Welcome to the Friday, July 31, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Previewing Michigan’s Aug. 4 battleground primaries
2. It’s Harry Potter’s birthday - how many candidates said that was their favorite book?
3. First general election presidential debate moved to Cleveland

Previewing Michigan’s Aug. 4 battleground primaries

Our look at the upcoming primaries takes us today to Michigan.

We’re continuing our look at the statewide primaries taking place Aug. 4, and today we’re highlighting Michigan, where there are three battleground primaries. Battlegrounds are elections that Ballotpedia expects to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in governments or to be particularly competitive or compelling.

Democratic primary for Michigan's 13 Congressional District

Incumbent Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Brenda Jones are running in the Democratic primary in the 13th Congressional District. Tlaib and Jones ran against one another in both the regular and special election primaries in 2018. 

Jones defeated Tlaib in the special primary election 37.7% to 35.9%, while Tlaib defeated Jones in the regular primary 31.2% to 30.2%. Jones completed the term to which John Conyers Jr. had been elected in 2016. Tlaib assumed office in January 2019.

Both Jones and Tlaib completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. When asked, “What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?” Jones answered:

“It is crucial that the quality of life is not determined by zip code. I will fight tirelessly to advocate for jobs, workforce development and economic development for residents within the 13th District. I will fight for resources to strengthen entrepreneurs and small businesses. I will work to establish a federal minimum standard for decent and affordable housing. I will work to eliminate profiling practices based on race, gender, religion and sexual orientation. I will advocate for Medicare for all to expand access to mental health and physical well-being services.”

Tlaib answered:

“Environmental, economic, and racial justice. We must end the assault on vulnerable and everyday families in the district. Folks just want the opportunity to thrive and yet, corporations, wealthy individuals, and folks rooted in bigotry continue to stifle and harm our communities. My work has been about pushing back and creating opportunities for our constituents.”

You can read Jones' responses here and Tlaib's responses here. 

Tlaib's national profile is a focal point in the primary. She has emphasized that she opened four neighborhood service centers in the district and said her "first term has been about making sure we help solve the immediate issues today while fighting for transformative legislation for decades to come." She highlights her sponsorship of a refundable tax credit bill and a bill to provide a monthly stipend to every person in America amid COVID-19.

Jones, who is president of the Detroit City Council, says she has worked to increase jobs, improve economic and educational opportunities, and revitalize neighborhoods on the Detroit City Council. She said, "I’m not interested in being a rock star. I’m just interested in bringing home the money, working for the people of the 13th district and uniting the community."

The two other battleground primaries in Michigan are:

• Republican primary in Michigan's 3rd Congressional District

Five candidates are running for the Republican nomination in Michigan's 3rd District. Incumbent Rep. Justin Amash (L) was elected and re-elected as a Republican since 2010. He switched his party affiliation to independent in July 2019 before joining the Libertarian Party in April 2020. Amash is running for re-election this year.

The Republican primary candidates for this seat include army veteran Peter Meijer of the Meijer supermarket family and state Rep. Lynn Afendoulis, who lead in fundraising and media attention. Three election forecasters rate the general election Lean Republican.

• Republican primary in Michigan's 10th Congressional District

Shane Hernandez, Lisa McClain, and Doug Slocum are running in the Republican primary for Michigan's 10th DIstrict. Incumbent Paul Mitchell (R) is seeking re-election, leaving this safe Republican seat open. Hernandez is a state representative and emphasizes his legislative record. McClain is an executive of a financial services company and says her business experience equips her to bring jobs to the district and country. Slocum is an Air Force veteran who says he would transfer his leadership skills to Congress.

In Monday’s Brew, we’ll preview the battleground primaries in the Show-Me State—Missouri.

Learn more

       

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It’s Harry Potter’s birthday - how many candidates said that was their favorite book?

At Ballotpedia, we believe elections are more than races to a finish line. They're an opportunity for voters to choose representatives who reflect their values and uphold their ideals. That's why Ballotpedia created Candidate Connection. 

We ask all candidates with Ballotpedia profiles to complete a survey so we can find out what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidate Connection is designed to elicit insightful and thoughtful responses from candidates on what they care about, what they stand for, and what they hope to achieve.

Through yesterday, we’ve received survey responses from 3,250 candidates running for office this year. From now through the election, I’m excited to periodically share some results from those surveys.

Some of our survey questions relate to policy matters:

• “what characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official,” 
•  "what are the three key messages of your campaign."
• “what areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?”

However, some of the questions we ask are less serious, perhaps even light-hearted. These questions are designed for you—the voter—to better understand the candidate as a person. Some of those questions include:

• What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
• What was your very first job?

My personal favorite is when we ask candidates about their favorite book. It is delightful to see what brings people joy when it comes to novels.

Fans of the Harry Potter book series are aware that today—July 31—is Harry Potter’s birthday. Since one of our survey questions asks candidates their favorite book, we got to wondering: How many candidates named a book in the Harry Potter series when answering that question? 

Of the 1,300 candidates who told us their favorite book, 23 listed one of the volumes of the Harry Potter series as their favorite book. Here are three of those responses:

• Lisa Welch (D), who is running for the U.S. House from Texas’ 12th District, stated, “My favorite memories from when my children were growing up was reading these book to them while we were either piled into the pick-up or hanging out in the travel trailer on one of our long road trips.
• Sean Parnell (R), who is running for the U.S. House in Pennsylvania's 17th District, said that Harry Potter was his favorite book because, "They're the best story ever written!" 
• Christina Marie Holloway is a Libertarian candidate running for District 4 in the Ohio House of Representatives. She responded, "I love the Harry Potter series. I think it is wonderfully written and a fantastic take of how working together with your friends and community can help solve problems."

By the way, if you don't know your candidate's favorite book, ask them to take our Candidate Connection survey!

First general election presidential debate moved to Cleveland 

We’re about three months away from the presidential election so I wanted to check in on that race, and specifically, on the schedule for general election debates. As a reminder, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is sponsoring three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate this fall. 

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is a non-profit organization that sponsors, organizes, and establishes guidelines for general election presidential and vice presidential debates. It was founded in 1987 by Paul Kirk and Frank Fahrenkopf who, at the time, were chairmen of the Democratic and Republican National Committees, respectively. The CPD has sponsored three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate prior to each presidential election since 2000 and has sponsored every general election presidential and vice presidential debate since 1988.

Like the rest of this election cycle, the debate schedule has been adjusted due to the coronavirus pandemic. This week—on July 27—the University of Notre Dame withdrew from hosting the first presidential debate. University of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins said in a statement, "the constraints the coronavirus pandemic put on the event — as understandable and necessary as they are — have led us to withdraw.” That day, the CPD announced that Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland will co-host the first debate, which is scheduled for September 29.

On June 23, the CPD announced that the second presidential debate was moved from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. That debate will take place on October 15.

The third presidential debate will be held on October 22 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

The only vice presidential debate will take place on October 7, 2020, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

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