The Hill’s Campaign Report: GOP beset by convention drama

Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, your daily rundown on all the latest news in the 2020 presidential, Senate and House races. Did someone forward this to you? Click here to subscribe.

We’re Julia Manchester, Max Greenwood and Jonathan Easley. Here’s what we’re watching today on the campaign trail.

LEADING THE DAY:

Republican governors are starting to offer up their states as potential sites for the Republican National Convention this summer after President Trump threatened to pull the gathering out of North Carolina if the state does not allow full attendance amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) was the first to float the idea, touting the Peach State’s facilities on Twitter.

“With world-class facilities, restaurants, hotels, and workforce, Georgia would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention,” Kemp tweeted. “We hope you will consider the Peach State, @realdonaldtrump!”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) offered up the Sunshine State shortly after in a Miami press conference.

“Florida would love to have the RNC,” DeSantis said at a press briefing in Miami. “Heck, I’m a Republican, it would be good for us to have the RNC in terms of the economic impact when you talk about major events like that. So my posture on all this is we should try to get it done as best we can in accordance with whatever safety requirements.”

The comments from Kemp and DeSantis come as both of their states are opening up amid the pandemic, which has become a highly political issue across the country. While Democrats have generally warned against the health and safety risks of opening up too soon, Republicans have touted the need to get the economy up and running again.

Additionally, experts have warned that parts of the Southeast could experience a second wave of the virus within the next four weeks, so it’s impossible to know what states like Florida and Georgia will look like in August, when the convention is slated to take place.

However, Cooper said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that he is still willing to work with the RNC, depending on what the situation will be months from now.

“We want to see in writing what their plans are,” Cooper said. “We asked NASCAR to do the very same thing and NASCAR did a very good job this weekend of executing their plans.”

— Julia Manchester

 

READ MORE:

GOP governors jockey to elbow out North Carolina as convention host, by Max Greenwood. 

 

PERSPECTIVES:

Jonathan Capeheart: Biden’s comments were clearly a joke.

Paris Dennard: The Trump administration has been good for African Americans.

Fred Wertheimer: Trump is wrong about mail-in voting and fraud.

 

FROM THE TRAIL:

Former Vice President Joe Biden is set to go head-to-head with President Trump on the economy as the attacks from both of the campaigns ramp up ahead of November. The move could be risky, given that the economy has been one of Trump’s strengths throughout his presidency. Biden will attack Trump on his handling of the economy during the pandemic and tout the Obama administration’s response during the 2009 financial crisis. The Hill’s Amie Parnes reports.

Trump’s reelection campaign has promoted Bill Stepien to deputy campaign manager, making the longtime Republican political adviser a top aide to campaign manager Brad Parscale. Jonathan Easley reports.

 

FROM CONGRESS & THE STATES:

Five senators are staring down serious political danger ahead of the November elections. Max and Julia have the rundown on the 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2020.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has reserved more than $18 million in fall television time, an initial foray into the media market that shines a light on where the fight for control of the House of Representatives will likely be focused. Reid Wilson reports.

Scherie Murray, one of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Republican challengers, dropped out of the race to represent New York’s 14th congressional district on Monday. The Hill’s Rebecca Klar reports the decision came just days after Murray filed a lawsuit against a contractor for allegedly making errors while tasked with getting signatures on Murray’s behalf.

The Voter Protection Project is putting $300,000 behind English and Spanish language ads backing New York City Council member Richie Torres (D) in the crowded primary to replace Rep. Jose Serrano (D).

 

MONEY WATCH:

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) is launching a six-figure digital campaign targeting her top Republican challenger Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) over his political record, her campaign announced on Wednesday. The first digital ad released as part of the campaign accuses him of siding with Democrats on issues like term limits for lawmakers, Common Core education standards and gun control. “Doug Collins thought he could run around telling lies, but the truth is his record has been a complete disaster for Georgians,” Stephen Lawson, a spokesperson for Loeffler’s campaign, said. “From voting for billions in tax increases and reckless spending to funding sanctuary cities and Common Core, Doug Collins’ record makes Mitt Romney look like a conservative hero.”

 

POLL WATCH:

KUTV – UTAH

Trump: 44 percent

Biden: 41 percent

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

(Keep in mind these dates could change because of the outbreak.)

 

June 2:

District of Columbia primaries

Indiana primaries

Maryland primaries

Montana primaries

New Mexico primaries

Pennsylvania primaries

Rhode Island primaries

South Dakota primaries

 

June 9:

Georgia primaries

West Virginia primaries

 

June 23:

Kentucky primaries

 

July 7:

New Jersey primaries

Delaware primary

 

July 11:

Louisiana

 

July 14:

Alabama Republican Senate primary runoff

 

August 11:

Connecticut primary

 

August 17-20:

Democratic National Convention

 

August 24-27:

Republican National Convention

 

ONE HOPEFUL THING

Americans across the nation came together to honor our fallen heroes Monday on Memorial Day. Former congressional aide Hannah Kim was no exception, traveling 90 days and 130,000 miles to visit every Korean memorial and thanking veterans for their service along the way.

Kim took the journey to raise funds for the Wall of Remembrance and the National Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“I knew what I had to do—so I packed my bags again and got behind the wheel, this time with the goal of raising awareness and funds for the Wall,” Kim wrote for the Good News Network.

In addition to honoring the veterans she encountered on her journey, Kim also found a way to pay homage to her Korean heritage.

“At every stop, I got on my knees and bowed—the Korean way, which is the highest form of respect—to express my humble and sincere gratitude on behalf of all my fellow Korean Americans thriving in the country we proudly call home, enjoying the freedoms that the veterans secured for us,” Kim wrote. “Because none of us would be here if they didn’t fight in Korea almost 70 years ago.”

You can read more about Kim’s experience in her own words here.