1. Tracking what's open and closed, by state and by industry
2. How the election calendar for June 2 has changed
3. Previewing Montana's Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primaries

Tracking what's open and closed, by state and by industry

All states have begun to lift restrictions they put in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic in some way, shape, or form. There are tremendous variations between the states, though. What's allowed in Arkansas is different from what's allowed in Illinois and different from what's allowed in South Dakota. It can be a whirlwind and difficult to keep up with.

Now, on Ballotpedia and in our daily newsletter, Documenting America's Path to Recovery, we're tracking the status of 27 industries and activities in all 50 states.

You can view the whole spreadsheet here, but I've posted a screenshot of part of it below.

Here's the status of other industries from recent editions of Documenting America's Path to Recovery:

• Casinos, May 28. Allowed to open in 10 states, closed in 29 (and 11 states with no casinos or casinos only on tribal lands), as of May 28.
• Movie theaters. Allowed to open in 16 states, closed in 24, as of May 26.
• Barbershops and salons. Allowed to open in 34 states, closed in 16, as of May 22.
• Gyms and fitness centers. Allowed to open in 25 states, closed in 25 states, as of May 21.

We’ll be publishing a daily update in our Documenting newsletter, exploring the changes across the industries. We hope this resource will be useful as people try to keep track of where their state stands.

Click the link below to compare your state. And as a final note… the landscape of state reopenings is changing every day. If you notice any updates we should make, please do reply to this email and let us know.

Learn more

       

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How the election calendar for June 2 has changed

As we’ve been highlighting all week in the Brew, voters will be deciding presidential, congressional or statewide primaries or local elections in 12 states and Washington, D.C., on June 2. But the election calendar as it existed before the coronavirus outbreak was significantly different. Let’s look at how we got here.

• Four states—Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota—had both their presidential and statewide primaries originally scheduled for that date. 
• Washington, D.C.(presidential primary). 
• Iowa (congressional and state legislative primaries). The Iowa presidential February 3.

Five of these six jurisdictions are still holding their primaries on June 2, with four changing their election procedures in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Counties in Montana were authorized to send mail-in ballots automatically to all voters and Iowa, South Dakota, and Washington, D.C., sent absentee or mail-in ballot applications to all voters. The election procedures in New Mexico did not change.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) postponed that state's primary election from June 2 to July 7.

Here are the states holding elections on June 2 that had originally scheduled them on other dates:

• Indiana (May 5), Maryland (April 28), and Pennsylvania (April 28) postponed both their presidential and statewide primaries and Rhode Island (April 28) postponed its presidential preference primary—all to June 2. Those states enacted the following changes to their election procedures in response to the coronavirus outbreak:
  • The Indiana Election Commission authorized the temporary suspension of the state's statutory absentee voting eligibility requirements and allowed all voters to cast their ballots by mail.
  • Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) issued a proclamation directing election officials to conduct the primary largely by mail. One in-person voting center will be open per county to accommodate voters unable to vote by mail.
  • Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea (D) announced that the state's primary would be conducted predominantly by mail by sending mail-in ballot applications to all registered voters in advance of the primary.

• Idaho’s statewide primary election was originally scheduled for May 19. Governor Brad Little (R) and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney (R) ordered that the primary election be conducted entirely by mail with a June 2 deadline for election officials to receive mail-in ballots.

In addition, we’re tracking a recall election in California, state legislative special elections in Massachusetts, and local elections in Missouri.

Previewing Montana's Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primaries

All week we’ve been highlighting battleground primary elections being held on Super Junesday. This included Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, the Republican primary in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, and both party’s primaries in Pennsylvania’s 1st U.S. House District. Today we’re looking at both the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primaries in Montana.

Incumbent Gov. Steve Bullock (D) is term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election. He is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Steve Daines (R). Montana has had a Democratic governor since 2005 and is one of 14 states with a divided government with Democrats holding the governorship and Republicans holding both chambers of the state legislature.

Voters in Montana will decide the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial nominees in the state's upcoming June 2 primaries. The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball all rate the general election as Toss-up. Bullock defeated Greg Gianforte (R), 50% to 46%, in the 2016 general election.

Democratic primary

Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney and Whitney Williams are seeking the Democratic nomination. Both candidates have referenced their respective public and private sector backgrounds.

In discussing their backgrounds, both candidates reference the work they accomplished in past roles. Cooney served as a state legislator and secretary of state before joining Bullock’s ticket. He says he "has a proven record of results, knows how to get the job done, and is ready to hit the ground running."

Williams is the founder and C.E.O. of a philanthropy consultancy and says she will be a new generation of leadership. She highlights her private sector experience and says she "worked alongside Fortune 500 companies, charities, and citizens to solve complex problems — just like those Montanans face every day."

Both candidates have received major endorsements. U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D), the Montana AFL-CIO, and Gov. Bullock support Cooney. Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D), EMILY's List, and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) support Williams.

Republican primary

Attorney general Tim Fox, U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, and State Senator Al Olszewski are seeking the Republican nod. Lee Banville, a journalism professor at the University of Montana, described the Republican primary as "a 'What is the Republican Party going to look like in Montana' fight."

Fox said in a debate, "I'm a unifier. I bring people together ... I believe that there's more that we can agree on than we disagree on." He received endorsements or donations from 29 of the 30 Republican legislators identified by Montana Free Press as affiliated with the Solutions Caucus, an unofficial group of senators and representatives who supported issues like Medicaid expansion in 2019.

Gianforte cites his business background and said he was "the only one in this race with business leadership experience that's actually created good-paying jobs." He has received endorsements from Donald Trump, Jr. and the Family Research Council.

Olszewski is also a physician. In a debate, he said, "I am the only [candidate] that supports the Republican platform 100%...I have a proven track record of applying Republican principles to reduce the burden of government on Montanans." Montanans for Limited Government has endorsed Olszewski.

According to April 15 campaign finance reports, Gianforte, Fox, and Olszewski have raised $2.4 million, $552,000, and $250,000, respectively. Gianforte has contributed $1.1 million and Olszewski $134,000 to their respective campaigns.

There are 11 gubernatorial offices up for election in 2020. Of those, only Montana features an incumbent who is term-limited. In seven of those 11 states, the incumbent is currently a Republican and in four, the incumbent is a Democrat.

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