POLITICS & CAMPAIGNS: The Democratic presidential primary field is likely to shrink today as former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to end his bid for the party's nomination, bringing the field to 23 candidates (The Associated Press). Hickenlooper has struggled throughout his campaign and has been unable to gather momentum, including in two forgettable debate performances, creating problems for him to qualify for the next round of Democratic debates in mid-September. According to CNN, it remains unknown whether Hickenlooper will jump to run for the Senate in Colorado against Sen. Cory Gardner (D-Colo.), who is among the most vulnerable Senate Republicans up for reelection next year. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has been prodding him for months to launch a bid against the incumbent Republican. Although Hickenlooper has repeatedly said he isn't cut out to serve in the Senate, he has warmed to the idea of running for the Senate, and he has plenty of time to consider his options. The filing deadline for Hickenlooper to jump in the race is not until March 17, 2020 ahead of a late June primary contest. "He would win," said Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) told MSNBC about Hickenlooper's chances against Gardner if he were to make that decision. Bennet was appearing on "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" late Wednesday when news broke of Hickenlooper's impending announcement. "He's right where the state is on a whole range of issues and he left office as popular as he came into office," Bennet told the host. "We obviously have to win the Senate seat in Colorado. That's critical." > Trump in N.H.: The president is making a foray into New Hampshire, a state he lost in 2016, today as he holds out hope to flip the state's four electoral votes in a bid to increase his chances of winning reelection next year. As Reid Wilson writes, Trump is making a rare appearance in a state in which he fell short in 2016, having lost the Granite State to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 by only 2,800 votes, the closest margin of any state in the U.S. Since the 2018 midterms, the president has not held a campaign event in any blue state, opting to woo voters in the key states that propelled him to the presidency -- Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida, to name a few. However, New Hampshire is not like other states that went for Clinton in 2020, most of which Trump has little hope of flipping next year. Under ordinary circumstances, Trump's campaign should see New Hampshire as a prime target to expand his base. Since he took office, New Hampshire has added about 20,000 jobs and its unemployment rate is down to 2.5 percent, close to its lowest mark ever. However, he finds himself underwater in polling in the state and in need to reach out to a group of Republicans that have largely spurned him, but continue to support New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu: Country club Republicans. "Trump needs to improve in the more moderate, lean-GOP areas like Bedford and Amherst to win [New Hampshire]," said Mike Dennehy, a longtime Republican strategist who steered the late Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) two winning primary campaigns in New Hampshire. "Bedford is actually heavily Republican, but swing voters who are lean GOP are the ones who Trump needs to connect with." Sununu outperformed Trump in 2016 by over 8,000 votes, largely by winning over country club Republicans and a growing number of voters who reside in the state while commuting to Boston for work. The Associated Press: Trump's New Hampshire struggle: Voters feeling 'Trumpgret.' The Hill: Corey Lewandowski to join Trump at NH rally amid Senate bid speculation. Politico: 'Corey is a political hack': Lewandowski Senate bid hits backlash in N.H. 
© Getty Images
> Beto back on trail: Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) is looking to jumpstart his presidential campaign with a speech later today in his hometown of El Paso nearly two weeks after the mass shooting there that rocked the community and as O'Rourke has stayed off the campaign trail. As Niall Stanage writes, after seeing his campaign fall flat throughout the spring and summer, O'Rourke is hoping to recapture the excitement that surrounded his Senate campaign last year, turning him into an overnight sensation before his loss to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) last fall. But O'Rourke has catapulted back into the national spotlight in the most tragic circumstances imaginable — the Aug. 3 mass shooting in his hometown that left 22 people dead. Since then, the former Texas congressman has laid the blame at Trump's feet for the rhetoric aimed at immigrants and has slammed the president at every turn, including in one back-and-forth with a reporter. "I thought his response came across as very genuine," said Keir Murray, a Texas-based Democratic strategist. "He was in a unique position to offer the response that he did because it is his city. It is a fine line and I think he largely walked it pretty well, and he did demonstrate some of his strengths." Today's speech is expected to serve as his return to the campaign trail and will reportedly center on three key themes: racism, white supremacy and guns. It will start at 9:15 a.m. EDT. The New York Times: Many Democrats love Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). They also worry about her. The Washington Post: Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) outlines plan to boost efforts against suspected domestic terrorists. The Hill: Deepfake videos may have unwitting ally in U.S. media. The Hill: Ex-CIA chief worries campaigns falling short on cybersecurity. > Biden slowdown?: Allies to former Vice President Joe Biden have been floating the idea about slowing down the former vice president's schedule in an effort to reduce the gaffes he has made in recent days. The allies, growing increasingly nervous about Biden's misstatements, have said it's an idea that's been suggested to campaign officials in recent days. "He needs to be a strong force on the campaign trail but he also has to pace himself," said one ally who has talked to members of the campaign team and others in the broader Biden World about a future strategy. They ally said it was unclear whether the campaign would make any changes to Biden's schedule. But it appeared that they would not (The Hill). The Hill: 2020 Democrats fight to claim President Obama's mantle on health care. *** CONGRESS: Much to the chagrin of Republicans, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is at it again. King added to his lengthy list of incendiary remarks on Wednesday when he attempted to defend anti-abortion legislation with no exceptions for rape or incest while speaking to a group in Urbandale, Iowa, asking if there would "there be any population of the world left" if rape and incest had not occurred in history (The Hill). "What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?" he said at the event. "Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages taken place and whatever happened to culture after society? I know I can't certify that I'm not a part of a product of that," King continued. The backlash was swift from both sides of the aisle. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), third in line in the House GOP leadership responded shortly after his remarks were reported by the Des Moines Register, saying "it's time for him to go," adding that the comments were "appalling and bizarre." "Today's comments by @RepSteveKingIA are appalling and bizarre," Cheney tweeted. "As I've said before, it's time for him to go. The people of Iowa's 4th congressional district deserve better." Democratic presidential candidates also came out swinging against the longtime Iowa congressman. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called on King to resign from Congress. 
© Getty Images
King is facing one of his toughest reelection cycles of his electoral career. He is facing a high-profile primary challenge from Randy Feenstra, a state senator, who announced his campaign a day before King was quoted in The New York Times saying, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?" The remarks resulted in him getting kicked off all of his congressional committees. If he gets past Feenstra in the primary, he is staring down a rematch against Democrat J.D. Scholten, who he defeated by only 3 points in November, the closest race in his congressional career. Jonathan Allen: The GOP would like Steve King to kindly shut up. > Guns latest: The White House is in talks with lawmakers from both parties on gun control proposals, hoping for a plan of action before lawmakers return to Washington in September. As Juliegrace Brufke and Peter Sullivan report, administration officials and senior staffers in both chambers are in early discussions about which bills are likely to see movement, and which ones the White House might support. "I think the wheels are spinning pretty quickly right now on gathering a lot of this information," a source familiar with the discussions told The Hill. "So I think the goal would be to have something ready by the end of the month or at least by the time Congress comes back — have some sort of a better picture." The New York Times: Trump weighs action on gun control. But it's still a theoretical discussion. The Hill: Pelosi vows no U.K. free trade deal if Brexit undermines Good Friday accord. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment