The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, Carolyn Fiddler, and Matt Booker, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.

Leading Off

● PA-Gov: Former Rep. Lou Barletta announced on Monday that he’d run for Pennsylvania’s open governorship next year, making him the most notable Republican to enter the race so far, though the bar is still pretty low. Barletta left his perch in the House to run statewide four years ago—reportedly at Donald Trump’s behest—but got crushed 56-43 by Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.

Barletta’s connection to Trump is a simple one: The former congressman made his name as a virulent anti-immigration crusader while the mayor of the small city of Hazleton in the 2000s, going so far as to pass a law that would have denied permits to businesses that employed undocumented immigrants and fined landlords who rented property to them. The act, which was soon copied by several other cities, also sought to make English the city’s official language.

While his attitude made him a hero to nativists, Barletta’s foray into lawmaking was a disaster: The ordinance was eventually struck down in federal court, and after being ordered to pay $1.4 million to the ACLU in legal costs, Hazleton had to seek a bailout from the state. (The city’s lawyer, by the way? None other than Kris Kobach.)

Naturally, with a background like this, Barletta was an early Trump endorser, and Trump returned the favor during his Senate bid, helping Barletta easily turn aside state Rep. Jim Christiana in the GOP primary. Trump later stumped for Barletta in Pennsylvania ahead of the general election, but needless to say, it did not help.

Campaign Action

Like just about every Republican running for office these days, Barletta says he’d once again like Trump to intervene on his behalf, but as always, there’s no telling whether he’ll do so, especially with the field far from settled. In what might be a record for us, we’ve taken note of 27 other potential GOP candidates in the Digest at one point or another, not including the lone entrant prior to Barletta, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale. It may therefore be a while before we know what the primary looks like.

Senate

● NH-Sen, NH-Gov: Politico reports that former Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte “is not currently interested” in challenging Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan for her old seat next year. According to an unnamed Republican source, however, Ayotte might run for governor if the current incumbent, fellow Republican Chris Sununu, decides to take on Hassan, which confirms earlier speculation in the local press.

● OH-Sen, OH-SoS: Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who’d been considering a bid for Ohio’s open Senate seat, instead announced on Monday that he’d run for re-election to his current post. LaRose had said on March 3 that he’d make a decision in two weeks, which is a good reminder that you should always view these sorts of timetables skeptically.

Governors

● AZ-Gov: State Treasurer Kimberly Yee announced on Monday that she’d run to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Doug Ducey, making her the first notable Republican to enter the contest. Yee was a member of the state House and Senate for much of the last decade before her 54-46 victory over Democrat Mark Manoil in 2018 made her Arizona’s first Asian American statewide elected official.

While Ducey hasn’t taken sides in the race to replace him, the Arizona Republic's Laurie Roberts previously reported that Yee might be his favorite. Republican operatives have speculated that Ducey backed a profile-raising effort by Yee last year to oppose a ballot measure to increase school funding by raising taxes on the wealthy (it lost, but Yee benefited by starring in commercials).

Ducey, said Roberts, was apparently eager to thwart the ambitions of state Attorney General Mark Brnovich, with whom he’s repeatedly clashed. A report last month, however, indicated that Brnovich was leaning toward a Senate bid rather than a gubernatorial campaign, now that Ducey’s passed on challenging Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly. Whatever Brnovich decides, though, several other Republicans are still eyeing the governor’s race.

As for Democrats, the only noteworthy candidate so far is former Nogales Mayor Marco López, though a number of prominent names remain in the mix, including Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

● FL-Gov, FL-Sen: Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who’s been considering bids for both Senate and governor, promised a decision “very, very soon” in a new interview with Errin Haines of The 19th. Haines prefaced her piece by saying that “you’d be forgiven if, after reading this interview, you share my suspicion that a gubernatorial bid could be on the horizon.”

● NV-Gov: North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, who recently switched parties, announced on Monday that he’d seek the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak next year. Lee served in the legislature for many years, often taking conservative stances and opposing his own party, until he was ousted from the state Senate in a primary by progressive challenger Pat Spearman in 2012. He made a comeback the following year, however, by ousting the incumbent mayor of North Las Vegas, Shari Buck, then won re-election in 2017.

The announcement makes Lee the first notable Republican to enter the race, but he’s unlikely to be the last. Both Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo and Rep. Mark Amodei are publicly considering the race, and a number of others are reportedly doing so or haven’t yet ruled out a run.

● RI-Gov: State Treasurer Seth Magaziner, who earlier this month confirmed he’s looking at a possible campaign for governor, now says he will “make a decision shortly” about whether to seek the Democratic nomination next year.

● TX-Gov: A spokesperson for Democrat Julián Castro’s PAC says the former HUD secretary “hasn’t ruled anything out” with respect to a possible gubernatorial bid, adding that he’s “watching the race closely.” In January, Castro himself said he’s “very unlikely” to run next year.

● VA-Gov: Former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy’s latest ad ahead of the June 8 Democratic primary is a positive spot in which she emphasizes her background, including her graduation from the prestigious Virginia Military Institute, her work as a public defender, and her election in 2017 as a state delegate.

House

● FL-01: Former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg, who’s often been described as Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz’s “wingman,” has pleaded guilty to half a dozen federal offenses, including sex trafficking of a minor, identity theft, wire fraud, and stalking. Greenberg’s agreement requires him to “cooperate fully” with prosecutors as they investigate other targets, including Gaetz, who has been accused of paying the same minor, a 17-year-old girl, for sex.

● IL-17: Democratic state Rep. Mike Halpin, whose name had previously come up as a potential candidate for Illinois’ open 17th District, now confirms he’s considering a bid. Noting he was focused on the final weeks of the current legislative session, Halpin said he would “probably make a decision sometime over the summer.”

● NJ-03: Wealthy yacht manufacturer Robert Healy tells the New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein that he’s “exploring” a bid against Democratic Rep. Andy Kim in the 7th District, with Wildstein adding that Healy “is expected to self-fund a major portion of his campaign.” Though not a registered Republican, Healy has donated to GOP candidates in the past. Wildstein also notes that he is “[h]eavily-tattooed with long hair and nipple piercings.”

More conventionally, Toms River Councilman Matthew Lotano, a real estate developer, is also thinking about a bid for the Republican nod. There’s no word, however, on any of his body modifications.

● OH-15: Former Republican state Rep. Ron Hood has filed paperwork with the FEC to run in the special election for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. The deadline for candidates to file with state authorities was Monday, so we’ll be bringing you a roundup of all the notable contenders in the next Digest. The primary is Aug. 3 and the general election will take place Nov. 2.

● TX-30: Democratic Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson indicated two years ago that her 2020 campaign would be her last, but since easily winning re-election in November, neither she nor her staff have confirmed that she will in fact retire after this term. The Dallas Morning News’ Gromer Jeffers reports that “campaign aides have not responded to inquires” about the congresswoman’s plans, which has left local Democrats in limbo.

One hopeful, former Joe Biden campaign staffer Jane Hamilton, has already formed an exploratory committee, though she’s said she’ll only run if the 85-year-old Johnson does not. However, says Jeffers, “an enormous field” could develop in an open race for Texas’ 30th District, a safely blue seat covering downtown Dallas and points south.

Among the possibilities are state Sen. Royce West and state Rep. Carl Sherman, who, like Hamilton, both say they’d consider a bid if Johnson retires. Other names mentioned include state Reps. Yvonne Davis and Toni Rose; former Judge Elizabeth Frizell; and a trio of candidates who all challenged Johnson in last year’s primary: businesswoman Shenita Cleveland, former state Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway, and businessman Hasani Burton.

Legislatures

● Special Elections: A busy special election slate is on tap for Tuesday with a race in California and four in Pennsylvania:

CA-AD-54: This Democratic district in south Los Angeles became vacant when former Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager was elected to the state Senate in March. Five Democrats are vying to replace Kamlager: criminal justice advocate Isaac Bryan; former Kamala Harris Senate aide Heather Hutt; political consultant Dallas Fowler; financial advisor Samuel Morales; and attorney Cheryl Turner. Bernard Senter, a grocery worker aligned with the Socialist Workers Party, is also in the running.

If no candidate takes a majority of the vote in this district, which backed Hillary Clinton 85-10, a runoff will be held on July 20.

PA-SD-22: This Democratic district in the Scranton area became vacant when former Sen. John Blake took a position with Rep. Matt Cartwright. Democratic state Rep. Marty Flynn is taking on Republican Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak.

This district is still Democratic turf but has moved sharply away from Team Blue in recent years. Hillary Clinton won this district 50-47 in 2016, a significantly reduced margin from Barack Obama’s 63-36 win in 2012.

PA-SD-48: This Republican district in the Lebanon area became vacant when former Sen. David Arnold died in January. The Democratic candidate is veterinarian Calvin Clements and the Republican is businessman Chris Gebhard. Edward Krebs, who served in the state House during the 1990s and early 2000s and has been elected as a member of both parties after switching from Democratic to Republican nearly three decades ago, is seeking this seat as an independent candidate, while information technology analyst Tim McMaster is running for the Libertarian Party.

Like the 22nd District, this district also shifted right between 2012 and 2016, though not quite as dramatically. Donald Trump was victorious here 61-35 in 2016, a modest improvement on Mitt Romney’s 59-40 win.

Republicans control this chamber 27-20 (there is one independent member who caucuses with the GOP) with just these two seats vacant.

PA-HD-59: This Republican district east of Pittsburgh became vacant when former Rep. Mike Reese died in January. Mariah Fisher, a photograhper and Ligonier Borough councilwoman, is the Democratic candidate running against Republican Leslie Rossi.

Rossi is known for her “Trump House”, a local building decked out with various Donald Trump-related items. Fisher is a longtime Republican, but she voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and changed her party affiliation after the insurrection at the Capitol.

This is a strongly Republican district that backed Trump 71-26 and Romney 67-32.

PA-HD-60: This Republican district in the northeastern outskirts of the Pittsburgh area became vacant when former Rep. Jeff Pyle resigned in March. Freeport Area School District Director Frank Prazenica is the Democratic candidate facing Republican Abby Major, who was Pyle’s chief of staff.

This is a strongly Republican district that backed Trump 73-24 and Romney 68-31. Republicans control this chamber 111-90 with these two seats vacant.

Mayors

● New York City, NY Mayor: Attorney Maya Wiley earned an endorsement over the weekend from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a Brooklyn congressman who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, ahead of the June 22 instant runoff primary.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, meanwhile, is the beneficiary of a $1.2 million cable TV buy from Strong Leadership NYC, a PAC founded by charter school lobbyist Jenny Sedlis. The audience hears Adams recount how he joined the NYPD after being assaulted by police officers as a teen before he declares, “We can have justice and public safety at the same time.”

● Pittsburgh, PA Mayor: Incumbent Bill Peduto faces a challenge in Tuesday’s Democratic primary from state Rep. Ed Gainey, who would be Pittsburgh’s first Black leader. We haven’t seen any polling here, but there’s no question that the winner will be the overwhelming favorite in the fall general election in this 78-21 Biden city, especially since Republicans aren’t even fielding a candidate.

Peduto, who is running in a city that hasn’t ousted an incumbent mayor since before World War II, has the backing of most prominent local politicians and a number of unions, and he’s also enjoyed a big fundraising edge. Gainey, though, does have the support of the influential SEIU Healthcare union along with a well-funded super PAC.

Gainey backed Peduto during his successful 2013 and 2017 campaigns, but he argued that the incumbent had failed to address the city’s economic, racial, and housing disparities during his tenure. Peduto, for his part, has insisted Pittsburgh has made major strides since he took control of what was a “broken city” eight years ago.

The field also includes Tony Moreno, a retired police officer who was a vocal Trump supporter as recently as 2019, and Will Parker, who previously considered running as an independent. It takes a plurality of the vote to win the nod.

Prosecutors

● Philadelphia, PA District Attorney: Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Philadelphia pits District Attorney Larry Krasner, whose 2017 victory gave criminal justice reformers an early high-profile win, against former prosecutor Carlos Vega, who has blamed the incumbent for a recent spike in violent crime. The eventual nominee should have no trouble in the November general election in this heavily blue city.

Krasner has enjoyed a small fundraising edge over Vega, who has the backing of the local police union. The challenger also received an endorsement in the final days of the race from former Gov. Ed Rendell, who held this office decades ago at the start of his political career.

Politico’s Holly Otterbein wrote back in April that Vega, who was one of the 31 prosecutors whom Krasner fired shortly into his tenure, has avoided “campaigning as a tough-on-crime politician.” Vega instead has argued he can deliver “real progressive reform” and insisted that “we don’t have to choose between safety and reform.”

Krasner, meanwhile, has argued that he’s focused on stopping “dumb, low bails for broke people on nonserious offenses.” Krasner has also portrayed his opponent as the embodiment of a “throwback culture” of punitive prosecution that is trying to “claw its way back in.”

Other Races

● GA-LG: Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a rare Republican who criticized Donald Trump and his supporters for pushing the conspiracy that the 2020 election was stolen, announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election to a second term. Duncan left open the possibility that he could seek office again in the future, but for now, his departure creates another open-seat race for lieutenant governor in Georgia. Two Democrats, state Reps. Erick Allen and Derrick Jackson, are already running, while the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein suggests three different Republican state senators could join the race: Steve Gooch, Butch Miller, and Burt Jones.

Obituaries

● Buddy Roemer, former Louisiana Governor: Roemer, a conservative Democrat who joined the Republican Party months before he lost re-election in the infamous 1991 “Race from Hell,” died Monday at the age of 77. In our new obituary we take a detailed look at the career of the man Speaker Tip O’Neill famously dubbed “often wrong but never in doubt,” including his surprise 1987 victory over Democratic Gov. Edwin Edwards and subsequent defeat four year later at the hands of Edwards and former KKK leader David Duke.

Roemer famously vaunted ahead of the polls in 1987 gubernatorial election with his calls for a “Roemer Revolution,” but he had a difficult time actually getting his program passed after he won. Roemer was also hurt by a high-profile divorce and stories about his own quirky behavior―including a staff retreat where his subordinates were urged to snap a rubber band around their wrist whenever they got a negative thought and say, “cancel, cancel.”

Roemer stunned the state in March of 1991 when, at a White House event with President George H.W. Bush, he announced that he was leaving the Democratic Party to become a Republican―the first party switch by a sitting governor in U.S. history. It didn’t secure him another term, though, and Roemer eventually ended up taking third in the ugly race between Edwards and Duke. Check out our obituary for a whole lot more.