DDHQ Morning News Spotlight: April 15, 2022

Morning Headlines

• After news leaked that former President Donald Trump would be endorsing J.D. Vance in the race for the GOP Senate nomination in Ohio, rival campaigns and party officials across the state launched an effort to prevent a formal announcement. County chairs and other party leaders signed a letter to Trump reminding him of Vance’s opposition to Trump’s campaign in 2015 and 16. Trump has a rally in Ohio scheduled for a week from tomorrow. A poll released this morning shows Vance trailing former state treasurer Josh Mandel in the race.

New @trafalgar_group#OHSen ‘22 #GOP primary #poll shows tight 2 way & 55% likely to back if #Trump endorses #OHpol

28.0% @JoshMandelOhio 22.6% @JDVance1 14.3% @MikeGibbonsOH 11.6% @dolan4ohio 7.5% @JaneTimkenOH 2.1% @mpukita 0.8% Patel 13.1% Und Report:https://t.co/PXtrNujEx4 pic.twitter.com/Evx1R0wM8P — Robert C. Cahaly (@RobertCahaly) April 15, 2022

• While many candidates compete for the former Presidents endorsement, even ones who don’t receive one are usually vocal in their support for him.
• In other Ohio news, the primary for statewide and congressional offices will be held on May 3rd but there’s still no word on when state legislative primaries will be contested. That’s because there are no new district lines after the state’s supreme court rejected a fourth set of maps.
• The 2022 midterms are still more than six months away but the battle to host the 2024 Republican National Convention is well underway. Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Nashville, Tennessee are considered the front runners.
• Citing a bias in the events, the GOP announced it is withdrawing from the Commission on Presidential Debates for the 2024 cycle. The commission has been the vehicle for hosting debates between the candidates since 1987.
• Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin may have gotten a later than normal start to his reelection campaign but he still managed to raise over $7 million in the first quarter of 2022. It’s FEC Filing Day for Q1. Campaign finance expert and editor of the Decision Desk HQ newsletter (which you should sign up for free if you haven’t already) Derek Willis is a must follow.
• Axios conducted a focus group of swing voters in Pennsylvania and found strong support for increased domestic energy production to reduce prices.
• New Hampshire officials of both parties are taking steps to protect the state’s First in the Nation Primary status after the Democratic National Committee announced it would be accepting applications for early voting states. Republicans say they will continue to kick off their nomination process with the Iowa Caucuses.

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