Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - May 2, 2019

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May 2, 2019

Candidates on Senate Judiciary Committee question AG Barr   May 2, 2019: Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet announced that he was running for president. Three candidates on the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Attorney General William Barr. Share the latest from the campaign trail.         Notable Quote of the Day “President Trump won an exceedingly narrow Electoral College victory while losing the popular vote in 2016. Since then, he has consistently played this political base rather than looking to expand his coalition. So, barring a startlingly inept and unpopular Democratic nominee, his only path to victory in 2020 is re-creating the 2016 map.” — Michael Steel, former Jeb Bush senior adviser Democrats Michael Bennet announced that he was running for president Thursday morning. He is the seventh sitting U.S. senator to enter the race and the second official from Colorado. Joe Biden campaigned in Iowa City and Des Moines Wednesday. Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Kamala Harris questioned Attorney General William Barr on his handling of the Mueller report release during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. The Pete Buttigieg campaign released a second statement on Buttigieg’s vaccination stance Wednesday after initially saying he supported medical and religious exemptions under certain circumstances. The campaign said: "Pete believes vaccines are safe and effective and are necessary to maintaining public health. … He is aware that in most states the law provides for some kinds of exemptions. He believes only medical exemptions should be allowed." Julián Castro discussed reproductive healthcare at the South Texas Planned Parenthood Luncheon. John Delaney hosted a roundtable on mental health policy in Iowa and unveiled his mental health platform. During an interview on Fox News, Tulsi Gabbard discussed the crisis in Venezuela. She said the U.S. should work with Russia and other countries to find a diplomatic solution. In an interview with Cheddar, John Hickenlooper said he would reduce the student loan interest rate to 2.5 percent because student debt is a “drag on the economy.” Jay Inslee discussed climate change during a town hall at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Wayne Messam will campaign in New Hampshire Thursday. Seth Moulton will campaign in New Hampshire Saturday. Beto O'Rourke signed the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge and agreed to reject donations of $200 or more from fossil fuel executives. Five other presidential candidates have signed the pledge. The Los Angeles Times reported on the state of Bernie Sanders’ campaign operations in California compared to his 2016 run. In a Vox interview about defense spending, Sanders called for decreasing the budget and evaluating compensation for defense contractors. In an interview with The Root, Elizabeth Warren discussed her plan to create a $50 billion federal fund for historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions. Marianne Williamson appeared on The Damage Report With John Iadarola Wednesday. Andrew Yang will give $1,000 per month to two families in New Hampshire and Iowa as a demonstration of his Universal Basic Income plan. Yang said he wanted to expand the offering to families in Nevada and South Carolina. What We’re Reading Politico: Bad News for Warren: She's Winning the Ideas Primary Reuters: Most Democrats say age is not just a number for White House candidates Roll Call: Trump already forging campaign path to rebuild 2016 electoral map Flashback: May 2, 2015 Bernie Sanders raised $1.5 million in the first 24 hours of his 2016 presidential campaign. Roughly four years later, he raised $5.9 million in the first 24 hours of 2020 presidential campaign.