Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO NIGHTLY: GOP govs play final cards ahead of primaries

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

POLITICO NIGHTLY: GOP govs play final cards ahead of primaries

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine | Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

SLIDE TO THE RIGHT — In just two weeks, Ohio and Indiana will launch a busy portion of the 2022 primary calendar on May 3. And as the clock ticks down, GOP governors are gearing up for reelection across the country, making their final pitches to voters to show they’re still up for the job.

From Mike DeWine of Ohio to Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt and Brian Kemp in Georgia, state leaders are enacting far-right policies, leaning into attention-grabbing and politically charged topics like abortion, guns and the southern border.

“In the months before and the weeks before a primary, you’re seeing governors and you’re seeing members of Congress really drive home messaging to their base — that they are conservative, they’re one of them, and they’re reflective of the values that come from the base,” veteran GOP strategist Doug Heye told Nightly. “This is sort of your last advertisement to your audience essentially.”

DeWine’s most recent ad, according to Facebook’s ad tracker, shows him signing the “Heartbeat Bill,” highlighting a “national leader in pro-Life Legislation.” Another ad says DeWine is “protecting your Second Amendment rights,” and one touts endorsements from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the National Border Patrol Council for DeWine’s views on immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Ohio Republican, who’s managed to successfully straddle the line between staying in former President Donald Trump’s good graces while not keeping him too close, will face off with three lesser-known conservatives who could potentially split the far-right vote, likely setting up DeWine for another term. The primaries are a good indicator of who’s going to be your next governor, Heye said. In the past few years, winning the primary means you have a strong chance of victory in November.

It’s worth noting that these governors each face their own unique set of challenges, and that they have their own styles for going about election-year strategy. Still, in many cases, the incumbent Republicans are shifting right, making their final plays to pull in base voters to beat out more conservative — and sometimes even Trump-backed — contenders.

Kemp is playing the same game in Georgia, making moves to loosen gun laws ahead of his May 24 primary. He signed a bill last week allowing Georgians to carry handguns without a license or background check, delivering roughly a month before he’s set to battle David Perdue, who won the former president’s endorsement after Trump turned on Kemp for refusing to challenge the state’s 2020 election results.

In Oklahoma, Stitt signed a near-total abortion ban last week and has vowed to sign “every piece of pro-life legislation” that goes before him.

And today, led by border state governors Abbott and Doug Ducey of Arizona, 26 governors announced the creation of a strike force to “secure” the U.S.-Mexico border. DeWine, Kemp, Stitt and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were among those who joined the effort.

As for the term-limited Ducey, Trump has blasted him as a “RINO” and endorsed Kari Lake, a former TV anchor who has become a frontrunner for governor. She still insists Trump won the state in 2020.

Other GOP governors’ motivations go well beyond 2022. DeSantis has made national headlines for his “Don’t Say Gay” law. And just last week, the potential 2024 candidate signed a 15-week abortion ban into law, once again building his national portfolio.

Abbott is another rumored 2024 contender who likes to keep his name on the big networks and in the White House briefing room. He’s sent multiple buses of migrants to Washington, D.C., this month, and he made headlines last week for his policy, which he has since ended, that increased truck inspections, gridlocking commercial traffic along the U.S.-Mexico border.

While 2024 hopefuls await a decision from Trump about whether he plans to run again, governors like DeSantis are simultaneously working to keep their current jobs while preparing for a potential White House bid, Heye said.

“They’re all putting themselves in the starting gate for a race that they may not run. But if you don’t put yourself in that position, then if there is a real race, you start from way behind,” Heye said. “The DeSantis’, the Ted Cruz’s and Nikki Haley’s of the world are very mindful of that. They have to go right up to the starting line, but they can’t say that they’re running.”

That’s because the first one who officially announces a run for the White House in 2024, Heye said, Trump will try to eliminate them.

To see how POLITICO foresees these governor’s races playing out, use our new Election Forecast tool. Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, we predicted how every single midterm race will go — and things are looking good for the GOP. Use the tool to see which races you need to watch this year — and who we think will win each one.

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at mward@politico.com, or on Twitter at @MyahWard.

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WHAT'D I MISS?

— White House readying more security assistance to Ukraine: President Joe Biden today said he would authorize additional security assistance to Ukraine as Russia begins its new offensive in the southeastern part of the country known as the Donbas region. Biden’s remarks came as he disembarked Air Force One in Portsmouth, N.H., where he promoted the bipartisan infrastructure package he signed into law in November. Asked by a reporter whether he would be sending more artillery to Ukraine, Biden responded in the affirmative, according to a White House press pool report.

— DOJ punts mask ruling appeal to CDC: The Biden administration late today said it will appeal a federal judge’s decision striking down a mask mandate for public transportation if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deem the mandate necessary for public health. The announcement ultimately leaves next steps in the hands of the CDC, where there have been divides over how to proceed on a mandate that was already set to expire early May. There is growing consensus among White House and public health officials that an appeal would be impractical, two people with knowledge of the deliberations told POLITICO.

— DeSantis targets Disney’s self-governing status in escalation over ‘Don’t Say Gay’: DeSantis and Republicans in Florida are escalating their battle with the Walt Disney Co. amid fallout over a bill that banned classroom teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade . DeSantis announced that the GOP-controlled Legislature during this week’s special session will take up a bill that would dismantle the special district that has allowed Disney to operate its own local government in central Florida that is the home to Walt Disney World.

— Biden administration reverses Trump-era rule limiting scrutiny of environmental impacts: The White House finalized a rule that will once again require federal agencies to consider indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of their actions , including those related to climate change. The rule effectively restores portions of the long-standing rules for how agencies conduct environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act that were altered by the Trump administration. It will allow agencies to expand consideration of environmental justice factors in decision-making — aligning with the stated priorities of the Biden administration.

— Democratic Party to ban its consultants from anti-union activity: The Democratic Party is in the process of banning its army of consultants from engaging in a wide array of anti-union activity following a report that one of its pollsters had helped Amazon combat organizing efforts , according to a document obtained by POLITICO. An addendum to any contract between a Democratic Party political committee and a consultant would forbid the consultant — or any of its parents, subsidiaries or affiliates — from participating in an array of activities. That includes union-busting, aiding an employer in a labor dispute or lobbying against union-backed legislation.

— Biden admin to rescind Trump ‘conscience’ rule for health workers: The Biden administration is preparing to scrap a Trump-era rule that allows medical workers to refuse to provide services that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs, three people familiar with the deliberations told POLITICO. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the policy change is underway, saying: “HHS has made clear through the unified regulatory agenda that we are in the rulemaking process.”

ASK THE AUDIENCE

Nightly asks you: As Americans adjust to the end of the federal transportation mask mandate, we want to hear about your experiences. Have you traveled on a plane, train or bus this week, and if so, tell us about the masking environment? Did you feel comfortable traveling? Send us your responses via our form, and we’ll include select answers in our Friday edition.

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NIGHTLY NUMBER

$3.5 million

The amount billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel donated to Protect Ohio Values, the super PAC backing Ohio Republican J.D. Vance, according to a person familiar with the contribution — part of a broader tranche of money that has come in to support the Senate candidate after last week’s Trump endorsement, which shook up a crowded and competitive race for the GOP nomination.

PARTING WORDS

New York City Mayor Eric Adams | Spencer Platt/Getty Images

TAX AND CONTEND — New York City Mayor Eric Adams pledged today to release unspecified “tax information,” but refused to say what that information would consist of and did not commit to releasing his tax returns themselves, Erin Durkin writes.

Adams, the mayor of the nation’s largest city, on Friday would not pledge to making his tax returns public — breaking with decades of custom by past mayors, as well as the governor and president.

When asked today why he was hesitating, Adams said he does plan to release information about his tax filings.

“No hesitation. We’re going to release tax information. No hesitation,” he told reporters at an unrelated press conference on Staten Island.

Pressed repeatedly on what that information would be and whether it would include copies of his tax returns, Adams would not say.

“Tax information. We’re going to release the tax information. Now remember, I’m not required. We know that, right? So let’s be clear on that. So let’s not give the impression that I’m required. I’m not required. But we will release tax information,” he said.