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Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Everything we’re watching in Pennsylvania

Oct 12, 2021

Quick Fix

— Pennsylvania Democrat Josh Shapiro will make his long-awaited bid for governor official tomorrow, the latest development in perhaps the most consequential 2022 state.

— Despite the intra-party drama over President Joe Biden's agenda in Congress, Democrats on both sides of the debate agree missing the chance to pass the social spending package will doom their midterm chances.

— Trump-endorsed Herschel Walker brought in $3.7 million in the third quarter of 2021, a year ahead of one of the top battleground races of 2022.

Good Tuesday morning. Email me at smurray@politico.com, and follow me on Twitter at @stephanie_murr.

Email the rest of the POLITICO Campaigns team at sshepard@politico.com, zmontellaro@politico.com and amutnick@politico.com. Follow them on Twitter: @POLITICO_Steve, @ZachMontellaro and @allymutnick.

Days until the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections, the OH-11 and OH-15 special elections and the FL-20 special primary: 21

Days until the 2022 midterm elections: 392

Days until the 2024 election: 1,120

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TopLine

STATE OF THE KEYSTONE STATE — Let's start the morning in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, home to races for Senate and governor we'll be watching closely in 2022. The race for governor enters a new phase this week, the Republican Senate primary is in chaos and a new elections law is facing a legal threat.

Shapiro jumps in: Democratic state Attorney General Josh Shapiro is set to launch a campaign for governor on Wednesday, The Associated Press' Marc Levy, Mark Scolforo and Michael Rubinkam reported. Shapiro has cleared the Democratic primary field to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who has already endorsed him. The Republican primary field is far more chaotic, drawing a number of potential and declared candidates.

Parnell's problems: Republican Senate candidate Sean Parnell is facing questions about past protection-from-abuse orders sought by his wife, Laurie Parnell. Now, the orders are at the center of a legal dispute between Parnell and his wife. Citing his children's privacy, Parnell sought a gag order to prevent Laurie Parnell from talking publicly about their conflict. Laurie Parnell fired back, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Tamari wrote, saying her husband was more interested in protecting his political ambitions than his children. The Trump-endorsed Republican raised $1.1 million in the third quarter of the year.

Sands goes on the air: Speaking of the Senate, Republican Carla Sands put $3 million into her campaign and launched a $1 million ad campaign, the Inquirer recently reported. Sands, the former U.S. ambassador to Denmark in former President Donald Trump's administration, also parted ways with her original campaign consulting team. Trump's endorsement of Parnell — before the latest run of negative headlines — has complicated her path.

Court challenge: Pennsylvania's new law expanding mail-in voting is facing a significant legal threat, and Democrats are sweating, the Inquirer wrote. The law initially had bipartisan support, but now Republicans are suing, saying it violates the state constitution. Democrats had hoped a pair of lawsuits would be tossed out, but a judge instead combined them and allowed them to move forward. If the law loses in court, Wolf is expected to appeal the decision to the left-leaning state Supreme Court. But even a temporary loss could damage the law, Democrats say.

Down the Ballot

MIDTERM MESSAGING — Democrats in Congress disagree on what's inside Biden's social spending plan. But pretty much every member agrees that if they don't pass anything, their chances of keeping the majority will disappear, POLITICO's Sarah Ferris and Marianne LeVine reported.

"With Biden's approval rating slipping, many Democrats across the map privately concede that achieving the president's two major priorities will be crucial as they stare down an all-but-impossible map in the House and no seats to lose in the Senate," Sarah and Marianne wrote. Meanwhile, Republicans are running attack ads in battleground states calling the agenda a "socialist" spending plan.

THE CASH DASH — A few more third quarter fundraising numbers trickled in over the holiday weekend. These reports cover July 1-Sept. 30, and are due to the FEC by Friday.

GA-Sen: Walker raised $3.7 million for his bid against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein reported.

MO-Sen: Missouri state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, raised $646,000 and had $1.1 million in cash on hand, Inside Elections' Jacob Rubashkin reported.

California House: Democrat Quaye Quartey raised $252,000 for his campaign against Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.).

New York House: Rep. Elise Stefanik raised $1.5 million "through her various committees and the fundraising platform WinRed," the New York Post's Jon Levine reported.

Texas House: Republican Chris Putnam raised $430,000 for his primary bid against Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), including $250,000 from the candidate, Texas Tribune's Patrick Svitek reported.

THE MAP LINES — None of West Virginia's three House members are ready to retire. But the state is losing a congressional seat in redistricting, creating a very uncomfortable situation as lawmakers in Charleston work to craft the line between the two new districts in a special legislative session that began on Monday, POLITICO's Ally Mutnick wrote. Republican Reps. Carol Miller, David McKinley and Alex Mooney all plan on seeking reelection, and the state lawmakers tasked with drawing the map lines are feeling the pressure. A map that pits McKinley and Mooney against one another in the same district advanced in the state Senate on Monday.

— Virginia's independent redistricting commission may turn its attention to the state's congressional district lines, after missing a deadline to redraw legislative districts. Commissioners bickered in a Monday meeting, The Associated Press' Ben Finley wrote, but can not take official action until the commission meets in person on Thursday. By missing its deadline, the commission handed the task of drawing new legislative maps to the conservative-leaning state Supreme Court.

— Michigan's independent redistricting commission approved 10 draft maps to present to the public in hearings, The Detroit Free Press' Clara Hendrickson and Todd Spangler reported. If enacted, the maps would result in a loss of majority-Black districts and are likely to face public pushback. The congressional draft maps also place several incumbents in the same districts.

FIRST IN SCORE: ON THE AIRWAVES — Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund released a new TV ad featuring Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan. In the 30-second spot, Morgan makes a direct-to-camera appeal that McAuliffe supports law enforcement and knows how to keep the state safe. "He increased our funding, expanded training and always had our backs. In fact, we named him honorary sheriff — first governor in Virginia history," Morgan says. The ad will air beginning this week and is part of Everytown's $1.8 million investment in the Virginia election.

JUST PEACHY — Georgia officials are investigating allegations that Fulton County elections officials shredded 300 voter registration applications, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Ben Brasch . Fulton County Elections Director Richard Barron confirmed he fired two employees on Friday for allegedly destroying applications sometime in the last two weeks. GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called on the Justice Department to investigate the incident. Republicans have been pushing for a takeover of Fulton County elections using the state's new elections law.

— Speaking of Georgia, former Mayor Kasim Reed is the top fundraiser in the Atlanta mayoral race, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Wilborn P. Nobles III and J.D. Capelouto reported. Reed reported raising $2.8 million, with $900,000 in cash on hand in his Sept. 30 campaign finance report. Meanwhile, City Council President Felicia Moore, who entered the race five months before Reed, has raised $1.1 million over the course of the campaign, and has $460,000 in cash on hand.

ENDORSEMENT ALERT — Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) endorsed New Hampshire Republican Karoline Leavitt in her bid to unseat Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), WMUR's John DiStaso reported. Cawthorn is the youngest member of Congress, and would likely pass the title to Leavitt if she is elected. Leavitt is running in a packed GOP primary which includes Gail Huff Brown, the broadcaster and wife of former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and 2020 nominee Matt Mowers.

THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has raised more than $2.5 million for her reelection bid, she announced. Lujan Grisham has $2.1 million in cash on hand. Also included in Lujan Grisham's fundraising report will be $87,500 in settlement payments over the last six months. A former staffer, James Hallinan, accused Lujan Grisham of sexual mistreatment during a 2018 meeting, which the governor denies. Payments over the last six months bring the settlement to $150,000, Albuquerque Journal's Dan Boyd wrote.

THE BUCKEYE STATE — Ohio Senate candidate Mike Gibbons is facing blowback from Ohio Wesleyan University alumni after filming a campaign ad on campus, The Columbus Dispatch's Haley BeMiller wrote. The ad was criticized as "race-baiting" by some former students, and a university spokesperson said the ad doesn't reflect the school's values. The ad claims Democrats want to replace god with government, takes aim at former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and shows an anti-critical race theory sign.

THANKS, BUT NO THANKS — Maine state Senate President Troy Jackson will not primary Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, despite a "pressure campaign" led by labor unions to lure him into the race. Jackson, a fellow Democrat, said he was disappointed by the Run Troy Run PAC and reiterated his support for Mills, The Maine Monitor's Andrew Howard wrote.

CODA — HEADLINE OF THE DAY — "Here's Why The Bidens Attended A 'Real Housewives' Star's Wedding" — Forbes

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Charter advocates emboldened as enrollment rebounds

Oct 12, 2021

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By Jessica Calefati

Presented by Sallie Mae®

MORE STUDENTS, MORE POWER? — Families fed up with their traditional public schools left that system in droves since the start of the pandemic, and new data shows just how many of them have settled on publicly funded, privately run charter schools as an alternative.

— Charter schools added 240,000 new students last school year, an increase of 7 percent over the previous year, according to data from 42 states tabulated by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. That jump represents one of the largest enrollment spikes in terms of raw numbers in the sector's 30-year history, the NAPCS said.

— So, does parents' renewed interest in charters mean the movement could regain some of its clout, following progressive presidential candidates' disavowals of them and the pro-charter Trump administration's ouster? Not necessarily, charter advocates say.

— Nina Rees, the president and CEO of the alliance, said she's grateful that support for charters hasn't unraveled any further since the pandemic began, but expects a broad bipartisan political consensus that charters are good for students and communities will take time to rebuild.

— "No one has left us recently," Rees said of her group's political allies. "I'm hopeful that as time goes on, our friends remain our friends."

IT'S TUESDAY, OCT. 12. WELCOME TO WEEKLY EDUCATION . I'm interested in documents and data that illuminate problems in our schools you feel aren't getting enough attention. Have something I should see? You can reach me at jcalefati@politico.com. You can also contact my colleagues: Lauraine Genota (lgenota@politico.com), Daniel Payne (dpayne@politico.com), Juan Perez Jr. (jperez@politico.com), Bianca Quilantan (bquilantan@politico.com ) and Michael Stratford (mstratford@politico.com). And follow us on Twitter: @Morning_Edu and @POLITICOPro.

A message from Sallie Mae®:

Students shouldn't pay more for college than they have to, but more and more families are leaving money on the table each year. Nearly a third of students skipped the Free Application from Federal Student Aid or FAFSA^® last year, and the form's complexity is a big reason why. To help students maximize federal financial aid, which is important to do before considering other options, including private student loans, Sallie Mae launched a free suite of financial education tools and planning resources, including a FAFSA support tool that can help families complete the form in minutes. See how Sallie Mae makes sense of the FAFSA.

Pictured is a graph showing charter school enrollment nationwide.

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

K-12

DEMOCRATS TURN AGAINST CHARTERS — During his presidency, Barack Obama promoted charter schools as a tool to boost academic achievement among poor Black and Latino students, who lack the resources of some of their white peers and whose test scores suffer accordingly. Even then, not everyone agreed on charters' effectiveness; the nation's two largest teacher's unions staunchly oppose them. But it was Donald Trump's election and his appointment of charter advocate Betsy DeVos as Education secretary that accelerated many Democrats' hostility toward the charter school movement.

— Changes to the language of the Democratic Party platform demonstrate the evolution of Democrats' beliefs about charters . In 2008, the platform pledged to "promote public charter schools that are held accountable." By 2016, the platform stated that public charter schools should merely "provide options for parents, but should not replace or destabilize traditional public schools." The 2020 version called for "more stringent guardrails" and "measures to increase accountability" for charters, without even a token acknowledgement that the schools help some students.

— Rees pointed to Biden's original fiscal 2022 budget blueprint, which held federal funding for charter schools steady at $440 million — along with letters signed over the summer by 11 senators and 24 House members asking for even more money — as proof that the progressive backlash to the charter school movement had begun to die down, (Congress later reduced Biden's target by 10 percent .)

— Asked for evidence of Democrats' renewed support for charters, Rees also pointed to Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee's opposition to legislation, introduced by a fellow Democrat, that would impose a three-year moratorium on charter school expansion. The next big test of the movement's muscle will come in the months ahead, as supporters again push the New York State legislature to lift a cap limiting the number of charter schools in that state.

— James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center, said he sees some encouraging signs as enrollment in charter schools has increased, but with a new governor in office and a new mayor soon to be elected, it's too early to know whether this will be the movement's next big win. "At a certain point, parents will be so fed up and they'll be in such numbers that legislators will listen when they say, 'don't be against charters,'" he said. "When exactly that happens is hard to say."

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Coronavirus

COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES DIDN'T SPREAD VIRUS— When CNN's Jim Sciutto asked White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci in September if he thought it was safe for sports fans to congregate at games, his response was an unequivocal "no." But halfway through the college football season, there are encouraging signs that Covid-19 didn't spread as widely at packed stadiums as Fauci and other public health officials had feared.

— "When we see these full stadiums, it makes people feel nervous because we've been avoiding crowds for such a long time," said University of Florida epidemiologist Cindy Prins, who tracks coronavirus trends nationwide. "But some of these outdoor events really are not the super spreader events that people have worried they're going to be."

— In the days since roughly 90,000 people crowded into Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for back-to-back home games last month against SEC rivals Alabama and Tennessee, for example, virus cases have actually fallen. The campus' test positivity rate was 3 percent when Florida lost to Alabama on Sept. 18, fell to 2 percent by the time the Gators beat Tennessee on Sept. 25 and last week fell to 1 percent.

— In Idaho, when Boise State welcomed 35,000 fans to Albertsons Stadium for its home opener in early September , the school had just reported more infections in a two-week period than at any other point since the start of the pandemic. Public health officials were bracing for disaster. Instead, case counts have steadily declined in the four weeks since that game, with 46 new cases reported last week down from a high of 127.

— Why haven't cases spiked following football games? Prins said the fact that these games are held outdoors is one of the biggest factors. Public health experts told The Orlando Sentinel that higher-than-expected vaccination rates among fans, immunity from prior virus infections and inconsistent testing across campuses could all be suppressing case counts.

Higher Education

WILL FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SURVIVE THE SENATE? As Democrats haggle over possible cuts to President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion social spending legislation to satisfy Senate moderates, supporters of free community college are anxiously awaiting word on whether their top priority is in or out.

— Wil Del Pilar, the vice president of higher education policy and practice for The Education Trust, said he and fellow advocates are "on pins and needles," but are "hopeful that Congress will follow through and make this important investment.

— Right now, the sweeping legislation includes $45.5 billion to make two years of community college free for all , $9 billion for college completion grants and a plan to increase the largest Pell Grant awarded to low-income students by $500.

— ROI: Del Pilar said the return on that $46 billion investment will be better employment prospects for graduates, and without an affordable pathway to degree attainment, higher education requires "incredible amounts of debt or incredible amounts of hours worked."

— "Free community college is an investment in our workforce," Del Pilar said. "Not preparing students for the jobs being created today means leaving folks behind. This isn't the time to leave folks behind."

— The program is designed as a federal-state partnership that allocates federal money to states based on the nationwide median for tuition and fees at community colleges. Too little federal funding would discourage states from participating, so funding for the program likely can't be substantially reduced as part of a compromise with Senate moderates. Given all of that, one advocate said, he expects the program to stay in the bill as-is or get lopped off entirely.

— Martha Kanter, an undersecretary of education in the Obama administration who has led the movement for free community college, said she "doesn't have a crystal ball" and can't know for sure what will happen with the legislation, but hopes Congress will follow through and deliver something the public overwhelmingly wants — even as she fears that Washington's dysfunction will get in the way.

— "Can the government agree on anything even if it's good for America?" Kanter asked. "This should be a no-brainer. But we may not have enough brains working together yet."

Movers and Shakers

Rebecca Blank is set to become the first female president of Northwestern University, the suburban Chicago school announced Monday. Blank currently serves as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Syllabus

Black Lives Matter, She Wrote. Then 'Everything Just Imploded.' The New York Times

Virginia community colleges are dropping President John Tyler and others from their names amid racial reckoning. The Washington Post

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issues formal apology for Indian boarding schools. Associated Press

Education Department extended Navient contract for 2 years before transfer deal. POLITICO

California students will have to take ethnic studies to get a diploma. POLITICO California

A message from Sallie Mae®:

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA^®, opens the door to $150 billion in federal financial aid, including scholarships, grants, work study, and federal student loans. But too many students and families are missing out on aid because they simply never complete the form. To help simplify the process, Sallie Mae launched a tool that helps students file the FAFSA in minutes, empowering them to make informed choices with confidence. See how Sallie Mae makes sense of college financing.

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Monday, October 11, 2021

It’s go time in tight Virginia race

Oct 11, 2021

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By Zach Montellaro and Stephanie Murray

Quick Fix

— The razor-thin race for Virginia governor is only three weeks away. Here's a dispatch from the commonwealth.

— President Joe Biden's approval rating has dropped by nearly 15 percentage points since June. One reason: the coronavirus pandemic.

— A slew of Senate candidates in battleground states raised over $1 million last quarter, nearly a year ahead of the 2022 midterms.

Good Monday morning. Score alum Zach Montellaro (zmontellaro@politico.com, @ZachMontellaro) wrote this morning's topline. Thanks, Zach! Email me at smurray@politico.com, and follow me on Twitter at @stephanie_murr.

Email the rest of the POLITICO Campaigns team at sshepard@politico.com and amutnick@politico.com. Follow them on Twitter: @POLITICO_Steve and @allymutnick.

Days until the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections, the OH-11 and OH-15 special elections and the FL-20 special primary: 22

Days until the 2022 midterm elections: 393

Days until the 2024 election: 1,121

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TopLine

Terry McAuliffe, left, gestures as Glenn Youngkin looks on from another lectern during a debate.

Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin are locked in a tight race for governor. | Steve Helber/AP Photo

THE COMMONWEALTH — We are just 22 days away from Election Day in the Virginia gubernatorial race, which has long been considered a political bellwether. And folks, the race is close, so I spent Sunday in Richmond to catch one of the two candidates on the trail.

Richmond and the rest of central Virginia will be key to the statewide races, and it was why former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe was in town on Sunday. The big event of the day for Democrats was a fish fry right along the line between Richmond and Varina attended by the entire statewide ticket. A few hundred people listened to candidate after candidate practically pleading with supporters to go vote early as soon as possible, and to bring their friends. McAuliffe put it in a way only a former chair of a national party committee could. "Let me tell you why this matters: We spend a lot chasin' ya. So if you vote, we take you off our list," he told the crowd. "Then we can spend our resources going over harder to get voters."

And it wasn't just The Macker. His Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin was in the neighborhood during the holiday weekend as well, for a rally just a little south in Chesterfield on Friday, also bringing along the entirety of his statewide ticket. At the rally, he spoke of the national attention on the race, alongside red meat for the Republican base, per Virginia Scope's Brandon Jarvis ."This race has got the full attention of the entire United States of America," Youngkin said at his speech. "America needs Virginia to stand up and speak for her."

Just how close is it?: The latest poll in the state drives home just how tight this race is. The fine folks at the Wason Center at Christopher Newport University surveyed the race and found McAuliffe at 49 percent to Youngkin's 45 percent, within the poll's margin of error. That's a tighter race than their late August check-in, when the Democrat led, 50 percent to 41 percent. Pro subscribers can read on for takeaways and downballot numbers.

Another reason we know it's close? Democrats' fundraising missives are slamming on the panic button, imploring checked out voters to tune it to the race (and send them cash). Your (temporary) Score host has more, including a chat with the most prolific emailer: James Carville.

What are the closing messages? The most-played television spot in the entire state since the beginning of this month, according to data from our friends at AdImpact, has been Youngkin's on education, which says McAuliffe is putting "politics over parents" and "failing our kids." Youngkin has spent over $1 million on that spot since Oct. 1, accounting for two-thirds of the ads he's aired in that timeframe. And it recently elicited a response ad from McAuliffe's campaign that tries to yoke Youngkin to former President Donald Trump — a recurring strategy for Democrats in Virginia — and Betsy DeVos, Trump's former education secretary.

McAulliffe's TV ad offers have been more of a smörgåsbord, with three spots taking up about a fifth of his total airings each: A positive one about his agenda, and two negative ones attacking Youngkin's business record from his time at Carlyle. (The latter, about a children's dental clinic, got four Pinocchios from The Washington Post fact checkers.) The two are running nearly even with the total number of spots run since the beginning of the month.

The closing three weeks mean the candidates are looking for star power to bolster their campaigns, and the McAuliffe camp on Sunday previewed their first headliner: Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, who will stump with the Macker on Oct. 17 in both Norfolk and Northern Virginia. Are other Democratic luminaries — like Biden, former President Barack Obama or former First Lady Michelle Obama — still to come?

Down the Ballot

POLL PROBLEMS — Biden's approval rating is in a slump, and that's largely related to the coronavirus pandemic, POLITICO's Chris Cadelago and Laura Barrón-López reported . Sarah Longwell, a moderate Republican strategist and Biden supporter, recently assembled a focus group of Pennsylvania Democrats, where participants all gave Biden C-minus grades or lower. They pointed to the pandemic and the ways it continues to disrupt normal life, like supply-chain problems and understaffed restaurants.

THE CASH DASH — Just over a year out from the 2022 midterms, Senate candidates in battleground states pulled in millions in campaign cash during the third quarter of the year. We'll get a fuller picture of the campaign finance landscape on Friday, when reports are due to the FEC. The third quarter covers July 1-Sept. 30.

AL-Sen: Republican Katie Boyd Britt raised more than $1.5 million and has $3.3 million in cash on hand.

AZ-Sen: Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly raised $8 million, including $7.3 million raised and a vendor refund from the last cycle. Kelly has nearly $13 million in cash on hand.

OH-Sen: Republican Jane Timken raised more than $1.7 million, and has $3.1 million in cash on hand.

PA-Sen: Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb raised $1.2 million and had $2.2 million in cash on hand.

NV-Sen: Republican Sam Brown raised more than $1 million. His campaign did not provide a cash-on-hand figure.

FIRST IN SCORE: Committees: The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and its affiliated organizations raised $5.3 million in the third quarter.

Arizona House: Republican Walt Blackman raised $335,000 for his bid against Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D-Ariz.). His campaign did not provide a cash-on-hand figure.

Florida House: Republican Audrey Henson raised over $205,000 in the three weeks after launching her campaign. Henson is running for Rep. Charlie Crist's (D-Fla.) seat (Crist is running for governor).

New Hampshire House: Republican Gail Huff Brown raised $220,000 over three weeks after launching her campaign against Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.). Huff Brown had $215,000 in cash on hand, WMUR's John DiStaso reported.

Texas House: Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales raised nearly $650,000 for his campaign and leadership PAC, and will report $1.1 million in cash on hand.

Wisconsin House: Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) raised $585,000 and had $2.7 million in cash on hand.

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL — Three cities — Boston, Seattle and Cincinnati — are on the verge of electing Asian American mayors for the first time, POLITICO's Marissa Martinez wrote. City Councilor Michelle Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, is the frontrunner in the Boston mayoral race. Former Seattle City Council member Bruce Harrell, who has Black and Japanese parents, is locked in a tight race for Seattle mayor, and Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval, who has Tibetan and Indian parents, is on the ballot in Cincinnati.

"About 6 percent of the U.S. population is AAPI. But despite recently setting records for congressional representation with 18 AAPI senators and House members," Marissa points out. "Representation at the city level lags even further behind the population numbers. Just around 2 percent of elected city officials were Asian American as of 2020."

THE MAP LINES — Virginia's redistricting commission imploded on Friday, when a failed vote led three Democratic commissioners to walk out of a meeting on state legislative redistricting, the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Mel Lenor. If the commission does not meet a deadline today to agree on maps for the General Assembly, the conservative-leaning state Supreme Court will take over the redistricting process. The partisan battle on Friday was sparked when "Democrats proposed that the commission unite around a Senate map drawn by Democrats and a GOP-drawn House map as a starting point for more productive discussions," but "Republicans instead backed a GOP-drawn Senate map as a starting point."

— The Texas state Senate advanced the congressional map that will allow Republicans to keep their advantage in the state, The Associated Press reported. The map heads next to the state House for approval.

— Michigan's redistricting commission approved its first political map in a surprise vote on Friday, MLive's Lauren Gibbons wrote. The state Senate map slightly favors Republicans, and the commission voted to approve it as an "official draft" that will be presented during public hearings.

— A coalition of Democratic groups objected to Colorado's new congressional map, saying it would dilute Latino representation in a document filed to the state Supreme Court on Friday. The League of United Latin American Citizens and Colorado Common Cause are among the groups challenging the map, The Colorado Sun's Thy Vo and Sandra Fish wrote. The court will hear oral arguments regarding the map on Tuesday, and will issue a decision on whether to approve the map by Nov. 1.

— North Carolina Republicans released draft political maps last week, but they're likely to draw new versions in the weeks ahead, reports The Charlotte Observer's Will Doran. Republicans control the process in the Tar Heel State, and the state constitution bars Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper from vetoing new maps. The state's new congressional seat, under one proposed map, would be based around rural Cleveland County, where potential congressional candidate and GOP state House Speaker Tim Moore lives.

JUST PEACHY — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger hasn't been afraid to push back on Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, and it could cost him the primary, POLITICO's Marc Caputo wrote. Raffensperger became one of Trump's top enemies in the wake of the 2020 presidential race, when the former president pressed him to help overturn the election. Now, Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) is running against Raffensperger with Trump's blessing.

Raffensperger hasn't backed down. His forthcoming book, "Integrity Counts," is a recounting of his "inspiring story of commitment to the integrity of American democracy," according to the publisher. "We're out there setting the record straight. No. 1 is that President Trump did not carry the state of Georgia," Raffensperger told Marc.

— The five major candidates running for Atlanta mayor met in a televised debate Sunday night, and clashed over crime and public safety, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Tamar Hallerman reported. The frontrunners for the open seat, former Mayor Kasim Reed and Felicia Moore, both pledged to hire more police during the debate, which was co-hosted by WSB-TV and the Atlanta Police Foundation. Early voting begins Tuesday in Atlanta.

THE PROCESS — The leader of Wisconsin Republicans' 2020 election probe slammed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in a YouTube video on Saturday, after the governor called his investigation "a $700,000 boondoggle," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Patrick Marley reported. Michael Gableman, a former state Supreme Court justice, issued and then walked back wide-ranging subpoenas to elections officials earlier this month, and recently told the paper that he did not understand how elections work.

EVERYTHING'S BIGGER IN TEXAS — Trump is pressuring Texas state House Speaker Dade Phelan to advance a bill allowing for more 2020 election "audits," the Dallas Morning News' Allie Morris wrote. The secretary of state announced a plan to audit four urban counties, but Trump is backing a bill that would "let party leaders request audits in more counties and set up a process for future reviews." The legislation cleared the state Senate.

— Speaking of Texas, Republican candidate for governor Allen West tested positive for Covid-19 and was hospitalized, the Dallas Morning News' Robert Garrett wrote. West has not received the coronavirus vaccine and said his oxygen levels were a cause for concern. He said Saturday he had received a monoclonal antibody treatment and was "already taking Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin protocols." West's wife, Angela West, is vaccinated and also tested positive.

THE EMPIRE STATE — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's campaign released a video highlighting her ascension to the governor's office. Hochul has been low key about her campaign for a full term, but released the 2-minute clip after a number of Democrats took steps toward running in the primary against her. State Attorney General Tish James and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams are considering campaigns.

Presidential Big Board

THE HAWKEYE STATE — Trump devoted his rally in Iowa to his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, POLITICO's Meridith McGraw wrote. The rally was also a sign that Republicans are embracing the twice-impeached former president. Trump's appearance included a "who's who of influential Republicans in the Hawkeye state," including Sen. Chuck Grassley, Gov. Kim Reynolds, Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson, former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker and state GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann. Trump brought Grassley on stage to endorse his reelection bid.

CODA — HEADLINE OF THE DAY — "West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice gets trapped in elevator at mansion" — New York Post

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