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Welcome to the Tuesday, February 18, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Wisconsin’s 7th District holds primaries for upcoming special election
- Democrats hold ninth presidential primary debate tomorrow
- Tuesday Trivia: How many top state executives have a medical degree?
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Wisconsin’s 7th District holds primaries for upcoming special election
If it’s Tuesday, there’s probably an election happening somewhere. In addition to today’s primary election for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, voters in the Badger State’s 7th Congressional District will decide primaries in the upcoming special election for a vacant U.S. House seat.
Former Rep. Sean Duffy (R) resigned on Sept. 23 for family reasons. Duffy, who was first elected in 2010, defeated Margaret Engebretson (D) in 2018, 60% to 38%. For the 2020 election cycle, all three race rating publications rate this seat as either likely, solid, or safe Republican. The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+8, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 8 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This makes the district the 168th-most Republican nationally.
Two candidates—Tom Tiffany and Jason Church—will appear on the Republican ballot. Michael Opela Sr. was disqualified from the Republican primary and is running as a write-in candidate.
Both candidates have received state and national endorsements. Tiffany has been endorsed by Duffy, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), two former Wisconsin Govs.—Scott Walker (R) and Tommy Thompson (R)—and the Club for Growth PAC, Americans for Prosperity Action, and the National Rifle Association. Church has received endorsements from Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), three Republican Congressmen—Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), and Brian Mast (R-Fla.)—and Combat Veterans for Congress, SEAL PAC, and New Politics.
Satellite spending in the Republican primary has included Club for Growth and United States Chamber of Commerce ad buys supporting Tiffany and a With Honor Fund ad buy supporting Church.
Lawrence Dale and Tricia Zunker are running in the Democratic primary. Dale has campaigned on transitioning the area’s timber pulp industry to hemp pulp, growing the local farming industry, and passing Medicare for All. Zunker said that she would be a voice in Washington for local farmers and work to improve public education. She said she is "in favor of Medicare for All for those who want it."
Church and Tiffany agree on most policy positions but have highlighted their different backgrounds. Church describes himself as an outsider and a "combat veteran looking to continue my service on behalf of the people of Wisconsin's 7th district." Tiffany, a state senator, describes himself as a proven conservative who would "provide the leadership to get things done."
Zunker was endorsed by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and Wisconsin 7th Congressional District Democratic Party, as well as United Steelworkers District 2 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 388.
The special general election will be held on May 12.
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Democrats hold ninth presidential primary debate tomorrow
The Democratic Party will hold the ninth of 12 scheduled presidential primary debates tomorrow—on Feb. 19—in Las Vegas. The third presidential nominating event—the Nevada caucuses—will take place three days later on Feb. 22. Early voting began Feb. 15 and ends Feb. 18.
Five candidates have already qualified to participate: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. Each received at least one delegate from the Iowa caucuses, which was one criteria to qualify.
Candidates can also qualify for the debate by receiving 10% support or more in four national, Nevada, and/or South Carolina polls. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg has three of the necessary four polls. Neither Rep. Tulsi Gabbard nor investor Tom Steyer has passed 3% in any eligible poll released between Jan. 15 and today, Feb. 18, the deadline to qualify for the event.
The debate will be hosted by NBC News and MSNBC and will be held at the Paris Theater. Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, Hallie Jackson, Vanessa Hauc, and Jon Ralston will moderate.
The next Democratic primary debate will take place Feb. 25 in Charleston, South Carolina, before that state holds its presidential primary Feb. 29. Fifteen jurisdictions—14 states and American Samoa—will hold their presidential primaries on Super Tuesday March 3. Democratic Party members living abroad will also begin to vote on Super Tuesday in a primary that runs through March 10.
Forty percent of the U.S. population has a primary event on Super Tuesday, and 1,357 pledged delegates are up for grabs.
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How many top state executives have a medical degree?
Last week, I shared the analysis of where top state executives earned degrees. I had fun exploring the state-by-state breakdown showing the institutions attended by our nation’s governors, lieutenant governors, attorneys general, and secretaries of state and hope you did, too!
Here’s a quiz question based on all that data. The nation’s 192 top state executive officials have earned a total of 160 advanced degrees. How many of those are medical degrees?
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