Before we dive into today’s news, we want to present you with an opportunity to help the Ballotpedia community next Friday, August 7 for our next Day of Service!

We're getting together (virtually) to research contact information for local candidates that will be on November's ballot. Why? Because with over 15,000 cities and towns in the United States, going down the ballot is an ambitious goal that we know this community can help with!

One hour shifts are available from 2:00pm-5:00pm EST. We'll have an official playlist, exchange summertime stories, and try to get as many candidates' contact information as we can. After our work, we'll hang out together on a virtual happy hour to kick off the weekend with a cold drink in hand!

Are you in? You can sign up for shifts at this link.  
Hope to see you there!

Read the full Tap online

       

2012 presidential candidate Herman Cain dies from coronavirus

• 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has died, according to a July 30 announcement on Cain’s website. The statement from the website’s editor, Dan Calabrese, did not specify the exact time nor location of Cain’s death. 
   
• Calabrese attributed Cain’s death to the coronavirus, writing, “We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight...Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer.” Cain was first hospitalized with COVID-19 on July 1.
   
• Ballotpedia is tracking political figures and government officials who have died, been diagnosed with, or quarantined due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Five states to hold congressional primaries Aug. 4

• Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington are holding statewide primaries on August 4. Between these five states, 48 congressional seats—45 U.S. House seats and 3 U.S. Senate seats—are up for election. Candidates in all five states are competing to advance to their respective states’ general elections scheduled for November 3, 2020.
  
  
• Arizona is holding a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated when former Sen. John McCain (R) died on August 25, 2018. Martha McSally (R), the current appointed incumbent, is running in the Aug. 4 Republican primary. The winner of the November 3 general election will take office on January 3, 2021, and serve the remaining two years of McCain’s term. Arizona is also holding primary elections for all nine of its U.S. House seats on August 4.
  
  
• Both Kansas and Michigan are holding congressional primaries for their Senate and House seats. In Kansas, elections are being held for the state’s Class II Senate seat currently held by Pat Roberts (R) and all four of the state’s U.S. House seats. Michigan is holding elections for the Class II Senate seat held by Gary Peters (D) and all 14 of its House seats.
  
  
• Neither Missouri nor Washington has a Senate seat up for election in 2020. Missouri is holding elections for its eight House seats, and Washington is holding elections for its 10 House seats. 
• Ballotpedia has identified 13 of the congressional elections as battlegrounds, and we’re previewing four of them here. 
  
  
• Eleven candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Kansas on August 4. Bob Hamilton, Kris Kobach, and Roger Marshall have led the candidate field in endorsements, fundraising, and media coverage. 
• Incumbent Pat Roberts (R), who was first elected in 1996, is not seeking re-election. On July 21, Roberts endorsed Marshall. Kobach has been endorsed by former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).
• Marshall currently represents Kansas' 1st Congressional District, having first won election in 2016. Along with Roberts' endorsement, Marshall was endorsed by 1996 presidential candidate Bob Dole (R-Kan.).
• Three election forecasters rate the general election Lean Republican or Likely Republican.
  
  

• Incumbent Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Brenda Jones are running in Michigan's 13th Congressional District Democratic primary on August 4. The race is a rematch. 
• 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.
• Tlaib 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 the BOOST Act—a refundable tax credit bill—and the Automatic Boost to Communities Act—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."
• Both Jones and Tlaib completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Read Jones' responses here and Tlaib's responses here.
  
  

• Incumbent William Lacy Clay, Katherine Bruckner, and Cori Bush are running in the Democratic primary in Missouri's 1st Congressional District on August 4. 
• This primary features a rematch between Clay and Bush. Bush challenged Clay in the district's 2018 Democratic primary. Clay won with 57% of the vote to Bush's 37%.
• Clay was first elected in 2000 to replace his father, former Rep. William Lacy Clay, Sr. (D). He received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In their endorsement, the Post-Dispatch's editorial board wrote, "[Clay] has been a steady, predictable representative and a reliable vote for mainstream Democratic priorities — including the fight against poverty and for social justice."
• Bush received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jamaal Bowman (D), who defeated 16-term incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel (D) in the June 23 Democratic primary in New York's 16th District. In his endorsement, Bowman said, "Bush understands the struggles facing her communities, because she's lived them herself ... She will fight to confront racist and reckless policing ... and I'm proud to support her grassroots campaign."
  
  

• Four candidates are running in Arizona's 6th Congressional District Democratic primary. Hiral Tipirneni and Anita Malik have led the candidate field in endorsements, fundraising, and media coverage. 
• Malik was the Democratic nominee in this district in 2018. She lost to incumbent David Schweikert (R) in the 2018 general election, receiving 45% of the vote to Schweikert's 55%. Tipirneni was the Democratic nominee in both the special and general elections in Arizona’s 8th District in 2018. She lost to Rep. Debbie Lesko (R) in both contests. 
• Three election forecasters rate the general election Lean Republican or Likely Republican.

Notre Dame withdraws from hosting first presidential debate, event moved to Case Western

• The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana withdrew from hosting the first presidential debate scheduled for September 29. Rev. John Jenkins, the university’s president, said that “the necessary health precautions would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus.”
  
  
• The Commission on Presidential Debates announced that Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic will instead co-host the first debate.
  
  
• Two other presidential debates are scheduled for October 15 in Miami and October 22 in Nashville. The vice presidential debate will take place in Salt Lake City on October 7.

U.S. House formally reprimands Arizona congressman

• The U.S. House of Representatives formally reprimanded David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) for 11 campaign fundraising and ethics violations that have occurred during his time in Congress. He was first elected in 2010. 
  
  
• Schweikert admitted to committing the violations one day after the House Ethics Committee issued a report July 30 detailing the findings of its investigation. The resolution reprimanding Schweikert passed by voice vote unanimously.
  
  
• In a letter to the House Ethics Committee last month in response to the investigation, Schweikert said: “While I may not agree with many of the details contained in the Report and [statement of alleged violations], I accept the [investigative subcommittee’s] conclusion that I fell short in fulfilling my own responsibilities by not adequately supervising my staff and others working on my behalf.”

Previewing Tennessee’s congressional primaries

• Tennessee is holding primaries for one seat in the U.S. Senate and nine seats in the U.S. House on August 6. Candidates are competing for a place on the general election ballot on November 3. 
  
  
• The open race for the state’s Class II U.S. Senate seat has 20 primary candidates—five Democrats and 15 Republicans. Incumbent Lamar Alexander (R) announced on December 17, 2018, that he would not seek re-election in 2020. He was first elected to the chamber in 2002.
  
  
• Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District is also an open race. Incumbent Phil Roe (R) announced in January 2020 that he would not seek re-election this year. Three Democrats and 16 Republicans are running in the primary.
  
  
• The state’s other eight congressional incumbents, which includes six Republicans and two Democrats, are all running for re-election. Incumbents Tim Burchett (R), Charles J. Fleischmann (R), John Rose (R), Mark Green (R), and David Kustoff (R) are running unopposed in their respective primaries. At least one challenger is running in the Democratic primaries for each of those seats.
  
  
• In Tennessee's 4th Congressional District, incumbent Scott DesJarlais is running against two challengers in the Republican primary. Two candidates are running in the Democratic primary. 5th Congressional District incumbent Jim Cooper (D) is also facing two challengers in his primary. No Republicans filed to run for that seat. In Tennessee's 9th Congressional District, incumbent Steve Cohen (D) is running against two primary challengers, and one candidate is running in the Republican primary. 
  
  
• Ballotpedia identified the following three Tennessee congressional primaries as battleground races:
  
  
• Fifteen candidates are seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R). 
• Two of the 15—Bill Hagerty and Manny Sethi—have led in fundraising and media attention. Hagerty’s endorsers include Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and President Trump (R), in whose administration Hagerty served as ambassador to Japan. Sethi’s backers include Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).
• Election forecasters say the winner of the Republican primary is a safe bet to win the general election.
  
  
• Fifteen candidates are seeking the Republican nomination to succeed retiring Rep. Phil Roe (R) in Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District. A sixteenth candidate, Chad Fleenor (R), unofficially withdrew but will still appear on the ballot.
• Five candidates have raised over $100,000: Diana Harshbarger ($1,500,000), Josh Gapp ($850,000), John Clark ($650,000), Rusty Crowe ($380,000), and Timothy Hill ($230,000). The Club for Growth reported spending $550,000 on digital and television advertisements in support of Hill on July 8, 2020.
• Election forecasters say the winner of the Republican primary is a safe bet to win the general election.
  
  
• Incumbent Jim Cooper (D) faces challengers Keeda Haynes (D) and Joshua Rawlings (D) in the Democratic primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. This is Cooper’s first contested primary since 2010.
• Cooper was first elected to the House in 1982 and served through 1995. He returned to the House in the 2002 election.
• Cooper, a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, says he is an effective legislator with a history of winning support from members of both parties. His backers include the American Federation of Government Employees and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
• Haynes, a legal advisor and former public defender, says she is running to change the criminal justice system, enact Medicare-for-All, and expand access to housing below the market rate. Her endorsers include Democracy for America and Our Revolution.
• Rawlings, a small business owner who ran for state legislature as a Republican in 2014, says he would expand regulations on satellite spending and increase funding for healthcare and education.
• Election forecasters say the winner of the Democratic primary is a safe bet to win the general election.

U.S. Senate confirms 202nd federal judge nominated by President Trump 

• The U.S. Senate confirmed federal judicial nominees Scott Hardy on July 27 and David Joseph on July 28. The Senate has confirmed 202 of President Trump’s Article III judicial nominees—two Supreme Court justices, 53 appellate court judges, 145 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges—since January 2017.
   
• The Senate confirmed Scott Hardy to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania by a vote of 65-30. After he receives his judicial commission, the court will have:
  • One vacancy
  • Seven Republican-appointed judges (six of whom President Trump appointed)
  • Two Democrat-appointed judges 
     
• The Senate confirmed David Joseph to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by a vote of 55-42. After he receives his judicial commission, the court will have:
  • No vacancies
  • Six Republican-appointed judges (five of whom President Trump appointed)
  • One Democrat-appointed judge
     
• The Western District of Pennsylvania and the Western District of Louisiana are two of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts.

Rep. Louie Gohmert tests positive for COVID-19 

• Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) tested positive for coronavirus during a pre-screen health check at the White House. He was originally scheduled to fly with President Trump (R) to Texas later that day. 
   
• Wesley Hunt (R), a candidate in the race for Texas’ 7th Congressional District, also announced on July 29 that he had tested positive for coronavirus. Hunt is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Special election filing deadline for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District passes

• Candidates interested in running in the special election for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District had until July 31 to run in the special general election scheduled for September 29. 
  
  
• Five Democrats, one Libertarian, and an independent qualified to serve the remainder of Lewis’ term. State Senator Nikema Williams, who was selected by the Georgia Democratic Party to replace Lewis on the general election ballot November 3 did not file to run in the special election.
  
  
• If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a general runoff election. The runoff (if needed) is scheduled for December 1.
  
  
• Governor Brian Kemp (R) called the special election after Rep. John Lewis (D) passed away on July 17. Lewis served in the office from 1987 until his death. 
  
  
• Georgia’s delegation to the U.S. House currently includes four Democrats, nine Republicans, and one vacancy.

Is Congress in session?

• The Senate is in session next week. The House is out of session for a district work period. Click here to see the full calendar for the second session of the 116th Congress.

Where was the president last week?

• On Monday, Trump visited Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in North Carolina and announced a contract with the Fujifilm-Texas A&M Innovation Center to expand coronavirus vaccine manufacturing.
• On Tuesday, Trump held a news conference.
• On Wednesday, Trump visited the Permian Basin in Texas and signed presidential permits for oil and gas development.
• On Thursday, Trump visited the national headquarters of the American Red Cross.
• On Friday, Trump traveled to Florida to meet with campaign supporters and participate in a COVID-19 response and storm preparedness roundtable.

What's the latest with the federal judiciary?

• 79 federal judicial vacancies
• 49 pending nominations
• 3 future federal judicial vacancies

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