(MON 5/2/22)
The primaries are here … And Republican leaders are confident they can retake the Senate this November so long as primary voters send in the right candidates.
John Thune, of South Dakota, second in Senate GOP leadership under Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) says his party has a 50-50 chance right now of gaining a majority, which would require simply one net Republican victory.
“It would be a lot higher than 50-50 if the primaries were over and we knew who our nominees were,” Thune told The Hill. “(There) are some very contentious, competitive primaries and in states, swing states, in a general election where you’ve got to have good candidates.”
Translation: Whereas the House of Representatives is considered a slam-dunk for Republicans, including – perhaps especially – Trump-endorsed candidates, Senate Republicans obviously are counting on voters moving beyond the Big Lie and the 2020 presidential election the former president continues to contest. Problem for Senate Republicans is the same primary voters will be choosing House candidates and where applicable, Senate candidates on the same ballot.
First up: The purple state of Ohio, now considered deep red after Donald J. Trump’s win there in both 2016 and 2020, as well as Indiana are held this Tuesday. Everyone’s watching Ohio, where moderate Republican Sen. Rob Portman is retiring. The lead Republican for the nomination is former anti-Trumper turned Trump endorsee and Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance. If he wins the nomination, he will likely face Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who currently serves Ohio’s 13th District.
Other primaries in May, per Ballotpedia, are West Virginia, on the 10th, Kentucky and Idaho, on the 17th and Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia, on the 24th.
--Todd Lassa
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(FRI 4/29/22)
Parents v. Culture Wars … Most parents, no matter their political affiliation, are content with their children’s schools, reports an NPR/Ipsos poll with findings that suggest the “culture wars” over critical race theory, LGBTQ+ policy, and banning library books are the product of small, but vocal, minority of parents, and of elected officials looking to make political hay of the issues.
According to the poll, reported on NPR’s Morning Edition Friday, 76% of parents say their school does a good job of keeping them informed about curricula, including controversial topics. The poll covers a wide range of questions related to the culture wars and to the results of school shutdowns during the pandemic.
The poll results reflect an improvement over a February 2021 NPR/Ipsos poll that asked the same wide variety of questions about teachers and local school boards.
You can read a full summary here: https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/NPR-Ipsos-Parent-Child-Education-04282022
The April 2022 poll of 1,007 parents found:
• Only 24% said they have too little influence over their children’s curricula.
• 37% said they “don’t know,” and 34% said they have about the right amount of influence.
• Political affiliation breakdown: 32% of Republicans, 18% of Democrats and 23% of independents said they have too little say in their kids’ school curricula.
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How to spend filthy lucre … The Biden administration is weighing options for directing to Ukraine for rebuilding tens of billions in dollars of Russian assets seized in economic sanctions imposed upon its invasion, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Roll Call, which notes that the plan would require an act of Congress and could potentially pose long-term risks to U.S. taxpayers. Russian foreign reserves were estimated in January at $630 billion, although it is not clear how much of that is frozen in the U.S.
President Biden announced Thursday a package of $33 billion in humanitarian aid and defense for Ukraine. Many Republican senators already are signaling, however, they will need more information about Biden’s supplemental before they could commit to voting for it, CNN reports.
Here’s some more information: Russia hit Kyiv with a cruise missile strike during UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ visit to the capital city, The Guardian reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a “strong response” to the strike, which came “hours” after Biden announced the U.S. would double aid to his country.
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Abortion ban OK’d … Oklahoma’s state legislature is not waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on Texas’ controversial SB 8, which essentially bans abortions, with a ban of its own. The Republican-dominated Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 68-12 to send the bill to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt for his signature, The Guardian reports.
Like Texas’ SB 8, the Oklahoma law prohibits abortions after six weeks, before most women know they are pregnant, and allows citizens to sue abortion providers.
The Oklahoma House also approved new legislation prohibiting transgender students from using school restrooms that match their gender identity, and requires parental notification before any classroom instruction on sexual orientation or identity. (Note:See today’s first item.)
--Edited by Todd Lassa and Nic Woods