Take a minute to [un]wind with our Sunday newsletter. Grab a cup of coffee and catch up on what you may have missed from [un]Divided this week.
Ballots, ballots, ballots
Well, in your case, hopefully just one ballot.
If you’re in Washington state, your ballot must be returned to an official drop box by 8pm PT on Tuesday, November 8. Find yours here. You can also return it via U.S. Mail (no postage required) but this late in the game, if you go that route, it’s best to bring it directly to your local U.S. Post Office to ensure it is postmarked no later than Election Day.
What pundits and pollsters are saying
FiveThirtyEight has the race for control of the U.S. Senate in a “dead heat” and predicts Republicans are “favored” to take majority control of the U.S. House.
Real Clear Politics lists eight senate races as toss ups, including Washington state and, more recently, Colorado.
CNN’s Chris Cillizza pointed to a recent CNN poll that he believes paints “a very grim portrait of the electorate for Democrats.” The poll sheds light on just how concerned voters of all stripes are about the economy – and how little faith they have in President Biden to tackle it. As you know, Midterms are often a referendum on the party in power. So while Biden isn’t on the ballot himself, his leadership is.
The poll found that the economy is the biggest issue for likely voters (with 51% calling it their key issue). No other issue was even close, including abortion (15%) which Democrats in key swing districts have hung their hat on.
In perhaps a glimmer of hope for Democrats, a recent NBC News poll found that enthusiasm among Democratic voters has grown in recent weeks. In an October survey, Republican enthusiasm outpaced Democrats by 9 points. Now, it’s tied, with 73% of both Democrat and Republican respondents saying they have a high interest in the Midterms.
Abortion on the ballot
Voters in five states will decide whether to restrict, expand, or codify abortion access for women following the fall of Roe. Those states are California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont.
Proposition 1 in California would expand and cement reproductive rights, building abortion protections and the right to contraception into the state constitution.
Similarly, voters in Vermont will decide (Article 22) whether to add protections in their state constitution to define abortion access as “central to the liberty and dignity to determine one’s own life course.”
In Kentucky, Amendment 2 would create new language in the state constitution stating that “nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”
Voters in Montana will weigh Legislative Referendum 31, which would establish criminal penalties for health care providers who do not act to save the life of an infant born alive during an abortion.
And finally, voters in Michigan will decide whether to make abortion rights a protection of their state constitution. If the effort fails, it is possible an existing abortion ban signed into law in 1931 could be enforced – making abortion illegal in most instances.
Trump 2024 announcement imminent?
I said previously that a 2024 announcement from former President Donald Trump before the Midterm election could spell disaster for Republicans in key swing races. It now looks likely that Trump will wait until after Tuesday ... but not long after.
Axios reported on Friday that Trump may launch his 2024 reelection bid on November 14, waiting until after the wedding of his daughter Tiffany on November 12.
During a rally in Iowa last week, Trump teased the expected announcement.
“I will very, very, very probably do it again, OK? Very, very, very probably,” Trump said. “Get ready. That’s all I’m telling you. Very soon. Get ready. Get ready.”
‘Ron DeSanctimonious’
I’ve long believed that Trump’s ego comes before anything else – his supporters, his policies, and his country.
Now I think the former President has shown his hand, even to those who had so far refused to look.
During a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump attacked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis completely out of the blue, dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
If Trump truly cares about Republican gains on Tuesday, vilifying DeSantis serves no purpose – other than his ego, given that DeSantis is growing in popularity and could become Trump’s toughest 2024 opponent.
Even conservative pundits were flabbergasted.
Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire tweeted, sarcastically, “…nice job launching your public attack against the most popular conservative governor in America three days before the midterms when we’re all supposed to be showing a united front.”
Notably, as we discussed on Friday’s edition of “Florida Report,” Trump also snubbed DeSantis this week by not inviting him to a campaign rally in Florida being held to help Senator Marco Rubio.
I'm already tired of the 2024 presidential election and we haven't even made it past the Midterms ...
Reverse psychology
As I discussed at length on Friday's show, Washington state Democrats are deploying a really sad attempt at reverse psychology to win the Secretary of State's race.
In a video posted to social media this past week, Governor Jay Inslee and Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski urged voters NOT TO WRITE REPUBLICAN BRAD KLIPPERT IN FOR SECRETARY OF STATE.
"Whatever you do, do not write Brad Klippert for Secretary of State," Inslee read from a prepared script while Podlodowski grinned.
It was all so hilariously transparent and amateur.
Democrats have their first real chance this election to capture the Secretary of State's office, and they are gaslighting voters to do it.
Democrat Steve Hobbs is in a tight race against Julie Anderson, who is running as a nonpartisan. The race would have been an easy win for Anderson - who has support from both sides of the aisle. But a late write-in campaign from Republican Brad Klippert could complicate things.
The only person who loses votes from a Klippert write-in is Anderson. So, by telling voters NOT to write Klippert in, Inslee and Podlodowski know that Republicans might do just the opposite (and therein lies the reverse psychology).
The ‘paws that enforce the laws’
I had the pleasure last night of being part of the 2022 Snohomish County K-9 Foundation Dinner and Auction. The foundation gives community members a chance to directly support our law enforcement officers and their K-9s, ensuring they have the tools they need to do their jobs (did you know that a bulletproof vest for a police K-9 costs $3,000?).
It was wonderful to be surrounded by so many who protect and serve our communities, as well as citizens and businesses who value that service.
You can learn more about the foundation’s work here.
Housekeeping
Your only housekeeping for today is to get that ballot in!
Have a greet week and thank you for your commitment to give common sense a comeback!
