Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - March 15, 2019

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March 15, 2019

O’Rourke lands four congressional endorsements   March 15, 2019: Washington moved its primary from May to the second Tuesday in March. Beto O’Rourke received four endorsements from members of the U.S. House within hours of launching his campaign. Share the latest from the campaign trail.         Notable Quote of the Day “I think someone should run. Just because Republicans ought to be given a choice. … But to have a conversation about what it is to be a conservative I think is important. And our country needs to have competing ideologies that people—that are dynamic, that focus on the world we're in and the world we're moving towards rather than revert back to a nostalgic time." - Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida Democrats Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar are campaigning in Iowa over the weekend. Julián Castro received endorsements from 30 Texas politicians, including San Antonio city council members and 17 state legislators. He was also endorsed by former San Antonio mayor and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros. In an effort to qualify for the first Democratic primary debate, John Delaney announced that he would donate $2 to charity for every new donor that contributed to his campaign. Tulsi Gabbard is traveling across Iowa next week, hosting town halls and meet-and-greet events from Mar. 21-24. Kamala Harris introduced the Digital Service Act of 2019, which would allocate $15 million a year for grants to state and local governments to improve the technology they use to serve their constituents. Jay Inslee signed a bill moving Washington’s primary from May to the second Tuesday in March. Michigan and Ohio, among other states, are also holding primaries that day. During his first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate, Beto O’Rourke discussed restructuring the Supreme Court through term limits or additional members. “What if there were five justices selected by Democrats, five justices selected by Republicans and those 10 then pick five more justices independent of those who picked the first 10,” he said. O’Rourke was also endorsed by four members of the U.S. House: Stephanie Murphy (Fla.), Kathleen Rice (N.Y.), Sean Patrick Maloney (N.Y.), and Veronica Escobar (Texas). Bernie Sanders is scheduled to speak at a union rally in Los Angeles on Mar. 20. Elizabeth Warren was interviewed by NPR, where she discussed breaking up tech companies, trade and relations with China, climate change, and reparations. Andrew Yang tweeted a link to Marianne Williamson’s campaign, writing that she “is halfway to making the DNC primary debates! I’d love to have her join me up there. She is very human.” Republicans Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to Ohio to tour the Lima Army Tank Plant, the last remaining tank manufacturing facility in the U.S., and attend a fundraiser on Mar. 20. On the Cusp: Tracking Potential Candidates Joe Biden met with Stacey Abrams in Washington, D.C., Thursday. The meeting was reportedly at Biden’s request. What We’re Reading National Review: Five Lanes in the 2020 Democratic Field Politico: What Jesse Taught Bernie About Running for President USA Today: Democrats' civil war between progressives and moderates will bring 2020 Trump victory Flashback: March 15, 2015 The Washington Post reported on the lean of the Electoral College at the start of the election: “In short, Republicans are likely to have more and better options on their map to get to 270 in 2016 than they did against Obama in either 2008 and 2012. But that doesn’t mean the electoral college playing field starts out equal heading into this presidential race. It doesn’t. Democrats start with an edge.”