Daily Archives: March 2, 2020

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The field of candidates seeking the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination was set to drop to six on Sunday as former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg prepared to end his candidacy, according to an aide.

Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders waves to supporters during a campaign rally in San Jose, California, U.S., March 1, 2020. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

What was once a field of more than 20 lost two more contenders after Saturdays South Carolina vote. Businessman Tom Steyer that night ended his bid after finishing third in South Carolina, the fourth state to vote. The race now heads to Super Tuesday, when voters in 14 states will go to the polls and present a test for the remaining candidates.

The Republican choice will almost certainly be President Donald Trump, who has overwhelmingly won the first two contests.

The U.S. senator from Vermont with an impassioned following is making a second attempt at the presidency and secured a position as front-runner after the first nominating contests.

Sanders won New Hampshire and Nevada, finished a close second in Iowa to Buttigieg and well behind Joe Biden in South Carolina.

As in his first presidential run in 2016, Sanders, 78, has campaigned as an unapologetic, self-described democratic socialist who seeks nothing less than a political revolution.

Sanders, whose signature issue is government-run universal healthcare, has again proven to be a fundraising powerhouse, leading the field in terms of total campaign contributions.

Biden, who was vice president under President Barack Obama, built his candidacy on the argument that his more than 40 years in elected office makes him best suited to take over from Trump on Day One.

Lackluster performances in Iowa and New Hampshire cost Biden his front-runner status, though his campaign argued Nevada and South Carolina would be a better test of his ability to assemble a diverse coalition of supporters that includes African Americans, Hispanics and working-class white voters.

Biden finished second in Nevada and a decisive first in South Carolina.

At 77, questions persist about his age and his moderate brand of politics, which progressives contend is out of step with the leftward shift of the party.

Trumps apparent effort to push the Ukrainian government to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, which resulted in Trumps impeachment, appeared to boost Bidens argument that the president views him as a threat.

Media mogul and former New York City Mayor Bloomberg, 77, announced his candidacy in November, very late in the game.

In an unusual move, Bloomberg is skipping early voting states, focusing instead on the larger states such as California, Florida and Texas that vote on March 3 - Super Tuesday - and beyond.

Ranked by Forbes as the eighth-richest American with an estimated worth of $53.4 billion, Bloomberg has previously been praised within the party for his advocacy and philanthropy on climate change and in fighting gun violence. He served as mayor of New York from 2002 to 2013.

Bloomberg has poured hundreds of millions of dollars of his own wealth into trying to win the nomination, spending millions on television advertisements.

The 70-year-old U.S. senator from Massachusetts saw her standing in opinion polls skyrocket and then fade in the months leading up to the early primary contests. Warren finished third in Iowa, is likely to finish fifth in South Carolina, and was fourth in Nevada and New Hampshire, which neighbors her home state.

A fierce critic of Wall Street, she has based her campaign on a populist anti-corruption message and argues the country needs big, structural change.

Despite her liberalism, she has been criticized by some progressives for not fully embracing the Medicare for All healthcare plan that would eliminate private insurance in favor of a government-run plan. Some moderates, on the other hand, view her policies, which include a tax on the super-rich, as too extreme.

Even so, Warren contends that she is the best candidate to unite the partys warring moderate and progressive factions.

The U.S. senator from Minnesota has built her campaign by presenting herself as a pragmatic alternative to the likes of Sanders and Warren and charming voters with a self-effacing sense of humor.

She focused much of her early campaign on winning the neighboring state of Iowa, where she finished fifth. She was able to capitalize on her momentum and placed third in New Hampshire, a result that has rocketed her campaign into the top tier of candidates.

But she saw her steam fizzle when she hit Nevada, where she finished sixth, and South Carolina, where she is likely to finish sixth once votes are counted.

The Samoan-American congresswoman from Hawaii is the first Hindu to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and has centered her campaign on her anti-war stance.

Despite finishing in all four early primary states near the bottom of the heap, Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran, has vowed to continue to campaign.

Gabbards populist, anti-war approach has won her fans among both the far left and the far right.

Gabbard, 38, has been engaged in a public feud with 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. She sued Clinton for defamation, seeking at least $50 million in damages for suggesting last year that one of the partys White House contenders was a Russian asset.

Trump is the clear favorite to win the Republican nomination, and there has been criticism among his opponents that party leadership has worked to make it impossible for a challenger. Still, the incumbent will face a rival on the ballot.

His campaign mounted a show of force in Iowa, where the incumbent won every caucus. In New Hampshire, Trump won 86% of the Republican vote.

Since his surprise win in the 2016 presidential election, Trump, 73, has become a ubiquitous political force, both through the controversies he generates almost daily and his prolific Twitter account.

Trump was impeached in the House in December for his request that Ukraine carry out investigations into Joe and Hunter Biden. But the U.S. Senate, controlled by his fellow Republicans, acquitted him on Feb. 5.

Trump is focusing his re-election message on the strong economy, while continuing the anti-immigration rhetoric that characterized his first campaign.

The 74-year-old former Massachusetts governor ran unsuccessfully for vice president in 2016 as a Libertarian. He has been a persistent critic of Trump, saying when he began his 2020 campaign that the American people are being ignored and our nation is suffering.

Weld finished a distant second in New Hampshire, receiving 9% of the vote.

Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis

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Factbox: Six Democrats still in the fight for U.S. presidential nomination - Reuters

After the 2016 election, you promised yourself youd do everything you can to beat Trump in 2020. You marched and protested, knocked doors in the midterms, wrote postcards to voters, donated to anyone whose video caught your eye, and maybe even got caught up in some ridiculous social media squabbles.

Now the time has finally come. The 2020 election is here, and the Democratic primary is very slowly narrowing, with only a handful of candidates remaining. Youve been preparing for this for three years, and yet: When you look at the possibilities, youre deflated. Or maybe you feel it more viscerally: You cannot stomach the idea of casting a ballot for ______, let alone knocking a door for them or giving them money. You know you have a moral responsibility to act, but there is simply no way you can do it on behalf of ________.

Dont worry. There is another, equally important, way to make a difference this November that wont require you to fake it through a canvassing shift: Go local.

With your time, money, attention, and most importantly, your vote, you can help beat Trump and also build sustainable power for Democrats without ever saying the Democratic nominees name.

First, heres what to do with your time:

Within an hours drive of nearly every zipcode in America, there is an election where a Democrat one whos not running for president needs your help. If you live in or near a state like Alabama, Georgia, Maine, Montana, Texas, North Carolina, or Iowa, that election might be huge, like a senate race. Maybe its a high-stakes governors race, like in Missouri, North Carolina, West Virginia, or New Hampshire.

More critically, in all 50 states, there are elections down-ballot, ranging from must-win state house and senate elections to district attorneys, school board, county clerks, tax collector, judges, justices of the peace, and library boards (to name just a few of the many other positions that might be on your ballot.) And too often, folks who do show up at the polls fail to cast their votes for positions outside the top two or three, in part because they feel they dont know enough to make a choice.

Go knock doors for those state and local candidates. Your energy will yield dividends, because the voter contact you do will make a difference for the entire ticket: young people and communities of color especially, who often feel dismissed or ignored by national candidates, can be more directly energized by local issues and candidates. And at the end of the day, it doesnt really matter which Democratic campaign gets someone to the polls as long as they get there.

Even if the candidate you support loses, the campaign itself strengthens party infrastructure for the next cycle. If the candidate wins, even better: A Democrat is now in office who can govern, deliver on their promises, and help prevent the GOP from causing further harm.

Second, heres what to do with your money:

Its possible that the Democratic nominee will be someone to whom you flat-out refuse to make a donation. Its also possible that the Democratic nominee is someone who doesnt want your money in the first place. Either way, forget about them.

No matter who the nominee is, there will be literally billions of dollars spent on their behalf, probably focused in a handful of battleground states. Meanwhile, city council and state house candidates nationwide are going to be struggling to pay for basic things they desperately need as they knock thousands of doors and personally talk to voters.

Take whatever money youd budgeted for beating Trump, and split it in down the middle. Give half of it to local candidates who catch your eye. Give the other half to an organization (or a few) that will exist past Election Day 2020. Focus on groups that work with local candidates we humbly suggest our own group, Run for Something, of course, but any will do or groups that engage young people and/or communities of color. Give to organizations that do deep relationship-building in states that a presidential campaign is never going to organize in because the Electoral College doesnt incentivize it. If you can afford to, make your donation recurring and plan to let it run into 2021.

Third, heres what to do with your attention if you hate the eventual nominee:

Commit to amplifying local candidates on every social media network youre active on. You can mute the presidential nominees name on Twitter if you want, or unfollow them on Instagram and Facebook; replace them with a local news source (if there still is one in your community) and with every candidate who will be on your ballot in November, and any ballot referendums, too. Then go wild with the RT and share buttons. You might be the only one in your circle of friends who cares about these elections -- be the trendsetter who gets others fired up.

And finally, heres what to do with your vote:

Whether or not you vote is public, but who you vote for is private. Its your right to cast your ballot for whomever you prefer. But especially if youre a person with any kind of privilege, you have a responsibility to think beyond your own self-interest. This election is about the most vulnerable among us, who need you to be an ally.

While it might be tempting to take a principled stand and not vote, the facts are what they are: The general election will be between Trump and the eventual Democratic nominee. You dont get to go off-menu. The people who will be most harmed by your failure to vote against Trump are people who are already seriously hurting that is a responsibility to take seriously, especially if you live in one of the battleground states where the margin could be dangerously close.

That being said: Whatever you decide to do in the presidential election, make sure you vote for the rest of the ballot. It is all too common for folks to show up at the polls, check the boxes for the first race or two and then just turn it in unfinished, often because they feel like they dont know enough to make an informed decision. Thats why the doors you knock, articles you share, and money you donate all matter.

By directing your efforts to state and local elections, youll help beat Trump, build sustainable power for Democrats, and perhaps most importantly, youll start to feel good about politics again. Your rage for the Democratic nominee might dissipate, or it might not. (And if you love the eventual Democratic nominee, great! By helping local candidates, youll ensure that our Democratic president will have governing partners, so all the policies weve spent the last year debating can actually become reality.) Either way, youll know you did everything you could no matter the results, you can wake up the day after Election Day 2020 without regrets.

Amanda Litman and Ross Morales Rocketto are the co-founders of Run for Something. Since launching in 2017, they have recruited more than 47,000 young people to run for office, endorsed 950+, and elected 305 across 45 states.

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Opinion: Here's What To Do If You Hate The Democratic Nominee - BuzzFeed News

The novel coronavirus and Covid-19, the disease it causes, have become a global health issue. But increasingly for President Donald Trump, a member of his family, and his administration officials, the virus is being seen as a weapon the presidents enemies hope to use against him as much as it is a public health concern.

The presidents son, Donald Trump, Jr., offered the most pointed encapsulation of this view on Friday, when he told Fox News that Democrats seemingly hope that it comes here, and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trumps streak of winning.

No elected official, Democratic or otherwise, have said any such thing. Some Democrats and some Republicans have, however, been critical of the Trump administrations response to the coronavirus. Republican Sen. Richard Shelby and Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have both called on the administration to spend more to combat the virus, for example.

Despite this, on Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence who is in charge of the White Houses efforts to deal with the outbreak defended the presidents sons remarks as understandable.

This is no time for politics. And frankly, I think that was Don Jr.s point: that there has been some very strong rhetoric directed at the president by some members of Congress, Pence told CNNs Jake Tapper. But responding to the kind of things that have been hurled is understandable.

Pences defense of the presidents son is just one of several examples of how he and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar argued on the Sunday morning that Democrats and liberal commentators not the Trump administration or the right were to blame for the politicization of the coronavirus.

When NBCs Chuck Todd questioned Pence on Meet the Press over politicizing rhetoric on the right, such as right-wing radio host Rush Limbaughs claim that Democrats have weaponized the coronavirus as well as Trump Jr.s inflammatory remarks, Pence declined to condemn them. Instead he drew attention to liberals.

Pence said Trump Jr. was pushing back at Trump critics, and that its time for the other side to turn down the volume.

Pence cited Gail Collinss New York Times column entitled, Lets call it Trumpvirus as an example of how there have been irresponsible voices on the left criticizing the president. Beyond pressure from Democrats for the administration to speed and better fund its response efforts, it is not clear what volume Pence was referring to.

Trump himself has claimed that criticism of his handling of coronavirus in the US is part of a Democratic Party hoax.

One of my people came up to me and said, Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didnt work out too well. They couldnt do it, the president said at a rally in South Carolina Friday. They tried the impeachment hoax. And this is their new hoax.

At a Saturday press conference, the president made it clear he used the word hoax in connection to the coronavirus which has killed at least 2,990 people globally and infected at least 22 people in the US because he felt his administrations work was being attacked.

When questioned over the use of the term hoax on Saturday, Trump said that it referred to the action that [Democrats] take to try to pin this on somebody because weve done such a good job.

He added, I dont like it when they are criticizing [government officials], and thats the hoax.

When ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Azar about Trumps use of the term hoax, Sunday Azar deflected.

Hes talking about the partisan sniping that were seeing, its unnecessary, we dont need to have this made a political issue, Azar said. Were in a public health crisis here, we need to all be banding together.

The partisan sniping seems to be one-sided but the coronavirus does inarguably call for banding together. There is still much that isnt known about it, and new cases within the US are being reported daily. It is true that the US has far fewer Covid-19 cases than other countries, but that does not make the president and his allies use of the virus to to attack political rivals any less worrying or any less of a distraction from life-or-death work that needs to be done.

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Trump administration officials are accusing liberals of politicizing the coronavirus - Vox.com

Democrats won South Carolinas First, which stretches from the posh coastal towns of Hilton Head and Beaufort to the Charleston suburbs. The district was formerly held by the very conservative Mark Sanford. Trump won it by 13 points in 2016; freshman Representative Joe Cunningham nabbed it by only one point in 2018.

Democrats won New Yorks Twenty-Second, which extends from the university city of Binghamton to postindustrial Utica. Trump won there by a staggering 15 points in 2016; Anthony Brindisi defeated by two points a Republican incumbent prone to incendiary comments likein a radio interview shortly after the Parkland school shootingIt's interesting that so many of [the] people that commit the mass murders end up being Democrats.

Altogether, 31 of the congressional districts won by Trump in 2016 are now held by Democrats, 21 of them freshman. Only three Hillary-won House districts are represented by Republicans.

Democrats succeeded in Trump country because the Democratic Party attracted a broad coalition of moderates and liberals. The Sanders campaign aims first and foremost to reinvent the Democratic coalition as a narrower ideological movement, in much the same way that the once-broad Republican coalition has been transformed. But the difference between the two is that many fewer Americans identify as progressive than as conservative. Worse for Democrats: Not only does Sanders propose to break the cookie in such a way as to leave his party with the smaller piece, but he also does so in a political context that already disfavors them.

Democrats hold virtually every one of the urban and academic districts that will rally to progressive politics. But thanks to enterprising candidates who keep in touch with their districts, they also hold Minnesotas Seventh, a 90 percent white district running north-south adjacent to the two Dakotas. Its represented in Congress by Collin Peterson, a pro-life Democrat who chairs the House Agriculture Committee. In 2018, a Democrat won the countrys richest congressional district, the Virginia Tenth, which has a median household income of more than $127,000. Democrats now represent all of the countrys 10 richest districts.

Peter Beinart: Regular Democrats just arent worried about Bernie

Sanders supporters take as an article of faith that Sanders will win votes from working-class voters who swung to Trump in 2016. This idea is based on a single data-point: Some 10 to 12 percent of those who voted for Sanders in the 2016 primary then voted for Trump in the general election. If Sanders could have held all those primary voters in a general election, and also if he had won everybody who voted for Hillary Clinton in the primary, then he would have defeated Trump. But once you state the two ifs, you see the problem.

The political scientist Brian Schaffner, who closely studied these Sanders-Trump switchers, finds that they were older white voters with conservative racial views. As compared with other Sanders voters, the Sanders-Trump switchers were much more likely to deny that white people enjoy special advantages in American society. They were also much less positive about President Obama than were Sanders voters who did not switch to Trump.

No Democrat, including Sanders, is likely to outbid Trump for these voters in a general election.

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The Price of a Sanders Nomination - The Atlantic

Former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg has suspended his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Wochit

WASHINGTON Former mayor Pete Buttigiegcalling it quits just two days before one of the largest contests of the primary cycle means his supporters are now looking for a new candidate.

Buttigiegs exit could bring a significant shift to the race, as he was one of several moderate candidates running to win many of the same voters. Will his supporters flock to fellow center-left Democrats, such asSen. Amy Klobuchar, former Vice President Joe Biden or Michael Bloomberg?

Or could the more progressive candidates, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, benefit from the now unattached voters?

Heres a look at where some of Buttigieg's support could move:

Klobuchar and Buttigieg each billed themselves as the person who could unify all voting blocs of the Democratic Party, particularly rural and suburban voters. But Klobuchar often slammed Buttigieg in debates for his lack of experience.

Despite the often intense back-and-forth between the two candidates, many of their voters overlapped. In fact, 26% of Buttigieg voters said Klobuchar would be their second choice for president, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released in February.That percentage was tied for the highest of any other candidate with Warren, also at 26%.

The end of the campaign: After rising from relative obscurity, Pete Buttigieg ends his White House bid as crowd chants "2024"

Klobucharplaced third in New Hampshire, closely following Buttigieg, who was in second. But the Minnesota senator is going to need several big wins to continue on in the Democratic primary.

She has failed to gain traction in the more diverse early voting states ofNevada and South Carolina. She still needs to boost herself with black and Latino voters. According to exit polls in South Carolinas primary on Saturday, Klobuchar got 0% among black voters.

Off to the Lone Star State: Candidates flock to delegate-rich Texas with Super Tuesday around the corner

Warren, who is on the more progressive end of the spectrum than Buttigieg, also is the second choice of 26% of Buttigieg supporters, according to the Quinnipiac Poll from February. In aMorning Consult national poll released in late February, Warren was the second choice of19% with Buttigiegsupporters.

Warren has struggled to gain traction with voting now underway in the primary season, despite surging in polling last fall. Warrens third-place finish in Iowa was clouded by chaos surrounding the results, Buttigiegs and Sanders near tie, and former Vice President Joe Bidens low placing. Since then, Warren has failed to make the top 3 again in a primary.

However, the Massachusetts senator has said her campaign is in it for the long haul.She has come out swinging on the debate stage against Bloomberg, the former New York City, and continued campaigning heavily in Super Tuesday states.

Biden seems to be in the best position to benefit from Buttigieg's exit.

Buttigiegs announcement comes a day after Bidens blowout win in South Carolina, where he leapfrogged to second place in national pledged delegates behind Sanders. With Biden proving he can win, voters once attracted to Buttigieg could feel more comfortable moving over to another moderate in Biden.

According to the Quinnipiac poll, 19% of Buttigieg voters said Biden was their second choice. A Morning Consult national poll released in late February also showed 19% of Buttigieg supporters picking Biden as their second choice.

At least one Buttigieg supporter has already thrown his support behind Biden. Shortly after Buttigieg left the race, Congressman Don Beyer, who had initiallyendorsed Buttigieg, threw his support to Biden. Beyer represents a district inVirginia, a Super Tuesday state.

Joe Biden is a statesman who has been tested by years of public service as a Senator and as the Vice President and most trusted counselor of President Barack Obama Beyer said in his statement. He has the experience necessary to achieve progress and deliver results, and the ability to unite our partys broad coalition and lead us to victory in November. As Virginians weigh their choices in Tuesdays primary, I give my endorsement to Vice President Joe Biden.

The former vice presidents electability was brought into question following his low placements in Iowa and New Hampshire and his distant second-place finish in Nevada.

But Biden showcased Saturday that his support among black voters remains the strongest of the field. With the addition of support from any Buttigieg supporters, Biden has one more group in the wide coalition needed to win the Democratic nomination.

'Not over yet': Biden-Sanders on Super Tuesday collision course as biggest trove of delegates awaits

Its unclear how Buttigiegs announcement will affect Sanders, who is still the national frontrunner.

With Buttigieg out, moderate voters could coalesce around one candidaterather than spreading across three or four candidates. Sanders, who is supported by a largely more progressive sect of the Democratic Party, could see a slimmer margin between him and more moderate candidates in upcoming primaries.

But Sanders could also see a lift from Buttigieg suspending his campaign. According to the Quinnipiac poll, 11% of Buttigieg supporters said Sanders was their second choice. In fact, he could receive an even larger share of Buttigieg support.

And according to a Morning Consult national poll released in late February, 21% of Buttigieg supporters said Sanders was their second choice. Sanders received the largest share of support as their second choicefrom Buttigieg supporters compared to the other candidates.

The former New York City mayor has yet to compete in any of the early states. But hes anticipating makinga splash on Super Tuesday, where hes already invested millions of his own money.

According to the Quinnipiac poll, only 9% of Buttigieg supporters said Bloomberg was their second choice. But in the Morning Consult poll, that number is almost double. The poll says 17% of Buttigieg supporters say Bloomberg is their second choice.

Tuesday will be Bloombergs first test to see if he can consolidate support in the Democratic field.

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With Pete Buttigieg out, which candidate is primed to inherit his supporters? - USA TODAY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A Fox News poll shows that the top four Democratic candidates would all beat President Donald Trump if the election were held now.

Joe Biden would beat Trump 49-41 percent, the poll found.

Bernie Sanders would beat Trump 49-42 percent.

Mike Bloomberg would beat Trump 48-40 percent.

And Elizabeth Warren would beat Trump 46-43 percent, which was within the poll's 3 percent margin of error. (The poll was taken before Pete Buttigieg dropped out Sunday, but it also showed Buttigieg beating Trump 45-42 percent.)

The poll also showed that voters are supportive of Medicare for All (67 percent support, 23 percent opposed), with 42 percent supporting getting rid of private insurance.

The poll of registered voters was taken February 23-26, with a margin of error of plus/minus 3 percentage points.

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Fox News poll shows top Democratic candidates beating Trump - FOX 10 News Phoenix