{"id":1282387,"date":"2022-02-08T10:48:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T15:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1282387"},"modified":"2022-02-08T15:52:45","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T20:52:45","slug":"these-are-the-most-important-races-to-watch-in-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-are-the-most-important-races-to-watch-in-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"These Are The Most Important Races To Watch In 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthese-are-the-most-important-races-to-watch-in-2022%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1282387&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Readers-Pass-Johnson-The-Midterm-Races-To-Watch-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>The 2022 midterms will likely favor Republicans, both because the <a href=\"https:\/\/centerforpolitics.org\/crystalball\/articles\/the-modern-history-of-special-election-swing\/\">history of midterm elections<\/a>&nbsp;pulls in that direction and because President Biden\u2019s performance repulses voters, as evidenced by his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/national-news\/articles\/2021-12-20\/biden-approval-hits-historic-low-poll-says\">record-low<\/a> approval ratings. A recent Rasmussen poll gave Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/washington-secrets\/gop-2022-ballot-lead-to-9-points-poll\">a larger lead<\/a> in 2022 than Democrats enjoyed when they took back the House in 2018. Amid the excitement, readers may not know which races are most significant. Here are a few of the races that bear watching in the 2022 primaries, and in the general election divided by Senate, governor, House of Representatives, and state ballot issues.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Primaries<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><span><em>Wyoming Republican House primary<\/em><\/span>: The question is not <em>if<\/em> Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) loses her seat, but to whom. The Republican primary for Wyoming\u2019s lone House seat will determine that. The daughter of the former vice president <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/liz-cheney-dropping-out-of-wyoming-senate-race\">canceled<\/a> her 2014 primary campaign against then-Senator Mike Enzi after polls showed her trailing badly. She became the state\u2019s lone member of Congress in 2016 and rose to the fourth-ranking position in the House. Yet during the Trump years, Cheney so embittered her party\u2019s base by berating them as an out-of-control cult indulging in \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/knowles-with-republicans-like-liz-cheney-and-mitt-romney-who-needs-democrats\">THE BIG LIE<\/a>\u201d (her emphasis) that she lost her leadership position and looks poised to lose her seat. A poll taken in December showed Cheney trailing her primary opponent, Harriet Hageman (whom Donald Trump has endorsed), by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/washington-secrets\/liz-cheney-in-trouble-trails-trump-pick-by-18-points\">18 points<\/a>. This race will measure which faction of the party controls the GOP and whether the party will tolerate someone in leadership campaigning against her own voters.<\/p>\n<p><span><em>Alaska Republican U.S. Senate primary <\/em>and <em>general election<\/em><\/span>: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has made a career of serving the Republican Party against the GOP\u2019s wishes; 2022 will determine whether she continues that for a fourth term. Murkowski is the only one of the seven Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump who is facing reelection this year. But Murkowski strained her relationship with the Republican Party long before Trump entered political life. Murkowski, who was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/story\/murkowski-senate-rival-charges-nepotism\">appointed to the Senate by her father<\/a>, then-Governor Frank Murkowski (R), in 2002, lost the 2010 Republican primary to Tea Party challenger Joe Miller; she won the general election as a write-in candidate, even after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5H-VzKl7my0\">video<\/a> surfaced showing a federal contractor essentially stumping for Murkowski. In 2018, she&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/sarah-palin-threatens-to-primary-lisa-murkowski-over-scotus-vote-i-can-see-2022-from-my-house\">voted against advancing<\/a>&nbsp;the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the Senate Judiciary Committee, then&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2018\/10\/06\/us\/politics\/kavanaugh-live-vote-senate-confirmation.html\">voted \u201cpresent<\/a>\u201d on his final confirmation. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-endorses-murkowski-primary-opponent-kelly-tshibaka\">Both<\/a> Trump and the Alaska state Republican Party have&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/562410-alaska-gop-endorse-murkowski-primary-challenger\">endorsed<\/a>&nbsp;Murkowski\u2019s primary challenger, a political neophyte named Kelly Tshibaka.<\/p>\n<p>Not only will this primary demonstrate which wing of the party is ascendant, but it may test the strength of Alaska\u2019s newly instituted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elections.alaska.gov\/RCV.php\">ranked-choice voting system<\/a>, which the state Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adn.com\/politics\/2022\/01\/19\/alaska-supreme-court-upholds-elections-ballot-measure-state-will-use-ranked-choice-voting-in-november\/\">upheld<\/a> earlier this month. Under the new system, all candidates appear on one ballot in the August 16 primary. The four candidates who receive the most votes in the primary, regardless of party, then appear on one ballot in the general election. Voters rank the candidates in order of preference, from one (favorite) to four (least favorite). Rather than rewarding the candidate with the most votes, ranked-choice voting requires some candidate to receive a majority of votes; if no candidate won an outright majority in the first round, then the bottom candidate is eliminated, and that candidate\u2019s second-choice votes are distributed to the remaining candidates. One poll found that Murkowski, who has never won a majority of voters in any of her three Senate races, would win under the new voting system <a href=\"https:\/\/midnightsunak.com\/2021\/08\/02\/poll-murkowski-would-win-hypothetical-four-way-race-under-ranked-voting\/\">on the strength of her support from Democrats<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span><em>Ohio Republican Senate primary<\/em><\/span>: After center-right U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R) announced his retirement, numerous candidates have angled to attract the GOP\u2019s conservative base. The two front-runners are former Congressman and state Treasurer Josh Mandel and \u201cHillbilly Elegy\u201d author J.D. Vance, both men with staunch conservative backgrounds. Former state party chair Jane Timken, Cleveland Guardians owner Matt Dolan, and businessmen Mike Gibbons and Bernie Moreno have also <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/religion-elections-ohio-presidential-elections-senate-elections-a7ebc49466593db701ba79150800d067\">vied<\/a> for the support of the state\u2019s evangelical Christian vote before the May 3 primary. The Democratic front-runner, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), succeeded former boss Jim Traficant into office and announced that he had <a href=\"https:\/\/therightswriter.com\/2015\/01\/pro-life-democrat-catholic-congressman-embraces-abortion\/\">abandoned his pro-life views<\/a>&nbsp;in 2015. Ryan has tried to run as an economic populist like Senator Sherrod Brown &nbsp;\u2014 the only Democrat to hold statewide office.<\/p>\n<p><strong>General election<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>U.S. Senate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In November, 34 Senate seats will be up for election. The Democrats currently control the evenly divided Senate, because Vice President Kamala Harris wields the tie-breaking vote \u2014 although Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) have resisted unpopular aspects of the Democrats\u2019 agenda such as the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/whats-in-joe-bidens-build-back-better-act\">Build Back Better act<\/a>&nbsp;and abolishing the filibuster. Republicans must flip at least one seat to overcome Democrats\u2019 institutional power in the chamber.<\/p>\n<p><span><em>Georgia<\/em><\/span>: Incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock (D) <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/United_States_Senate_special_election_in_Georgia,_2020_(Loeffler_vs._Warnock_runoff)\">narrowly won<\/a> a special run-off election last January 5 over Republican Kelly Loeffler, who made a windfall in the stock market on the basis of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/bipartisan-group-of-lawmakers-demand-pelosi-hold-vote-on-stock-trading-bans\">nonpublic knowledge<\/a>\u201d about COVID-19. Warnock\u2019s likely opponent has never had trouble during a face-off: Former NFL great Herschel Walker has won Trump\u2019s endorsement and the broad support of the state\u2019s grassroots voters. Walker has collected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/georgia-senate-race-herschel-walker-10-million-fundraising\">$10 million<\/a> in campaign donations, and polls currently have a Walker-Warnock race in a dead heat. The race merits watching not only because of its role in determining control of the Senate, but to see if Georgia will continue to be represented by a far-Left Democrat who has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tvBy_Iiq8WE\">preached<\/a> that the <a href=\"https:\/\/fee.org\/resources\/rendering-unto-caesar-was-jesus-a-socialist\/\">Bible teaches socialism<\/a>, called Israel an <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CalebJHull\/status\/1337074387615436802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1337074387615436802%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fjewish-group-condemns-warnock-comparing-netanyahu-to-george-wallace\">apartheid state<\/a>, and hailed Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan as an \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/warnock-praised-farrakhans-nation-of-islam-in-2013-an-important-voice\">important voice<\/a>\u201d in society.<\/p>\n<p><span><em>Pennsylvania<\/em><\/span>: Incumbent Senator Pat Toomey (R) opted not to seek reelection, opening the swing state\u2019s Senate seat at the same time that its governor will be leaving office. The Democratic primary pits Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/politics\/election\/john-fetterman-malcolm-kenyatta-pennsylvania-democratic-senate-primary-20210302.html\">endorsed Bernie Sanders<\/a> for president in 2016, against Rep. Conor Lamb, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/the-myth-of-moderate-democrats-11603148312\">styles<\/a> himself a <a href=\"https:\/\/triblive.com\/opinion\/paul-kengor-conor-lamb-and-pa-s-political-moderates\/\">moderate<\/a>. (State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who <a href=\"https:\/\/malcolmforpa.medium.com\/a-new-day-for-american-democracy-an-eight-point-plan-24bd7f32f324\">favors<\/a> packing the Supreme Court and granting statehood to the District of Columbia, is also in the race.) On the Republican side, TV personality Mehmet Oz \u2014 known to the world as \u201cDr. Oz\u201d thanks to his appearances on \u201cThe Oprah Winfrey Show\u201d \u2014 faces businessman Jeff Bartos and Trump\u2019s Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands in the GOP primary. Oz has already bought $<a href=\"https:\/\/www.post-gazette.com\/news\/politics-state\/2022\/01\/16\/Mehmet-Oz-spending-millions-TV-Senate-campaign-Pennsylvania-David-McCormick-Carla-Sands-GOP\/stories\/202201140136\">5 million<\/a> to purchase air time in the state. But some conservatives remain wary of the TV doctor, who has a long history of making <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/dr-oz-running-for-u-s-senate-as-a-republican-has-a-history-of-donating-to-democrats\">campaign donations to Democrats<\/a>. For instance, he has said he is pro-life but favors an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/watch-fox-news-grills-senate-candidate-dr-oz-on-when-life-begins-oz-refuses-to-answer\">exception<\/a> for \u201cthe health\u201d of the mother, a term so elastic it has been used to allow abortion for virtually any reason. If he can calm conservatives\u2019 fears, he may have the popularity and name recognition to hold the seat in this swing state.<\/p>\n<p><em>Nevada<\/em>: First-term incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) may be vulnerable to a challenge from a conservative rival with a famous name. Her likely challenger, former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt, is the grandson of the late Senator Paul Laxalt \u2014 a stalwart conservative whom Ronald Reagan is said to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/Statesmen_and_Mischief_Makers\/U7OGCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;dq=reagan+wanted+paul+laxalt++as+vice+president+1980&amp;pg=PT1221&amp;printsec=frontcover\">personally favored<\/a> as his <a href=\"https:\/\/collections.libraries.indiana.edu\/lugar\/exhibits\/show\/nationalstage\/vice-president\">vice president<\/a> instead of George H.W. Bush \u2014 as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2014\/05\/who-is-adam-laxalt-107095\/\">the son<\/a> of former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM). Cortez Masto served as state attorney general for the two terms (2007-2015) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naag.org\/attorneys-general\/past-attorneys-general\/nevada-former-attorneys-general\/\">immediately preceding<\/a> Laxalt\u2019s tenure, where he distinguished himself. While the Democrat has raised far <a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\/article\/in-senate-bid-laxalt-pulls-in-1-35-million-in-last-three-months-of-2021\">more money<\/a> than Laxalt at this time, two <a href=\"https:\/\/cb5d84a7-f3e4-46c9-8c57-7e2c49699a46\/Trafalgar%20Group%20(R)\">polls<\/a> taken last month showed Laxalt <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/elections\/republicans-could-flip-two-senate-seats-georgia-nevada-new-gop-n1286469\">leading<\/a> Cortez Masto by three and four points, respectively. And while the state has been reliably Democratic, their margin of victory has been slim: Democrats Hillary Clinton in 2016, Cortez Masto in 2018, and Joe Biden in 2020 all won their respective races by exactly 2.4%. What are the odds?<\/p>\n<p><em>Arizona<\/em>: Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), former NASA astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords. Kelly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/martha-mcsally-concedes-arizona-senate-race\">defeated<\/a> incumbent Sen. Martha McSally (R) in 2020, but his favorability rating has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/poll-arizona-senator-mark-kellys-favorability-rating-is-underwater\/\">sliding<\/a>.&nbsp;Kelly has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/sen-mark-kelly-calls-out-biden-for-not-including-a-border-crisis-plan-in-speech\">contradicted<\/a> the Biden administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/jen-psaki-says-americans-only-think-theres-a-border-crisis-because-of-the-media\">sunny view<\/a> of the border, calling the historic level of illegal immigration a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/congressman-democrats-rely-on-the-media-to-cover-up-border-crisis\">crisis<\/a>.\u201d His moderating comments and likely Republican candidate Attorney General Mark Brnovich\u2019s limited resources auger somewhat in Kelly\u2019s favor. A loss would signify that Arizona has returned to the GOP fold.<\/p>\n<p><strong>State Governor\u2019s Races<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><em>Michigan<\/em>: Once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) has emerged as one of the most polarizing figures in American politics. Her controversial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/are-the-doj-and-media-letting-gretchen-whitmer-get-away-with-covid-19-nursing-home-deaths\">nursing home order<\/a> led to an unknown number of preventable deaths; the state has yet to come clean with the full figure. Whitmer, whom Biden considered for the vice presidency, presided over some of the strictest COVID-19 lockdowns in the nation \u2014 for her citizens. Her husband dropped her name when asking for an exemption from state regulations to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/michigan-gov-whitmer-claims-husbands-reported-boat-request-was-a-failed-attempt-at-humor\">sail his boat<\/a> near Memorial Day 2020, and she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/democrat-gov-gretchen-whitmer-traveled-to-florida-before-expressing-concern-about-traveling-to-fl\">flew to Florida<\/a> shortly after warning her citizens about the perils of out-of-state travel. A recent poll found that she and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, the Republican front-runner, are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/former-detroit-police-chief-neck-and-neck-with-gretchen-whitmer-in-mi-gov-race-poll\">tied<\/a> at 46%. Whitmer, the elite face of technocratic indifference, could easily lose reelection to the black conservative.<\/p>\n<p><em>Georgia<\/em>: Looks to be a rematch of 2018, as Governor Brian Kemp (R) seeks a second term against Democrat Stacey Abrams. Since then, Abrams steadfastly insisted she actually won the governor\u2019s race. \u201cThe election was stolen from the people of Georgia,\u201d&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/watch-stacey-abrams-still-promoting-unfounded-molly-prince\">said<\/a> Abrams in 2019, although she admitted, \u201cI don\u2019t know that empirically.\u201d She denounced a voting integrity bill which Kemp signed into law last year as \u201ca <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/stacey-abrams-pushed-misinformation-about-georgia-voting-bill-now-shes-upset-by-the-consequences\">redux of Jim Crow<\/a> in a suit and tie\u201d and wrote an op-ed in USA Today praising efforts \u201cto boycott [the state] in order to achieve change.\u201d (After Major League Baseball moved its All-Star Game out of Georgia, the newspaper made numerous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/some-orwellian-stuff-newspaper-stealth-edits-stacey-abrams-op-ed-to-soften-pro-boycott-rhetoric-after-mlb-moves-all-star-game\">stealth edits<\/a> to her article to soften her language and blame the boycott on Republicans.) Before Kemp faces Abrams, he must turn back a primary challenge from former U.S. Senator David Perdue, whom Trump has endorsed. The two sides have hurled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.11alive.com\/article\/news\/politics\/brian-kemp-ethics-complaint-david-perdue\/85-4e21dbe4-011d-46cf-ac88-dec728960c2d\">lawsuits and ethics&nbsp;<\/a><span><span><u>complaints<\/u><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;against one another, and Kemp\u2019s campaign has continued to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/david-perdue-announces-bid-for-governor-challenging-republican-brian-kemp\">highlight<\/a> Perdue\u2019s vulnerability over his stock portfolio. With the ideological gap between Kemp and Perdue relatively narrow, the primary may test the strength of Trump\u2019s post-presidential endorsement.<\/p>\n<p><em>Pennsylvania<\/em>: Incumbent Governor Tom Wolf (D) will vacate the governor\u2019s mansion in Harrisburg next year due to term limits. The likely Democratic candidate, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, has remained one of the most popular Democrats in the state. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/gops-crowded-pa-gubernatorial-field-a-help-or-hindrance\">likely<\/a> Republican opponent, former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, first made national headlines as the mayor of the blue-collar town of Hazleton, where he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/small-town-mayor-who-championed-immigration-enforcement-heads-to-house\">championed<\/a> a measure fining landlords who knowingly rented their properties to illegal aliens and denying permits to businesses who employ them. Barletta compiled a <a href=\"https:\/\/ivoterguide.com\/candidate?elecK=71&amp;raceK=2028&amp;primarypartyk=-&amp;canK=2414&amp;&amp;path=\/all-in-state\/Pennsylvania\/\">conservative voting record<\/a> during his four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (2011-2019), then ran for U.S. Senate, losing to Bob Casey. Successful candidates of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?26964-1\/pro-life-issues\">both parties<\/a> in Pennsylvania have mixed right-of-center positions on social issues with a less doctrinaire position on economics. Shapiro, who survived the state\u2019s recent red waves, is the best-positioned Democrat to hold the state. But Barletta\u2019s brand of politics is well-attuned to Pennsylvania, the state that gave birth to Rick Santorum\u2019s \u201cblue collar conservatism\u201d and Donald Trump\u2019s 2016 victory.<\/p>\n<p><em>Florida<\/em>: Governor Rick DeSantis (R) will likely face Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor who bolted the party, although Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is running as a progressive Democrat. This race will likely be interesting, not so much for the outcome, but to see how DeSantis performs as a candidate en route to his possible entry into the 2024 presidential primaries.<\/p>\n<p><em>Maine<\/em>: Maine\u2019s incumbent Governor Janet Mills (D) is one of the lesser-known but vulnerable Democratic governors. Not only is Maine intriguing as a possible pick-up for Republicans but also because it heralds the return of former two-term Governor Paul LePage (R). Rising from a <a href=\"http:\/\/therightswriter.com\/2014\/09\/this-ronald-reagan-story-is-eerily-close-to-paul-lepages-real-life-abortion-experience-video\/\">hardscrabble childhood<\/a> that included years as a homeless teen, he campaigned as an unapologetic conservative; for instance, he wanted Mainers to vote on abolishing the state income tax. In the process, he shattered the mold of the Northeastern Republican \u201cmoderates\u201d such as Susan Collins or Charlie Baker. \u201cYou\u2019re going to be seeing a lot of me on the front page saying, \u2018Governor LePage tells Obama to <a href=\"https:\/\/therightswriter.com\/2010\/09\/video-of-the-day-gop-candidate-tells-obama-go-to-hell\/\">go to Hell<\/a>,\u201d he promised voters in 2010. While most observers gave LePage no chance at winning reelection, he won again in 2014. He now looks toward a fight with his successor. While Mills enjoys an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabi.tv\/2022\/01\/18\/maine-governor-outraising-ex-gov-reelection-drive-so-far\/\">edge in fundraising<\/a>, LePage enjoys a slightly <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumlocalnews.com\/me\/maine\/news\/2021\/09\/14\/2022-maine-governor-s-race-shaping-up-to-be--heavyweight-fight-\">higher favorability<\/a> rating among Mainers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hot State Ballot Issues<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Will Nevada confer special rights on transgender people and discriminate against people of faith?<\/em> On November 8, Nevada voters will decide whether to adopt an \u201cequal rights amendment\u201d to the state constitution. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leg.state.nv.us\/App\/NELIS\/REL\/80th2019\/Bill\/7076\/Text\">reads<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this State or any of its political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This amendment would give men who say they identify as women access to women\u2019s intimate facilities \u2014 including women\u2019s shelters, restrooms, and locker rooms \u2014 and force female athletes to compete against men. It could compel doctors who object to prescribing puberty blockers or transformative reproductive surgery to take part in such procedures or leave the medical profession. It would discriminate against religious colleges and faith-based nonprofit organizations that hold to traditional sexual morality. In practice, turning \u201cgender identity or expression\u201d and \u201csexual orientation\u201d into protected classes for the purposes of civil rights laws lawsuits has imperiled religious liberty and subjected businesses to a bevy of frivolous lawsuits. \u201cSeveral states have also interpreted nearly identical amendments to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/an-obligation-to-fix-the-constitution-alyssa-milano-and-democrats-team-up-to-illegally-amend-our-founding-document\">mandate taxpayer funding<\/a> for abortion,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leg.state.nv.us\/App\/NELIS\/REL\/80th2019\/ExhibitDocument\/OpenExhibitDocument?exhibitId=44661&amp;fileDownloadName=0602sjr8_engk_.pdf\">noted<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/adflegal.org\/\">Alliance Defending Freedom<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Arizona in-state tuition for illegal immigrants<\/em>. Arizonans could opt to erase a provision of their state constitution barring favorable college tuition rates to illegal aliens at taxpayer-funded state colleges and universities. The November 8 ballot initiative would replace language stating that \u201ca person who was not a citizen or legal resident of the United States or who is without lawful immigration status is not entitled to classification as an in-state student\u201d to say that \u201cpersons without lawful immigration status are eligible for in-state tuition\u201d if they have been \u201cphysically present\u201d in Arizona for two years and graduated from a high school or \u201chomeschool equivalent,\u201d or obtained a GED.<\/p>\n<p><em>Arkansas defends religious liberty against lockdowns, etc<\/em>. In April 2020, Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) effectively limited the number of people who could attend church by <a href=\"https:\/\/governor.arkansas.gov\/images\/uploads\/executiveOrders\/EO_20-13._.pdf\">compelling<\/a> \u201cplaces of worship\u201d to observe social distancing protocols; in May, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arml.org\/static\/arml\/Gov_Hutchinson_Actions_and_Updates_Regarding_COVID-19_5.5.20.pdf\">ordered<\/a> churches to \u201c[r]efrain from having people come forward to a common altar rail for Holy Communion.\u201d Legislators responded by passing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arkleg.state.ar.us\/Acts\/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2021R%2FPublic%2F&amp;file=94.pdf&amp;ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021R\">Act 94<\/a> last February, which states, \u201cThe [g]overnor shall not prohibit or limit a religious organization from continuing to operate or engage in religious services,\u201d even \u201cduring a disaster emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To further protect religious liberty, they have asked state voters to approve the Arkansas Religious Freedom Amendment. Its <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Arkansas_Government_Burden_of_Free_Exercise_of_Religion_Amendment_(2022)\">language<\/a>, which is modeled after the national <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/103rd-congress\/house-bill\/1308\/text\">Religious Freedom Restoration Act<\/a> (RFRA) that President Bill Clinton <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/WCPD-1993-11-22\/pdf\/WCPD-1993-11-22-Pg2377.pdf\">signed<\/a> in 1993, bans the government from forcing anyone to violate his or her deeply held religious beliefs unless it can prove it is acting in \u201cfurtherance of a compelling government interest\u201d and using \u201cthe least restrictive means\u201d possible. RFRA has offered churches relief from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/judge-rules-in-favor-of-capitol-hill-baptist-church-in-lawsuit-against-d-c-mayor\">selective enforcement of COVID-19 lockdowns<\/a>, religious nonprofits robust legal protection from lawsuits filed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/lgbt-groups-plan-attack-religious-freedom-across-amanda-prestigiacomo\">LGBTQ activists<\/a>, and spared military officers with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/breaking-judge-stays-biden-vax-mandate-for-dozens-of-navy-seals-seeking-religious-exemption\">religious objections from mandatory vaccination<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Gun rights in Iowa<\/em>. Iowa\u2019s voters will decide on November 8 whether to amend their state constitution to affirm the right to keep and bear arms. The substance of the amendment <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.iowa.gov\/legislation\/BillBook?ga=88&amp;ba=SJR18\">reads<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>By specifying Iowans have an \u201cindividual right\u201d to bear arms, the amendment echoes the language of the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/07pdf\/07-290.pdf\">D.C. v. Heller<\/a> <\/em>decision and undercuts gun control advocates\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/why-the-second-amendment-protects-a-well-regulated-militia-but-not-a-private-citizen-militia-162489\">claims<\/a> that the Second Amendment only confers gun rights on \u201ca well-regulated militia.\u201d Requiring gun restrictions to meet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/strict_scrutiny\">strict scrutiny<\/a> in court means that their proponents must prove that the regulation furthers a compelling government interest in the least restrictive way possible, making onerous gun restrictions less likely to prevail in state courtrooms.<\/p>\n<p><strong>U.S. House<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>California<\/em>: Rep. Mike Garcia (R) is a rare species: a California Republican. Not only did he win office in a district that had been trending blue, but he succeeded former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/3-democrats-the-media-are-thirsty-to-have-back-in-politics\">Rep. Katie Hill<\/a>, the scandal-plagued Democrat who quit after being caught in a throuple with a young campaign staffer. Hill had been regarded as a future star who would helm the district for some time. Garcia\u2019s win gave the seat to Republicans for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/breaking-republican-mike-garcia-wins-u-s-house-race-in-california-first-time-gop-flipped-ca-seat-in-22-years\">the first time since 1998<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Virginia<\/em>: As the Democratic Party under the Biden-Harris ticket has drifted steadily leftward, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) has tried to act as the party\u2019s voice of sanity. The former CIA case officer voted against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker and warned her party against following the voice of left-wing extremism. \u201cNo one should say \u2018defund the police\u2019 ever again,\u201d Spanberger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/report-congresswoman-unloads-over-failure-in-house-elections-no-one-should-say-defund-the-police-ever-again\">told<\/a> her colleagues. \u201cNobody should be talking about socialism.\u201d Her moderation stems in part from her seat, which no Democrat had won since 1971. If <a href=\"https:\/\/justicedemocrats.com\/candidates\/\">more Squad members<\/a> win in safe, blue districts while she loses this toss-up race, it could steel the Democratic Party\u2019s drift to progressivism.<\/p>\n<p><em>New York<\/em>: Rep. Claudia Tenney (R) won her election to the House of Representatives in 2020 but saw herself legally barred from taking her seat thanks to a lawsuit from her Democratic opponent, Anthony Brindisi. The following February, a New York judge ruled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/ny-judge-orders-gop-candidate-be-certified-winner-of-house-race\">in Tenney\u2019s favor<\/a>, certified her as the winner by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/republicans-win-the-last-disputed-congressional-race-from-novembers-election\">109-vote margin<\/a>, and paved the way for her to assume office. (Brindisi defeated the incumbent Rep. Tenney by <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/New_York%27s_22nd_Congressional_District\">a narrow margin<\/a> during her first bid for reelection in 2018.) A red wave will show up in her election results.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Honorable Mentions<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><em>Texas Republican governor\u2019s primary<\/em>: Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has a seemingly prohibitive lead over his rivals, former Florida congressman and Texas Republican Party chair Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines. The primary will help define the shape of the state GOP; the general will determine how bad a beating the Republican administers to likely Democratic candidate Beto O\u2019Rourke in what could turn out to be his final race for statewide office.<\/p>\n<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2022 midterms will likely favor Republicans, both because the history of midterm elections\u00a0pulls in that direction and because President Biden\u2019s performance repulses voters, as evidenced by his record-low approval &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1282387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1282387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1282387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1282387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1282387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}