2020 Elections

From the right wing Daily Caller: Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard won the fourth round of Democratic debates Tuesday night, according to a poll by Drudge Report. The poll crowned Gabbard the winner of the debate with about twice as many votes as the second-place candidate, businessman Andrew Yang, at the time the debate ended. Gabbard got 40.16% of the votes …

The New York Times reports: Representative Ilhan Omar endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont for the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will endorse Mr. Sanders at a rally this weekend, according to his campaign. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York and a star of the progressive left, will join Mr. Sanders at his “Bernie’s Back” rally …

Time Magazine reports: It was almost inevitable that questions around age and health would come up at Tuesday night’s Democratic primary debate after Sen. Bernie Sanders’s heart attack, but he had not even been asked about his health when he volunteered information about his wellbeing: “I’m healthy, I’m feeling great,” he said, adding a quip. “We are going to be …

The Washington Post reports: Pete Buttigieg is better known for his cogent policy explanations than his political brawling. But in Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate in Ohio, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., displayed a sudden feistiness toward his opponents, and not just the ones polling higher than him. He went after Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.) on …

CNN reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden offered a forceful defense of his son during Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate, saying voters should focus on President Donald Trump’s “corruption” instead of Hunter Biden’s previous work in Ukraine. “My son did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong,” Biden said during the debate hosted by CNN and The New York Times. “I carried …

The New York Times reports: The CNN/New York Times debate on Tuesday night revealed new dynamics in the Democratic presidential race: Senator Elizabeth Warren took sustained fire from multiple rivals, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. struggled to make an impact and Mayor Pete Buttigieg and other candidates were newly aggressive in making their points. For a candidate who …

The New York Times reports: Each of the 12 candidates onstage tonight will be looking for standout moments. But if history is a guide, avoiding the wrong kind of standout moment may be even more important. However superficial it may be, a gaffe at a debate can destroy a campaign. Just look at Rick Perry’s “oops” moment in 2011, when …

Just in from Public Policy Polling: PPP’s newest Maine poll finds that Susan Collins is in trouble for reelection…and that she’s likely to find herself in more trouble no matter what side of impeachment she comes down on. Collins is unpopular, with only 35% of voters approving of the job she’s doing to 50% who disapprove. She trails a generic …

The Washington Post reports: As the Democrats prepare for their fourth debate Tuesday night, former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders are hoping to turn the page on what has been a tough couple of weeks for both candidates. But a new survey of Democratic voters suggests they may now be playing catch-up to Sen. Elizabeth Warren. In …

ABC News reports: As President Donald Trump continues to fill his Twitter feed and campaign speeches with attacks on Hunter Biden over his foreign business deals, the former vice president’s son defended the ethical implications of his private ventures in an interview with ABC News, but conceded taking a misstep in failing to foresee the political implications on his father’s …

CNBC reports: Mike Bloomberg might end up running for president, after all. Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, has indicated to associates in recent weeks that Joe Biden’s recent struggles against Sen. Elizabeth Warren are making him rethink his decision to stay out of the 2020 Democratic primary. That’s according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke …

MarketWatch reports: Some 21% of LGBTQ adults aren’t registered to vote, according to a study released this week by the University of California, Los Angeles’ Williams Institute. That’s compared to an estimated 17% of non-LGBTQ adults. The finding, part of a larger poll of 2,237 people that measured LGBTQ voters’ demographic characteristics and political attitudes, came as LGBTQ rights have …

Just in from Innovation Ohio: After winning the state by 8 points in 2016, a new Public Policy Polling survey finds President Trump trailing a generic Democratic 47-48% and an underwater 47-51% favorable/unfavorable rating. Given that state’s swing from 2012 to 2016, it is especially notable that President Trump trails a generic Democrat 37-51% with independent voters. “As Democrats gather …

Axios reports: An ad by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign that says Facebook has endorsed President Trump (before admitting the claim is a lie) is having its intended effect: raising tough questions about Facebook’s policy of allowing politicians to make any claims they want. Why it matters: Facebook has spent much of the last 2 years talking about its efforts to …

Radio Iowa reports: During an interview with Radio Iowa late Sunday afternoon, Biden said if he is elected, he will not follow President Ford’s example in pardoning Nixon so Nixon was not prosecuted for his role in Watergate. “It wouldn’t unite the country,” Biden said. “You’d say: ‘This guy does all these things that put us jeopardy and he gets …

Just from YouGov/CBS News: Early-state Democratic voters say President Trump’s allegations against Joe Biden have not affected their views of Biden and largely think they aren’t true. Even so, it’s Elizabeth Warren who continues to draw support from Democrats. She has extended the aggregate lead she had in this poll last month across the 18 early primary and caucus states. …

USA Today reports: Democratic presidential candidates, Billy Porter and an unexpected kiss were all part of the cold open on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. This week’s CNN LGBTQ town hall was prime fodder for lots of laughs and cameo appearances during Saturday night’s episode. Alex Moffat’s Anderson Cooper said they were “going to go out – all out,” bringing …

Bloomberg reports: Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is stepping down from the board of a Chinese-backed private equity company, according to a statement given to Bloomberg. The younger Biden, whose business interests in Ukraine are at the center of Donald Trump’s impeachment scandal, also promises to “forego all foreign work” if his dad is elected president in 2020. “Hunter always …

The Hill reports: The Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Friday that the first 2020 general election debate will be held in September and will be hosted by the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. The debate, which will be held on Sept. 29, 2020, will be one of three general election presidential debates. The commission also said the University …

Vox reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden had a markedly improved performance from the last LGBTQ presidential forum, when he condescended to the woman who was interviewing him both on and off the stage. But on Thursday, he still often rambled through long stories about how he supported marriage equality within the Obama administration. By giving meandering answers, Biden managed …