New polls reveal sizable lead in one U.S. Senate race, tightening margins in another

This week's Federal Tap highlights new developments in two U.S. Senate races, U.S.-Russia policy changes, judicial retirements, and three critical leg   [View this email in your browser]( [Ballotpedia](   [Facebook](   [Twitter](   [The Tap](   Happy Labor Day weekend! This week's Federal Tap highlights new developments in two U.S. Senate races, U.S.-Russia policy changes, judicial retirements, and three critical legislative deadlines Congress will face when lawmakers return from recess. [View the full edition of this week's Federal Tap](   Ward holds double-digit lead over over incumbent Flake in Arizona Senate race Former state senator [Kelli Ward]( leads incumbent Sen. [Jeff Flake]( in the [U.S. Senate race in Arizona]( by 26 points according to poll results from [JMC Analytics]( released this week. Two weeks ago, President [Donald Trump]( tweeted his support for Ward, writing, "Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!" Flake was defended by colleague Sen. [John McCain]( "@JeffFlake is a principled legislator & always does what's right for the people of #AZ. Our state needs his leadership now more than ever." Ward and Flake will face off in the Republican primary next year on August 28, 2018.   New endorsement, poll, and outside spending in Congressional runoff in Alabama This week’s developments in the Republican primary runoff in Alabama for Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ U.S. Senate seat included new poll results with tightening margins, an ad spending announcement by the Senate Leadership Fund, and a new endorsement for former judge Roy Moore. - A new public opinion poll from [Harper Polling]( has former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice [Roy Moore]( leading incumbent Sen. [Luther Strange]( 47 percent to 45 percent, in the U.S. Senate special election in Alabama [Republican primary runoff election](. Within the margin of error of 4 points, this poll finds the race is tightening when compared to the double-digit leads Moore held in other polls over the past two weeks. - Ballotpedia [spoke]( with Chris Pack of the [Senate Leadership Fund]( (SLF) Thursday about the super PAC’s efforts to support incumbent Sen. [Luther Strange]( over [Roy Moore]( in the final four weeks before the [Alabama Senate Republican primary runoff](. “I don't think Roy Moore has ever endured a statewide paid campaign against him, so if you peel back the layers on the onion, there's a lot of information about Moore that the voters of Alabama may not be aware of,” Pack said. Earlier in the day, it was announced that SLF would spend $3.1 million on TV and radio advertisements and $500,000 on digital advertising. - State Sen. [Trip Pittman]( who placed fourth in the Republican primary for the [Alabama Senate special election]( earlier this month, endorsed [Roy Moore]( on August 26. He joins [fourteen other stage legislators]( backing the former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice.   Russian diplomatic offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C., ordered to be closed The [Trump administration]( [ordered]( that the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, chancery annex in Washington, and consular annex in New York be closed on Thursday. In July, [Russia]( ordered that 755 American diplomatic personnel leave the country by September.   Judicial retirements this week create four new vacancies on federal courts Highlights of Ballotpedia’s August [federal vacancy count]( released this week, include eight new nominations, one new confirmation, and seven new vacancies, including James Whittemore’s spot on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The current vacancy percentage among federal district court judges is over 17%. Only one federal district court nominee, [David Nye]( of the District of Idaho, has been confirmed during the 115th United States Congress. Four additional judicial retirements were announced this week: Janice Rogers Brown, Andre Davis, Carol Jackson, and Richard Voorhees. - [James Whittemore]( a judge on the [United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida]( elected to take senior status beginning on Tuesday. Whittemore’s decision created the third vacancy on the 15-member court. - [Janice Rogers Brown]( a judge on the [United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit]( retired from federal judicial service on Thursday. Brown’s decision created the lone vacancy on the 11-member circuit court. - [Andre Davis]( a senior federal judge on the [United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit]( retired from judicial service on Thursday to become the city solicitor of [Baltimore, Maryland](. Davis elected to take senior status on the Fourth Circuit in 2014 and was succeeded on the court by Judge Pamela Harris. Davis’ decision to retire therefore will not create a new judicial vacancy on the Fourth Circuit. A May 3, 2017, report in The Baltimore Sun indicated that Davis would begin as city solicitor on September 1. Under Baltimore’s city charter, as city solicitor, Davis will serve as the city’s legal adviser and will have general supervision and direction over the city’s legal business. - Judge [Carol Jackson]( of the [United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri]( retired from active judicial service on Thursday. Judge Jackson’s decision created the lone vacancy on the nine-member Missouri court. - [Richard Voorhees]( a judge on the [United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina]( elected to take senior status beginning on Thursday. Voorhees’ decision created the only vacancy on the 5-member North Carolina court.   Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday with must-pass legislation deadlines approaching Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday after the August recess and are expected to address three critical issues: relief aid for Hurricane Harvey, raising the debt ceiling, and passing spending legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown on October 1, 2017. - Passing relief aid for Hurricane Harvey: President Donald Trump said that he expects Congress to quickly pass a relief bill to fund the Hurricane Harvey cleanup and rebuilding efforts. Passing a relief package could be complicated if members of Congress try to add pork-barrel spending to the bill or require that the disaster funding is offset by spending cuts. Additionally, one of the programs that provides relief to flood victims—the National Flood Insurance Program—expires on September 30, 2017, and will need to be reapproved in a larger government funding package. - [Raising the debt ceiling:]( Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that U.S. will reach its limit of authorized borrowing and will be unable to pay its bills by September 29, 2017. Mnuchin has called for a clean debt ceiling increase—one without strings attached—but some Republicans want spending cuts included in the legislation, something Democrats are likely to oppose. Failure to raise the debt limit could result in a possible downgrade of the country’s credit rating and the government’s failure to pay federal employees or issue Social Security checks. According to the Department of the Treasury, "Since 1960, Congress has acted 78 separate times to permanently raise, temporarily extend, or revise the definition of the debt limit – 49 times under Republican presidents and 29 times under Democratic presidents." The last time Congress raised the debt limit was in October 2015. Federal spending was increased above limits established in 2011 for a two-year period set to expire in September 2017. - [Passing a budget:]( The government’s fiscal year ends on September 30, 2017, and Congress must pass legislation to keep the government funded to avoid a partial shutdown beginning on October 1, 2017. Congress will likely take up an omnibus appropriations act or a continuing resolution to fund the government for a few months until a broader budget agreement can be passed. Complicating the matter is President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Trump said that he is willing to risk a government shutdown if Congress declines to appropriate money for the wall. Democrats oppose funding the wall, and most Republicans are not willing to shut down the government over the issue. Congress is not in session SCOTUS is not in session The House and Senate are on recess. Both chambers will return on Tuesday, September 5. The U.S. Supreme Court will begin a new term on Monday, October 2. Read up on the [cases the court has agreed to hear](.   Where was the president last week? - On Sunday, President Donald Trump held meetings with his Cabinet to discuss federal support for Hurricane Harvey. - On Monday, Trump met with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto at the White House. - On Tuesday, Trump visited Corpus Christi and Austin, Texas, to assess the damage done by Hurricane Harvey. - On Wednesday, Trump delivered a speech on tax policy in Springfield, Missouri. - On Saturday, Trump was expected to return to Texas as part of the ongoing Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Federal Judiciary - 138 judicial vacancies in life-term, Article III judicial positions - 30 pending nominations to life-term, Article III judicial positions - 17 future vacancies to life-term, Article III judicial positions [ Ready for more? Read the full review](   Ballotpedia depends on the support of our readers. The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 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