The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, Daniel Donner, and Cara Zelaya, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.
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The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, Daniel Donner, and Cara Zelaya, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.
Leading Off
● TX-Sen: As Democrats await a candidate to taken on Ted Cruz in 2024, Inside Elections' Erin Covey says one possibility mentioned by Texas Democrats is retired astronaut Scott Kelly, the identical twin brother of Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly—and the notion doesn't seem impossible.
Two days after the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, Scott Kelly condemned the attacks in a pair of tweets, noting that his brother's life had been threatened that day and that his sister-in-law, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, had survived a horrific assassination attempt exactly 10 years earlier. In response, a Twitter used named Kyle Hause asked Kelly if he'd run against Cruz; Kelly responded with a tantalizing quote-tweet saying, "Hmm…maybe."
Kelly, who lives in Houston (the home of NASA's Johnson Space Center) hasn't said anything further since, but he'd bring a remarkable profile to the race. He famously smashed the previous record for the longest trip in space by an American when he spent 340 days aboard the International Space Station (though Mark Vande Hei eclipsed that mark last year) and attracted intense interest due to NASA's plans to study the effects of long-term spaceflight by comparing his DNA to his brother's. Kelly chronicled his journey in the book "Endurance," which, incidentally, is a really good read.
Senate
● WI-Sen: Politico's Meredith Lee Hill reports that both local and national Republicans—including NRSC chair Steve Daines—are eager to see Rep. Mike Gallagher take on Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin next year, but unnamed "people close to him" say the congressman is "'not inclined" to do so and is more likely to run for governor in 2026 or for Senate in 2028 if GOP incumbent Ron Johnson retires. Gallagher himself previously did not rule out a bid, and as Hill notes, his repeated statements that Donald Trump "lost my support" would pose a serious obstacle for him in any primary.
In the event that Gallagher doesn't go for it, quite a few other Republicans have been poking around the race, and Hill adds a couple of new possibilities. One is former state Sen. Roger Roth, who defeated a large field of opponents in last year's GOP primary for lieutenant governor but lost as part of the ticket with Tim Michels to Gov. Tony Evers and his running mate, Sara Rodriguez. Another is former RNC chair (and, briefly, Trump chief of staff) Reince Priebus, but he's eschewed bids both for the House and for governor in recent years.
Governors
● NC-Gov: Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is teasing a "special announcement" on April 22, at which he'll reportedly announce a bid for governor. So far, the only notable candidate in the race is Attorney General Josh Stein, who will likely have the Democratic field to himself, while at least a couple of other Republicans are still considering campaigns of their own. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is barred by term limits from seeking re-election, so the governorship will be open next year.
House
● NJ-09: Even though veteran Rep. Bill Pascrell said last week that he'd seek another term, a fellow Democrat, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, wouldn't rule out a congressional bid of his own when local reporters asked about his intentions after a previously unknown political organization hosted a high-dollar fundraiser for him. Joe Malinconico of the Paterson Press says that unnamed "[p]olitical insiders privately offered conflicting opinions" as to whether Sayegh would actually run against the 86-year-old congressman, though he describes Pascrell as a "mentor" of the mayor. The 9th District, which includes urban areas of North Jersey and the western New York City suburbs, is solidly blue turf that voted 59-40 for Joe Biden.
● RI-01: The Democratic primary for the expected special election to succeed Rep. David Cicilline keeps getting more crowded, with state Rep. Nathan Biah joining the fray on Thursday. Biah, like two of the other notable contenders so far, is also an immigrant, having fled the civil war in Liberia when he was 20. In 2020, Biah, a high school principal, ousted incumbent Democrat Moira Walsh with the backing of then-Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, who had repeatedly clashed with Walsh. (Mattiello, however, went on to lose to a Republican that November.)
Meanwhile, state Rep. Marvin Abney, who chairs the House Finance Committee, has added his name to the very long list of Democrats who are considering the race, though he says he's focused on completing the state's next budget. That's typically not until June, which wouldn't leave him much time since the special primary is likely to take place in August or September.
Separately, Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera says she's still thinking about a bid, though in new remarks, she said, "I'm proud to see women, particularly women of color, recognizing this opportunity and working to elevate our representation," which may be a hint that she'll stay out since two other Latinas, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and state Sen. Sandra Cano, are already running.
Judges
● WI Supreme Court: As Wisconsin's pivotal Supreme Court race enters the stretch run, conservative Dan Kelly is busy campaigning with some despicable individuals—without any regrets. On Tuesday, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, both Kelly and far-right pastor Matthew Trewhella spoke at an event hosted by a fringe group called the Sons and Daughters of Liberty. In his remarks, Trewhella called wearing masks to mitigate COVID "evil," compared mask mandates to the Holocaust, and warned his audience that if they "appease tyrants," then "bloody revolution is the only option left"
Kelly tried to disavow any connection with Trewhella, but he's openly embraced another extremist, Virginia activist Scott Presler, who was on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 and organized multiple "stop the steal" rallies. Presler has been touring the state doing media appearances on Kelly's behalf and appeared with the candidate in a video that Kelly's campaign posted online. Kelly said he was unbothered by Presler's presence at the Capitol and claimed he was "not really familiar with his background," yet somehow he was nevertheless aware of the fact that Presler has more than a million followers on Twitter.
The Wisconsin Democratic Party castigated Kelly for his connections to Trewhella and Presler in a press release, but it remains to be seen whether progressive Judge Janet Protasiewicz uses any of this in an attack ad.
Mayors and County Leaders
● Chicago, IL Mayor: Republican pollster Victory Research finds a tightening race in the battle to serve as Chicago's next mayor, with former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas edging out Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson by just a 46-44 margin. In early March, Victory (which did not identify a client for either survey) had Vallas ahead by a wider 45-39 spread. The only other recent poll, from a progressive firm called IZQ Strategies, had Johnson in front 46-44. The runoff is April 4.
