2020 Elections

Media Matters reports: Users of the far-right message board 4chan organized to rig a Drudge Report online poll following the July 30 Democratic presidential debate. Multiple right-wing outlets touted the results. 4chan users similarly rigged previous post-debate Drudge polls. After the first night of the CNN debate, users on 4chan’s “/pol/” message board shared the poll and urged others to …

The Hill reports: Kansas GOP Senate candidate Kris Kobach blamed his gubernatorial loss last year on “propaganda” and is vowing to take a new approach to his Senate bid. “I’d failed to anticipate just how powerful the propaganda would be,” the former Kansas secretary of State said in a five-minute video released by his campaign. “When someone is called a …

Fortune reports: Donald Trump won’t be on stage for the two nights of the Democratic presidential debate in Detroit, but he’s not missing the opportunity to take shots at the candidates. The president’s re-election campaign is airing a 30-second attack ad that opens with 10 Democrats, including Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris, raising their hands when asked if …

Politico reports: Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas will not seek reelection in 2020, according to multiple GOP sources, becoming the fifth Republican to announce their retirement over the past two weeks. Conaway, a veteran lawmaker who represents a ruby red district, has a news conference scheduled for Wednesday in Midland, but did not specify a topic. Republican sources, however, are …

Mediaite reports: While 2020 presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson was widely considered a non-serious candidate going into the DNC’s second round of debates on Tuesday, the self-help author quickly set herself apart from the rest of the Democrats on stage and received huge applause lines for her commentary on issues ranging from “dark psychic forces,” to slavery reparations. After these viral …

“If you are watching at home and you are a Republican member of Congress, consider the fact that when the sun sets on your career, and they are writing your story, of all the good and bad things you did in your life, the thing you will be remembered for is whether in this moment with this president you found …

The New York Times reports: The leading liberals in the Democratic presidential primary, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, strenuously fought back on Tuesday against accusations of making fanciful promises and imperiling the party’s prospects against President Trump, as a group of moderate underdogs sought to slow their momentum in the second round of debates. On an evening that could …

CNN reports: CNN’s two-night presidential debates starts tonight at 8 p.m. ET in Detroit, Michigan. Our live coverage here begins at 7 p.m. ET. The CNN debate brings the Democratic candidates to the battleground state of Michigan, which Trump won in 2016. The lineups for each night were announced July 18 on air during a live, random draw for transparency …

The Sacramento Bee reports: California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a bill on Tuesday to force President Donald Trump to release his tax returns in order to get on the state’s 2020 primary ballot. While other states have pursued Trump’s taxes, California is the first one in the country to make the disclosure of tax returns a requirement for a …

The Rising reports: Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson pushed back against what she described as a false narrative surrounding her, insisting that she is not a “wacky new-age nutcase.” “The establishment media sees me as a real threat to the status quo,” Williamson told The Rising during an interview that aired on Tuesday. “People are so invested in creating this …

The Associated Press reports: The second debate of the Democratic primary has higher stakes for a historically large field of more than 20 candidates, 10 of whom will face off each night. For several candidates, the debates will likely offer a last chance to be considered a serious contender for the party’s nomination. Tougher rules set by the Democratic National …

Just in from Quinnipiac Polling: Former Vice President Joseph Biden reverses his slump following the first Democratic presidential debate and now leads the pack with 34 percent of Democrats and independent voters who lean Democratic, according to a Quinnipiac University National Poll released today. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has 15 percent, with 12 percent for California Sen. Kamala Harris and …

Politico reports: Brad Parscale had just boarded a Jet Blue flight earlier this month when the paper straw he was using ripped in half. As he tried to keep his iced tea from spilling onto his suit, the annoyed Trump campaign manager tweeted that he was “so over paper straws.” Prodded by his wife not to leave it at that, …

Newsweek reports: The hashtag #MoscowMitch was trending on Twitter this morning after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked two election bills designed to deter interference by Russia and other states, claiming it was “partisan legislation” by the Democratic Party. It followed special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony on Wednesday that Russia is still attempting to interfere in American democracy, further to …

Montgomery’s ABC News affiliate reports: Alabama’s only Republican female representative in Congress says she won’t seek re-election for a sixth term in 2020, meaning the seat will be without an incumbent. Rep. Martha Roby, who represents the state’s 2nd District, said Friday she won’t seek another term, issuing a statement that doe not specifically give a reason for her decision. …

The Hill reports: Kathy Zhu, the former Miss Michigan winner who was stripped of her title over tweets deemed “offensive, insensitive and inappropriate,” is joining President Trump’s reelection campaign. “I am so excited to now by part of the #WomenforTrump Coalition Advisory Board! Let’s get Trump re-elected for 2020,” Zhu tweeted Thursday, retweeting a post from the official Trump reelection …

The Texas Tribune reports: U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, announced Friday afternoon that he is retiring from Congress. The retirement sets up what will likely be one of the most competitive House races in the country. Olson narrowly won reelection last year against Democrat Sri Kulkarni, who is running again. While once a conservative stronghold, the district’s political future …

Bloomberg reports: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told Bloomberg she has not decided whether to run for reelection, suggesting “dark money groups” have hurt her chances. “The divisiveness of our country and the unceasing attacks by dark money groups in Maine have clearly had an impact,” Collins said Thursday. “But I believe that once Mainers really focus on the race and …

The New York Times reports: Representative Tulsi Gabbard, the long-shot presidential candidate from Hawaii, said in a federal lawsuit that Google infringed on her free speech when it briefly suspended her campaign’s advertising account after the first Democratic debate in June. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in a federal court in Los Angeles, is believed to be the first time …

Vice News reports: Get ready for local news — brought to you by the Democrats. One of the party’s largest Super PACs is finally pulling the trigger on a $100 million plan to help boot Trump from office. But much of the media it’s pumping out won’t look like traditional advertising. Rather, Priorities USA is planning to flood swing states …