Welcome back to WTOP’s election update. As the general election races heat up, WTOP’s reporters will let you know about the latest developments every Friday.
Local elections | Nick Iannelli
Cox fundraises with Trump
Dan Cox, Maryland’s Republican candidate for governor, went down to Florida this week for a fundraiser with former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
For $1,776, people could mingle at a private cocktail reception. For $25,000, they could stand alongside Cox and the former president for a photo.
“It’s not clear how much of that money Cox gets; the Maryland limit for a campaign contribution to a candidate is $6,000,” the Baltimore Sun reported.
Cox did not promote the event publicly, leaving some pundits wondering whether he was intentionally downplaying his Trump allegiance to try to win over some crossover Democratic support ahead of the election.
According to some who were there, attendees included Cox and his wife, Trump, Baltimore radio host and former congressional candidate Kimberly Klacik, and several Trump backers from around Maryland.
Virginia Gov. Youngkin stumps for GOP
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been on the road a lot, continuing his push for Republican candidates nationwide.
“Every state deserves a Republican governor,” Youngkin said in an interview with WTOP. “I’m working to support incumbent Republican governors and a handful of challengers who we think can win.”
Youngkin has generated speculation that he may run for president in 2024. He has been campaigning in recent weeks for candidates in Michigan, Maine, Nevada, Kansas and Georgia.
He was in Arizona this week rallying with Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and corrupt.
“Not every Republican — we don’t agree on everything,” Youngkin said when asked about Lake’s claims. “Joe Biden is our president and he was elected our president.”
When asked about Maryland’s Dan Cox, Youngkin said, “I hope Dan wins.”
Cox has echoed claims about widespread election fraud in 2020. Current Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, has refused to endorse Cox in the race.
Will noncitizens vote in DC?
Strong opposition is growing to a recently passed bill in D.C. that would allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.
Under the legislation, undocumented immigrants, green card holders and people with visas would be able to vote in elections for positions in the city, such as mayor, council member and attorney general.
Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, has already introduced a resolution in Congress that would block the measure from taking effect, calling it an “insane policy,” Fox News reported.
“Allowing illegal immigrants to vote is an insult to every voter in America,” Cotton said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The Washington Post editorial board also called it a “bad idea.”
“There’s nothing in this measure to prevent employees at embassies of governments that are openly hostile to the United States from casting ballots,” the board said.
High-profile debate is canceled
The U.S. House race in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District is one of the most closely watched races in the state, but there won’t be a debate between the candidates.
Organizers called off a debate between Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger and her Republican challenger Yesli Vega, saying both campaigns hit “an impasse over security concerns and disagreements over proposed moderators.” The debate had been scheduled for Friday.
Virginia’s 7th District includes a section of Prince William County, along with Stafford, Spotsylvania and Culpeper counties.
According to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, the race “leans Democrat.”
From Capitol Hill | Mitchell Miller
Key US Senate races remain tight
Just over two weeks ahead of the midterm elections, the political crystal ball for predicting which party will control the U.S. Senate remains very cloudy.
Senate races are tight in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada, with a bit more space between candidates in Wisconsin.
In Pennsylvania, Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz appears to have closed the gap with Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who has consistently led in polling in recent months. A new AARP poll has Fetterman leading 48% to 46%, but that’s within the margin of error. Oz, like other Republicans, has been hitting Fetterman with ads, charging that he is soft on crime.
Fetterman, after a stroke, was unable to aggressively hit the campaign trail for several months. But he’s making public appearances again and released a letter from his doctor this week that said his recovery is going well.
In Georgia, polls indicate the controversy over Republican Herschel Walker and a woman’s claim that he paid for her abortion has not had too much of an effect on his race with U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. The Democratic lawmaker still has a slight lead and has sharpened his criticism of Walker.
In Wisconsin, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson appears to have gained political momentum after two debates and a flurry of ads aimed at Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.
A Marquette University Law School poll found that Johnson had a 52% to 46% lead among likely voters. The poll also indicates that Johnson is getting more support from independents.
The Senate race in Nevada remains extremely tight. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto has widely been considered the most vulnerable Democrat. A new CBS Battleground Tracker Poll has her in a virtual dead heat with Republican Adam Laxalt, with Laxalt ahead 49% to 48% among likely voters.
Republicans just need a net gain of one seat to regain control of the Senate.
What’s going on in Iowa?
Republican U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, from Iowa, hasn’t had a close race since he was elected more than four decades ago in 1980. So a new poll that shows him only leading over Democrat Mike Franken, a retired U.S. Navy admiral, by 46% to 43%, has understandably raised some eyebrows.
Also, the poll was conducted by Selzer & Co., a well-respected polling firm for the Des Moines Register. The margin of error is 3.9 percentage points among likely voters
Some voters may be concerned about Grassley’s age: He is 89 and would be 95 at the end of his term.
Still, this poll needs to be looked at with some skepticism, given all the economic trends pointing in Republicans’ favor and Grassley’s track record in the Hawkeye State. Grassley’s closest race since he was first elected happened in 2016 — and he won by 24 percentage points.
Political pundits will be looking for more polls ahead of Election Day before making major predictions of an upset in Iowa.
The politics of the pain at the pump
Democrats know they are getting battered by the issue of inflation and had hoped that gas prices would keep dropping as the midterm elections approach.
But gas prices have been edging upward again. AAA said the average price across the country is $3.82; and in California, motorists are paying close to $6 a gallon.
Rising gas prices are political poison for Democrats trying to hang onto their congressional seats.
President Joe Biden denied that he ordered the release of 15 million barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve this week because the elections are only a few weeks away. But Republicans aren’t buying it.
“The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was built for a national energy crisis — not for a Democrat election crisis,” U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said in a statement.
Election Day is already here for many voters
Early, in-person voting began this week in Georgia, and if the first few days are any indication, there’s likely to be record turnout for a midterm election. More than 131,000 people voted on Monday. That’s nearly double the number from 2018, when about 71,000 voted. After Tuesday, it had actually exceeded the number from 2020, a presidential election year, when voter turnout is traditionally at its highest.
The secretary of state’s office said that as of Wednesday morning, more than 268,000 had cast their ballot during in-person early voting. By comparison, 266,403 had done so during the same time period in 2020.
Early voting is underway in more than a dozen states, including Virginia. As of Wednesday, more than 302,000 Virginians had voted either in person or by mail. That’s running ahead of 2018, when a total of about 344,000 had voted early before Election Day.
Worth your time
From Nick Iannelli
- Wes Moore has never been elected, but there’s already White House buzz (Politico)
- The University of Virginia discusses ‘election threats’ in November (CBS 19 News)
- Candidates in DC’s competitive Council race talk about the issues (The Washington Post)
From Mitchell Miller
- Will your trip to the gas station affect your trip to the voting booth? (The Washington Post)
- Election deniers could have big impact on future elections (The Associated Press)
- Many Americans expect fraud in midterm elections (NBC Washington)
Dates to remember
- Oct. 27: Early voting to be held in Maryland through Nov. 3.
- Oct. 28: The last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot by mail in Virginia.
- Oct. 31: In-person early voting starts in D.C.
