Campaigns in remote mode

As John Hickenlooper, a former Colorado governor and current Democratic candidate for Senate, began another campaign event via Facebook Live last week, he stated the obvious to his virtual audience.

“The nature of campaigns has changed,” Hickenlooper said as he beamed his message out to the political world from his family room in a joint appearance with Kathleen Sebelius, a former Obama administration health and human services secretary who was back home in Kansas, to talk about coping with the coronavirus. “These times really are different, and we are going to be doing things differently on this campaign.”

Hickenlooper, who is hoping to oust Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, is not the only one adjusting to a radically changed campaign reality. The sudden onslaught of coronavirus has upended the nation’s congressional races as many were just getting started, altering the political landscape in unpredictable ways and forcing candidates in the battle for the Senate and House to adapt to unique circumstances.

Campaign officials and strategists are trying to carefully game out the new reality. The crisis could prove to be a boost for incumbents who have a built-in advantage in providing services to constituents at a time when voters are on edge and in need. But it is also shining a potentially unflattering spotlight on Washington’s response to the pandemic, which could hurt lawmakers who were already facing an uphill climb to reelection.

While awaiting new polling and other information, it is difficult to gauge who stands to gain.

“There are multiple logical scenarios, but it’s too early to know,” said Nathan L. Gonzales, editor of the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Elections. “The response is just getting started and there won’t be enough race-specific data to make a sweeping conclusion for at least a few weeks.”

What is certain is that the Rotary Club lunches, community gatherings, door-knocking and fundraising receptions that are ordinarily the lifeblood of congressional races are gone for now. They are being replaced with teletown halls focused on how to contend with the pandemic, virtual fundraising get-togethers and appeals to contribute not to campaigns, but to nonprofit community groups as incumbents and challengers try to stay relevant in a grim news cycle dominated by a single topic over which they have no control.

Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, who decided to run for Senate only in March after saying for months that he was not interested in the job, is at the center of his state’s response to the pandemic. As the only sitting governor running for the Senate this year, Bullock, who hopes to defeat incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines, has the potential advantage of being in the spotlight as Montanans confront the outbreak, sparing him the typical struggle challengers face in trying to grab attention from a wellknown incumbent.

Audio leaked out last week of a conference call between the nation’s governors and President Donald Trump in which Bullock challenged the president on lack of testing supplies.

Bullock is appearing regularly on television to speak out about the situation in his state. Republicans concede he could gain from his high-profile leadership role, but warn it could also hurt him if the state response is deemed wanting or bungled.

For now, the situation has given Bullock a chance to portray himself as above the partisan fray, as his advisers insist he is not thinking in terms of the political ins and outs.

“There will be a time for a campaign, and he looks forward to it,” said Matt McKenna, the governor’s political adviser. “But right now he is focused on fighting this pandemic, keeping Montanans safe and getting front-line workers the resources they need.”

Gardner, who is trying to hold off Hickenlooper, said he used connections he made through his work on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to help secure 100,000 masks for Colorado out of 1 million Taiwan donated to the states.

Republican campaign officials said they were urging senators to focus on the crisis, rather than shift into campaign mode.