We’re soon approaching a pause in the election season. But first, a crush of activity: The final federal and state primaries wrap up, the Supreme Court releases its final decisions, Biden and Trump debate, and the second-quarter fundraising deadline hits.
US Senate: Second Quarter Closing
Tomorrow marks the end of the second fundraising quarter, and we’re anxious to see what the US Senate gender giving gap looks like since March—especially in Nevada. A reminder: Sen. Jacky Rosen had her best quarter to start the year, raising $4 million, but that’s still less than all three men in toss up races in Arizona, Montana and Ohio. And Angela Alsobrooks, after spending down most of her war chest to win the primary, will be starting from scratch in fundraising for the general election.
An additional donation to candidates in the closest US Senate races can help close this gap at a crucial moment in the campaign season.
👉🏻Take Action:
2024 US Senate | Closest Races
📺 New Ads & Media:
New ad thanks Sen. Baldwin for defending contraception rights [WISPolitics]
Top conservative group pushes new ad campaign against Rosen in Nevada [Politico]
Mucarsel-Powell gets into the game with Copa América digital buy [FL Politics]
👥 Debate Watch:
Tammy Baldwin, Eric Hovde agree to first debate in Senate race [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
📈 Pollercoaster:
Sen. Jacky Rosen holds a 5-point lead, despite Trump’s strength. [NV Independent]
Alsobrooks holds double-digit lead over Hogan in latest US Senate poll [Baltimore Banner]
📰 Other Headlines:
Democratic women in U.S. Senate target Project 2025 on reproductive rights [Kansas Reflector]
Slotkin flexes support from national reproductive rights organizations [Michigan Advance]
Caroline Gleich’s Biggest Adventure Yet [Podcast – Outside Magazine]
US House: Hard Primary Losses for Women
Late June primaries have been a mixed bag for women.
On the bright side, former Hempstead town supervisor Laura Gillen (NY-04) and Missy Cotter Smasal (VA-02)—a US Navy veteran—cruised to primary victories in two of the most competitive, flippable seats of the cycle.
Unfortunately, women did not fare well in Virginia’s or New York’s other competitive primaries. As of this writing, we’ve officially seen all of the Virginia seats women flipped in 2018 turned over either to Democratic men (in the primary) or Republicans. And in New York, Laura will be the only Democratic woman challenging a competitive, Republican-held New York seat, after Sarah Klee Hood lost to state Sen. John Mannion in NY-22.
We aren’t watching any more House primaries until late July, when we’ll kick back into gear with Arizona (July 30), Washington and Michigan (both August 6).
🔖 Bookmark:
2024 State Primary Election Dates [NCSL]
💰 Raising & Spending
House Democratic campaign arm announces $28 million in ad reservations [Washington Post]
House Republicans outraise Democrats for first month this year [The Hill]
📺 New Ads & Media:
Scoop: Democrat’s ad touts “taking on” Biden, working with GOP [Axios]
Democrats Collier, McDonald Rivet airing first TV ads in race to succeed Kildee [Detroit News]
🗳️ Primary Results:
Subramanyam, Vindman win primaries to succeed Wexton, Spanberger [VA Mercury]
Vindman Easily Wins VA-07 Dem Primary [Cook Political Report]
Five takeaways from Virginia’s primary election results [Washington Post]
New York Republican Primary Election Results [NY Times]
Trump-backed Gabe Evans wins GOP nomination for Colorado’s 8th District [Axios]
State & Local: A Rocky Mountain High for Women
To finish out the month, we turned our attention down-ballot to Colorado—where women are already at parity in the state House, and only need to capture two more seats to achieve total parity in the legislature. Victories this week brought the Centennial State closer to this goal:
Women won safe-D primaries in:
- HD-4, Cecelia Espenoza, will fill an open seat held by a Democratic man
- HD-49, Lesley Smith, replaced a Democratic female incumbent seeking other office
- SD-19, Rep. Lindsey Daugherty, replaced a Democratic female incumbent seeking other office
For competitive general election seats that are critical to maintaining and achieving parity, make sure to watch:
- HD-16, Rep. Stephanie Vigil, Incumbent
- HD-19, Rep. Jennifer Parenti, Incumbent
- HD-26, Rep. Meghan Lukens, Incumbent
- HD-50, Rep. Mary Young, Incumbent
- HD-59, Katie Stewart, Open Seat
- SD-6, Vivian Smotherman, Challenger
🔖 Bookmark:
Women’s Political Parity Project webpage [WomenCount]
🗳️ Primary Results:
Colorado Primary Election 2024: Live blog, results and updates [CO Public Radio]
📰 Other Headlines:
Primary done, Nevada looks to November matchups [ABC Las Vegas]
Legislative races to watch in the primary [Axios Phoenix]
These 5 states are the most likely to see legislative chambers flip in November [Politico]
National Democrats spotlight seven Iowa legislative candidates [IA Capital Dispatch]
National & Women: The First Debate
During Thursday’s debate, we didn’t get the performance from President Biden that we hoped for. That’s going to make energizing voters about down-ballot races even more important, as well as putting our vice president front-and-center. We will continue to work our hearts out for Kamala, Jacky, Tammy, Elissa, Angela, and so many more.
We also need to keep the focus on the issues, and the Supreme Court helped us there this week, by kicking the can down the road on another critical case that will surely surface again during the next presidential term. In the case concerning the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, the Court turned the case back over to lower court, meaning emergency patients will be able to access abortion care—for now. That situation is based around a federal rule, however, that could go away if Trump takes the White House. The Court also just made it harder for the federal government to make rules generally, by overturning the Chevron precedent, and harder to charge January 6 rioters with obstruction.
📰 Headlines:
“The Joe Biden I know”: Harris delivers fiery defense of Biden [Axios]
Supreme Court Overrules Chevron Doctrine, Imperiling an Array of Federal Rules [NY Times]
Supreme Court limits scope of obstruction charge levied against Jan. 6 defendants [CBS]
Abortion ruling leaves pregnant women, doctors in limbo [The Washington Post]
👩🏾💼 Kamala Watch:
Kamala Harris says abortion bans are creating ‘a health care crisis’ [NBC]
Exclusive: Harris slams Trump in Arizona, Maryland on Dobbs anniversary [Axios]
Wall Street Brass Courted by Harris as Trump Makes 2024 Inroads [Bloomberg]
A Very DC Saturday Night [Strict Scrutiny podcast ft. Doug Emhoff]
💰 Raising & Spending:
Biden outspends Trump in campaign ads [CNN]
Trump Catching Biden on Campaign Cash But Not on Spending It [Bloomberg]
Planned Parenthood says that it will spend $40 million ahead of November’s election [ABC]
📈 Pollercoaster:
Three-point shift in Biden-Trump matchup since May [Fox News]