Heart of the Primaries: Republicans, Issue 16

[Heart of the Primaries newsletter] Sponsored by Political Wire This week: Lamborn is off the Colorado ballot, but Robinson is back on, Democratic pasts haunt Republican Senate candidates, and Molinaro closes in on New York’s gubernatorial nomination. [Click here]( to follow developments on the Democratic side. Have a tip or see something we missed? Email us at geoff@ballotpedia.org. And please share this newsletter with your colleagues! UPCOMING FILING DEADLINES [Upcoming filing deadlines]( UPCOMING PRIMARY ELECTIONS [Upcoming primary elections] DECLARED CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES [Declared congressional candidates]( REPUBLICAN PUNDITS ON THE NEWS Where do Republican and conservative pundits disagree? Each week in Heart of the Primaries, we bring you excerpts that highlight differing views. “The race for House Speaker within the GOP caucus is an opportunity to stop the chicanery and meld the GOP into a coherent and effective caucus that doesn’t abandon or ridicule the priorities of its voters but rather fights for them. The next Republican Speaker needs to stop blaming conservatives groups in Congress like the Freedom Caucus for refusing to abandon voter priorities.” - Dan Palmer, [The Hill](, April 20, 2018 “I noted during the frustrations of the John Boehner years that the easiest thing in the world to do in a legislature is complain about your leaders negotiations and insist that if you had been in charge, you would have gotten a better deal. Passing big, consequential pieces of legislation is hard. Coalitions are difficult to keep together.” - Jim Geraghty, [National Review](, April 11, 2018 RedState writer layoffs The conservative website [RedState]( [laid off]( multiple editors and writers on Friday. [Several]( [media]( [outlets]( have reported that the writers who were targeted had criticized President Trump. Erick Erickson, a RedState founder who is no longer with the site, [said]( money and politics might be at play: "My understanding from the writers is that there were two contracts, one more expensive than the other. Most of those on the expensive contracts were tossed, though some very good ones will stay. Of those under the cheaper contracts, it seems the dividing line was loyalty to the President." [U.S. Congress][Congress by the numbers] Lamborn blocked from CO-05 Republican primary ballot [Doug Lamborn]Incumbent Rep. [Doug Lamborn]( (R-Colo.) was removed from the Republican primary ballot in [Colorado’s 5th Congressional District]( Monday after the [Colorado Supreme Court]( invalidated the signatures his campaign gathered because some of his petition circulators were not state residents. Lamborn filed a lawsuit Wednesday arguing the petitioner residency requirement violates the First Amendment right of association. Lamborn is seeking an injunction that would require his name to appear on the June 26 primary ballot. Four other Republicans are running for the seat, including [Rand Paul](-backed state Sen. [Owen Hill]( (R). Braun and Nicholson defend Democratic voting records in Indiana and Wisconsin Senate races Rep. [Luke Messer]( (R-Ind.) released a [new ad]( in the [Indiana Senate race]( criticizing state Rep. [Mike Braun]( (R) for [voting]( in Democratic primaries for more than a decade. According to Dubois County records, Braun voted in Democratic primaries from 1996 through 2008. He voted in a Republican primary in 2012 and and ran as a Republican for the state Legislature in 2014. Braun spokesman Josh Kelley said Dubois County was solidly Democratic at the time and Braun voted “in competitive local primaries where it would have the greatest impact, while voting solidly Republican in general elections.” Party loyalty is also an issue in the [Wisconsin Senate race](, where Marine Corps veteran [Kevin Nicholson]( (R) and his allies defended Nicholson’s stint as president of the College Democrats of America. Restoration PAC [released an ad]( comparing Nicholson to President [Ronald Reagan]( (R), saying “reality turned Kevin Nicholson into a conservative.” Candidate survey reply of the week Ballotpedia is surveying candidates ahead of the primary and general elections. Are you a candidate for public office? [Complete a survey](, and you may be featured here. Do you believe that it’s beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics? [Jonathan Lamb]"We elect, time and again, career politicians who promise to change Washington and we get the same results, the same failed policies as before. We need leaders that will stand up for the American people and have real world experiences. Leaders that know the ups and downs in life and have built things, created jobs and solved problems." - Jonathan Lamb, candidate for Indiana's 6th Congressional District [Read all of Jonathan Lamb's responses]( → Advertisement [Political Wire]( Join Political Wire to get exclusive analysis and reporting, a 24/7 trending news aggregator, new features and no advertising. Members join a community with a deep understanding of politics and public policy and also help support a site that is focused entirely on its readers. Ballotpedia readers get 10% off an [annual membership]( with coupon code "Ballotpedia" Inquire at ads@ballotpedia.org to advertise here in next week’s edition. [Governors][Gubernatorial races by the numbers] South Carolina gubernatorial candidates tout Trump support in new ads [Henry McMaster]Supporters of South Carolina Gov. [Henry McMaster]( (R) and challenger [Catherine Templeton]( (R) launched new ads emphasizing the candidates' connections to President Trump. The McMaster campaign launched its first ad of the race Thursday, featuring a clip of the president's endorsement of McMaster. An earlier Citizens for a Working America ad supporting McMaster also mentioned the Trump endorsement. [Catherine Templeton]The American Future Fund, which backs Catherine Templeton (R), emphasized reports Trump had considered her for Secretary of Labor in an ad it released Wednesday. Five candidates are running in the [June 12 primary](, which is open to all voters. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two candidates advance to a June 26 runoff. Molinaro secures support of county committees, clearing path to nomination [Marc Molinaro]Dutchess County Executive [Marc Molinaro]( (R) secured the endorsement of seven additional county committees Wednesday, putting him one step closer to the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Six of the seven county committees had previously endorsed his opponent, state Sen. [John DeFrancisco]( (R), who said Wednesday he would no longer actively campaign. With the endorsements, Molinaro is projected to have more than 75 percent of delegate votes at the party convention. Candidates must get at least 25 percent of the vote at the party's statewide convention in order to appear on the primary ballot without submitting nominating petitions. Convention delegates typically vote for the candidate endorsed by their county party. Three candidates are seeking the GOP nomination. The [Sept. 13 primary]( is open to registered Republicans only. Robinson restored to Colorado primary ballot [Doug Robinson]Businessman Doug Robinson (R) was restored to the Republican gubernatorial primary ballot Wednesday after a Denver judge accepted a settlement between the Robinson campaign and the secretary of state's office. The secretary of state had declared Robinson was 22 signatures short of the 1,500 required in the state's 2nd Congressional District and would not qualify for the ballot. Robinson sued, alleging the secretary's office rejected some valid signatures. The two sides agreed that 40 selected signatures from the 2nd District had been improperly removed. Candidates seeking a major-party nomination for statewide office in Colorado must either submit 1,500 signatures from registered party members in each of the state's seven congressional districts or receive at least 30 percent of the vote at the statewide party assembly. Robinson will appear alongside former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez (R), former state Rep. Victor Mitchell (R), and state Treasurer Walker Stapleton (R) in [the June 26 primary](, which is open to registered Republicans and unaffiliated voters. [State legislatures] Republicans control 32 state legislatures heading into the November 2018 midterms. Over the eight years of the Obama presidency, Republicans picked up 948 seats in state legislatures. This chart tracks the number of candidates running, incumbents retiring, primary challenges to incumbents, and total primaries for Republicans in 2018 compared to the same point in the 2016 elections based on the states where filing deadlines have passed. [State legislative Republican primaries, 2018 vs. 2016] Takeaways: In Alabama*, Arkansas, California***, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland*, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico**, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina**, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia, where candidate lists are now final, the number of Republican candidates running has increased 11.4 percent. The number of incumbents retiring has increased 51.7 percent. The number of Republican incumbents facing challenges has increased 13.1 percent and the number of Republican primaries has increased 17.1 percent. *Did not hold state legislative elections in 2016 **Not holding state Senate elections in 2018 ***Holds top-two primaries instead of Democratic and Republican primaries Hardister challenged over sales tax support [Jon Hardister]North Carolina House Majority Whip Jon Hardister’s support for an expanded sales tax has earned him a [primary challenge]( former state Sen. James McDaniel. Since 2013, the state has reduced income and corporate rates, but expanded its sales tax to services to partially offset lost revenue. McDaniel says the service tax penalizes people who need emergency home repair services like plumbing and the state could get by without the extra money. Hardister says the tax changes improved North Carolina’s business climate and fiscal solvency. Hardister says he eventually wants to eliminate state income taxes and only tax consumption and services. McDaniel acknowledges that Republicans almost universally supported the tax changes, but said the Legislature needs someone to stand up for smaller budgets and lower taxes. Indiana primaries focus on social issues [Indiana Republican Party]We’ve[written]( about a contentious primary battle between socially conservative Sen. Mike Delph and his business-backed challenger, Corrie Meyer, in Indiana Senate District 29. Here [are more]( Indiana[Republican primaries]( to watch May 8. - Senate District 11: State Sen. Joe Zakas is facing a challenge from businesswoman Linda Rogers. Indiana Right to Life backs Zakas, but the Indiana Chamber of Commerce [supports]( Rogers. - Senate District 19: The Indiana Religious Freedom Alliance is supporting Eric Orr’s challenge of incumbent Travis Holdman, who was [endorsed]( by the Indiana Chamber. - House District 52: Anti-abortion groups are on opposing sides in state Rep. Ben Smaltz’s primary after he opposed a bill banning abortions entirely, but worked to pass other anti-abortion legislation. Hoosiers Right to Life supports his challenger, William Carlin. Indiana Right to Life backs Smaltz. FirstEnergy Corp. backs Householder for Ohio House speaker The political action committee of Akron-based utility company FirstEnergy Corp. [donated]( nearly $150,000 to state Rep. Larry Householder and his allies in the May 8 Ohio state House [GOP primaries](. Householder previously supported legislation allowing the company’s subsidiaries to charge customers extra to subsidize operations at two nuclear power plants. The plants are now set to close by 2021. Householder and his allies are competing with Finance Committee Chairman Ryan Smith and his supporters for control of the House, and the speakership, in 2019. [Win data from Ballotpedia]( Have you spent hours on Ballotpedia copying and pasting the names of everyone running for office this year? (Oh my!) Consider, instead, [entering our contest]( to win a spreadsheet with all that information. [Power Players] A weekly feature on an influencer shaping the direction of the party. Mountain Families PAC A $700,000 ad campaign from the recently [formed]( Mountain Families PAC highlighting coal mining executive [Don Blankenship’s]( year-long stint in prison has raised questions about the PAC’s links to national Republicans, and whether Sen. Majority Leader[Mitch McConnell]( (R) is “[meddling](” in the [West Virginia U.S. Senate race](. The PAC’s ads call Blankenship, who was jailed after a 2010 explosion at his Upper Big Branch Mine, a “convicted criminal” who would not improve Washington, D.C. The ads appeared as the self-funding Blankenship was gaining ground in the race, having spent more than $1 million on ads. The national Republican Party is distancing itself from the PAC. But FEC disclosures show firms that have worked with the [Senate Leadership Fund]( (SLF), a McConnell-associated PAC, oversaw the anti-Blankenship ads. Mountain Families is registered at an address that was also used for a fundraising account of former Sen. Luther Strange. The SLF aided Strange in his unsuccessful 2017 Senate bid. At an [event](in the state earlier this month promoting his tax reform package, President Trump appeared on stage with two of Blankenship’s opponents, Rep. [Evan Jenkins]( and state Attorney General [Patrick Morrisey](. Blankenship did not attend. What we're reading - “Democrats try to win back labor in order to win back the House” ([Washington Examiner]() - “The Republicans’ Big Senate Mess” ([The New York Times]() - “GOP Concerns Mount in Arizona Despite 8th District Win” ([Real Clear Politics]() - “Here are four ways Republicans can guarantee they lose Congress in November” ([Fox News]() Share this email: [Facebook]([Twitter]( [Footer ad]( Want to sponsor this newsletter? Reach donors, consultants, activists, and voters with your message. Contact ads@ballotpedia.org for more information about advertising. [View on Ballotpedia]( Choose which emails you would like to receive from Ballotpedia: [Unsubscribe]( or [manage your subscription](