 150 franchised locations across the country."
● NV-03: On Friday, former state Treasurer Dan Schwartz launched his first TV spot for the June GOP primary to face freshman Democratic Rep. Susie Lee. The narrator describes Schwartz's military background and pro-Trump views and declares, "As state treasurer, Dan Schwartz exposed a government scheme, saving taxpayers millions. He's been called an outsider and a maverick." The Nevada Independent says that the commercial is running on cable TV, but that the campaign didn't reveal the size of the buy.
● UT-01: GOP Rep. Rob Bishop confirmed last year that he would retire from Congress, and he announced in January that he would be campaigning for lieutenant governor as former state party chair Thomas Wright's running mate. A total of 12 Republicans have filed a declaration of candidacy form to succeed Bishop in this safely red northern Utah seat.
Every one of the dozen candidates plans to at least compete at the convention. The notable candidates who say that they'll both collect signatures and take part in the party gathering are Morgan County Councilor Tina Cannon; former Commissioner of Agriculture Kerry Gibson; Clearfield Mayor Mark Shepherd; Davis County Commissioner Bob Stevenson; and Kaysville Mayor Katie Witt.
Five minor contenders are also going with both methods, while two others are just going with the convention route.
● UT-04: Republicans have been searching for a well-funded candidate to take on freshman Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams for a while, and they may have finally gotten one just before Thursday's deadline. Venture capitalist Trent Christensen, who served as a regional fundraiser for Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign, had expressed interest earlier this month, and he finally announced he was in on Wednesday.
Seven Republicans, including Christensen, have filed, and they all say that they'll compete at the convention. Several have also said they'll gather signatures, including Christensen; former state party official Kathleen Anderson; former local radio host Jay Mcfarland; former NFL safety Burgess Owens; and one minor candidate. Nurse practitioner Chris Biesinger and state Rep. Kim Coleman are both convention-or-bust.
One person we won't see on the 2020 ballot, though, is former Rep. Mia Love. McAdams narrowly unseated Love in 2018, and she talked about seeking a rematch as recently as January but wound up sitting out the race.