Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - February 19, 2019

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February 19, 2019

Elizabeth Warren to release universal childcare proposal   February 19, 2019: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) launched his presidential bid for the Democratic nomination Tuesday morning. Elizabeth Warren will release a new policy proposal on universal childcare. Share the latest from the campaign trail.         Notable Quote of the Day “Warren is perhaps his most direct ideological competition — she’s been a critic of American capitalism for decades, though unlike Sanders, she still calls herself a capitalist and a Democrat. She also hired his 2016 Iowa caucus director — inside baseball to be sure, but it’s worth paying attention to the campaigns Democratic operatives choose to work for this early on.” – Clare Malone, FiveThirtyEight senior political writer on Sanders and Warren Democrats Former Rep. John Delaney opened a campaign office in Waterloo, Iowa. “We’re running a campaign all around this state,” Delaney said. “I’m all in. To be here and everywhere.” Rep. Tulsi Gabbard remained in New Hampshire Monday where she held town meetings and discussed the opioid crisis at an addiction recovery home. Sen. Kamala Harris said she was not a democratic socialist when asked if we should have to move further to the left to compete in New Hampshire. Sen. Amy Klobuchar participated in a town hall broadcasted by CNN Monday, where she discussed free college education, the Green New Deal, and Medicare for All. “Klobuchar, who launched her presidential bid earlier this month, is pitching herself as [a] pragmatic Midwesterner who won’t over-promise liberal policies to primary voters. The three-term senator carefully calibrated her answers on several progressive platforms — expressing support without fully committing to them,” Politico reported. Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Tuesday morning that he was running for president. He ran for the office in 2016, coming in second behind Hillary Clinton and earning 46 percent of the pledged delegates at the Democratic National Convention that year. Watch his announcement video here. Sen. Elizabeth Warren will release a proposal to establish public and family-run childcare centers that would be subsidized based on a household’s income or free for families below 200 percent of the poverty level. Warren’s previously proposed wealth tax would pay for a portion of the childcare policy. Republicans The Associated Press profiled President Donald Trump’s approach to commenting on the unfolding Democratic primary: “Presidents traditionally ignore their potential opponents as long as possible to maintain their status as an incumbent floating above the contenders who are auditioning for a job they already inhabit. Not Trump. He’s eager to shape the debate, sow discord and help position himself for the general election.” On the Cusp: Tracking Potential Candidates Rep. Eric Swalwell has eight staffers in Iowa and is reportedly putting together a South Carolina team. “Yes, I imagine, we’ll have an announcement fairly soon,” Swalwell said during a house event in Iowa. What We’re Reading NBC News: DNC chair Tom Perez faces blowback over convention city pick — no matter where he goes The New York Times: Obama Quietly Gives Advice to 2020 Democrats, but No Endorsement U.S. News & World Report: The Early State of Play in Iowa Flashback: February 19, 2015 The New York Times profiled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s early campaign efforts. They quoted Anthony Scaramucci, who would go on to briefly serve as White House communications director under the Trump administration, describing Christie: “He’s a very popular figure, but he’s made a mistake by not creating the necessary momentum for the kind of national organization you need to be successful. He’s not touching enough people. And I think this is a classic rookie mistake.”