On The Trail

DEM MOMENTUM IN FLIP STATES

• Indiana: For the second quarter in a row, Indiana’s Democratic AG candidates— Karen Tallian, Minority Caucus Chair in the state Senate and Jonathan Weinzapfel, former Evansville Mayor— outraised Republican AG candidates, including embattled incumbent Curtis Hill. In addition to the credible sexual assault allegations, lack of state party support, and fraught fundraising, AG Hill is also a part of the GOP taxpayer-funded lawsuit to destroy the Affordable Care Act. This effort would gut health care coverage all across the country, including for more than 2.3 million Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions. Read the full note here.
• Montana: For yet another reporting period, Montana’s Democratic AG candidates— state Rep. Kim Dudik and Gov. Bullock’s Chief Legal Counsel Raph Graybill—outraised Republican AG candidates. Read more about this larger trend and what it means for this Fall’s open Montana AG seat here.

GUN SENSE DISTINCTION
This week, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America released the first round of their Gun Sense Candidate distinction program, which highlights candidates who are fighting to make communities safer by strengthening our nation’s gun safety laws. Democratic AG candidates in Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Vermont were on the list. Read more here!

MULTI-STATE MOMENTS!

GROUP HANG WITH SEN. SANDERS
On Thursday, New York AG Tish James, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, Vermont AG TJ Donovan, and Michigan AG Dana Nessel joined Senator Bernie Sanders for a LIVE conversation about the state AG response to the nationwide Coronavirus Crisis. Throughout the conversation, the Dem AGs highlighted what they are seeing in their states and how they are taking action including combating price gouging and stimulus scams, advocating for access to health care, housing, and food assistance, and fighting for more protective gear for frontline workers. More than 350,000 people have watched the conversation so far. Check it out here!

A CONVERSATION WITH LGBTQ VICTORY INSTITUTE
On Wednesday, DAGA Co-Chair Massachusetts AG Maura Healey and Michigan AG Dana Nessel joined the LGBTQ Victory Institute for a live stream update on the AGs’ efforts to protect our most vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. AG Healey and AG Nessel discussed the outbreak’s impact on small businesses, how everyone can help flatten the curve, and the differences between state and federal responsibilities during a national emergency. Watch the full live stream recording here!

ACT TO PROTECT SNAP 
A coalition of 22 Democratic AGs asked the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to delay implementing a proposed rule that would eliminate SNAP eligibility for millions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rule would take away food assistance from 3.1 million people and end free lunch access for 265,000 children. The Dem AG coalition argued that the new rule would put increased strain on states that are already facing record-high levels of unemployment and losing tax revenue while residents shelter at home. “Millions of Americans — including more than 8,000 District residents — will go hungry if USDA finalizes this SNAP rule,” District of Columbia AG Karl Racine said in a statement. Read more about the proposed rule and AG actions here in The Hill.

EARTH DAY!
Wednesday, April 22, was the 50th celebration of Earth Day! Here is a look at Dem AGs actions to protect planet earth:

• On Monday, a coalition of 14 Democratic AGs sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demanding that the Agency continue to enforce federal environmental laws during the COVID-19 outbreak. “This is not the time for cynical attempts to slash public health protections, whose removal only benefits corporate interests. […] I’m calling on the EPA to do the right thing and keep holding companies accountable that violate environmental standards,” said Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro, one of the letter signatories.

• On Tuesday, the Trump administration finalized its rewrite of the Obama-era Clean Water Act, rolling back important protections for small streams and wetlands.

1. California AG Xavier Becerra, in anticipation of the changes, tweeted, “We’re prepared to go to court,” calling the new rule “irrational” and “ill-conceived.”
2. New York AG Tish James also expressed her disappointment with the rollbacks, tweeting, “I will fight back to protect our nation’s waterbodies and the progress we’ve made for clean water.”
3. Colorado AG Phil Weiser announced that his office will be taking legal action to protect the Clean Water Act. “The federal government’s final Waters of the United States rule is too limited and excludes a significant percentage of Colorado’s waters from Clean Water Act protections,” AG Weiser said in a press release.

AG SPOTLIGHT

AG KAUL ON HEALTH CARE
On Tuesday, Wisconsin AG Josh Kaul joined Health Care Voter’s digital town hall series, Our Lives on the Line, for the Wisconsin event to discuss the importance of protecting health care, especially as our nation combats Coronavirus. AG Kaul shared examples of how he is fighting in Wisconsin to expand access to affordable health care and protect consumers from price gouging schemes during the pandemic. Watch the full livestream recording here.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

As dangerous protests against social distancing continue in states across the country, Democratic AGs joined MSNBC, Bloomberg, and CBSN to push back on Trump’s support for protests and stress their work to keep people safe.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

This week, DAGA release a new video, “Don’t Let Them.” The video calls out the Republican-led attacks to restrict access to reproductive care, including abortion, for political gain during the coronavirus pandemic. Watch the full video here.

CATCH UP: The #DAGADownload highlights what Democratic AGs did each week. Catch up on what happened last week here!