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Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The Hill's Campaign Report: Obama gives Biden boost with endorsement

 
 
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Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, your daily rundown on all the latest news in the 2020 presidential, Senate and House races. Did someone forward this to you? Click here to subscribe.

We’re Julia Manchester, Max Greenwood and Jonathan Easley. Here’s what we’re watching today on the campaign trail. 

 

 

LEADING THE DAY:  

OBAMA ENDORSES BIDEN: Former Vice President Joe Biden finally scored the coveted endorsement of his former boss, President Barack Obama, on Tuesday. The endorsement came in the form of a video address, in which Obama said from his Washington, D.C., residence that Biden represented America’s best hope of emerging from the coronavirus pandemic successfully. 

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned as a country from moments of great crisis, it’s that the spirit of looking out for one another can’t be restricted to our homes or our workplaces or our neighborhoods or houses of worship, it also has to be reflected in our national government,” Obama said.

While Obama waited until Biden was the presumptive Democratic nominee to endorse, the announcement’s timing is good for Biden. Remember, the former vice president is looking to unite a fractured Democratic Party, with a swath of progressive voters looking at him skeptically. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sent a major signal to his progressive supporters on Monday in endorsing Biden.

Now Biden also has the endorsement of Obama, who is arguably the most popular Democrat nearly four years after he left office. These two endorsements signal to Democrats of all stripes that it’s time to come together ahead of November. 

But unification could still prove to be challenging for the party with Biden at the helm. Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Biden needs a “real” health care plan to boost enthusiasm for his candidacy, adding that “at a bare minimum” he needs to create a health care plan “that helps extend health care to young people.” 

Ocasio-Cortez's fellow progressive, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said that she will support whoever the Democratic nominee is, but said she is looking for an indication from Biden that he understands what really matters for voters on the left. 

While there are clear policy differences between Biden’s supporters and the party’s progressives, their biggest unifier is the desire to defeat Trump in November. This appeared to be a unifying factor in 2016 when the majority of Democrats who backed Sanders in the primary supported Hillary Clinton in the general election. History tells us that this likely won’t be a problem, but that does not mean there won't be some bumps along the way. 

--Julia Manchester 

 

READ MORE:

Obama endorses Biden, by Jonathan Easley

Biden gains advantage over Clinton by having time to unify the party, by Amie Parnes

Biden gets major boost from Obama, by Jonathan Easley and Amie Parnes

Obama praises Sanders in endorsement of Biden, by J. Edward Moreno

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) looking for a ‘gesture’ from Biden before endorsing, by Rebecca Klar

 

FROM THE TRAIL:

Social distancing measures are forcing political campaigns into the online space ahead of the general election in November, which could result in new challenges for minority voters, particularly those with limited or no internet access. The Hill’s Rafael Bernal reports.

 

Biden slammed President Trump on Tuesday after the president said that he had the power to unilaterally reopen state economies. "I am not running for office to be King of America. I respect the Constitution. I’ve read the Constitution. I’ve sworn an oath to it many times," Biden said in a tweet. "I respect the great job so many of this country’s governors — Democratic and Republican — are doing under these horrific circumstances.” The comments from Trump and Biden underline a nationwide debate over when to reopen portions of the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Hill’s Marty Johnson has more.

 

PERSPECTIVES:

Maria Cardona: In the heat of crisis, Trump melts away

Robert Hormats: Would a National Popular Vote remove some politics from presidential decision making?

John McCormack: Why were only five polling locations open in Milwaukee?

Sharlee Glenn: A call to Elizabeth Warren to resume her candidacy for the 2020 election

 

MONEY WATCH:

The nation’s second-largest teachers union has launched a series of television and online ad spots in which nurses and other health care staff condemn Trump’s suggestion they have stolen personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. Zack Budryk reports.

 

POLL WATCH:

OH Predictive Insights — ARIZONA

Biden: 52 percent

Trump: 43 percent

 

VCU L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs — VIRGINIA

Biden: 51 percent

Trump: 41 percent

 

GreatBlue -Sacred Heart University Pioneer Poll- Connecticut

Biden: 47 percent

Trump: 34 percent

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

(Keep in mind these dates could change because of the outbreak.)

April 17:

Wyoming

 

April 28:

Ohio

 

May 2:

Kansas Democratic primary

Guam Democratic caucuses

 

May 12:

Nebraska primaries

 

May 19:

Oregon primaries

 

May 22:

Hawaii Democratic primary

 

June 2:

Connecticut primaries

Delaware primaries

District of Columbia primaries

Indiana primaries

Maryland primaries

Montana primaries

New Mexico primaries

Pennsylvania primaries

Rhode Island primaries

South Dakota primaries

 

June 6:

US Virgin Islands primaries

 

June 9:

Georgia primaries

West Virginia primaries

 

June 20:

Louisiana primaries

 

June 23:

Kentucky primaries

New York primaries

 

July 7:

New Jersey primaries

 

August 17-20:

Democratic National Convention

 

August 24-27:

Republican National Convention

 

ONE HOPEFUL THING

A group of Canadian high school students are looking to bring some happiness to older North Americans as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep seniors isolated from their friends and family. 

The teens from Ever Active Schools in Calgary, Canada, last week launched the Joy4All project, which plays prerecorded feel-good messages on a hotline. 

The messages include jokes, stories, educational tidbits and meditations. 

“We’re just trying to fill in some of the gaps and bring them a little bit of joy and levity during these difficult times,” Ever Active Schools Teacher Jamie Anderson told CBC News.

But the hotline isn’t just for senior citizens, the group’s website encourages people of all ages to call the hotline at 1-877-JOY-4ALL

For more information on the Joy4All project, click here.

We’ll see you tomorrow with all of the latest campaign news and updates!

 
 
 
 
 
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