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Welcome to the Monday, August 27 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Fact check: OneNation vs. Manchin on Immigration
- Big elections tomorrow in Arizona and Florida
- Early voting for the general election begins in less than a month
Fact check: OneNation vs. Manchin on Immigration
One Nation, a nonprofit that seeks to influence policy to “expand freedom, promote innovation and broaden economic prosperity,” aired an ad criticizing positions on immigration taken by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin (D), who is running for re-election against Republican Patrick Morrisey. According to the ad, “Senator Joe Manchin voted for a bill that would have given amnesty to millions who broke our laws...and he opposed funding for Trump’s border wall.”One Nation originally aired the ad on June 8, 2018.
Sen. Manchin responded to these claims on his campaign website, stating, “I wanted Mexico to pay for the border wall, but they’re not, so we need to do it ourselves to protect this country. I voted with President Trump to support his border wall, anyone who tells you different is lying.”
The Manchin campaign also released a letter from their attorney calling on TV stations to pull the ad, noting that Manchin voted for a Trump-backed plan to offer a path for citizenship for 1.8 million DREAMers “in return for some degree of border security.”
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Battle royales in Arizona and Florida tomorrow
Tomorrow, Arizona and Florida are holding their statewide primaries. Here are five races we are particularly excited about watching in each state.
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Incumbent Gov. Doug Ducey faces former Secretary of State Ken Bennett in the Arizona Republican gubernatorial primary. Bennett cited criticisms of Ducey's handling of teacher pay raises as his reason for primarying the governor. Bennett has criticized Ducey over gun policy, education spending, and the Medicaid expansion tax, while Ducey has touted his record on the state's budget and education spending.
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The Democratic gubernatorial primary features Arizona State University professor David Garcia and state Sen. Steve Farley. Garcia has emphasized his support for increasing public education funding and free college tuition and says he supports abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Farley, calls himself a "responsible liberal" and said he is "not hearing people say 'go to the left as far as you can.'" He highlights his experience in government and knowledge of public policy.
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Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (R), U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R), and former state Sen. Kelli Ward (R) are in a three-way battle for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Arizona, a toss-up seat critical to Republicans retaining control of the U.S. Senate. The two primary ideological battlegrounds in the race are immigration policy and support for the Trump administration's agenda. Incumbent Sen. Jeff Flake (R) is not seeking re-election.
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Retired Air Force pilot Wendy Rogers, attorney Tiffany Shedd, and state Sen. Steve Smith are competing in the Republican primary for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, one of 13 districts that voted for both President Donald Trump (R) and a Democratic representative in the 2016 election. The three candidates largely agree on most policy issues; the key differences lie in their experience, the emphasis placed on certain policy issues, and the endorsers lining up behind them. Incumbent Tom O'Halleran (D) is seeking re-election.
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Former 1st Congressional District Representative Ann Kirkpatrick and former state Rep. Matt Heinz are top candidates among seven competing in the Democratic primary for Arizona's 2nd Congressional District. Incumbent Rep. Martha McSally (R) announced her bid for U.S. Senate in January, leaving the swing district open to a newcomer. Heinz and Kirkpatrick have each claimed to be the progressive candidate in the race.
Ballotpedia is covering elections for one U.S. Senate seat, nine U.S. House seats, governor and seven other state executive positions, all 30 state senate seats, and all 60 state house seats. Ballotpedia is also covering local elections in one Arizona county and five cities. The primary winners will advance to the general election that will be held on November 6. Polls will be open on election day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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The Florida Democratic gubernatorial primary decides which candidate gets the chance to take the governor’s mansion from the GOP for the first time in 20 years.. Polling shows former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine as the frontrunners. Also in competition are Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and real estate investor Jeff Greene. Graham and Gillum have secured the most endorsements, with national and state Democratic leaders backing Graham and progressive influencers like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders backing Gillum. Levine and Greene are both South Florida businessmen self-funding their campaigns. As of mid-August, Levine had self-funded about $22 million and Greene had self-funded nearly $30 million.
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In the Republican gubernatorial primary, Rep. Ron DeSantis (R) and state agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam (R) lead an eight-candidate field. DeSantis, whose endorsers include President Trump and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), has emphasized his military service as well as his endorsements while criticizing Putnam for the amount of time he had spent as a politician. Putnam, who is backed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and state House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R), points voters to his knowledge of the state while arguing that DeSantis’ policy positions are not sufficiently detailed.
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Five of nine seats on the Broward County Public Schools school board in Florida are up for election. Among the 15 candidates are two parents—Lori Alhadeff and Ryan Petty—who each lost a child in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland in February. Tennille Decoste, another Stoneman Douglas parent, is also running for the board. In the wake of the shooting, school safety and the intervention-based program PROMISE have become critical issues in the race. If one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in a primary, he or she wins the seat outright.
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State Rep. Ross Spano (R) and former state Rep. Neil Combee (R) are the Republican frontrunners for Florida's 15th Congressional District, a seat that became open when incumbent Dennis Ross (R) announced he would not seek re-election a month before the candidate filing deadline. Spano, who was endorsed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R), currently represents a seat in the Tampa suburbs. Combee served in the state legislature, representing a district in Polk County, before being appointed state executive director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service by President Donald Trump (R).
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On the Democratic side of Florida’s 15th are Attorney Kristen Carlson (D) and Navy veteran and school owner Carlson describes herself as moderate, liberal on social issues and conservative on fiscal matters, while Learned has highlighted his commitment to support Medicare for All and to refuse corporate PAC money.
Florida’s statewide primary is on Tuesday, August 28. Races on the ballot include one U.S. Senate seat, 27 U.S. House seats, governor and four other state executive positions, and seats in the state senate and state house. In addition to the regularly scheduled elections, there will be special primary elections for Districts 23 and 25 of the Florida State Senate. Ballotpedia is also covering local elections in five Florida counties and 24 school districts. Polls will be open on election day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Early voting for the general election begins in less than a month
It’s almost here.
Seven states will begin their early voting periods in September:
Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming
Another 24 states begin their early voting periods in October.
Ballotpedia is here to help.
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