Watchdog agency says 2020 census is still on high-risk list
A watchdog agency on Tuesday again classified the 2020 census as high risk because of efforts last fall by the Trump administration to shorten the doorknocking and data-processing phases of the once-a-decade head count of every U.S. resident. The compressed time frame for data collection increased the risk of compromised data quality, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in its High-risk Report.
The GAO has classified the 2020 census as a high-risk area since 2017.
Last spring, the Census Bureau was forced to delay field operations because of the pandemic. It extended data collection from the end of July to the end of October, and pushed back the deadline for data processing from the end of last December to the end of April. The Trump administration then came up with another plan to end data collection a month early and cut the time for data processing by almost half.
A mute swan flies over the Blue Wing Pond at Pickerington Ponds Metro Park on Monday. Mute swans are identified by the bright orange bill and distinctive knob on the forehead. They are often mistaken for trumpeter swans, which have solid black bills.
Add Miami County Rep. Warren Davidson to the list of Republican candidates mulling a statewide bid in 2022.
Whether it's joining a sure-to-be crowded Republican primary for U.S. Senate or challenging incumbent Gov. Mike Dewine, Davidson is looking at his options.
“It's flattering to have my name come up in that (Senate) race and frankly, in the governor's race,” Davidson told Fox News during the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference or CPAC.
“So we're taking a hard look at our options.”
Republicans frustrated with Dewine's COVID-19 restrictions have rallied behind Davidson's criticism of the Republican governor.
Davidson criticized Dewine's restrictions on restaurants and other businesses, comparing the state to North Korea or Iran.
Davidson called Dewine's veto of Senate Bill 311, which restricted health orders, “predictably disappointing.” He's sought an exit strategy from wearing masks.
Davidson, who replaced former Speaker John Boehner in 2016, had $404,715 on hand in his federal campaign account.
Urbana Republican Jim Jordan backed Davidson's bid in that special election where the former Army Ranger and businessman from Troy defeated a slew of Republican candidates.
In the governor's race, Davidson could run as the Trump candidate (even though Davidson endorsed Dewine's bid in 2018.)
If Davidson jumped into the Ohio Senate race, he would join a group of Republicans falling over themselves to be most the pro-trump contender.