Friday, February 8, 2019: Stacey Abrams considers running for president, among other options, and will decide on next steps by the end of March. Democratic candidates respond to sexual assault allegations against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D).
Share the latest from the campaign trail.
   
Democrats
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Sen. Cory Booker is visiting Iowa for the first time as a presidential candidate Friday, including a stop in Waterloo, which has the largest black population per capita in the state.
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The Booker campaign has said that it would not accept contributions from “corporate PACs, lobbyists or individuals who work in the pharmaceutical industry.” Attorney Victor Herlinsky clarified Thursday that the prohibition would apply to executives and not other employees.
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After traveling to Iowa this weekend, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg will make his first visit to New Hampshire on Feb. 16.
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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand introduced a bill with Sens. Jack Reed and Susan Collins to allow transgender individuals to serve in the military.
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Gillibrand also received a mixed statement of support from New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who questioned whether she could win in the Rust Belt states. Maloney released a second statement, saying, “Kirsten Gillibrand is an outstanding Senator and would be an exceptional President. I was simply commenting on the importance of winning back previously blue states and having a strategy for doing so.”
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Sen. Kamala Harris has been endorsed by 21 of the 28 Democrats in the California State Senate.
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Harris has also hired Jalisa Washington-Price, former chief of staff for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, as a state director in South Carolina.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren is officially kicking off her campaign Saturday in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
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U.S. News & World Report published a round-up of how 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have responded to sexual assault allegations against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D).
On the Cusp: Tracking Potential Candidates
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Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) did not rule out a presidential run in an interview Thursday. “I’m thinking about everything, I gave myself a deadline of the end of March to make a decision about what I’m going to do next,” she said.
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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) celebrated his 67th birthday in New York City and attended a fundraiser for his leadership PAC Giddy Up. He said in a statement to Fox News, “The more and more I travel, I see that there is an appetite for a leader who not only talks about progressive policies, but who has a proven track record of enacting them.”
What We’re Reading
Flashback: February 8, 2015
Sen. Ted Cruz (R) appeared on ABC’s This Week where he discussed the 2016 presidential election and moving away from an establishment candidate. “I'd be thrilled if six months from now, we have a half dozen Republicans standing and leading and making the case. There is a better way. We can get back to the free market principles and constitutional liberties that built this country and made this country a shining city on a hill,” he said.
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