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.
Leading Off
● UT-Gov: Former Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman has had a rough few weeks in his campaign to regain Utah's governorship, but he's picked up a very important ally in his quest to make it to the June GOP primary ballot. Sen. Mike Lee, who is very popular with the state's conservative base, endorsed Huntsman, who very much is not, on Friday. While the two have very different political profiles, they have a long history together. Lee served as Huntsman's general counsel during his governorship, while Huntsman backed the senator in 2015 at the same time that his father, Jon Huntsman Sr., was unsuccessfully trying to recruit a primary challenger.
Campaign Action
Lee's support could be a boon to Huntsman at the important April 25 party convention, an event that will take place virtually this year. Utah Policy's Bryan Schott reported the previous day that pictures were briefly posted on Facebook of Lee appearing to shoot a video supporting Huntsman that would be played for delegates ahead of the convention. And the former governor can very much use the help, since this gathering could determine if Huntsman even makes it to the primary.
As we've written before, candidates in Utah can make it to the ballot either by turning in enough signatures or by performing well at their party convention. Huntsman has been trying both routes, but he got some very bad news on March 26 when Schott reported that he still needed another 11,500 valid petitions ahead of the April 13 deadline. The coronavirus has made this already difficult task even more complicated, and while the state has taken steps to allow voters to sign these petitions at home, Huntsman is still struggling to hit his goal. State election officials reported on Thursday evening that Huntsman still needed just over 5,800 more valid petitions, and he only has until Monday to finish the task.
If he fails, Huntsman can still get to the primary by competing at the April 25 party convention, but he'll face plenty of other candidates at the gathering. Huntsman, who ran for president in 2012 as a moderate, may also have a tough time appealing to the anti-establishment delegates who dominate these events.
That's where Lee's support could be vital. Unlike Huntsman, the senator is quite popular with conservative activists, and he's taken their side in bitter intra-party battles. Notably, Lee has loudly but unsuccessfully opposed SB 54, the 2014 law that allows candidates to get on the ballot by collecting signatures. (Until this law took effect, the one and only way to reach the primary was through the convention.) If Lee can convince enough delegates to back Huntsman later this month, his endorsement could go a long way towards saving Huntsman's campaign.
The good news for Huntsman is that he doesn't need a majority of the delegates to vote for him in order to make it past the convention. State GOP rules say that, in races with three or more contenders, the convention may opt to either use multiple ballots or preference voting to gradually eliminate candidates from consideration; according to Utah Policy, the party has decided to use ranked-choice voting this year. If one contender ends up taking more than 60% of the delegate vote, they will be the only candidate to reach the primary ballot. If, however, no one hits this threshold, then the two competitors left standing will advance to the primary. (Utah Democrats' rules work the same way.)
If Huntsman fails to turn in enough petitions by Monday and falls short at the convention, it's still possible he'll get another chance to make it to the primary ballot. The state legislature will start a special session focused on the coronavirus during the week of April 13, and the upcoming primary will be part of the agenda. Lawmakers will consider state Sen. Wayne Harper's legislation to move the contest from June 30 to Aug. 4, and, more importantly for Huntsman, Harper said that his bill might include a provision that would extend the signature gathering deadline or eliminate it altogether.
Utah Policy's Bob Bernick also noted that retiring Gov. Gary Herbert has the authority to change or do away with the signature requirements, but he hasn't exercised this power. Bernick also predicted that some candidates could try to sue to get onto the ballot if Herbert doesn't end up taking action.
Should Huntsman make it to the primary, he's still in for a difficult battle of another sort. Recent polls show Huntsman in a close race against Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who has already reached the ballot by turning in the requisite number of signatures. Cox and Lee have a terrible relationship, which could partially explain why the senator is helping Huntsman at what may well be his most desperate hour.
Election Changes
Please bookmark our statewide 2020 primary calendar and our calendar of key downballot races, both of which we're updating continually as changes are finalized.
● Arkansas: Arkansas' Republican-run legislature has voted down a proposal by Democratic state Sen. Joyce Elliott to eliminate the state's excuse requirement to vote absentee for the November general elections. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who waived the requirement in recent runoffs, says he's open to similar waivers if the pandemic remains a threat in the fall.
● Connecticut: Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont says he does not want to cancel the state's presidential primary, which is scheduled for June 2. Democratic Secretary of State Denise Merrill previously asked candidates who've dropped out to withdraw their names from the ballot so that she could cancel the election herself, but both Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard have not done so, nor has one minor Republican.
Lamont could nevertheless cancel the primaries himself but says that doing so would set a bad precedent. Instead, the governor says he is considering the possibility of delaying the primary, which had originally been set for April 28, until July. Connecticut's downballot primaries will not take place until Aug. 11.
● Maryland: Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has approved a plan to conduct Maryland's June 2 presidential and downballot primaries by mail, with a limited number of in-person voting centers available for those unable to cast mail ballots. Officials will send every active registered voter an absentee ballot with a postage-paid return envelope.
● New Hampshire: New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald and Secretary of State Bill Gardner have released new guidance that effectively waives the state's requirement that voters present an excuse in order to vote absentee this year. The memorandum advises election officials: "Any voter may request an absentee ballot for the September 2020 Primary and November 2020 General Elections based on concerns regarding COVID-19." While a number of states have relaxed their excuse requirements for upcoming primaries, New Hampshire is the first to do so for the November general election.
● New Mexico: Attorneys for New Mexico's nonpartisan Legislative Council Service have told the state Supreme Court in a new filing that they believe the legislature's rules forbid lawmakers from convening remotely. In a lawsuit filed last month, 27 of the state's 33 county clerks (with the support of Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver) have asked the Supreme Court to order that the state's June 2 presidential and downballot primary be conducted by mail.
Republicans have opposed this request, saying the matter should be handled by the legislature. However, Democrats have said lawmakers are unable to meet safely, prompting the justices to ask the parties and the LCS to brief them on whether legislative sessions must be conducted in-person. Arguments in the case are set for April 14.
● South Carolina: South Carolina's Republican-run legislature met for a one-day session on Wednesday but failed to take up recommendations issued by the state's Election Commission to ensure the June 9 downballot primaries can run properly despite the threat of the coronavirus, such as removing the requirement that voters present an excuse to request an absentee ballot. The House unanimously passed a stopgap funding bill that included $15 million for election safety measures, but the session collapsed after the Senate passed a slightly different bill due to an entirely unrelated dispute over a state-owned utility company.
Republican House Speaker Jay Lucas reacted angrily, calling the Senate's move "a shameless abdication of leadership." The House also declined to pass a resolution specifying when it would return. This failure affects much more than the primary: Because lawmakers have yet to pass a budget for the coming year, that means South Carolina's state government could shut down when current funding runs out on July 1.
1Q Fundraising
● MN-Sen: Jason Lewis (R): $620,000 raised
● FL-15: Scott Franklin (R): $107,000 raised (in 15 days), additional $160,000 self-funded, $266,000 cash-on-hand
● FL-16: Vern Buchanan (R-inc): $439,000 raised
● KY-06: Josh Hicks (D): $360,000 raised
● MA-04: Jesse Mermell (D): $204,000 raised, $342,000 cash-on-hand; Dave Cavell (D): $100,000 raised, $184,000 cash-on-hand; Ihssane Leckey (D): $44,000 raised, $54,000 cash-on-hand; Chris Zannetos (D): $300,000 cash-on-hand
● MN-02: Tyler Kistner (R): $155,000 raised, $95,000 cash-on-hand
● MT-AL: Kathleen Williams (D): $486,000 raised, $1.1 million cash-on-hand; Tom Winter (D): $74,000 raised, $88,000 cash-on-hand