Welcome to the second part of this week’s Midterm Exam — complete with tidbits and stories from races around the country. Extensive midterm coverage, and more detailed reports, can be found here.
In part two this week, we’ll highlight stories from Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Part one focused on what’s happening on the coasts and in Colorado.
Thanks for reading!
Tim Ryan Wants To Ban Gas Cars?
In Ohio, Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH) is being blasted for his previous committment to banning gasoline vehicles.
While running for the presidency, Ryan said in 2019, “Senator Sanders and I got into this in the debate a little bit. He was like, banning gas cars in 2040. In my mind, in all honesty, it’s like okay great, whatever, but if we’re waiting for 2040 to get rid of gas vehicles, we’re doing something terribly wrong.”
Politico’s Natalie Allison tweeted, “Tim Ryan running for president in 2019 said Bernie Sanders’ plan to ban gas cars by 2040 wasn’t aggressive enough, @haleybemiller reports. His Senate campaign now ‘maintains that he doesn’t support gas vehicle bans.’”
Tim Ryan running for president in 2019 said Bernie Sanders’ plan to ban gas cars by 2040 wasn’t aggressive enough, @haleybemiller reports. His Senate campaign now “maintains that he doesn’t support gas vehicle bans.” https://t.co/sEySm7JhmN pic.twitter.com/6TgW1eCtlZ
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) September 7, 2022
In response, Ohio GOP senate candidate J.D. Vance commented, “Tim Ryan’s plan to eliminate gas-powered vehicles is radically disconnected from the needs of everyday Ohioans, and is even more extreme than Bernie Sanders’ proposal.”
“This would impoverish thousands of workers in our state, but Tim Ryan is more focused on the fact that it would enrich his liberal donors,” Vance continued. “The working people of Ohio are going to reject his far-left climate insanity come November.”
Fetterman’s Health Called Into Question, Trump Calls Him A Slob
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s editorial board called on Pennsylvania Lt. Governor and Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman to debate Republican rival Dr. Mehmet Oz. Fetterman had cited recovery from his stroke, even though he told the paper in July that he felt “really good” and has no “physical limits.”
Former President Donald Trump made fun of Fetterman’s slobbish attire during a Saturday rally in Pennsylvania. “This guy is a disaster. He comes in with a sweatsuit on. I’ve never seen him wear a suit. A dirty, dirty, dirty sweatsuit. It’s really disgusting. You know, I’m a clean freak. I’m a clean freak, Oz. I don’t like those dirty sweatsuits. They’re disgusting.”
Wisconsin Republicans File Ethics Complaint Against Senate Democratic Candidate
Lawyers with the Wisconsin Republican Party have filed a complaint against Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes (D-WI) with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Barnes is running against Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) who is seeking a third term in the Senate.
The complaint alleges that Barnes and Democrat congressional candidate Brad Pfaff accepted thousands in illegal campaign contributions. The complaint says that the Democrats took donations from lobbyists while the legislature was in session.
For example, the official complaint alleges that Barnes took a pair of $1000 donations from a lobbyist with SunRun Inc. during prohibited times in July and December 2021. Another example listed in the suit says that Barnes took an illegal donation from a lobbyist with Voces de la Frontera, a Left-wing immigration group.
“Despite mandatory ethics training for elected officials, both Mandela Barnes and Brad Pfaff chose to ignore the law, in order to boost their chances against stronger and more qualified candidates in Ron Johnson and Derrick Van Orden” said Mark Jefferson, the executive director of the Wisconsin Republican Party. “While Mandela Barnes claims to want to ‘Stop big corporations and special interests from buying political influence,’ his actions again prove his words are just lip service and not only will he accept special interest money, he’ll also accept illegal contributions.”
The Wisconsin Republicans want an official investigation into the donations and any illegal activity punished.
Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidates Spar Over School Funding
Governor Tony Evers (D-WI) and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels have made education a key campaign issue, though their approaches are drastically different. Evers, who was Wisconsin’s Superintendent of Public Instruction before becoming governor, wants to pump $2 billion into Wisconsin public schools. Michels, the Trump-backed construction executive, has proposed universal school choice, meaning that parents could use vouchers to send students to private school if they wanted to.
“Universal school choice will bring competition into the education marketplace,” Michels said when discussing his education policies. “Competition is a great motivator. It will bring greater efficiency and a greater focus on education. We will empower parents. We will get back to the ABCs, and we will stop the CRT.”
Abortion Ballot Initiative Now In Hands Of Michigan’s Supreme Court
A ballot initiative seeking to add an amendment protecting the right to an abortion in Michigan’s constitution hit a roadblock after the Michigan Board of Canvassers came to a deadlocked decision. The 2-2 board split stopped the proposed bill in its tracks unless the state’s Supreme Court steps agrees to hear a petition from pro-abortion activists.
More than 700,000 Michiganders signed the petition, asking for abortion rights to go on the ballot in November, but opponents of the bill said they found serious errors in the text that make portions of the bill unreadable. Both Democrats on the board voted to allow the bill to go to voters, while both Republicans voted against its approval.
“You would not sign a mortgage that had this kind of mistake in it. You would not turn in a term paper with this kind of mistake in it,” Tony Daunt, a Republican board member said.
Walker Runs Over Warnock, Democrats Comments On Race
Georgia GOP senate candidate Herschel Walker has released a fiery new ad, blasting incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) over his comments on race as well the members of Democratic Party’s recent rhetoric.
“Senator Warnock believes America is a bad country full of racist people,” Walker said in the ad. “I believe we’re a great country full of generous people. Warnock wants to divide us. I want to bring us together.”
The ad can be seen here:
Raphael Warnock and Joe Biden want to divide us and demonize folks who don’t agree with them. I want to bring us together because I’m for the people. #gasen https://t.co/hNW2iKv6Xt pic.twitter.com/8Hsr7WzVl4
— Herschel Walker (@HerschelWalker) September 7, 2022