Good morning, it’s Thursday, October 17, 2024. In today’s edition, abortion rights backers sit on massive cash edge; New Hampshire Supreme Court justice indicted; Indiana GOP attacking Libertarian governor candidate:
Top Stories
ABORTION: Supporters of abortion rights measures on the ballot in ten states this year have raised almost $178 million for their respective campaigns — nearly 10 times the $19 million that opponents of those measures have pulled in. It’s a massive financial advantage that abortion rights backers are leveraging for television advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts.
In some of the most closely-watched contests, the edge for pro-abortion rights backers is even more pronounced. In Arizona, supporters have outraised opponents $32.7 million to $1.3 million. In Florida, that ratio is $76.4 million to $10 million. In Missouri and Montana, backers have raised more than $20 million, and opponents haven’t cracked half a million.
In a briefing Wednesday, managers of several of the pro-abortion rights campaigns said they are reaching out to Republicans and independents, rather than just trying to turn out more Democratic votes. But ballot measures prime voters to think about specific issues — and for the last several years, when abortion has been on the ballot, Democrats have benefitted. Read more at Pluribus News.
VOTING RIGHTS: The Nebraska Surpeme Court has ordered Secretary of State Bob Evnen (R) to allow former felons who have completed their sentences to register to vote. Lawmakers this year approved a new law eliminating a two-year waiting period for those who have served their sentences. (Nebraska Examiner)
MORE: Texas lawmakers are hinting they will take up legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. In a committee hearing Wednesday, senators said they were interested in bringing up legislation modeled on an Arizona bill, the only one on the books in the U.S. — even though noncitizens are already prohibited from voting. (Texas Tribune)
IMMIGRATION: Ohio Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to penalize immigrants entering the state if they do not have authorization to be in the United States. The measure, based on an Oklahoma law currently pending in federal court, would make a felony of “unlawful presence” in the state. (Statehouse News Bureau)
IMPEACHMENT: The Texas Senate State Affairs Committee is drafting proposed changes to the state’s impeachment process a year after the state House impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), a Paxton ally who controls the Senate, criticized last year’s impeachment as rushed. (Dallas Morning News)
In Politics & Business
FLORIDA: Abortion rights groups have sued the state health department over its attempt to order television stations to stop airing an advertisement backing Amendment 4, the pro-abortion rights measure. Supporters allege the order is an illegal use of public resources to campaign. (Associated Press)
INDIANA: State Republicans are sending out mailers attacking Libertarian gubernatorial nominee Donald Rainwater, a sign that his campaign may hurt the GOP nominee, U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R). Rainwater took 11% of the vote in 2020. (Indianapolis Star)
Braun is still the front-runner, but this story made us sit up and pay attention.
ALABAMA: A federal judge has ordered Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen (R) to halt a program that made thousands of legal voters inactive. The order will restore active registration status for both American-born and naturalized citizens ahead of Election Day. About 2,000 of the 3,251 voters made inactive under the program are legally registered citizens, Allen’s chief of staff testified. (Associated Press)
NORTH CAROLINA: A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Attorney General Josh Stein (D) leading Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) 52%-40% — which, frankly, is a better result for Robinson than any poll we’ve seen for a month. The same poll shows Vice President Harris leading former President Trump 49%-47% in the battleground state. (Quinnipiac)
Early voting begins today in North Carolina. More than 400 locations will open in all 100 counties. Just four out of 80 locations in western counties hit by Hurricane Helene won’t open on time. (Associated Press)
CRIME BLOTTER: New Hampshire Supreme Court Associate Justice Anna “Bobbie” Hantz Marconi has been indicted on two felony and five misdemeanor counts for allegedly interfering with a criminal investigation into her husband. Geno Marconi, the director of the New Hampshire Port Authority, has been on leave since April for undisclosed reasons. (Boston Globe)
By The Numbers
68%: The share of Americans who favor a ban on middle and high school students from using cell phones in class. Just 36% support banning phones during the entire school day. (Pew Research Center)
$1 million: The minimum bid for a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution, printed 237 years ago, set for auction this evening. Just eight copies of this particular draft are known to exist, and the other seven are owned by public entities. (Associated Press)
Off The Wall
City workers in Spokane, Wash., spent part of this week cleaning up spray painted advertisements backing state Senate candidate Jim Wilson (R), whose volunteers stenciled sidewalks over the weekend. Wilson said his volunteers decided to spray paint the messages to raise awareness about crime. (Seattle Times)
Voters in Marion County, Ind., will be able to cast early ballots until 10 p.m. over the weekend of Nov. 1-3, extended hours made necessary by Taylor Swift’s three-day stay at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The county clerk’s office said the extended hours would be available to those who happened to be downtown for the concert. (Indianapolis Star)
Quote of the Day
“Nothing caught on fire, which was great for preservation. Maybe not as interesting as it would have been if things would have exploded.”
— Christopher Warren, chief curator of the National World War I Museum and Memorial, opening a time capsule embedded in a World War I memorial in Kansas City. The time capsule, entombed in 1924, featured a congratulatory letter from then-President Calvin Coolidge. (Associated Press)