Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - January 28, 2019

Newsletters Daily Brew Weekly Brew Hall Pass

Specialty

Ballot Measure Monthly The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Robe & Gavel

Next edition

January 28, 2019

Richard Ojeda becomes first Democrat to suspend presidential campaign   Monday, January 28, 2019: Over the weekend, Howard Schultz, a lifelong Democrat and the former CEO of Starbucks, announced he was seriously considering a presidential run as a centrist independent. Former West Virginia state legislator Richard Ojeda suspended his presidential campaign. Share the latest from the campaign trail.         Notable Quote of the Day “One reason my colleagues and I are focused on a Republican primary challenge to Trump—apart from the fact that we’re Republicans—is that it doesn’t present any of the problems of inadvertently helping him by being a spoiler.” – Bill Kristol on an independent presidential run by Howard Schultz Democrats  Joseph Buttigieg, professor emeritus of English at Notre Dame and the father of South Bend Mayor Peter Buttigieg, died Sunday. “We miss him already but his love of life, and his moral passion, will stay with us forever,” Buttigieg said in a statement. Former U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro said an independent presidential run by Howard Schultz would siphon votes away from Democrats in 2020. “I have a concern that if he did run that, essentially, it would provide Donald Trump with his best hope of getting re-elected,” Castro said. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard published an op-ed in Religion News Service entitled “Religious Bigotry is Un-American,” in response to allegations that she is a Hindu nationalist. “To question my commitment to my country, while not questioning non-Hindu leaders, creates a double standard that can be rooted in only one thing: religious bigotry. I am Hindu and they are not,” she wrote. Read the op-ed here. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand hired two new senior staffers to lead her campaign in Iowa: Lara Hender as state director and Rachel Irwin as state communications director. Sen. Kamala Harris formally kicked off her campaign Sunday with a rally in her hometown of Oakland, California. Her campaign headquarters will be in Baltimore with a second office in Oakland. Richard Ojeda, a former West Virginia state senator, suspended his presidential campaign Friday. He said in a video statement, “When I was a kid in grade school, my teachers always said that anyone could grow up and become president. Unfortunately, what I’m starting to realize is that unless you have wealth, influence and power, it’s not gonna happen.” Venture for America founder Andrew Yang will travel across Iowa Wednesday through Saturday. On the campaign trail, he is promoting the “Freedom Dividend,” his policy to institute a universal basic income of $1,000 per month for every American adult. Republicans The Republican National Committee voted unanimously to pass a resolution giving its “undivided support for President Donald J. Trump and his effective Presidency.” Former Arizona state legislator and U.S. Senate candidate Kelli Ward defeated incumbent party chairman Jonathan Lines to lead the Republican Party of Arizona. Ward said in a statement, “One of my top priorities as chairman is to unify our party so we enter 2020 at full strength. Together, we will ensure a resounding victory for President Trump and Arizona Republicans up and down the ballot.” On the Cusp: Tracking Potential Candidates Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) is going on a listening tour in the four early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. Brown said in an interview on Saturday, “I would say that I will beat Trump in Ohio, where they know me best. I'll beat him in my home state and I'll beat him in his home state of New York, where they know him best.”  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) has not ruled out a third presidential run, CNN reported. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said earlier this month that he also would not rule out a presidential run. The New York Times published an article Sunday highlighting recent fundraising and speaking engagements that could be signs of de Blasio positioning himself for a presidential run. A presidential announcement by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) is imminent, according to a report from Yahoo! News. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz tweeted Sunday, “I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent.” He begins a book tour across the country for his civic memoir, From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America, Monday. Steve Schmidt, who managed John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008, is on his communications team.  Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) said he was close to making a decision about entering the race. “Can we win? There is a path. It’s not an easy path. It’s a steep mountain to climb and I’m up for it. Right now, I have to talk with my family,” he said. What We’re Reading The Hill: A crowded 2020 presidential primary field calls for ranked choice voting Politico: The Foolish Quest to Be the Next Barack Obama The Post & Courier: Why so many 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls are visiting SC so early Flashback: January 28, 2015 Marsha Blackburn (R)—who would later be elected to the U.S. Senate in Tennessee in 2018—announced that she was not running for president after making an appearance in Iowa.