Happy Wednesday, welcome to this week’s first edition of the Midterm Exam.
We’ll start by going over some of the latest data in the Senate polls, then jump into some juicy tidbits out of Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Colorado.
If there is a major story we don’t have covered in this exam, it likely can be found here.
Senate Polls Update
We’re seven weeks away from Election Day on November 8, and several Senate polls indicate that the GOP could pick up a few seats. Per Emerson polling, Nevada’s Republican candidate Adam Laxalt has taken the lead in the Silver State over the Democratic incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. Meanwhile, Georgia’s Republican candidate Herschel Walker has improved to a three-point lead over the incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). As of now, those races seem to be the most secure in terms of flipping, though it is possible that we could see Colorado flip from blue to red this cycle.
If everything else in the Senate held the same, which could happen, the GOP would retake the chamber 53-47. There are possibilities that Republicans could lose in places like Wisconsin or North Carolina. The most recent poll out of Marquette University claims the Badger State is a toss-up. Even if incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) or North Carolina candidate, Rep. Ted Budd lost, the GOP would still hold a 51-49 majority.
Again though, inflation and the economy remain a top issue, and it doesn’t seem like Democrats will solve those problems anytime soon.
Laxalt Takes The Lead Over Cortez Masto In Nevada
As mentioned, Republican Adam Laxalt has now taken the lead over Cortez Masto in new polling from Emerson College. Laxalt edged out Cortez Masto 42-41 as his polling numbers continue to trend upwards. The poll reflects the strong headwinds against Cortez Masto as she tries to hold onto her seat amid soaring inflation and an unpopular president leading her party.
Masters Receives A Shot Of Funding As McConnell and Theil stay away
Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters will receive a fresh shot of funding from conservative groups as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Peter Theil, a billionaire tech executive and Masters’ patron during the primary, have signaled no more funding from them will head Masters’ way.
Ad buys from the Sentinel Action Fund and the Saving Arizona PAC are a needed shot in the arm of the Masters’ campaign.
Hobbs Is Skipping Arizona’s Debate, And Lake Plans To Make Her Pay
Republican Kari Lake is hammering Democrat Katie Hobbs after Hobbs became the first Arizona gubernatorial candidate in decades to pull out of a state-sanctioned debate. “You think this issue is going to go away, that Arizonans will just throw up their hands and say ‘oh well, no debate this year.’ Well, you’re sorely mistaken.”
Once again, I am speaking directly to @katiehobbs. pic.twitter.com/uL7XEKFPRB
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) September 13, 2022
Dem Senate Candidate Once Bashed America Over Climate Change At U.N.
Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes (D-WI) once took aim at America’s economic system while speaking at a 2019 United Nations event in Spain, according to footage of the event recently published by the Washington Free Beacon.
“The simple answer is get money out of politics,” Barnes said after being asked about how lawmakers should address climate change. “The second answer is to stymie capitalism the way it is in America.”
The self-described progressive also goes on to opine about the greed of humans in the video, connecting it to gun violence.
“How greedy can humanity be? The reason why we’re in this mess is the pursuit of greed. It’s capitalism run amok, that’s why we’re in this predicament now,” Barnes said. “It’s the same reason why gun violence is so rampant in the United States of America, it’s the same reason why we deal with all these other issues that have common sense solutions.”
Meanwhile, the Senate hopeful will also be getting an influx of cash — to the tune of $1 million — from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to aid in his run against incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).
Michels Stumps On Restoring Law And Order To The Badger State
Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels appeared at an event with the Milwaukee Police Association on Tuesday, promising to increase funding for law enforcement.
“Everywhere I go I hear crime is the number one issue for people,” Michels said while speaking in the blue enclave of Milwaukee. “If not number one, it’s number one or number two. And it is for me as well as governor. I believe there is a lot of money in the state budget – there’s $43.5 billion that are spent every year in the state budget. If we have to spend a little bit more money to make law enforcement more effective, to hire more police officers, absolutely we will do that.”
The association has endorsed Michels and he has promised to fire Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm, who came under fire after his office admitted it had set an “inappropriately low bail” for the man alleged to have committed the Waukesha parade attack.
Throughout the campaign, Michels has criticized incumbent Governor Tony Evers (D-WI) over his response to crime, saying the Democrat has failed to protect the state.
North Carolina Senate Race Neck-And-Neck
The North Carolina senate race is a close one.
Real Clear Politics’ polling average has the Republican candidate, Rep. Ted Budd, up 1.3 points. FiveThirtyEight’s average has Democratic candidate Cheri Beasley up by .4%. It also appears that Beasley has more funding than Budd, The Hill reported. Former President Donald Trump is planning to campaign for Budd this month, according to his Save America PAC.
GOP Oregon Gubernatorial Candidate Supports Parents Movement
Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan is throwing her support behind a parents organization that is seeking to get rid of Oregon’s COVID vaccination mandate for school workers and teachers. In a tweet, Drazan said, “I join these parents in calling on Governor Brown to repeal this rule and instead welcome volunteers and teachers back in the classroom where they belong.”
Democrats See GOP Candidate O’Dea As Threat In Colorado Senate Race
Colorado Democrats are taking steps to keep Republican Senate candidate Joe O’Dea out of office, Axios reported.
“Joe O’Dea is not going to sneak past us,” Democratic strategist Ian Silverii told Axios Denver.
Liberal organizations are utilizing strategies on the ground that led to ousting Republican Colorado Senator Cory Gardner in 2020, attempting to raise support and intensity surrounding the election for voters.
GOP Colorado Senate Candidate Doesn’t Support Senator Lindsey Graham’s Abortion Bill
O’Dea said this week that he would not be in favor of the recent federal legislation introduced by Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) that would prohibit abortions at 15 weeks. He is in favor of abortion in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy with further exceptions in instances of medical need, rape, and incest.
“America wants balance on the abortion issue, not a forever cold war between the far left and the far right,” O’Dea reportedly said in a statement Tuesday. “Congress should pass a bill protecting a woman’s right to choose early in pregnancy, whether a woman lives in Mississippi or Massachusetts, and there should be sensible limits on non-medically necessary late-term abortion and parental notification for minors. I don’t support Senator Graham’s bill.”
Thanks for reading!
If we missed a story, check here. Otherwise, it might be in this week’s Midterm Exam Part Two coming out on Thursday.