2020 Elections

The New York Times reports: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who presented herself in the presidential race as a champion of women and families, said Wednesday that she was withdrawing from the Democratic primary after failing to qualify for a third debate next month — a development she described as fatal to her candidacy. Ms. Gillibrand said in an …

Just out this morning from Quinnipiac Polling: If the 2020 presidential election were held today, 54 percent of registered voters say that they would vote for former Vice President Joe Biden, while only 38 percent would vote for President Trump. Matchups against other top Democrats show: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders topping Trump 53 – 39 percent; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren …

Axios reports: President Trump’s net approval rating has plunged in every key battleground state since taking office in January 2017, according to Morning Consult’s tracking poll. These are the states that Republicans and Democrats are vying for in 2020, and where, as of now, the campaigns think the presidential election will be decided, according to conversations with several Trump and …

From a new Morning Consult poll this morning: Former Vice President Joe Biden increased his lead atop a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates by 2 points, a new poll finds. Biden now has the support of 33 percent of Democratic primary voters across the nation, according to the Morning Consult survey, 13 percent above the next-most popular candidate, Sen. …

Politico reports: Bernie Sanders won his first endorsement from a national union on Monday, becoming the second presidential candidate to do so in the 2020 primary. The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, a 35,000-member union, announced that it is backing Sanders at its convention in Pittsburgh. Sanders delivered a speech to the union’s members on Monday before …

The Washington Post reports: Joe Walsh, a former Illinois congressman, says he’ll challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2020. The tea party favorite argues that Trump is unfit for the White House. Walsh announced his candidacy during an interview on ABC’s “This Week’” on Sunday. Also in the race is Bill Weld, a former Massachusetts governor. Walsh …

The New York Times reports: Joe Walsh, a conservative radio show host and a former Tea Party congressman from Illinois who is expected to announce a long shot primary challenge to President Trump in the coming days, is wooing the husband of Kellyanne Conway for a senior role in his campaign — a signal of his intent to troll Mr. …

Talking Points Memo reports: Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) hit the Democratic National Committee (DNC) over its polling criteria for upcoming primary debates, asking it to “ensure transparency and fairness” in selecting the qualifying surveys. The campaign noted that Gabbard has exceeded 2 percent support in 26 national and early state polls, but said only two of those …

The New York Times reports: Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts is dropping out of the presidential race, ending a candidacy that emphasized Mr. Moulton’s centrist politics and military service but gained no traction with Democratic primary voters. Mr. Moulton, 40, said in an interview that he had no immediate plans to endorse another candidate, but he warmly praised former Vice …

Axios reports: There is no U.S. law that prevents candidates, parties or political groups from launching their own disinformation campaigns, either in-house or through a contractor, so long as foreign money isn’t involved. It’s up to individual candidates to decide their tolerance for the practice. Broadly, U.S. campaign finance laws don’t regulate free social media accounts. Even a vast network …

Politico reports: For President Donald Trump, Minnesota is the one that got away in 2016. Now he’s fixated on flipping the state in 2020 — with the help of a provocative ex-radio host whose rantings earned him the nickname “mini-Trump.” Former GOP Rep. Jason Lewis is expected to launch his Minnesota Senate bid on Thursday with guidance from two of …

The New York Times reports: Joe Walsh, a conservative radio show host and former Republican congressman from Illinois, is expected to announce he is running for president as early as this weekend, presenting President Trump with a challenger from the right his critics hope will weaken the president in the 2020 election. Mr. Walsh stands virtually no chance of wresting …

The Denver Post reports: John Hickenlooper is launching a bid Thursday to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, exactly one week after pulling out of his run for the presidency. “I’ve always said Washington was a lousy place for a guy like me who wants to get things done – but this is no time to walk away from the …

NBC News reports: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is dropping out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race, he announced Wednesday night on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Inslee plans to send an email to supporters on Thursday announcing that he will run for a third term as governor, two sources close to Inslee told NBC News on condition of anonymity. “It’s …

Fox News reports: Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to United Nations, on Wednesday denied what she called “false rumors” that she could replace Mike Pence as the Republican Party’s vice presidential nominee in 2020. “Enough of the false rumors,” Haley said, tweeting a photo of her and Pence together at the U.N. “Vice President Pence has been a dear …

Axios reports: Bernie Sanders released a new plan Wednesday that would overhaul labor laws in the U.S. to increase union membership and rights. Why it matters: The Vermont senator is competing for union endorsements against a wide Democratic field. The plan’s release is timed with the Iowa state convention for the AFL-CIO. For unions, the plan would: Allow employees to …

The Hill reports: Joe Biden’s presidential campaign announced its first major ad buy on Tuesday, targeting several cities in Iowa with a message touting the Democrat’s strength against President Trump. In a 60-second piece targeting media markets in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities and Sioux City, the former vice president’s campaign describes the 2020 election as more urgent than …

Axios reports: The third round of Democratic debates starts September 12 in Houston, Texas. The stage is about to get a lot smaller. This debate doubles the qualifying threshold of the last two, requiring candidates reach 2% in 4 DNC-approved polls and draw 130,000 unique donors — including 400 donors in 20 different states. Candidates have until August 28. Why …

CNN reports: Joe Biden has expanded his edge over the Democratic field in a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, with 29% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters saying they back the former vice president. That’s up 7 points compared with a late June CNN survey. No other candidate has made meaningful gains over that time. The shift returns Biden …

The Hill reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday took a shot at his presidential rival Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) after she said she was not “comfortable” with his “Medicare for All” plan. Sanders’s tweet comes after Harris pushed back on Sanders’s signature health care plan at a fundraiser in the Hamptons over the weekend. “I support Medicare for All. …