GOP State Officials In Uncomfortable Position Of Implementing Mail-In Voting Amid Fraud Rhetoric
Republican state officials are taking a hard look at their own rhetoric around voter fraud in the midst of the pandemic. "It's partly on me because I talked about it in my campaign," said Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams. "But it's my job now to calm people's fears." In other election news: the national conventions, an ad battle over relationships with China and in-person fundraisers in the coronavirus era.
NPR:
Voter Fraud Claims Make It Hard For GOP To Expand Voting By Mail
Republican state officials who want to expand absentee and mail-in voting during the pandemic have found themselves in an uncomfortable position due to their party's rhetoric. President Trump has claimed repeatedly, without providing evidence, that mail-in voting is ripe for fraud and bad for the GOP. He and other Republicans have charged that Democrats might use it to "steal" the election. (Fessler, 5/15)
NPR:
Democrats Weigh Options For Summer Convention
Four years ago, Joe Biden took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia to the Rocky theme, looking out over a crowd of delegates waving red and white signs that bore his name. He encouraged fellow Democrats to unite and rally around Hillary Clinton. Now, as Democrats plan to hold the convention that will nominate Biden, the chances that he'll bask in the same kind of scene this year seem ever more distant, as the Democratic Party faces the possibility of a limited in-person presence or virtual gathering. (Summers, 5/15)
The Washington Post:
Biden Vs. Trump: The Ad Battle Over China And The Coronavirus
As the coronavirus pandemic has spread around the globe, the ad battle for the U.S. presidency has increasingly centered on one issue: Who is a bigger toady for China? To a striking degree, the campaigns of President Trump and former vice president Joe Biden — and groups that support or oppose them — increasingly are attacking each other with common themes. Both sides pin a lot of blame on China for failing to act quickly to stem the virus — or failing to communicate with the rest of the world more clearly. But then they argue that their opponent cannot be trusted to deal with China. (Kessler, 5/15)
The New York Times:
Trump, Biden And The Myth Of ‘But 2016’
At first glance, there seems little in common between red-hat-wearing admirers of President Trump and Democratic activists still nursing PTSD from Hillary Clinton’s loss. Yet these political opposites share an overriding conviction, one they are apt to invoke any time the president’s re-election prospects are questioned: But 2016! Mr. Trump’s surprise win in the Electoral College is their Exhibit A, cited repeatedly online or in real life, to counter any polls or election results or momentary events that cast doubt on the president’s electability in 2020. (Martin, 5/15)
Roll Call:
K Street, PACs Not Eager To Attend In-Person Fundraisers Yet
After a monthslong hiatus, some lawmakers have begun inviting lobbyists and D.C. insiders to in-person fundraisers as soon as next month, and that isn’t going over so well on K Street. Many lobbyists and corporate executives, cloistered in their home offices during the coronavirus pandemic, said they were unlikely to sign up for in-person political events in the coming weeks — and some were downright dismayed that lawmakers would even send invites for so near in the future. (Ackley, 5/14)
