The Note: Movement politics elevates new faces in congressional primaries

The TAKE with Rick Klein

This extraordinary moment, featuring the convergence of a pandemic and a social-justice movement, is being felt all over the presidential race -- from former Vice President Joe Biden's search for a running mate to President Donald Trump's search for campaign normalcy.

Before we find out what it all means in November, though, down-ballot primaries will provide new data points -- and could knock off a few more incumbents and/or establishment favorites.

Next Tuesday will bring delayed primaries in New York and Kentucky that feature young candidates of color who are seeking to capitalize on newfound attention from national and local activists.

In the Democratic primary to take on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, former fighter pilot Amy McGrath -- a high-profile House candidate in 2018 -- was long seen as the favorite, out-fundraising even McConnell himself. But Charles Booker, a 35-year-old black state lawmaker, is drawing high-profile progressive endorsements and seems to have late momentum.

"The injustice is happening not only in Kentucky, but across the country," Booker told ABC News Live Friday. "We have been ignored for a long time."

In New York City, Jamaal Bowman, a longtime African American educator in the Bronx, stands a strong shot at knocking off the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Eliot Engel, a 16-term incumbent.

Engel was criticized for not coming back to his district when COVID-19 devastated communities like his, then was caught on a hot mic pushing to speak at a recent protest rally: "If I didn't have a primary I wouldn't care."

Also in New York, retiring Rep. Nita Lowey, who is 82, could be replaced by a 33-year-old black attorney and activist, Mondaire Jones. And in the crowded primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jose Serrano, 76, the candidates include Ritchie Torres, a 32-year-old black and Latino city council member who is openly gay, and Samelys Lopez, who met Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez organizing for Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign, and now boasts of her endorsement.

Some of the more profound questions about this moment surround how protests and frustration turn into political action. A new wave of young candidates hope to provide some answers sooner rather than later.

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

Three months after the coronavirus pandemic lead to wide-scale closures and social-distancing protocols, all fifty states plus Puerto Rico have eased restrictions in the last few weeks. Old questions feel front and center again -- is the country moving too fast and are businesses and local governments equipped to keep people safe? There are new questions too, of course-- what is helping, which restrictions can go, and what is still needed?

According to analysis from the New York Times, 22 states plus Puerto Rico have seen an increase in new reported cases of COVID-19 over the past two weeks. Those states are California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Arizona, Alabama, South Carolina, Missouri, Utah, Kentucky, Arkansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Idaho, Vermont, Wyoming Alaska, Hawaii and Montana.

None of that has slowed President Trump yet. Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Sunday that while he planned to attend the president's first campaign rally in months, he did not know how local officials and the president's team would be able to guarantee the safety of attendees later this week. "I don't know how they're going to handle that, actually," Lankford said.

Infectious disease experts, including the administration's lead expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, have warned that attending large rallies may increase the risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has also continued to press and probe Amazon about the company's handling of the pandemic. Over the weekend, news broke that her office interviewed workers from several of New York City's Amazon facilities as part of its inquiry.

While opening patios and parks may not be leading directly to any surges in the virus, more information is clearly needed about what exactly is.

The TIP with Meg Cunningham

Over the weekend, incumbent Rep. Denver Riggleman was ousted at Virginia's primary conventions by a challenger who alleged that Riggleman wasn't conservative enough. Riggleman was subject to scrutiny after officiating a wedding between two gay campaign volunteers last July, and Republicans in the state seized on the opportunity yesterday, succeeding in putting someone further to Riggleman's right on the ballot.

Bob Good won the nomination with 58% and in a statement pledged to bring Judeo-Christian values to Congress. What's unclear, though, is if Good even qualifies to appear on the general election ballot after the Riggleman campaign asserted that he hasn't met the qualifications.

The department of elections is slated to meet next month and is likely to take up the issue. Regardless, experts maintain that Good is a risky candidate for the district, which has slowly trended more blue in recent years. He sits more to the right than the current representative, who even had the backing of Trump heading into the primary convention and now holds the title of the first Trump-backed candidate to lose a primary this cycle.

BRINGING AMERICA BACK

UV light robots and lamps are just some of the innovative ways hotels are attempting to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Read this story and more by checking out Bringing America Back, an ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in economic recovery and medical preparedness amid the coronavirus pandemic.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Monday morning's episode features ABC News' Trevor Ault in Atlanta, who explains how the killing of Rayshard Brooks by police prompted the city's chief to resign. Then, ABC News' Rachel Scott tells us about the back and forth on race and COVID-19 as it relates to President Donald Trump's rally this week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And, ABC News' Julia Macfarlane explains why protesters are toppling historic statues around the world. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" podcast. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, told ABC News Political Director Rick Klein and Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl that his advice for people who want to attend President Donald Trump's campaign rallies is the same for anti-Trump protesters -- any large group is "a danger" and "risky." https://bit.ly/2w091jE

FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast. Nationwide protests against police violence have continued around the country for nearly three weeks. Their size and scope evoke the civil rights protests of the 1960s. But can we judge the efficacy of a protest movement by a measure other than its size? And do the current protests seem to be working? In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, New York Times writer Mara Gay and FiveThirtyEight contributor Shom Mazumder discuss these questions. https://53eig.ht/2N3pH1r

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