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The Tap: Tuesday, August 9, 2016

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

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #29 of The Tap, which was published on August 13, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • At a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Tuesday, Donald Trump generated controversy with comments on Hillary Clinton’s stance on the Second Amendment and the possibility of her filling vacancies on the Supreme Court. Democratic members of Congress, social media users, and some in the press interpreted his comments as a threat of violence against Clinton. Trump said, “Hillary wants to abolish -- essentially abolish the Second Amendment. And if she gets to pick … if she gets to pick her judges: Nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is. I don't know. But I tell you what, that will be a horrible day.”
    • The Trump campaign released a statement shortly after the rally saying that the comment about “Second Amendment people” was in reference to the political power of Second Amendment supporters. “It’s called the power of unification. 2nd Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power,” the statement read.
    • The Clinton campaign also released a statement, calling Trump’s comments dangerous: “This is simple—what Trump is saying is dangerous. A person seeking to be the President of the United States should not suggest violence in any way.”
    • Calls from Democrats in Congress and social media users for an investigation into Trump’s comments prompted a brief response from the Secret Service’s Twitter account. “The Secret Service is aware of the comments made earlier this afternoon,” read the tweet. On Wednesday, the Secret Service reportedly confirmed with CNN that it had spoken with the Trump campaign about the comments. “There has been more than one conversation,” an official with the Secret Service told CNN. Trump, however, tweeted that “no such meeting” ever happened: “No such meeting or conversation ever happened - a made up story by ‘low ratings.’”
    • Paul Ryan said that he hopes Trump “clears up” the comments quicky. “It sounds like just a joke gone bad. I hope he clears it up very quickly. You should never joke about something like that,” said Ryan.
  • At the Borinquen Medical Center in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, Clinton called on members of Congress to return from recess and to pass funding to fight the spread of the Zika virus. Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced shortly before Clinton’s remarks that the 21st case of “locally transmitted Zika” had been confirmed in South Florida. Clinton said, “I am very disappointed that the Congress went on recess before actually agreeing on what they would do to put the resources into this fight, and I really am hoping that they will pay attention. In fact, I would very much urge the leadership of Congress to call people back for a special session and get a bill passed.”
  • While campaigning in Florida, Clinton voiced her support for former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is running for re-election in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. “I can't think of anyone who [more] deserves your support for re-election, starting with the primary on August 30th, than my friend Debbie. And I am committed to doing whatever I can to support her as she returns to the Congress with your support,” said Clinton. Wasserman Schultz’s opponent, Tim Canova, was endorsed by Clinton’s former Democratic primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders.
  • The Commission on Presidential Debates has directed hosts for presidential debates in September and October to prepare for the possibility of a third-party candidate on the stage. Commission co-chair Mike McCurry explained to Politico, “With [former Gov.] Gary Johnson polling in some places more than double digits, they might have, some of our production people may have said, ‘Just in case, you need to plan out what that might look like.” Currently, the commission requires candidates to be polling at 15 percent or higher in five national polls and to appear on enough ballots to have a “mathematical chance” at winning. Johnson’s average on RealClearPolitics’ aggregation of polling data had him at 8.3 percent as of August 12, 2016, though in some polls he has reached as high as 12 percent. Johnson is currently on the ballot in 39 states for the general election, and he has stated that he plans to appear on ballots in all 50 states. Final ballot access deadlines for the remaining 11 states are in late August and early September.
  • In an interview with Time magazine, Donald Trump said that he planned to participate in the three presidential debates scheduled for September and October but hinted that he might first seek to negotiate the terms of the debates. Trump said, “I will absolutely do three debates. I want to debate very badly. But I have to see the conditions. …I renegotiated the debates in the primaries, remember? They were making a fortune on them and they had us in for three and a half hours and I said that’s ridiculous. I’m sure they’ll be open to any suggestions I have, because I think they’ll be very fair suggestions. … I’ll have to see who the moderators are. Yeah, I would say that certain moderators would be unacceptable, absolutely. I did very well in the debates on the primaries. According to the polls, I won all of them. So I look forward to the debates. But, yeah, I want to have fair moderators … I will demand fair moderators.” Trump dropped out of two debates during the primary season—January 28 and March 21—and feuded with moderators like Megyn Kelly of Fox News.
  • Donald Trump stated his support for a voter ID law in North Carolina that a federal appeals court struck down last month. The court argued that the law was “passed with racially discriminatory intent.” Regarding North Carolina’s voter ID law and others like it elsewhere, Trump stated, “Voter ID. What’s with that? What’s with voter ID? Why aren’t we having voter ID. In other words, I want to vote, here’s my identification. I want to vote. As opposed to somebody coming up and voting 15 times for Hillary. And I will not tell you to vote 15 times. I will not tell you to do that. You won’t vote 15 times, but people will. They’ll vote many times, and how that could have happened is unbelievable.”
  • The Department of Health and Human Services announced a $4.1 million agreement with Hologic Inc. of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to aid in the development of a blood screening test that will prevent Zika from being transmitted through blood transfusions. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority acting Director Dr. Richard Hatchett said, “Accurate blood-screening tools are vital to protecting our nation’s blood supply from Zika. This test may provide another tool laboratories can use to identify infected blood donations to help ensure patients’ safety. At the same time, we are pursuing promising diagnostic tools, and vaccines to identify and prevent Zika virus infections.”
  • Republican Sens. Mark Kirk (Ill.), David Perdue (Ga.), and Johnny Isakson (Ga.) sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking for details about the $400 million cash payment to Iran in January 2016 that coincided with the release of Americans detained in Tehran and the formal implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran. The senators wrote, "We question the timing — concurrent with the release of five American hostages — as well as the method and lack of disclosure of the payment. We are concerned that this payment, along with the swap for seven Iranian prisoners detained in the U.S., has and will continue to encourage further hostage-taking of Americans by Iran.” According to The Hill, the senators asked Kerry to explain how the payment “was shipped, why more information was not given to lawmakers, and why the administration agreed to make the payment when Tehran still owes America money. They also want to know whether the payment was linked to the release of the American hostages, whether the money will be used to support terrorism, and whether administration violated sanctions by making the payment.” President Barack Obama said that the $400 million sent to Iran was not a ransom payment and that the payment “wasn't a secret.” He added, “We were completely open with everybody about it."
  • The Republican National Committee announced that it had hired three African American activists as advisors for attracting African American votes, primarily in battleground states. According to The Washington Post, the RNC hired Ashley Bell as national director of African American political engagement, while Shannon Reeves (a political science professor) and J.C. Watts (a former Rand Paul staffer) were hired for statistical and political guidance.
  • At an event with the Soutwest Broward Republican Organization in Florida, Donald Trump advisor Roger Stone—who no longer works directly with the campaign—claimed he had been in contact with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange about potential future leaks affecting the presidential election. He told the group, “Well, it could be any number of things. I actually have communicated with Assange. I believe the next tranche of his documents pertain to the Clinton Foundation but there's no telling what the October surprise may be.”
  • Connecticut held congressional primaries.
    • While it was technically Connecticut’s primary date, no congressional primaries were truly held. All major-party candidates were decided at conventions earlier in the year, so there were no contested primaries.
    • The U.S. Senate seat held by Richard Blumenthal (D) is up for election in 2016. Blumenthal will face Dan Carter (R) in the general election. The race is rated safely Democratic.
    • Connecticut has five U.S. House districts. The Democratic Party currently holds all five seats. All five incumbents are seeking re-election. Each House seat is rated safely Democratic in the general election.
  • Wisconsin held congressional primaries.
    • The U.S. Senate seat held by Ron Johnson (R) is up for election in 2016. Johnson faced no primary opponent. Russ Feingold defeated Scott Harbach to win the Democratic nomination. Incumbent Johnson will now face a rematch with former Sen. Feingold in the general election. Feingold previously held the seat but was ousted by Johnson in 2016. The race is rated as a battleground in the general election and is likely to be one of the eight races that determines which party will control the Senate.
    • Wisconsin has eight U.S. House districts. The Republican Party currently holds five seats to the Democratic Party’s three. Seven of the state’s eight incumbents are seeking re-election. Of those seven, four faced a primary challenger. All incumbents who faced a primary opponent easily advanced to the general election.
    • In Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, Speaker Paul Ryan (R) defeated Paul Nehlen in the Republican primary by taking in 84 percent of the votes to Nehlen’s 16 percent. On the other side of the aisle, Ryan Solen defeated Tom Breu to win the Democratic nomination. The Republican primary received significant attention in the week leading up to the primary due to Donald Trump’s initial refusal to endorse Ryan. However, Ryan was heavily advantaged in the race. The race is rated safely Republican in the general election.
    • Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional DIstrict is a battleground in 2016. Incumbent Reid Ribble (R) is not seeking re-election. Mike Gallagher defeated Frank Lasee and Terry McNulty to win the Republican primary. Gallagher will face Tom Nelson (D) in the general election.

State

ELECTION NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS: Vermont’s gubernatorial primaries come to a close; Incumbents defeated in Minnesota’s battleground state legislatures

  • Primary election: Connecticut
    • State legislature: There are 36 state Senate seats and 151 state House seats up for election. Ten incumbents—eight Democrats and two Republicans—faced primary competition. State Reps. Ernest Hewett (D-39) and Louis Esposito (D-116) were defeated in the primary. Democrats have a six-seat majority in the Senate and a 23-seat majority in the House. With Democrat Dan Malloy as the state’s governor, Connecticut is one of seven Democratic state government trifectas. Most major party candidates were decided at conventions earlier in the year, leaving just 12 districts with primary elections.
  • Primary election: Vermont
    • State legislature: There are 30 state Senate seats and 150 state House seats up for election. Twenty-eight incumbents—12 Democrats and 16 Republicans—faced primary competition. One incumbent, Sen. Norman McAllister (R), was defeated in the primary election. Democrats have strong majorities in both chambers.
      • Incumbent Dustin Degree and state Rep. Carolyn Whitney Branagan defeated incumbent Norman McAllister (R) in the Senate Franklin District Republican primary. McAllister is currently awaiting trial on sexual assault charges. McAllister is accused of sexually assaulting two women over the course of several years while both were his tenants and employees. His trial was scheduled to begin on August 10, but it has been delayed.
    • State executives: Six seats are up for election in 2016, only four of which saw contested primary elections. Former Transportation Secretary Sue Minter (D) and Lt. Gov. Phil Scott (R) will advance to the general election for governor after the two candidates won heated and expensive primary contests.
    • Scott's candidacy leaves the lieutenant governor election open. State Sen. David Zuckerman, who was elected to the Senate on the Progressive Party ticket, won the competitive Democratic primary after receiving the endorsement of former presidential candidate and U.S. Senator for Vermont Bernie Sanders several days prior. Zuckerman was the only statewide candidate whom Sanders endorsed. T.J. Donovan won the Democratic primary for attorney general and will advance to the general election. State Treasurer Elizabeth Pearce (D) faced a primary challenger for the first time since she assumed office in 2011; she defeated Richard Dunne (D) by almost 30 percentage points. At stake in 2016 is a five-year Democratic trifecta; if Republicans win the governorship, it will end the trifecta.
  • Primary election: Wisconsin
    • State legislature: There are 16 state Senate seats and 99 state Assembly seats up for election. Seven incumbents, all Democrats, faced primary competition. No incumbents were defeated in the primary. Republicans have a five-seat majority in the Senate and a 27-seat majority in the Assembly. With Republican Scott Walker as the state’s governor, Wisconsin is one of 23 Republican state government trifectas. The Senate is included in Ballotpedia’s list of top battlegrounds in 2016.
  • The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance decided to allow insurers in the state to refile their 2017 premium rate requests for plans sold on the state’s health insurance exchange. Humana and Cigna, two of the major health insurers in the state, filed premium increases of 23 and 29 percent, respectively, in June, but later said that their requested increases were too small to cover anticipated medical costs. Kevin Walters, spokesman for the department, said the primary reason for the decision was to prevent more insurers from exiting the exchange. UnitedHealthcare announced earlier this year that it would not be selling plans on Tennessee’s exchange in 2017, and the state’s ACA co-op, Community Health Alliance, folded in 2015. Tennessee is the second state to allow insurers to refile their rate requests—following Arizona, which did so when five insurers in the state announced plans to exit or scale back their presence on the state’s exchange. Insurers in Tennessee had until August 12 to refile their rate requests.

Local

  • On Thursday, August 9, the mayor of Fairfax, Virginia, resigned after he was caught by undercover detectives soliciting a drugs-for-sex encounter. According to Fairfax County police Captain Jack Hardin, the Fairfax police force was tipped off to Mayor Scott Silverthorne’s (D) use of a website to arrange encounters where drugs would be exchanged for sexual acts. Using information provided by the tipster, Fairfax police created an online profile with the unidentified website. The profile was ultimately contacted by Silverthorne. He arranged an in-person meeting with the undercover detective, where he was apprehended with two grams of methamphetamine. Silverthorne gave a full confession and faces a felony drug distribution charge and a misdemeanor charge of possessing drug paraphernalia. He has appointed city Councilman Jeffrey Greenfield as acting mayor, effective immediately.
  • The California Department of Education upheld a May 2016 ruling that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) misallocated $450 million in district expenditures intended for high-risk students. The ruling rejects an appeal filed by LAUSD in response to a complaint filed against the district by the Community Coalition of South Los Angeles. The complaint alleged that the district’s transfer of $450 million dollars from a fund earmarked for high-risk students into its general fund between 2014 and 2016 violated rules of the 2013 Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) law. Under the LCFF, school districts receive increased funding to help high-needs students, defined as low-income students, English language learners, and students in the foster system. LAUSD receives approximately $1.1 billion annually for students in these categories. The school district argued that the transferred funds directly benefitted high-needs students and that without the transfers cuts to personnel would have been necessary. LAUSD officials also argued that the LCFF gives districts the flexibility to transfer money between funds, if necessary. The district has until the 2017-2018 school year to justify the disputed spending or to redirect the $450 million to high-risk students. If no action is taken, LAUSD may face a lawsuit. The Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest school district in California and served 653,826 students during the 2013-2014 school year, which was 10.4 percent of all California public school students.

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #28 of The Tap, which was published on August 6, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • Connecticut will hold congressional primaries.
    • While it is technically Connecticut’s primary date, no congressional primaries will truly be held. All major-party candidates were decided at conventions earlier in the year, so there are no contested primaries.
    • The U.S. Senate seat held by Richard Blumenthal (D) is up for election in 2016. Blumenthal will face Dan Carter (R) in the general election. The race is rated safely Democratic.
    • Connecticut has five U.S. House districts. The Democratic Party currently holds all five seats. All five incumbents are seeking re-election. Each House seat is rated safely Democratic in the general election.

State

  • Primary election: Vermont
    • State legislature: There are 30 state Senate seats and 150 state House seats up for election. Twenty-eight incumbents, 12 Democrats and 16 Republicans, are facing primary competition. Democrats have strong majorities in both chambers.
    • State executives: Six offices are up for election in 2016, five of which are currently held by Democrats. Five Democrats and two Republicans will compete for their parties' nominations for governor in this year's open election. Incumbent Governor Peter Shumlin (D) is retiring, and the race to replace him has attracted several current and former state officials, including Lt. Governor Phil Scott (R), prominent business figures, and former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee, who is running on the Liberty Union Party ticket.
    • Scott's gubernatorial candidacy leaves the 2016 lieutenant governor's race wide open, and three Democratic state legislators are vying for the party's nomination for the seat; the winner will face state Sen. Randy Brock (R) and Progressive Party candidate Boots Wardinski in November. Incumbent Secretary of State Jim Condos (D) is unopposed in the Democratic primary election and will be challenged in the general election by Liberty Union candidate Mary Alice Herbert, the sole candidate to file against him. Attorney General Bill Sorrell (D), the state's longest-serving top law enforcement officer, is also retiring, and two Democrats, one Republican, and one Liberty Union candidate are vying for the seat. Incumbents Auditor Doug Hoffer (D) and Treasurer Elizabeth Pearce (D) are also seeking re-election this year. Hoffer was the sole Democrat to file for auditor and will automatically advance to the general election; Pearce faces one primary challenger.
    • Vermont is one of seven Democratic trifectas; if Republicans win the governor's seat in November, it will end the trifecta. The race is currently rated Lean Democratic.
  • Primary election: Wisconsin

Local

  • Minnesota will hold primary elections for two district court judgeships in District 3. The two races were the only ones across the state to have more than two candidates file. Both of these races feature an incumbent facing off against two challengers. In total, seven of the 97 races on the ballot will have a contested general election on November 8.
  • Minnesota will hold primary elections for nine school board seats across three of the state’s largest school districts, as measured by student enrollment. These contests will be held for the Elk River Area School District, Rochester Public Schools, and St. Cloud Area School District. These districts served 39,951 students during the 2013-2014 school year, which was 4.7 percent of all Minnesota public school students.
  • Two school board members in the South Conejos School District in Colorado will face a recall election. Melton Ruybal and Phillip Trujillo were first elected to their seats in August 2015 and now must win an election to remain in office less than a year later. Supporters of the recall collected 330 signatures in favor of the recall, more than the 228 required to move the effort forward. In 2016, Ballotpedia has covered 30 school board recalls across the United States.
  • FILING DEADLINE: Deadline to file in the general election for 36 school board seats in 12 of Kentucky’s largest school districts by enrollment. The election will be held on November 8, 2016. These districts served 272,080 students during the 2013-2014 school year, which was 39.7 percent of all Kentucky public school students



The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
March: 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
April: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
May: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
June: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
July: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
August: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
September: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
October: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7• 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
November: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
December: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 31
January: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
February: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17
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