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The Federal Tap: Kavanaugh meets with two more red-state Democratic senators

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August 17, 2018Issue No. 126

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Week in review
On tap next week

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Here's what happened in federal politics last week. To see what happened in state and local politics, click here.

Saturday, August 11

Hawaii primary review

  • Hawaii’s statewide primary was on August 11. Ballotpedia covered elections for U.S. Senate, two U.S. House seats, governor and lieutenant governor, 13 state senate seats, and all 51 state house seats. Ballotpedia also covered primaries for four city council races in Honolulu. The general election is November 6, 2018.
  • Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D) defeated two challengers and secured the Democratic nomination in her re-election bid in Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, receiving 83.6 percent of the vote to challenger Sherry Alu Campagna’s (D) 12.3 percent.
  • Former U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D) defeated state Senate President Donna Kim (D), Lt. Gov. Doug Chin (D), and four other candidates in the Democratic primary for Hawaii's 1st Congressional District. He had previously represented the neighboring 2nd Congressional District from 2002 to 2007.

Monday, August 13

Kim Schrier (D) secures spot alongside Dino Rossi (R) in WA-8 general election

  • The Associated Press declared pediatrician Kim Schrier the second-place finisher in the top-two primary for Washington’s 8th Congressional District. She will face state Sen. Dino Rossi (R), the first place finisher, in the general election to replace retiring U.S. Rep. David Reichert (R). Election forecasters call the race a “toss-up.”
  • Rossi was the only major Republican candidate running and received over 40 percent of the vote in the 12-candidate field. Schrier was in a close contest for second-place with fellow Democrats Jason Rittereiser and Shannon Hader. She ultimately received 18.7 percent of the vote to Rittereiser's 18.1 percent. Schrier led Ritteresier and Hader in fundraising and was supported by EMILY’s List and Planned Parenthood.
  • Unofficial results on August 14 showed that Rossi and two minor Republican candidates received a combined 46.9 percent of the vote while Schrier, Rittereiser, Hader, and Thomas Cramer (D) received a combined 50.2 percent of the vote. The other 2.9 percent of the vote was split between a Libertarian candidate, a Neither Major Party candidate, and three independents.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorses Glassman in CT-5 Democratic primary

  • The U.S. Chamber of Commerce weighed in on a Democratic primary for the first time since 2010 when it endorsed former Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman in the Democratic primary for Connecticut’s 5th District. The endorsement came one day before the August 14 primary, which decided the Democrat who would run to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D).
  • In a statement, the U.S. Chamber said Glassman "has a clear vision to champion free trade, develop a sound immigration policy, fix America’s crumbling infrastructure, and support students from classroom to career." She was previously endorsed by the Connecticut Democratic Party.
  • Glassman lost the primary to 2016 Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes. Hayes was supported by Democracy for America and Our Revolution and, unlike Glassman, supported single-payer healthcare. She was encouraged to run by a former 5th District representative, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Ct.).
  • The last Democratic primary the U.S. Chamber endorsed in was U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s (D-Ark.) 2010 primary. In 2018, the group has also endorsed U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) over his Republican challenger, John McCann.

National archivist reaffirms position on Presidential Records Act

  • National archivist David Ferriero reaffirmed his position that under the Presidential Records Act, archivists may only respond to records requests from committee chairs. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) had previously sent a letter to Ferriero requesting he reconsider his position that certain records were only available at the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee or its chair, rather than minority members.

Tuesday, August 14

Connecticut primary review

  • Connecticut held its primary on August 14. Offices that had more than one candidate qualify to run in the two major parties were on the ballot. Primaries were canceled for offices that had only one candidate qualify, and those candidates moved automatically to the November 6 general election.
    • Two federal offices—the state’s U.S. Senate seat and its Fifth Congressional District seat—were on the primary ballot along with the race for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, and comptroller. Seven of 36 state senate seats and 14 of 151 state house seats were also on the primary ballot.
    • In the Democratic primary for Connecticut’s 5th District, 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes defeated former Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman. Hayes was backed by the Working Families Party and Democracy for America, while Glassman was endorsed by the state Democratic Party and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Hayes will now run in the general election to replace U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D), who did not seek re-election after her chief of staff was accused of sexual misconduct.
    • Former Meridian Mayor Manny Santos (R) defeated Rich DuPont (R) and Ruby Corby O’Neill (R) for the Republican nomination in Connecticut's 5th Congressional District. The state party-backed Santos, who won more than half of the vote. O’Neill, a retired psychology professor, was the runner-up with 26.7 percent of the vote. Republicans believe they might be able to flip the district, which voted for Hillary Clinton (D) over Donald Trump (R) by a margin of 50 to 46 percent in 2016.

Minnesota primary review

  • Minnesota held primaries on August 14, 2018, at the federal, state, and local level. Two U.S. Senate seats (one is up for special election to complete Al Franken’s term), eight U.S. House seats, five state executive seats, one Minnesota State Senate seat with an unexpired term, and 134 Minnesota House of Representatives seats were on the ballot. Ballotpedia also covered primaries in Hennepin and Ramsey counties and Minneapolis Public Schools and a special general election for one St. Paul City Council seat. The general election is November 6, 2018.
    • Ilhan Omar (D) won the 5th Congressional District Democratic primary. The seat opened when incumbent Rep. Keith Ellison (D) announced his bid for state attorney general rather than running for re-election in the safely-Democratic District. Omar was endorsed by the DFL coming into the primary and won 48.2 percent of the vote. The runner-up was former state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher (D) with 30.4 percent.
    • Joe Radinovich (D), a former state representative and campaign manager to departing incumbent Rep. Rick Nolan (D), defeated four other Democratic candidates in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District primary. This district is seen as critical for Democrats to retake control of the U.S. House. Although Nolan won the District in 2016, Donald Trump carried it by 15 percentage points over Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama won the 8th by 6 points in 2012.
    • In his fourth attempt for the seat, 2016 nominee Jim Hagedorn (R) defeated state Sen. Carla Nelson (R) by a margin of 28 percent in the Republican primary for Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. Hagedorn lost to incumbent Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) by less than one percentage point in 2016. He faces former Obama administration official Dan Feehan (D) in the general election.

Vermont primary review

Wisconsin primary review

  • Wisconsin held primaries on August 14, 2018, and Ballotpedia covered 135 seats at the federal, state, and local level. One U.S. Senate seat, eight U.S. House seats, five state executive seats, including governor, 17 Wisconsin State Senate seats, and 99 Wisconsin State Assembly seats were on the ballot. Ballotpedia also covered primaries for county sheriff and clerk of circuit court in Dane and Milwaukee counties and a special primary election for an open seat on the Common Council in Milwaukee. The general election is November 6, 2018.
    • State Sen. Leah Vukmir (R) defeated Marine Corps veteran Kevin Nicholson (R) in an expensive Republican Senate primary centered on party loyalty. Vukmir campaigned as a consistent conservative and had endorsements from House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), more than 50 state legislators and officials, and the state party. Nicholson focused on his military service and outsider status. Club for Growth, FreedomWorks, and the Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund backed Nicholson. Both candidates had seven-figure support from satellite groups with spending surpassing $12 million in the race.
    • In the Democratic primary for Wisconsin’s 1st congressional district, which is currently represented by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R), ironworker Randy Bryce (D) defeated teacher Cathy Myers (D). Bryce received national attention after launching his campaign with an ad that some political observers argued was a model for Democratic candidates seeking to win over voters who had backed President Trump (R) in 2016. The Myers campaign argued that allegations of criminal and personal misconduct in Bryce’s history would limit his chances of flipping the seat. Bryce will face former Ryan staffer Bryan Steil (R) in the November general election.

Constitution Party convention held in South Dakota

  • Members of the Constitution Party in South Dakota held their state party convention on August 14. At the convention, party members nominated statewide and legislative candidates for the November 6 general election ballot. Candidates were nominated for the following offices: U.S. House, governor, lieutenant governor, and the state legislature.
    • Democrats held their state convention from June 15 to June 16. Republicans held their state convention from June 20 to June 23. Libertarians held their convention on June 9.

Wednesday, August 15

Kavanaugh meets with two more Democratic senators

  • Kavanaugh met with two more Democratic senators: Joe Donnelly and Heidi Heitkamp, bringing the total number of senators to hold meetings with the judge to 49.

Congress is in session

The Senate will be in session Monday through Friday. The House will be in recess until September 4.

SCOTUS is out of session

The Supreme Court has finished its argument scheduled for the term. To learn more about this term, read our review.

WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK

Here's what is happening in federal politics this week. To see what happened in state and local politics, click here.

Monday, August 20

Upcoming Minor party candidate filing deadline in Wyoming

  • The filing deadline for minor party candidates to run in Wyoming’s November 6 general election is August 20. One U.S. Senate seat, one at-large U.S. House seat, five state executive offices, 15 state senate seats, and 60 state house seats will be on the ballot.

Tuesday, August 21

Alaska primary preview

  • Alaska is holding its statewide primary on August 21. Ballotpedia is covering elections for one at-large U.S. House seat, governor and lieutenant governor, 10 state senate seats, and all 40 state house seats. The general election will be held on November 6, 2018.

Wyoming primary preview

Where was the president last week?

  • On Monday, President Donald Trump traveled to Fort Drum, in upstate New York, to sign the annual National Defense Authorization Act. He also headlined a fundraiser Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.).
  • On Tuesday, Trump had lunch with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the White House.
  • On Wednesday, there were no events on Trump's public calendar.
  • On Thursday, Trump met with his Cabinet, had lunch with Vice President Mike Pence, and met with Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, all at the White House.
  • On Friday, Trump was in Southampton, N.Y., for a fundraising luncheon for the Republican National Committee. Afterward, he departed for Bedminster, N.J., for the weekend.

Federal Judiciary

  • 146 federal judicial vacancies
  • 85 pending nominations
  • 31 future federal judicial vacancies


About

The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

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