August 12, 2020

Welcome to the Wednesday, Aug. 12, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Thirty-four states have statewide mask orders—what are the restrictions in your state?
2. Ilhan Omar wins MN-05 Democratic primary
3. Nebraska initiative capping payday lender interest qualifies for November ballot 

Yesterday afternoon, Joe Biden announced Sen. Kamala Harris (D) as his pick for vice president. For the latest updates on this story and more, subscribe to our Daily Presidential News Briefing.

Thirty-four states have statewide mask orders—what are the restrictions in your state?

Here’s an update on statewide mask orders that went out to our Documenting America’s Path to Recovery subscribers on Monday. 

As of Aug. 6, 34 states have statewide orders requiring individuals to wear masks in indoor or outdoor public spaces. All 24 states with a Democratic governor have statewide mask orders, while 10 out of 26 states with Republican governors require face coverings.

Some of these states have nuanced mask requirements, and local governments have also established their own rules about masks.

The mask requirements have been issued over the course of five months:

• Three orders in Wisconsin, Vermont, and Mississippi have been issued in August.

No states have allowed their mask orders to expire. Georgia is the only state where a statewide executive order prohibits localities from implementing mask restrictions.

For more updates like this, click here to subscribe to Documenting America’s Path to Recovery.

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Ilhan Omar wins MN-05 Democratic primary

Last night, statewide elections were held in Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Here’s a selection of results from the battleground races we covered. For full election results, click here. 

Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District (Democratic primary)

Incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar defeated four candidates in the Democratic primary for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. As of 9:25 p.m. Central Time, she had received 57% of the vote. Antone Melton-Meaux was second with 39%.

This was the first time in more than 85 years that an incumbent U.S. representative from Minnesota had more than three primary challengers.

Omar is among four congresswomen often referred to as the squad, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Omar said her accomplishments in the House include passing more amendments than any other member of the Minnesota delegation, working to extend the Deferred Enforced Departure status for Liberians in the state, and introducing the Student Debt Cancellation Act.

Melton-Meaux, a lawyer and mediator, criticized Omar by saying she was more focused on arguments with the president and celebrity status than on the needs of the district. He said he would find common ground with others to achieve progressive goals.

As of July 22, Omar had raised $4.3 million to Melton-Meaux's $4.2 million.

Omar won the 2018 general election by a margin of 56 percentage points. 

Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District (Republican primary)

Former state Sen. Michelle Fischbach defeated four other candidates to win the Republican nomination in Minnesota's 7th Congressional District. As of 9:45 p.m. Central Time, Fischbach had received 59% of the vote, followed by Dave Hughes with 22%, and Noel Collis with 15%. Two other candidates each received under 3% of the vote.

Fischbach, who served as state senate president for two terms before resigning in 2018 to succeed Tina Smith (D) as lieutenant governor, was endorsed by President Donald Trump (R), U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and the 7th District GOP. Hughes, who was the Republican nominee in 2016 and 2018, was backed by Americans for Legal Immigration PAC.

Fischbach will face incumbent Collin Peterson (D), who has represented the district since 1990. The 7th District is one of 30 districts currently represented by a Democrat which President Trump carried in 2016 and is the district where Trump had his widest margin of victory. Trump's margin over Hillary Clinton (D)—30.8 percentage points—was nearly double the 15.5-point margin he received in New York's 22nd District, his next-best performance. Two election forecasters say the general election is a toss-up, and a third says it tilts in Peterson's direction.

Georgia’s 14th Congressional District (Republican primary runoff)

Marjorie Taylor Greene defeated John Cowan in the Republican primary runoff for Georgia's 14th Congressional District. The race was called with 42% of precincts reporting, with Greene receiving 59.4% of the vote and Cowan following with 40.6%. Incumbent Tom Graves (R), who assumed office in 2010, did not seek re-election.

Cowan is a neurosurgeon and owns a toy company. Greene owns a construction company. Patrick Filbin of the Chattanooga Times Free Press wrote, "With similar stances on issues, the runoff campaign has come down to who might be most effective in Washington."

The race received national attention after Politico reported on comments Greene made about Muslims and Black people. Other reports discussed comments she made about QAnon. Greene defended her comments, saying, "Every Republican, every Christian Conservative is going to be called a racist and a bigot by the Fake News Media, as have Steve Scalise and Liz Cheney. I’m sorry my future colleagues are unable to stand up to the pressure and fight back." She criticized Cowan by saying he never donated to Donald Trump but donated to Chris Christie's 2016 presidential campaign.

Cowan told Greene at a debate, "I'll be the best ally that Donald Trump has by getting elected and keeping you out of office, because the Democrats will use you as their chief fundraiser for all the crazy and ludicrous things that you say." 

In the June 9 primary, Greene received 40% of the vote to Cowan's 21%. Nine candidates ran. Three election forecasters have rated the general election Safe or Solid Republican.

Nebraska initiative capping payday lender interest qualifies for November ballot

On Aug. 5, the Nebraska Secretary of State announced that the Payday Lender Interest Rate Cap initiative qualified for the November ballot.

The initiative would limit the annual interest rate for delayed deposit services—also known as payday lending—to 36%. Under current Nebraska law, lenders are allowed to charge $15 per $100 loaned. Nebraska also limits the loan principal to $500. This means a loan of $500 for a term of two weeks that is charged the maximum amount of $75 in fees and interest has an annual percentage rate of 391%.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have capped payday lending rates at 36%. According to the Consumer Federation of America, six states have no rate caps, and 28 states have higher rate restrictions. Colorado was the most recent state to approve the limit through a statewide ballot initiative, Proposition 111, in 2018. It passed 77% to 23%.

Nebraskans for Responsible Lending is leading the campaign in support of the initiative. It reported receiving $1.76 million in cash and in-kind contributions. The campaign’s largest contributor is the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which has more than $840,000. The Fund was also the largest contributor to the campaign that sponsored Colorado Proposition 111, giving over $2 million in contributions. The Sixteen Thirty Fund was founded in 2009 and has supported ballot measure campaigns ranging in topics from state voting policies, Medicaid expansion, and minimum wage increases.

Aubrey Mancuso, a representative for Nebraskans for Responsible Lending, said, "The fact that signatures were verified in 46 counties speaks to broad support for this initiative. Predatory payday lenders have been charging excessive interest to Nebraskans who can least afford it for years, trapping them in long-term debt that is financially devastating. We found overwhelming support from Nebraskans when circulating this petition, and we are very pleased it’s official. We can now move forward with ending these unethical lending practices.” 

There is no organized opposition to the initiative so far, but the ballot language of the initiative has been challenged in court. On July 27, Trina Thomas, the owner of Paycheck Advance, filed a lawsuit in Lancaster County District Court against the ballot language drafted by Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson (R). Thomas alleges the term "payday lenders" is not in the state law that the initiative would change. Thomas said this is "deceptive to the voters as it unfairly casts the measure in a light that would prejudice the vote in favor of the initiative." In a press release, the secretary of state acknowledges the lawsuit and says the attorney general will be defending the ballot language in court and the case outcome will be determined soon.

Four other initiative campaigns in Nebraska submitted signatures by the July 3 deadline. Three initiatives concern gambling at licensed horse racetracks and the other would legalize medical marijuana. 

Between 1996 and 2018, Nebraska voters approved 53% (39 of 73) and rejected 47% (34 of 73) of ballot measures. An average of six measures appeared on statewide general election ballots during that period.