WASHINGTON _ Liberal groups seeking to oust Democratic incumbents face their next big test Tuesday with a well-funded primary challenge against Illinois Rep. Daniel Lipinski, as voter turnout appears uncertain amid the nation's expanding coronavirus outbreak.
Lipinski, an anti-abortion-rights Democrat who barely held off primary opponent Marie Newman two years ago, faces her again. And this time, outside groups invested in Newman's behalf earlier. Another incumbent, Joyce Beatty of Ohio, also has a primary challenge, as voters plan to head to the polls Tuesday in Illinois, Ohio, Florida and Arizona.
"I started fundraising a lot earlier this time," Newman, a pro-abortion-rights Democrat who has garnered the support of such groups as Emily's List, NARAL and Planned Parenthood, said during a press call organized by Emily's List.
Women Vote!, a super PAC connected with Emily's List, has put about $1 million into the race.
"Emily's List did get involved very early on this cycle," said Benjamin Ray, a spokesman for the group. "And that's the sort of thing that can really help a campaign over the course of months and years, rather than days and weeks."
Newman also got the endorsement of Justice Democrats, a group that has spearheaded primary challenges to Democrats, such as then-Rep. Joe Crowley of New York. Crowley lost the 2018 primary to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Earlier this monoth, the group's pick to oust Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jessica Cisneros, was unsuccessful.
Newman's supporters aren't limited to outsiders: Rep. Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat, also endorsed the challenger.
Another Illinois Democrat, 14-term Rep. Bobby L. Rush also faces primary opponents, but none that Justice Democrats has endorsed.
In Ohio's 3rd District, which includes much of Columbus, Beatty faces fellow Democrat Morgan Harper, a lawyer who worked for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for three years.
It's the first primary Beatty has faced since she won her seat in 2012.
Harper drew attention when she was endorsed by the Justice Democrats, and she beat Beatty in fundraising during the three months ending Sept. 30, raising $333,100 to Beatty's $247,600.
But since then, Beatty outraised Harper by nealy $385,000, and she also started with more in her account. So as of Feb. 20, Beatty had $1.2 million to Harper's $157,456.
Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said Beatty, who spent years at Ohio State University and was the first woman to serve as Democratic leader in the Ohio General Assembly has taken the race seriously, airing TV ads and campaigning in earnest.
"Joyce has treated this like the most important challenge to her elected position that anyone could mount," he said. "So I think she's in a good place."
By contrast, Pepper said Harper has not run TV ads and focused instead on grassroots organizing. Much of her individual fundraising has been from outside the district, he said.
Lipinski, who was first elected in 2004 and whose father also served in Congress, appears more vulnerable. Newman has raised nearly $1.7 million to Lipinski's $1.2 million.
All but about $150,000 of the outside money in the race _ totaling $1.6 million _ has gone to support Newman or oppose Lipinski. The race also includes Democrat Rush Darwish, who has raised less than $1 million.
Expected high turnout of a presidential year may benefit Newman, said Andrew Civettini, who lives in the district and is an associate professor of political science at Knox College.
Though more people have requested vote-by-mail ballots or have participated in early voting this year, it's unclear whether concerns about the coronavirus would dampen turnout Tuesday.
Newman said she had held 10 campaign events Friday morning, though they were holding smaller events, promoting hygiene,and encouraging people to vote early.
Civettini said the advertisements had been nonstop. Lipinski, he said, "is getting hammered this time" by outside spending.
"There are a number of factors which are unusual that increase uncertainty," he said.
Despite widespread panic over COVID-19, elections officials in the four states with primaries Tuesday said they planned to carry on.
In a joint statement, top voting officials from the four states said they planned to regularly sanitize voting machines and were "working closely with our state health officials to ensure that our poll workers and voters can be confident that voting is safe."
The officials drew a distinction between voting and other events that have been canceled.
"Unlike concerts, sporting events or other mass gatherings where large groups of people travel long distances to congregate in a confined space for an extended period of time, polling locations see people from a nearby community coming into and out of the building for a short duration," they said.
