The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, Carolyn Fiddler, and Matt Booker, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.
● MD-07: On Tuesday evening, Maryland's 7th District held its primaries for the April 28 special election to succeed the late Rep. Elijah Cummings in this safely blue seat. You can find the results here, which we'll be discussing in the next Morning Digest.
Leading Off
● TX-12: The hardline anti-tax Club for Growth is launching a TV ad backed by $600,000 opposing Republican Rep. Kay Granger ahead of the March 3 primary. Their spot compares Granger to Joe Biden, citing the right-wing conspiracy theory that the former vice president was corruptly cashing in via his son Hunter Biden in Ukraine. The Club links that bogus charge to to their accusation that Granger's son J.D. Granger got hired for a $200,000 job overseeing a project that the congresswoman had "pushed to fund" with taxpayer money.
That accusation refers to a repeatedly delayed development project in Fort Worth that had become a money pit, and the local NBC affiliate noted last year that the congresswoman was heavily involved in creating it and securing federal funding. The younger Granger was eventually replaced as part of leadership changes following an independent review of the project.
Meanwhile, the establishment-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund is putting down $300,000 for a TV ad supporting Granger. Their spot features footage of Trump praising and endorsing Granger, with the narrator arguing she's supported his priorities on immigration, taxes, and jobs.
Senate
● GA-Sen-B: It's been several months since DeKalb County Chief Executive Michael Thurmond has said anything about whether or not he will run in the Senate special election, but Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a fellow Democrat, suggested in a recent interview that Thurmond is still thinking about it.
● KS-Sen: Businessman Bob Hamilton is reportedly considering joining the Republican primary for Senate and is said to have already met with the NRSC. It's unclear if Hamilton has the means or desire to do some serious self-funding if he were to run, but the Wall Street Journal reports that he would try to "cast himself as an outsider conservative businessman."
● ME-Sen: The Republican-aligned One Nation, a dark money "social welfare" group that doesn't have to disclose its donors, is launching a $500,000 ad buy across TV, radio, and digital on behalf of GOP Sen. Susan Collins. Their spot praises Collins for supposedly fighting to make insulin more affordable.
● NC-Sen: The DSCC is launching a joint ad buy for at least $89,000 with former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, whom they've previously endorsed, ahead of the March 3 primary. Their two spots (here and here) attack Republican Sen. Thom Tillis over health care and contrast him with Cunningham, who promises to protect people with pre-existing conditions and strengthen the Affordable Care Act.
● TX-Sen: VoteVets is going up with a sizable $3.3 million TV ad buy over the next two weeks for Democrat MJ Hegar ahead of the March 3 primary. Their commercial begins by showing Hegar riding a motorcycle and relays the story of her experience as an Air Force combat pilot. The narrator asserts that her own experience with a difficult childbirth has made Hegar determined to ensure that everyone has access to affordable health care and protections for pre-existing conditions.
Gubernatorial
● MT-Gov: State House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner, who had struggled with fundraising, has announced that he's dropping out of the Democratic primary for governor. Schreiner's departure leaves Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney and businesswoman Whitney Williams as the two remaining notable candidates on the Democratic side.
House
● FL-03: Former Gainesville Commissioner Todd Chase is the latest Republican to join the crowded primary for this safely red open seat, highlighting his background as a former Navy pilot. Chase joins a field that includes businesswoman Amy Pope Wells, Clay County Commissioner Gavin Rollins, physician James St. George, 2018 House candidate Judson Sapp, Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn, and congressional aide Kat Cammack.
● NY-02: Local GOP leaders recently backed Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino, who recently made his campaign official, and now two of his rivals sound uncertain about continuing their primary campaigns. Suffolk County Board of Elections member Nick LaLota said he and his are allies "still talking" and will decide in days, while Assemblyman Michael LiPetri said, "Stay tuned."
● TX-11: With Honor Fund, which had backed a number of veterans in both parties last cycle but has been far less prominent in 2020, is launching a TV ad to support Air Force veteran August Pfluger in the GOP primary. Their spot highlights his military experience as a fighter pilot and praises him for being a Trump ally.
● TX-22: Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls is going up with his first TV ad ahead of next month's Republican primary, airing the spot as part of a cable TV buy. The spot highlights his roots in the district in a subtle dig at his rivals who don’t live in the district such as wealthy Republican Kathaleen Wall, who goes unnamed. It touts his record of locking up "illegal immigrants" and for receiving two Bronze Stars for his Army service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Wall is airing the first negative ad of the primary with a cable spot attacking Nehls. Her commercial blasts Nehls for supposedly having opposed an effort by the Trump administration to "catch illegals" and refusing to support a state law banning so-called sanctuary cities.
● TX-28: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which normally backs establishment-oriented Republicans, is spending $200,000 on a TV ad to aid conservative Rep. Henry Cuellar ahead of next month's Democratic primary. No copy of their ad is available yet.
