Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - March 7, 2019

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March 7, 2019

DNC will not use Fox News to host any primary debates   March 7, 2019: Former Vice President Joe Biden has reportedly hired Cristóbal Alex, the president of the Latino Victory Fund. The Democratic National Committee announced it would not use Fox News to host any of its primary debates. Share the latest from the campaign trail.         Notable Quote of the Day “[Allowing long-shot candidates to debate] has the potential to diminish everyone on stage, but on the other hand, it’s a temporary phenomenon that’ll be dealt with by the brutal economics of running for president.” – Craig Varoga, Democratic strategist Democrats Cory Booker is scheduled to appear on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Thursday night. Pete Buttigieg was interviewed on CNN by Christiane Amanpour and on former U.S. attorney Preet Bharara’s podcast. Buttigieg said the 2020 election could not solely focus on Trump. Otherwise, he said that "once again a lot of people, especially in the industrial regions where I live, will say that nobody is talking about me.” John Delaney called for a “new optional national service program to bring the country together.” He said, “This is about restoring a sense of common purpose, connecting people from different backgrounds & boosting useful initiatives.” Tulsi Gabbard introduced two new bipartisan marijuana bills with Rep. Don Young (R). The first would deschedule marijuana and allow states to set their own laws and the second would require a federal study of state marijuana legalization policies. Kirsten Gillibrand was interviewed by New York Magazine, where she discussed the NRA, Sen. Al Franken’s resignation, and capitalism. The Washington Post reported on an investigation into evidence tampering by a crime lab technician that occurred while Kamala Harris was district attorney of San Francisco. Jay Inslee made his first presidential campaign visit to Iowa, including a visit to Sitegen Solar, a solar business owned by former state Rep. Tyler Olson. Amy Klobuchar was profiled in Rolling Stone, where she discussed her political history, the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, and her presidential campaign. She also wrote an op-ed on the Farm Bill published by several newspapers. Bernie Sanders will make his first 2020 campaign visit to New Hampshire over the weekend. Elizabeth Warren is holding a rally in Long Island City, New York, Friday. Andrew Yang is nearing the donor benchmark necessary to participate in the Democratic primary debates this summer, including meeting the minimum of 200 donors per state in at least 20 states. Marianne Williamson’s campaign said she had a third of the donors necessary to qualify for the debate. The Democratic National Committee will not use Fox News for any of its Democratic primary debates. DNC Chairman Tom Perez said Fox News had been in consideration until a recent New Yorker report presented the network as a propaganda machine for the White House. Republicans Sen. Susan Collins, who wrote in Paul Ryan in the 2016 election, said she would decide on whether to endorse Donald Trump next year. “I’m not going to make a decision on what is a very fluid situation until that time,” she said. Bill Weld will be at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas, over the weekend, and is scheduled to return to New Hampshire at the end of this month. On the Cusp: Tracking Potential Candidates Joe Biden has reportedly hired Cristóbal Alex, the president of the Latino Victory Fund, to join his presidential campaign in an undisclosed role. Alex did not confirm the story, saying instead, “Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to our nation. I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat him, and my next steps will reflect that.” Howard Schultz has hired at least three veteran Republican staffers, including former Steve Stivers aides Brendon DelToro and Matt LoParco and consultant Greg Strimple. The Main Event Priorities USA, a top Democratic super PAC that supported Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign, is not including Ohio in the first or second phase of its $100 million early engagement program this year. “That doesn’t mean we don’t think Ohio is winnable for a Democrat,” said spokesman Josh Schwerin said. “What we think that means is if Ohio is in play, we’ll have already won the easier states and have 270 electoral votes. Our investment strategy is how to get to 270 electoral votes.” What We’re Reading FiveThirtyEight: Is Beto O'Rourke Overrated Or Underrated? Los Angeles Times: Flag huggers, tree huggers and other early narratives of the 2020 race Vox: 2020: Bernie Sanders's real base is diverse — and very young Flashback: March 7, 2015 Several Republican presidential contenders spoke at the Iowa Agriculture Summit, where they discussed immigration and farm and ethanol policies.