2020 Elections

The Associated Press reports: Representatives for Joe Biden and Stacey Abrams say that rumors the former vice president planned to choose the onetime Georgia gubernatorial candidate as his 2020 running mate are “false” and that there was “no grand plan hatched.” Biden spokesman Bill Russo tweeted Friday that the ex-vice president “has an enormous amount of respect for” Abrams, noting …

The Denver Post reports: Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says he would suspend the federal death penalty if elected president. Hickenlooper, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, made the pledge during a CNN town hall Wednesday night. As governor, Hickenlooper refused to execute quadruple-murderer Nathan Dunlap. He said he was opposed to the death penalty and wouldn’t carry …

Axios reports: Close advisers to former Vice President Joe Biden are debating the idea of packaging his presidential campaign announcement with a pledge to choose Stacey Abrams as his vice president. The popular Georgia Democrat, who at age 45 is 31 years younger than Biden, would bring diversity and excitement to the ticket — showing voters, in the words of …

Talking Points Memo reports: Prospective Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday admonished President Trump for his latest attack on John McCain, accusing the president of going after the late senator for attention. Trump received multiple deferments from the draft during the Vietnam War and did not serve in the military. The New York Times reported late last year that …

Buzzfeed reports: Sen. Cory Booker, a Democratic presidential hopeful, took a brief detour from talking about politics to praise his girlfriend, actor Rosario Dawson, on The Ellen Show and flirt with the possibility of a White House wedding. “I mean, if you go in single and have a wedding in the White House — I mean, we would watch,” DeGeneres …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: California Sen. Kamala Harris became the latest 2020 presidential candidate to weigh in on whether the United States should get rid of the Electoral College and have presidential elections be determined by the popular vote. During a Tuesday night appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Harris said she would be “open” to abolishing the Electoral College. …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump, who once called the electoral college “a disaster for a democracy,” defended it on Tuesday night as “far better for the U.S.A.” amid growing calls from Democratic presidential hopefuls to abolish it. Trump’s comments on Twitter came in the wake of an endorsement by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) of using the national popular vote …

 CNN reports: A leading Democratic super PAC launched its first digital ad campaign of the 2020 election cycle Tuesday after pledging to spend $100 million on early efforts in key battleground states. The group, Priorities USA, announced a six-figure digital ad buy airing in four key battleground states that are targeted in the early spending initiative: Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and …

The Advocate reports: Democratic candidates for president will participate in a forum focused specifically on the lives and rights of LGBTQ people this fall. Showing the growing political influence of LGBTQ advocates and voters, the event provides a chance to educate the potential next president of the United States on the issues and challenges still facing queer Americans. It will …

The Hill reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden leads a field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates and potential candidates among Democratic primary voters, according to a survey released Tuesday. According to a Morning Consult poll, the possible 2020 candidate appears to be expanding his lead among 2020 Democrats. The poll found that Biden leads Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) by eight …

Boston.com reports: Here’s another proposal to add to the list of bold ideas on which Sen. Elizabeth Warren has built her 2020 presidential campaign. “Get rid of the Electoral College.” During a CNN town hall Monday night, Warren told a live audience in Jackson, Mississippi, that the current system the country uses to elect a president effectively excludes voters in …

NBC News reports: Democratic White House hopeful Cory Booker said Sunday night he would reverse President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military if elected president. Speaking to a crowd of more than 300 voters in Davenport, the New Jersey senator answered a question posed by a woman who identified herself as transgender about what he would …

NBC News reports: Beto O’Rourke raised $6.1 million in his first 24 hours as a presidential candidate, according to his campaign, surpassing Bernie Sanders and every other 2020 Democrat who has disclosed their figures. O’Rourke’s campaign announced Monday that he had taken in $6,136,763 in online contributions in the day after declaring his candidacy Thursday morning. Sanders beat expectations and …

The Indianapolis Star reports: South Bend mayor and presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg said on Twitter Saturday morning that 65,000 people have donated to his exploratory committee, a mark that qualifies him to be invited to the first Democratic National Committee debate in June. The 37-year-old Rhodes Scholar and military veteran promised a “fresh start” for the White House, and he …

The New York Times reports: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York officially joined the 2020 presidential race on Sunday, declaring in an announcement video that America needs “a leader who makes big, bold, brave choices,” and that she is that leader. There was little drama about whether Ms. Gillibrand would officially enter the presidential race ever since she had announced …

USA Today reports: Workers on Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign voted to unionize on Friday, becoming what is possibly the first presidential campaign staff in history to organize. A majority of the Democrat’s staff signed on to unionize, meaning all current and future employees would be part of the bargaining process for better pay and benefits. The workers, everyone below …

Olympia’s Fox affiliate reports: Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee, who is among a growing group of Democratic presidential contenders, signed a measure Thursday moving the state’s presidential primary from May to March. Next year’s primary will now be held on the second Tuesday in March, something Inslee said will strengthen the state’s role in the national democratic process. The measure …

An interesting profile from Reuters: While a teenager, Beto O’Rourke acknowledged in an exclusive interview, he belonged to the oldest group of computer hackers in U.S. history. The hugely influential Cult of the Dead Cow, jokingly named after an abandoned Texas slaughterhouse, is notorious for releasing tools that allowed ordinary people to hack computers running Microsoft’s Windows. It’s also known …

TMZ reports: Rosario Dawson’s all in on Cory Booker for President in 2020, but she might be a little biased because she just confirmed with us, they’re in a serious, loving relationship!!! The actress was at the Reagan National Airport in D.C. Thursday when our guy quizzed her on what’s been widely rumored — she’s the woman Booker referred to …

NPR reports: Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke is running for president, hoping to build on the momentum the Democrat generated in a Senate contest last year. In a video released in the early hours of Thursday morning, with his wife Amy by his side, O’Rourke announced, “This is a defining moment of truth for this country,” adding what appears will …