President Joe Biden (D) ends 2024 campaign; endorses VP Harris

Welcome to the Monday, July 22, Brew.

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. President Joe Biden (D) ends 2024 campaign; endorses VP Harris
2. South Dakota voters to decide on veto referendum regarding carbon dioxide pipeline regulations
3. Three candidates are running in the top-two primary for Washington Attorney General on Aug. 6

President Joe Biden (D) ends 2024 campaign; endorses VP Harris

On July 21, President Joe Biden (D) withdrew from the 2024 presidential election. In a statement, he said: “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” Later that afternoon, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris (D) for the nomination. A few hours later, Harris formally declared her candidacy.

You can view Biden’s full statement, along with statements from other noteworthy elected officials from both parties on our page here.

In a special edition of On The Ballot, our podcast, host Frank Festa and staff writer Ellen Morrissey discussed what happens next with the formal particulars of how the Democratic Party will arrive at a nomination of a candidate. To listen to that podcast, click here.

Rather read instead of listen? We’ve got you. Here are the three top things you need to know:

1. The 3,896 pledged delegates Biden won during the 2024 primary season may vote for any candidate of their choosing. A majority of delegate votes at the convention is required to confirm the nominee.
2. The Democratic National Convention takes place Aug. 19-22 in Chicago. The Democratic National Committee is expected to announce guidelines for candidates interested in running for the nomination in the coming days. In the meantime, candidates will be able to file with the Federal Election Commission and publicly express interest. We’ll track all the declared candidates here.
3. Biden’s campaign account had $91.6 million in cash on hand as of May 31. Harris is the only prospective replacement candidate who would have direct access to those funds without the need to transfer them.

South Dakota voters to decide on veto referendum regarding carbon dioxide pipeline regulations

On Nov. 5, South Dakota voters will decide on a veto referendum against Senate Bill 201 (SB 201), a law regarding carbon dioxide pipelines. A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law.

Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed SB 201 on March 26, 2024. Before signing the bill, Noem said, “I stand with South Dakota landowners and always will. I am looking forward to signing a Landowner Bill of Rights that will provide new protections for landowners and allow for economic growth to move forward through a transparent process.”

SB 201 establishes requirements for regulating carbon dioxide pipelines used in carbon capture and storage systems. These systems take carbon emissions from sources, such as oil and gas plants or factories, transport them through pipelines, and store them underground.

SB 201 would also allow counties to enact a $1 per linear foot surcharge on related pipeline companies. At least half of the surcharge revenue would be allocated toward property tax reductions for affected landowners. Additionally, SB 201 would preempt any local law or regulation regarding carbon pipeline policies and prevent local governments from enacting or enforcing local regulations regarding carbon pipelines.

On July 10, the secretary of state’s office announced that 92% of the 34,000 signatures submitted were valid, meaning around 31,432 signatures were valid. In order to qualify for the ballot, 17,509 valid signatures were needed.

State Rep. Will Mortenson (R-24) sponsored SB 201 in the South Dakota Legislature. Mortenson said a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline, the Summit Pipeline, would transport carbon dioxide from 57 ethanol plants in South Dakota and neighboring states to North Dakota, where it would be stored underground.

Mortensen said, “If you don’t think the pipeline should be held accountable, you should vote no. If you don’t think farmers deserve additional compensation, you should vote no. If you don’t think counties deserve additional compensation from these pipelines, you should vote no. But if you want farmers protected and counties benefited if these pipelines are built, you should vote yes like the Legislature did and the governor approved.”

South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance Chairman Jim Eschenbaum said that SB 201 set a precedent in allowing the Public Utilities Commission to automatically overrule local commissioners regarding local regulations: “It took the voice away from county commissioners and gave it to three people in Pierre. They basically say we’re not smart enough, that we don’t understand. I think it’s an awful precedent to set.”

The veto referendum will join six other measures on the Nov. 5 ballot in South Dakota. The veto referendum is also one of six energy-related measures that qualified for the ballot this year nationwide.

Three candidates are running in the top-two primary for Washington Attorney General on Aug. 6

Throughout the year, we’ll bring you coverage of the most compelling elections—the battlegrounds we expect to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in governments or to be particularly competitive. You can catch our previous coverage of other battleground races here.

Today, we’re looking at the Aug. 6 top-two primary for Washington Attorney General between Nick Brown (D), Manka Dhingra (D), and Pete Serrano (R).

Incumbent Bob Ferguson (D) is running for governor, leaving the office open for the first time since 2012. Washington is one of 10 states holding elections for attorney general this year. There are currently 27 Republican attorneys general, 22 Democratic attorneys general, and one independent attorney general.

This is a top-two primary, meaning the two candidates who receive the most votes will advance to the general election in November, regardless of party. According to The Cascadia Advocate, Democratic support for Brown and Dhingra is split, while Republican support for Serrano is unified. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) and former Washington Gov. Gary Locke (D) endorsed Brown, while Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.) endorsed Dhingra. The Washington State Republican Party endorsed Serrano.

Brown’s experience and platform

Brown is a lawyer who served as an officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Army. He was also an assistant U.S. Attorney for Western Washington from 2007 to 2013 and the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington from 2021 to 2023. Additionally, Brown served as general counsel to Inslee.

Brown said he would promote public safety by targeting gun violence, drug trafficking, and discrimination. Brown said he would also defend abortion access and protect voting rights.

Dhingra’s experience and platform

Dhingra represents District 45 in the Washington Senate. Before being elected to the Legislature, she was a senior deputy prosecuting attorney for King County, Washington. Dhingra also co-founded an organization to help survivors of human trafficking.

Dhingra said that as a prosecuting attorney, she fought for public safety by defending survivors of human trafficking and prosecuting violent crimes. Dhingra said she would support workers’ rights and would oppose efforts to change abortion access in the state.

Serrano’s experience and platform

Serrano serves as director and general counsel for the Silent Majority Foundation, which “stands to support, protect and defend the constitution of our United States through education, advocacy and litigation.” He is also the Mayor of Pasco, Washington. From 2015 to 2021, he was an environmental lawyer for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Serrano said he would support law enforcement to promote public safety and advocate for using clean energy in the state. Serrano said he would also “provide a much needed check on government overreach” and defend the Constitutional rights of Washington citizens.

Campaign finance

As of March 31, Brown had raised $894,866, Dhingra had raised $666,607, and Serrano had raised $104,830.

• The Washington Office of the Secretary of State and the Washington-based broadcast organization TVW produced video profiles for candidates in statewide elections as part of TVW’s 2024 Video Voters’ Guide. Click here to view video profiles for Brown, Dhingra, and Serrano.
• The primary election is Aug. 6.