2020 Elections

From a profile published today by Vanity Fair: Beto O’Rourke seems, in this moment, like a cliff diver trying to psych himself into the jump. And after playing coy all afternoon about whether he’ll run, he finally can’t deny the pull of his own gifts. “You can probably tell that I want to run,” he finally confides, smiling. “I do. …

The Hill reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden hinted at a 2020 presidential bid on Tuesday, telling a crowd in Washington to save their energy because he “may need it in a few weeks.” Biden’s comments came at a conference of the International Association of Fire Fighters, the union representing firefighters and emergency services workers, where he delivered the keynote …

TCPalm.com reports: Paul Ryan, who served as Speaker of the House from 2015 until January and was the 2012 Republican nominee for vice president, was the final speaker of Riverside Theatre’s Distinguished Lecturer Series. Ryan said people should still be optimistic about the future of the country because of a strong economy, and touted the Republican-led tax reform plan passed …

Politico reports: Facebook has removed several ads placed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign that called for the breakup of Facebook and other tech giants. The ads, which had identical images and text, touted Warren’s recently announced plan to unwind “anti-competitive” tech mergers, including Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram. A message on the three ads reads: “This ad was …

CNN reports: Stacey Abrams, a rising star in the Democratic Party, said Monday it was possible she could seek her party’s presidential nomination next year. Abrams’ comment came after an interview at the South by Southwest conference in Texas, where Abrams reportedly said she previously thought 2028 would be the earliest she could run for president, but over Twitter, she …

From the campaign site of former Rep. John Delaney: They may look like typical pink erasers, but these are no ordinary school supplies. Simply place one eraser beneath your pillow before falling asleep and by morning you’ll have forgotten all of the pain, invective, division, and incoherent ramblings of our 45th president. You’ll wake refreshed and ready to set about …

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: Milwaukee’s political moment has arrived. The city will host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, edging out two large and deep-pocketed rivals over a months-long campaign waged behind the scenes through phone calls, contract negotiations and quiet lobbying by some of the most powerful political figures in the country. The announcement comes after weeks of decision …

CNN reports: Presidential hopeful Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard sought to explain her shift away from advocating anti-gay policies in the early 2000s on Sunday, saying her time in the military caused her to “go through some soul-searching.” “I was raised in a very socially conservative home. My father is Catholic, he was a leading voice against gay marriage in Hawaii …

Openly gay South Bend, Indiana mayor and 2020 presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg tore into Mike Pence during his town hall on CNN last night. NBC News reports: Buttigieg said that while he’s always disagreed “ferociously” with Pence on the key issues, he also thought the vice president always believed in “our institutions” and wasn’t “personally corrupt.” Buttigieg wondered when it …

ABC News reports: Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke teased a “big announcement” political future as speculation grows that the former senate candidate has his sights set on the White House in 2020. His camp sent out an email blast to supporters inviting them to be the first to know about O’Rourke’s next move but did not clarify the date when the …

CBS News reports: “I really believe the spoiler in all of this is going to be a far-left Democratic candidate, if that’s who gets the nomination, who is walking the shoes of a socialist,” Schultz said in an interview on Saturday. “Lifelong Republicans who do not want to pull the lever for Donald Trump are not gonna pull the lever …

Politico reports: Sen. Kamala Harris on Friday held up Paul Manafort’s relatively lenient prison sentence as evidence that the criminal justice system is “broken in America.” The California Democrat said during a presidential campaign stop in South Carolina that the former Trump campaign chairman’s four-year sentence for tax and bank fraud was emblematic of major discrepancies in the justice system …

New Hampshire’s ABC affiliate reports: As Beto O’Rourke continues to hold off on an announcement about his political plans, people working closely with him have begun making inquiries in New Hampshire about matters that would be central to a mounting a presidential campaign in the leadoff primary state. Key Democratic sources — who are not involved in any effort to …

Cleveland.com reports: Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced Thursday he would not enter the race for president to challenge Republican Donald Trump in 2020. “As you’ve heard me say many times, when you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work. I fight best when I bring joy to the battle,” Brown said during a call …

The New York Times reports: The pieces for a Joseph R. Biden Jr. presidential campaign are falling into place: His nucleus of advisers has begun offering campaign positions to seasoned Democratic strategists. They are eyeing a headquarters in Delaware or nearby Philadelphia and a launch date in the beginning of April. Mr. Biden’s family is on board — his wife, …

The Hill reports: A majority of Florida voters surveyed in a poll released early Wednesday said they do not believe President Trump should be reelected in 2020. The poll shows that 40 percent of registered Florida voters said they think Trump should be reelected, while 53 did not support a second term. Among Republicans, 72 percent of respondents said Trump …

The Washington Post reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), a longtime independent, signed a pledge Tuesday saying he would seek the presidency as a Democrat and govern as a Democrat if elected. The move comes in response to a new rule from the Democratic National Committee that requires all candidates for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination to sign such a pledge …

The New York Times reports: Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who joined the Democratic Party last year to crusade against President Trump, has decided not to challenge Mr. Trump as a candidate in the 2020 election. Rather than entering the race himself, Mr. Bloomberg intends to plow his political energy and immense personal fortune into other …

New York City’s News 12 reports: Hillary Clinton ruled out a 2020 presidential run for the first time on camera in an exclusive interview with News 12, pledging instead to take an active role by working with the candidates in the crowded Democratic field. “I’m not running, but I’m going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for …

The Daily Beast reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is officially running for two different federal offices under two different party labels. On Monday, Sanders filed for re-election to the Senate in 2024, listing his party as “independent.” Team Sanders said the filing was an automatic renewal of Sanders’ candidacy, a standard move for victorious congressional candidates ahead of anticipated reelection …