This Tuesday’s election day in the United States has begun with restrictions on news coverage for two Republican candidates for Congress. Mike Lawler, who is seeking to renew his seat in New York, has barred Bloomberg journalists from attending his campaign events, while the fellow Republican Tom Kean Jr. has organized an election gathering in New Jersey without access for the media.
The decisions, known in the hours before the polls closed, affect two campaigns seeking to hold onto their seats in the House of Representatives, in midterm elections that will determine the balance of power during the last two years of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Lawler bars Bloomberg after information about a labor lawsuit
Mike Lawler’s campaign said on Monday that it was revoking the credentials and attendance authorizations granted to Bloomberg journalists. It also warned that any professional from the agency who showed up at its events without authorization would be treated as an intruder.
The decision was brought forward by Max Tani, a media journalist at Semafor, and was later reported by TheWrap and the Italian agency ANSA.
The conflict began after Bloomberg Law published information about a federal lawsuit filed by twelve workers who had participated in voter outreach work.
The plaintiffs say they were promised weekly salaries of between $1,200 and $3,000, as well as housing and travel expenses, but they allege that they ended up being paid less than what was agreed and that some were fired after complaining about their working conditions and alleged discriminatory practices.
Lawler’s campaign rejects the accusations and denies having hired the workers directly, whom it ties to subcontractors of America PAC, an external political committee.
The campaign director, Ciro Riccardi, has also questioned Bloomberg’s journalistic process, arguing that the agency did not grant enough time to respond to the accusations before publishing the information.
The campaign has demanded a correction and an apology. For its part, Bloomberg has declined to comment to TheWrap about the ban.
The labor accusations remain pending resolution by the courts.
Tom Kean Jr. holds an election event without journalists
In New Jersey, Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr. has also decided to restrict access to information at his results follow-up event.
As journalist Joey Fox reported, cited by Politico, the election-night gathering will be held completely closed to the press.
Unlike the Lawler case, the information available does not identify a specific journalistic controversy that would explain Kean’s decision, nor does it include an official justification from his campaign.
The relationship between the candidates and the media, under scrutiny
Both restrictions occur in a day in which Americans choose the 435 members of the House of Representatives and renew part of the Senate, as well as vote in numerous state and local elections.
Journalists’ access to campaign events makes it possible to learn about the candidates’ reactions, collect their statements, and follow how they interpret the results.
In the Lawler case, the withdrawal of credentials adds a new episode to a dispute initiated by the publication of judicial information. In Kean’s case, the complete closing of the event will prevent the media from covering the gathering directly.
Both decisions affect journalists’ work, although they respond to different circumstances and, by themselves, do not involve restrictions on access to official polling or canvassing centers.