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

Leading Off

● MD Redistricting: Democrats in both chambers of Maryland’s legislature overrode Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of their new congressional redistricting plan on Thursday, just hours after Hogan had rejected the map. That means the new districts are now final, though a group with ties to Hogan says it plans to sue.

The most salient changes target Rep. Andy Harris’ 1st District along the Eastern Shore, the lone Republican-held seat in the state. Under the new map, the 1st would have voted for Joe Biden by a 49-48 margin, according to Dave’s Redistricting App, a significant shift from its current configuration, which saw it give Donald Trump a 59-39 win. It does so by shedding conservative turf along the state’s northern border with Pennsylvania, largely adding it to the still-solidly blue 3rd and 8th Districts (61-36 Biden and 65-32 Biden, respectively). In exchange, the 1st picks up blue-leaning turf across the Chesapeake Bay around the state capital of Annapolis.

But while there’s no escaping that this map is a Democratic gerrymander, it’s a half-hearted one at best. Democrats declined, for instance, to incorporate the actual and solidly blue city of Annapolis into the 1st, instead leaving it in the extremely blue 4th (83-15 Biden). They also chose not to split the very conservative Eastern Shore, leaving it entirely within the 1st. As a result, the district still leans red in many respects: For instance, Donald Trump would have carried it 51-43 in 2016. And Biden’s margin is actually just 0.4%—it just happens to round out to a full percentage point.

Campaign Action

Democrat’s hesitancy to make the 1st genuinely blue—something they could have easily achieved, as shown in countless hypothetical maps such as this one—is probably explained by parochial interests: This congressman wants that chunk of turf but doesn’t want this other slice of land for whatever personal reasons.

These interests might best be showcased by the 5th District. While the new map abandons some of the egregious contortions that made the old districts a national punching-bag for critics and reformers, it still features some misshapen boundaries that exist for no good reason between districts that are already solidly Democratic. Case in point is the fist that the 5th extends into the heart of the majority-Black 4th to take in the whiter College Park area. By doing so, it helps insulate veteran Rep. Steny Hoyer, the most senior Democrat in the House and the second-ranking member in the caucus, from a Black primary challenger.

Without that protrusion, the 5th could more readily become a district where Black voters could elect their preferred candidates—something activists have called for in the past. Despite the College Park bulge, the district is in fact home to a 44% Black plurality, but more sensible borders would give it a Black majority. That plurality could nonetheless topple many ordinary politicians, but the 82-year-old Hoyer, who has served in the House since 1981, represents the very definition of political entrenchment. A Black Democrat may succeed him when he finally retires, but this map likely ensures the congressman won’t have to worry about leaving office involuntarily.

Redistricting

● PA Redistricting: In an attempt to backstab fellow Democrats while smoothing his path to a political promotion, state Sen. Sharif Street unveiled a proposed congressional map on Thursday with a Republican colleague that instantly garnered furious backlash. The plan would shred the swingy, GOP-held 10th District and make it all but impossible for Democrats to hold the open the 17th District while pushing Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle into Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s 1st District. That would leave a nice juicy open seat in Philadelphia for the taking—or so Street thinks.

Boyle reacted indignantly to the proposal, with a spokesperson accusing Street, the son of former Philly Mayor John Street, of “conspiring with Republicans to push a gerrymandered Republican map for personal political gain.” A litany of other Democrats also piled on. “Any Democratic elected official should be embarrassed to support a map as bad for Democrats as that map is,” said consultant J.J. Balaban, while one unnamed official called Street’s ideas “obvious nonstarters” and another termed them “horrific.”

Street appears to be all on his own here (well, aside from his Republican buddies), but unfortunately, there’s precedent for malign deal-making in the Pennsylvania capitol when it comes to redistricting. A decade ago, senior Democrats in the state’s House delegation, including Reps. Mike Doyle and Bob Brady, pushed their allies in the legislature to support a Republican-drawn map that personally benefited them. Most shamefully, Brady asked his GOP pals to make his district dramatically whiter to avoid the risk of a primary challenge from a Black Democrat, a favor they readily granted. The final product was so egregiously gerrymandered, though, that the entire map was struck down by the state Supreme Court in 2018.

We’re unlikely to see Democrats make that kind of deal again, and even if they were to, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf would likely veto such a corrupt bargain. But it always pays to be mindful of turncoats like Street—and keep up the pressure in case anyone else gets any dumb ideas.

● SC Redistricting: Both chambers in South Carolina’s Republican-run legislature have passed each other’s maps, in both cases with a number of Democratic votes. The maps now go to Republican Gov. Henry McMaster. Lawmakers reportedly will not take up congressional redistricting until they reconvene in January, though Senate Republicans unveiled a proposal last month.

● VA Redistricting: The two special masters tasked with drawing new election districts by the Virginia Supreme Court released their proposals for both Congress and the legislature on Wednesday. The congressional plan in particular makes significant changes to the state’s existing boundaries, and a number of would-be candidates immediately began announcing their plans. However, the maps must first be approved by the justices, who could make changes to them before they take legal effect. The court has not set out a specific timetable for finalizing the maps, but it will hold public hearings on them next week.

Senate

● NC-Sen: Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley has earned endorsements from two retiring Democratic congressmen, G.K. Butterfield and David Price.

● WI-Sen: Republican incumbent Ron Johnson said Thursday that he’d announce his 2022 plans in the “next couple weeks,” though as with all things RoJo related, we shouldn’t take him at his word. When asked on Nov. 10 about his timeline, Johnson said that “[i]t’ll all be revealed in the next few weeks.”

Governors

● GA-Gov, GA-AG, GA-SoS: EMILY’s List has endorsed 2018 nominee Stacey Abrams’ second campaign for governor as well as two other Democratic women running to flip Republican-held statewide offices: state Sen. Jen Jordan, who is running for attorney general, and state Rep. Bee Nguyen, who is campaigning for secretary of state.

● KY-Gov: On Wednesday, former Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft reaffirmed her interest in seeking the 2023 Republican nomination to take on Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Craft has long been one of the state and national GOP’s most prominent donors, and Donald Trump rewarded her by naming her ambassador, first to Canada and then to the UN.  

Beshear already faces a Republican opponent in state Auditor Mike Harmon, who launched his campaign all the way back in July. State Sen. Max Wise also talked about running back in the summer, and there’s more than enough time for others to get in.

● LA-Gov: Rep. Mike Johnson, who is the fourth ranking Republican in the House, took his name out of contention for the 2023 open seat race for governor on Thursday.

● MN-Gov: SurveyUSA, working on behalf of a trio of Minnesota TV stations, finds Democratic Gov. Tim Walz leading six different Republicans by margins of 11 to 17 points in the first poll we’ve seen of the general election:

48-36 vs. former state Sen. Scott Jensen

47-35 vs. state Sen. Michelle Benson

47-34 vs. businessman Mike Marti

47-34 vs. state Sen. Paul Gazelka

48-31 vs. physician Neil Shah

Walz posts a positive 47-39 favorable image, while each of his would-be foes starts out with little name recognition.

● NY-Gov, NY-AG: Attorney General Tish James on Thursday abruptly ended her six-week old Democratic primary campaign against Gov. Kathy Hochul and announced that she’d instead run for re-election, a move that upends two different statewide primaries.

The few polls we’d seen before James dropped out showed her to be Hochul’s main threat in the June primary, though the governor still held a clear lead. A recent survey from Siena College showed Hochul beating the attorney general 36-18, with New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams in third with 10%; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (who hasn’t actually announced a bid yet) and Rep. Tom Suozzi were each well behind with 6%.

James herself didn’t give an explanation for why she was exiting the gubernatorial race other than her belief that she “must continue my work as attorney general,” but there were signs that her campaign for the top job wasn’t going smoothly. In a Politico story published one day before James dropped out, reporter Bill Mahoney noted that she had done little campaigning since her launch and had conducted just one TV or radio interview. The attorney general also had been reluctant to explain why voters should replace Hochul with her.

Newsday's Yancey Roy went on to relay Thursday that party insiders said James was having trouble raising money. An unnamed James advisor denied this to Politico, though, and instead said, “I think she really felt she wasn’t feeling that campaign and was excited about some stuff she was doing in the [attorney general]’s office. If that’s where you end up, then it really doesn’t make sense to run.”

It’s possible James’ absence will benefit one of Hochul’s other foes or entice someone else to get in. Williams, who like James is an African American candidate from Brooklyn, in particular may have the most to gain, especially if he can consolidate voters who view Hochul as unacceptably moderate.

However, plenty of observers instead interpreted James’ departure as a sign of just how well-situated the governor is. Ross Barkan, for example, noted that Hochul had amassed an $11 million war chest and won over key establishment figures, which would have made it hard for James or anyone else to defeat her next year.

James’ decision to run for re-election, meanwhile, transforms what was shaping up to be a crowded primary to run one of the nation’s most high-profile attorney general offices. State Sen. Shelley Mayer quickly exited the race while Maria Vullo, the former superintendent of the Department of Financial Services, said she would continue on. Hochul, for her part, endorsed James hours after her now-former rival switched races.

House

● GA-13: South Fulton City Councilor Mark Baker this week filed FEC paperwork for a potential Democratic primary bid against Rep. David Scott, who has long been one of the most conservative members of the caucus, in this safely blue seat. Scott unexpectedly took just 53% of the vote in last year’s primary against three underfunded foes, which was almost enough to force him into a runoff.

● NJ-11: Two Republicans have announced bids against Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill in a state where redistricting is still in progress: former Kinnelon Councilman Larry Casha and minister Phil Rizzo, who took a distant second in this year’s primary for governor. The field already includes former prosecutor Paul DeGroot, Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen, and businessman Tom Toomey.

Casha is a longtime fixture in North Jersey politics who currently represents Morris County on the New Jersey Republican State Committee, but he hasn’t had much luck getting himself elected to higher office. He ran in a 2007 primary for a state Assembly seat but lost a close primary to Jay Webber, who went on to lose to Sherrill in 2018.

Casha also campaigned to get appointed to a vacant seat in the Assembly in 2012, but he lost the party nominating convention. He waged a brief bid against Sherrill last cycle but dropped out after tax attorney Rosemary Becchi reached a deal with power brokers that resulted in her running here rather than against party favorite Tom Kean Jr. in the neighboring 7th District.

Rizzo, meanwhile, is a real estate developer turned pastor who attracted some attention earlier this year when he announced that his gubernatorial campaign raised enough money to qualify for public financing. The state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission, though, turned him down because his application was submitted late and without requisite information, a decision that was upheld in court. Rizzo, who is a member of the Trump National Golf Club, ultimately lost the May primary 49-26 to Jack Ciattarelli.

● OR-04: State Sen. James Manning and Airbnb executive Andrew Kalloch each tell Willamette Weekly they’re considering entering the race for this open seat. Manning says he plans to decide in the next week but sounds inclined to remain in the legislature, declaring, “I’m not a person who walks away, and there is the old saying about a bird in the hand.”

Kalloch, who moved to this district last year from Portland after previously living in New York City, appears more enthusiastic about a run to succeed Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio, saying, “I anticipate being part of it.” Kalloch, who is a former staffer in the New York City comptroller’s office, says he’ll make his decision over the holidays.

● OR-06: Republican state Rep. Ron Noble announced this week that he would campaign for the new 6th District, a 55-42 Biden constituency that includes the state capital of Salem and other parts of the mid-Willamette Valley. Noble, who previously served as the police chief of the community of McMinnville, used his launch to pitch himself as a bipartisan figure, which is not usually the kind of argument that wins GOP primaries.

Noble joins a May nomination fight that includes Air Force veteran Angela Plowhead; Army veteran Nate Sandvig, who was previously running for the 5th District; Amy Ryan Courser, who was Team Red’s 2020 nominee in the 5th District; and Dundee Mayor David Russ. Sandvig struggled with fundraising before he switched races, and it remains to be seen if he or any of Noble’s other opponents can run a credible campaign.

Legislatures

● VA State House: A recount in a second close race for the Virginia state House has upheld the original outcome, with Republican A.C. Cordoza defeating Democratic Del. Martha Mugler in the 91st District, located in the Hampton Roads area. The review shaved 30 votes off of Cordoza’s margin, but he still won by 64 votes out of almost 28,000 cast. Last week, Republican Karen Greenhalgh prevailed by 115 votes over Democratic Del. Alex Askew in a separate recount.

As a result, Republicans will hold the state House by a 52-48 margin when lawmakers convene next month, compared to the 10-seat deficit they faced heading into the elections. However, Democrats still retain a 21-19 majority in the state Senate, which was not up for election in November.

Other Races

● Orleans Parish, LA Sheriff: Longtime Sheriff Marlin Gusman faces a Saturday runoff against former New Orleans Police Department Independent Monitor Susan Hutson, a fellow Democrat who is campaigning as a criminal justice reformer, in a closely-watched race centered around conditions at the local jail. Major donors far outside of New Orleans, which is coterminous with Orleans Parish, have taken an interest in this contest: A group backed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has donated $200,000 to Hutson’s allies at PAC for Justice, which alone represents more money than the challenger herself has raised.

Gusman outpaced Hutson 48-35 in last month’s all-party primary, which was just short of what he needed to win outright. Since then, PAC for Justice has spent heavily on commercials that the Times-Picayune says are “accusing Gusman of self-dealing and mismanagement,” while the sheriff has argued in turn that these attacks are the work of “out of state interests” that are assaulting him “​​so they can have their puppet go easy on crime.”

Much of the news coverage during the final days of the runoff has centered around a misogynist mailer going after Hutson for, among other things, being “Unmarried,” having “No children,” and supposedly having a “Religion unknown.” The mailer was attributed to Gusman’s campaign but the sheriff has denied that his team had anything to do with it; the incumbent has instead claimed that it was “[p]robably put out by some who want to sabotage our campaign.”

As we wrote last month, Hutson has used her campaign to argue that Gusman has done a poor job overseeing the Orleans Justice Center, a jail that has been under a federal consent decree since 2013 for what the Justice Department called “unlawful conditions at the prison.” Gusman, meanwhile, has pointed to improvements in the facility over the last few years and taken credit for the prison having far fewer inmates now than when he assumed office in 2004. The sheriff’s critics, though, insist that Gusman is trying to take credit for accomplishments that happened in spite of him.

Gusman has the backing of Gov. John Bel Edwards and Rep. Troy Carter, who represents most of the city in Congress. Hutson’s most prominent supporter is District Attorney Jason Williams, whose own victory last year represented a big win for criminal justice reformers.