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A new Public Policy Polling survey in Virginia finds former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) leading the Democratic gubernatorial primary with 42%, while every other candidate trailed at single digits.
“Caitlyn Jenner and her political advisers are gathering at her Malibu home next week to discuss her potential candidacy in the upcoming California gubernatorial recall election,” Politico reports.
“Word of Jenner’s potential candidacy has divided top California Republicans — with some dismissing it as a celebrity-driven stunt and others arguing that she would be a strong candidate who could appeal to voters of both parties.”
“Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced that he is backing Terry McAuliffe in the race to succeed him, handing his predecessor one of the contest’s most coveted endorsements,” the AP reports.
The Atlantic: “His proposals are radical. He’s obsessed with robots. He’s never even worked in government. And next year he might be running New York. … Given the horrors of the past year, many [New York City] voters have lost what patience they had for incremental progress and technocratic small ball. Yang is going big. He has a deep campaign war chest and better name recognition than any other candidate in the crowded race.”
“While it remains competitive — Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough president, and Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, have significant support — as of mid-March, Yang led the field by a 13-point margin.”
Politico: “Everybody’s ganging up on Andrew Yang. The New York City mayor’s race has grown more vicious in recent weeks — and the favorite target is Yang, who has come under attack for everything from his basic income and tax plans to his employment history and his second home upstate.”
Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale is advising Caitlyn Jenner on a potential run for governor of California, a person with knowledge of the matter confirmed to The Daily Beast.
Specifically, he is conferring with the reality star on who should fill what roles in her campaign organization as she builds out a team.
The Democratic Party-backed Jill Underly defeated Deborah Kerr Tuesday to become the Wisconsin’s top education official, 58% to 42%, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Daily Kos Elections: “Turnout was high for this off-year election: 912,678 were cast in this race, compared to the 708,289 votes tallied in 2017.”
Tishaura Jones won the St. Louis mayor’s race Tuesday, becoming the first Black woman to hold the office, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Former reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner is talking with political consultants as she actively explores a run for governor of California against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in a recall, Axios reports.
“Florida law requires local party leaders to hold a meeting about filling the vacancy created by Rep. Alcee Hastings’s (D) death within five days, but Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has wide discretion on when a special election can be called,” the Washington Post reports.
“In 2014, when a House Republican from southeast Florida resigned, then-Gov. Rick Scott scheduled a primary for three months later, and a general election, which the GOP nominee won easily, two months after that.”
Tom Steyer told The Hill that he is currently not planning to run for public office again, after reports he might enter the recall race to succeed California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Virginia state Sen. Amanda Chase (R) claims she will run as an independent if one of her rivals for the Republican nomination for Virginia Governor in 2021–businessman Pete Snyder (R)–wins the nominating convention, reports the Virginia Scope.
Chase claims the May 8th nominating convention is being rigged to favor Snyder, and that if Snyder wins, she has already collected enough signatures to run as an independent.
Politico: “Schwarzenegger warns that there are plenty of similarities between California’s history-making populist movements nearly two decades apart, and that elected officials ignored them at their peril.”
Said Schwarzenegger: “It’s pretty much the same atmosphere today as it was then. There was dissatisfaction, to the highest level. And it’s the same with the momentum. Something that sets it off to a higher level, kind of the straw that breaks the camel’s back…like an explosion.”
A new Public Policy Institute of California poll finds if a recall election were held today, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) would likely survive, with 56% of respondents saying they would vote no and 40% saying they would vote yes.
“Former President Trump is already deeply involved in the 2022 midterm elections, headlining fundraisers and backing primary challengers, but he has yet to weigh in on one of this November’s few races: the vote for Virginia’s next governor,” The Hill reports.
Mark Barabak: “In 2003, amid California’s tumultuous gubernatorial recall election, President George W. Bush visited the state and had this to say about the campaign: Nothing.”
“The Republican National Committee kept similarly mum throughout the campaign, which ended in Democrat Gray Davis’ ouster and replacement by Hollywood super-duper-star Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
“That was then.”
“The attempt to recall current Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — still in the qualifying stage, but almost certain to make the ballot — has turned into a nationwide Republican crusade, engaging partisans from the Arizona border to Washington, D.C.”
American Independent: “A Republican former professional wrestler is district hopping in the hopes of winning a U.S. House seat — and is totally changing his personality in the hopes of making his congressional dreams a reality.”
“In his Nevada race, Rodimer ran ads painting himself as a clean-cut, family man — wearing a collared shirt and seated on a couch with his wife and five children.”
“Now, Rodimer is back and running in a special election in Texas’ 6th District — a Dallas-based House seat left vacant after Rep. Ron Wright died following a COVID-19 diagnosis. And Rodimer looks like a totally different person, donning a cowboy hat and positioning himself as a rodeo bull rider with a Texas accent.”
Politico: “The dance around the recall forces California Democrats to balance two elemental political motivations: self-preservation and opportunism. Any ambitious Democrat who runs and fails would topple off the career ladder into political oblivion. No one has forgotten the implosion of Bustamante after he jumped into the 2003 race. But the recall also offers a tantalizing chance to leapfrog into the governor’s office.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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