Progressives Every Day: Iowa's Big News and Maps of Blue
Optimistic? Maybe. But we'll take it!
Welcome to a Thursday edition of Progressives Everywhere!
Remember like five years ago, when you could go a day or two and not feel like the world was ending or that any moment not spent watching the news would lead to an onslaught of terror when you finally tuned in?
Haha good times. Let’s get to it!
Elections (and Future Elections) and Voting Rights
Better late than never, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds delivered on her promise and signed an executive order that restores the right to vote to the state’s formerly incarcerated citizens. Iowa is one of three states where people who were convicted of felonies and have served their time are still permanently barred from voting; as we know, the mess in Florida continues to keep the Sunshine State on that ignominious list, as well.
Reynolds’ order will give about 40,000 people the right to vote in this November’s election. Unfortunately, while Iowa has election day registration, the pandemic and national reliance on mail-in voting will make the jobs of activists working to enroll newly eligible voters much more difficult.
Meanwhile, Democratic attorneys general across the country are calling on Florida to clean up its act and allow the formerly incarcerated to vote, as the overwhelming majority of the state voted for in 2018.
Speaking of Iowa and Florida, here’s NBC’s first “projection” of the 2020 presidential election:
Now, of course, we don’t want to get too excited or complacent, especially after the 2016 fiasco, but as we work ourselves into daily sweats over the fact that this country very well could be signing its own death warrant in November, let’s pause to remember that Donald Trump is deeply unpopular, incredibly undisciplined, and there is little chance that anything will change.
You’ll notice that NBC puts Florida in the Democratic column and lists Texas, Georgia, Iowa, and Ohio as tossups. That strikes me as a bit optimistic on the surface, but then again, I’ve spent most of my time this year digging into and promoting grassroots campaigns in those states, which are proving to be energized, organized, and ready to flip.
Here’s a story on Ohio and how its terrible economy has made it shaky ground for Trump after a big win there in 2016. And here’s a look at Democrats’ growing confidence in Texas’s Congressional races.
Some decent Senate polling in South Carolina, Kentucky, and Maine:
South Carolina: Democratic challenger Jamie Harrison is tied with Sen. Lindsay Graham 44-44.
Promising statistic: Harrison leads Graham 47-37 among independent voters.
Kentucky: Sen. Mitch McConnell leads Democratic challenger Amy McGrath 49-44.
Promising statistic: McGrath leads McConnell 46-40 among independent voters.
Worrisome statistic: McGrath only leads McConnell 86-11 among Democratic voters, as the state has many registered Dems who often vote with the GOP.
Maine: Democratic challenger State Sen. Sara Gideon leads Sen. Susan Collins 47-43.
Promising statistic: Collins has a 42-49 negative approval rating and 48% of voters think she’s been too kind to Donald Trump.
The whole plot to steal the election from Democrats by slowing down the postal service has one big problem: Rural voters rely on the postal service more than anyone. Two Republican Senators today called for Trump’s new vampire Postmaster General to reverse the directives that are crippling the USPS, which are bad for both business and their campaigns.
Nebraska Sen. Steve Daines is likely especially anxious about it now that he’s being challenged by Gov. Steve Bullock and they’re running neck-and-neck. Voters in urban areas (or “urban” areas in the case of Nebraska) are much more likely to receive mail and have their outgoing mail delivered in a semi-timely fashion, which could make a big difference in races where there are large differences in density. Think Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, and more.
Don’t trust anything you read about the election on Facebook (unless it’s from Progressives Everywhere’s page, of course).
COVID-19 and Related Drama
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was diagnosed with COVID-19 today. Why’d he get tested? Because he was going to meet with Trump. At least they can get rapid testing.
Tragically, another child died of COVID-19 in Georgia. Remember when Trump lied and said kids were basically immune in an effort to get schools reopened? Georgia also passed 4,000 deaths from the virus overall today.
Even if there is a COVID-19 vaccine this year, there will not be nearly enough doses in the first round. How they’d distribute this hypothetical vaccine is already the subject of much debate.
We’re approaching five million cases in the United States. Simply unconscionable.
Wait, before you go!
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