The Weekender (4/29/22)

Nevada: “No Show Joe” proved why he’s been dodging appearances and questions throughout the Nevada GOP primary when he absolutely bombed in a candidate forum this week. At the event, Joe Lombardo dismissed Gov. Steve Sisolak’s policy to expand health care coverage to 350,000 more Nevadans as “bullshit.” And in yet another example of how out-of-touch he is, Lombardo trivialized struggling Nevada families, saying, “They lost their job, they don’t have the ability to feed their kids, can’t pay their mortgage because they don’t have affordable housing, blah, blah, blah.” When his GOP opponents slammed “Sanctuary Joe” for failing on immigration, Lombardo refused to answer for his record. “I’m freaking tired of hearing it,” he said. But Lombardo won’t be able to silence the attacks any time soon — GOP opponent John Lee came out with another ad this week hitting his immigration record.

Pennsylvania: In their debate this week, the crowded Pennsylvania GOP primary field continued to push far-right positions, including banning abortion with no exemptions and restricting mail voting. “Abortion, in particular, could be severely curtailed, or effectively outlawed, if one of the four Republicans in Wednesday’s debate [wins],” WHYY reported. Doug Mastriano, Bill McSwain, Lou Barletta, and Dave White all support a total abortion ban, and “Mastriano and White both said they support a total ban on abortion, without any exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or medical emergencies in which the life of a mother is at stake.” In the debate, the GOP candidates were “battling to prove who can be most conservative and, perhaps more importantly, most like former President Donald Trump.” Their desperate kissing up to Trump was most apparent in their embrace of the Big Lie. Throughout the debate, they promoted getting rid of no excuse mail-in voting, using baseless claims of voter fraud to justify their extremist policies.

Michigan GOP Candidates Face Challenges After Submitting Ballot Petitions with Major Fraud and Forgery

Multiple challenges are being filed against the nominating petitions submitted by Republican gubernatorial candidates James Craig, Tudor Dixon, and Perry Johnson after a review found extensive evidence of fraudulent and forged signatures. The Associated Press described one of the schemes used as “round-robining” forgery, saying it was “a small group of people sign[ing] names and addresses.”Crain’s Detroit reported that James Craig is facing “allegations that his petitions contain thousands of forgeries, hundreds of duplicate signatures and unregistered voters and some 30 deceased voters,” and multiple groups “contend Craig’s nearly 10,000 challenged signatures would give him far fewer than the minimum 15,000 valid voter signatures needed to make the ballot.” In yet another instance of Republican infighting, Crain’s reported that a pro-Dixon GOP consultant described Craig’s petitions as “rife with obvious signs of fraud, including numerous pages with signatures that appear to be from the same hand.”

Making these ballot petitions even more of an issue in the GOP primary, it shows that Craig — who is running on his law enforcement background — likely violated the law while self-proclaimed “quality guru” Johnson’s ballot petitions were also a total mess.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont Lands Budget Deal To Deliver Massive Tax Cut and Provide Direct Relief for Families

Working families across Connecticut are set to see relief on taxes and other kitchen table costs thanks to Gov. Ned Lamont, as he just landed a deal on the state budget that provides nearly $600 million in tax relief.The unprecedented tax relief includes up to a $750 credit for families with kids, expands the property tax credit from $200 to $300, and boosts the Earned Income Tax Credit to save eligible households an estimated extra $300 each.

The budget will extend Gov. Lamont’s gas tax suspension until December. The suspension, which has been saving drivers money at the pump since April 1st, will save drivers an additional $150 million — as Democratic governors across the country continue to fight inflation and lower costs. The budget deal also makes significant investments to make child care more affordable and expand access to mental health care.

“Investing in child care is not only an investment in families and our economy today, but for generations to come. Now is the time to make bold investments that make our state the best place to raise a family and find real economic opportunity.”

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos highlighting the state’s critical need to invest in early childhood education.

In response to possible 25% property tax increases for residents: “Trust me … Don’t worry about that.” Who said it? Send your answer to press@dga.net, and we’ll reveal the answer in the next Weekender!

If you guessed Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate James Craig last week, you were right! In response to a question about how numerous staffers have left his campaign and how long it took him to submit signatures, he stated, “Please don’t frame this as the campaign is falling apart.”