Election naysayers are winning Republican primaries across the country, including in key states for the 2024 presidential election.
But for some Democrats, the party hierarchy doesn’t quite grasp the threat of what a candidate who refuses to vote means as the state’s top election official.
“There’s been an improvement. Do you think that’s enough? No,” said Ellen Kurtz, founder and president of iVote, a Democratic outside group focused on the Secretary of State. “If I was running[the Democratic National Committee]I would make this a top priority. It’s easy for me.”
“Tectonics” in the Secretary of State constituency
In some states, the secretary of state is appointed by the governor, although in most states the office is elected, although voters generally do not prioritize it. Both the Republican and Democratic campaigns raised a fraction of the money compared to other statewide campaigns, and very few ads were aired on television.
Rebellion makes a difference. The aftermath of the 2020 election has forced more Americans to realize that our country is at a crossroads and that our democracy is at stake,” said the Democratic Party’s group of secretaries of state. Losses and a global pandemic are also in the spotlight, said Executive Director Kim Rogers. I think it culminated in people being aware. And now people are paying attention.”
“Collectively, 2020 has been a year of dramatic shifts in our focus on these races,” she added.
And in some elections, Democratic candidates for Secretary of State raised up to five times the amount they raised in previous elections.
For top law enforcement agencies in these states, the results of these races can be significant.
Referring to the 2020 post-election litigation, Ford said, “I know first-hand what it’s like to have someone like Mr. Merchant in the office. It’s not lost on me at all.” If he contests the 2024 election, Ford said, “I could imagine a scenario where that constitutional officer would be sued by my office. The state and Nevada…especially when it comes to something as important as an election.”
Ford is in its second term this year. Merchant did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
more can be done
Despite the money pouring into these campaigns, total spending on these campaigns remains low, especially compared to gubernatorial and congressional campaigns, and there are concerns Democrats across the country aren’t doing enough. there is.
“The reality of the election cycle is that everyone is trying to focus on the level of their vote,” said a Democratic operative working on the secretary of state. It’s up to the vote,’ he acknowledged, as he argues that attention to these contests is growing, but more could be done.
“Additional support is welcome,” said the operative.
Asked about involvement with the secretary of state, a Democratic National Committee official declined to provide details of direct involvement, but said the party “has been more aggressively investing in DASS battlegrounds than before and is coordinating.” We invest directly in the campaigns and state parties we support.” These eligible states have Democratic candidates back and forth on the ballot. ”
The party has invested $11 million in four states — Arizona, Nevada, Michigan and Georgia — top targets for the Democratic secretary general of the state association, officials said. The commission also sends $12,500 monthly to political parties in each state to support all campaigns, including downvoting.
But advocates of the secretary of state race argue that the impact of more money could be significant. It competes with other top-flight races across the state for crowded airtime within the state, but costs still pale in comparison to other competitions, so you can go to the election with less money. long way to go.
That’s a lesson iVote, a Democratic group devoted to elections for secretary of state in battleground states, has learned since its inception in 2014. His budget at the time was $4.5 million, but in the 2018 cycle he increased to $7.5 million. In the 2022 cycle, the group plans to spend his $15 million, double what he did four years ago.
“There are these little races, relatively unnoticed downvote races, that determine whether we will have free and fair elections,” said iVote senior adviser Hari Sevugan. won these seats in 2018, so our democracy survived in 2020. Who wins these seats in 2022 will determine how the 2024 elections will turn out. It not only determines what our democracy will look like the next day.”
Kurtz, who has been involved in the secretary of state campaign for years, echoed that sentiment, arguing that Democrats can’t ignore what some Republican candidates say they’ll do if they win.
“Suppose one of these people wins. They refuse to authenticate the vote because they don’t like the result.” What could be more important than ensuring that these positions are filled by supporters of free and fair elections?”
“What’s more important than that?” she added.
Source: www.cnn.com
