Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - May 15, 2019

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May 15, 2019

Gravel hits halfway mark for donations to reach debate stage   May 15, 2019: Elizabeth Warren rejected an offer from Fox News to be featured in a town hall. Mike Gravel hit the halfway mark for donations to qualify for the debate stage. Share the latest from the campaign trail.           Notable Quote of the Day “[Steve] Bullock might have trouble replicating his Montana success in a national general election. That’s because party identification is relatively weak in Montana, making it easier for a Democrat to get elected there than in other red states. … Consequently, split-ticket voting is fairly common in Montana. In addition to 2016, when Bullock won statewide even as Trump carried the state, 2012 saw Montana elect a Democratic governor (Bullock), senator (Jon Tester), secretary of state, state auditor and state superintendent of public instruction at the same time it was voting for Mitt Romney by 14 points.” – Nathaniel Rakich, FiveThirtyEight Democrats Michael Bennet reintroduced the Agricultural Export Expansion Act of 2019 Tuesday. The bill would lift restrictions on private financing for U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba. Joe Biden defended his 1994 crime bill while campaigning in New Hampshire, saying its provisions on gun regulation made him “the only guy ever nationally to beat the NRA.” Cory Booker introduced the PROTECT Immigration Act, which would prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement from partnering with state and local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law. Steve Bullock held a campaign event at a high school he attended in Helena. He said he delayed announcing his campaign to finish his gubernatorial duties. Bullock also wrote an op-ed on CNN about his presidential campaign. Pete Buttigieg is shutting down Hitting Home PAC, the group he initially launched in 2017 to support his unsuccessful effort to become chair of the Democratic National Committee. In an interview with Mother Jones, Julián Castro discussed his immigration policy, Medicare, and impeaching Trump. Tulsi Gabbard criticized Facebook for banning certain individuals. She tweeted, “We must be willing to fight for the right of all Americans to express their views, even when we disagree with them. We must encourage unfettered discussion of public issues and stand united to stop Facebook and others from attempting to censor/stifle/influence public debate.” Kirsten Gillibrand will headline an event in Atlanta Thursday protesting a new Georgia fetal heartbeat law that would make most abortions after six weeks illegal. Mike Gravel tweeted that he had reached 35,000 donations and needed 30,000 more to reach the debate stage. Kamala Harris is expected to announce Wednesday that she would ban imports of AR-15 style assault weapons using executive action if elected president. John Hickenlooper will speak about foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs May 20. Jay Inslee will tour Davenport, Iowa, which was affected by the Mississippi River flooding last month. In an interview with ELLE, Amy Klobuchar discussed her management style and sexism in Congress. The North Star interviewed Wayne Messam about climate change, gun violence, student loan debt, immigration, and policing. Yahoo! Finance featured and interviewed Seth Moulton in its “Meet the Candidate” series. During an interview on The View—his first daytime television appearance since March—Beto O'Rourke said that his presidential announcement on the cover of Vanity Fair was a mistake. He said, “That headline that said I was ‘born to be in this’—in the article’s attempting to say that I felt my calling was in public service. No one is born to be the president of the United States of America, least of all me.” Tim Ryan introduced the Clean Up Our Neighborhoods Act of 2019, which would provide state grants to support neighborhood revitalization. Bernie Sanders made an impromptu online address Tuesday condemning a potential war with Iran. Elizabeth Warren declined an invitation to appear on a Fox News town hall, calling the network a “hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists.” John Delaney criticized Warren’s decision in a tweet: “If you're not using your town hall, I will. Democratic candidates have to campaign everywhere and talk to all voters.” In an interview with The Hill, Marianne Williamson discussed her viability as a candidate. Andrew Yang spoke about his Universal Basic Income proposal and the threat of automation at a rally in New York City. Republicans The pro-Donald Trump super PAC America First Policies designated Ohio as a priority. The group is planning to spend $300 million there and in five other states: Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. On the Cusp: Tracking Potential Candidates Mark Cuban said if he ran for president, then it would be as an independent. “We’ll see what happens. It would take the perfect storm for me to do it,” Cuban said. “There’s some things that could open the door, but I’m not projecting or predicting it right now.” What We’re Reading Bustle: This Letter Calling Out "Sexist" 2020 Coverage Demands Women Candidates Get Treated Fairly National Review: I Wouldn’t Vote for Gillibrand — That Doesn’t Make Me a Sexist Politico: Did the Left Misread the 2020 Democratic Primary? Flashback: May 15, 2015 Ralph Nader, who received 2.7 percent of the popular vote in the 2000 presidential election, wrote an article discussing why candidates would run for president with little chance of success.