Nov 1, 2017

3 red-state Dems break 50% approval

Sens. Joe Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp, and Jon Tester. Photos: AP

There are ten Democratic senators defending their seats in states won by Trump in 2018, making the map a particularly tough one for Democrats. But three Dems representing particularly pro-Trump states have greater than 50% approval ratings, at a time when 65 other senators are at or below that percentage, per Morning Consult.

The senators: Joe Manchin (53%) of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp (55%) of North Dakota, and Jon Tester (53%) of Montana.

Be smart: While this is a good sign for these senators, Democrats shouldn't be forecasting victory just yet. As Adrianne Marsh, a Democratic consultant, told Morning Consult, it all comes down to the strength and appeal of these senators' Republican challengers.

But, but, but: "To the extent that voters see Republicans as owning Washington, a Democratic incumbent is better off," Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist and former director of the independent expenditure arm for the DCCC, told Morning Consult.

Go deeper

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 p.m. ET: 5,931,112 — Total deaths: 357,929 — Total recoveries — 2,388,172 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 p.m. ET: 1,711,313 — Total deaths: 101,129 — Total recoveries: 391,508 — Total tested: 15,192,481 — Map.
  3. States: New York to allow private businesses to deny entry to customers without masks.
  4. Public health: Louisiana Sen. Cassidy wants more frequent testing of nursing home workers.
  5. Congress: Pelosi slams McConnell on stimulus delay — Sen. Tim Kaine and wife test positive for coronavirus antibodies.
  6. Tech: Twitter fact-checks Chinese official's claims that coronavirus originated in U.S.
  7. What should I do? When you can be around others after contracting the coronavirus — Traveling, asthma, dishes, disinfectants and being contagious — Masks, lending books and self-isolating — Exercise, laundry, what counts as soap — Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — How to minimize your risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it, the right mask to wear.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

Updated 29 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Twitter fact-checks Chinese official's claims that coronavirus originated in U.S.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. Photo: Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

Twitter slapped a fact-check label on a pair of months-old tweets from a Chinese government spokesperson that falsely suggested that the coronavirus originated in the U.S. and was brought to Wuhan by the U.S. military, directing users to "get the facts about COVID-19."

Why it matters: The labels were added after criticism that Twitter had fact-checked tweets from President Trump about mail-in voting, but not other false claims from Chinese Communist Party officials and other U.S. adversaries.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow2 hours ago - Technology

Podcast: Trump vs. Twitter, round two

President Trump is escalating his response to Twitter’s fact check of his recent tweets about mail-in voting, issuing an executive order that's designed to begin limiting social media's liability protections. Dan digs in with Axios' Margaret Harding McGill.

Go deeper: Twitter vs. Trump... vs. Twitter

2 hours ago - Politics & Policy