The GOP’s Covid playbook has three parts. Republicans see the issue as energizing in primary contests while also providing a general election launching pad to reach independent voters, who polls show are souring on government institutions, mandates and experts. And it enables the GOP to criticize Biden for not ending the pandemic — even as Republicans fight mask requirements and after they blocked one of his vaccination mandates. Republicans are also less likely than Democrats and independents to be vaccinated, a frustration for Biden backers who feel the president is being punished for the GOP’s intransigence.

While Democrats’ messaging has focused on safety and shared responsibility, Republicans are trying to shift the discussion to elemental concepts of freedom and the economy, gearing the messages to businesses that want to stay open and workers who want to stay employed.

Another top target: parents, particularly the suburban moms whose support Trump hemorrhaged and whom Republicans see as persuadable by stoking fears of further school closures.