Weekly Presidential News Briefing - July 26, 2019

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July 26, 2019

Every weekday, Ballotpedia track the events that matter in the 2020 presidential election.    Every weekday, Ballotpedia track the events that matter in the 2020 presidential election.  We’re now bringing you our daily briefings compiled in a new weekly format so you can stay up-to-date on the 2020 election update with one weekly email. You’ll get the same daily news stories, endorsements, debate updates, policy proposals, interviews, and campaign strategy reports in one place.  Want to know what the candidates were up to this week? We’ve got you covered. Here’s the latest from the campaign trail this week. Candidates by the Number There are 12 new candidates running since last week, including two Republicans. In total, 791 individuals are currently filed with the FEC to run for president. Notable Quotes of the Week “No southerners are [on the debate stage], unless you count Texans Castro and O’Rourke or border state candidates Biden and Delaney, which I don’t. So what? Democrats are abandoning their most successful strategy for winning recent presidential elections: putting a southerner on the ticket. From 1964 until 2008, every victorious Democratic presidential candidate had a southern accent: Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Jimmy Carter in 1974, Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 and Al Gore, who won the popular vote in 2000. Arguably, it happened again in 2016 when Hillary Clinton, with her deep Arkansas and southern connections, won the popular vote.” – D.G. Martin, North Carolina Bookwatch host “Yang and Williamson might not have found supporters in the pre-podcast era, said Yphtach Lelkes, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania. ‘Some have called this the hidden primary,’ Lelkes said. ’The ability to easily share podcasts and other forms of new media allow fans to also act as conduits of information, getting past gatekeepers.’" – Omar Sanchez, The Wrap Poll Spotlight The whole field: Democrats We’re tracking events that feature five or more Democratic candidates here. Look for debate news, delegate information, and other Democratic primary news. Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, John Delaney, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan, on Wednesday. Joe Biden, Cory Booker, John Delaney, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, and Tim Ryan spoke at presidential forums hosted by the National Urban League in Indianapolis, Indiana, Thursday and Friday. CNN will host a climate change town hall on Sept. 4 in New York City. Candidates must have reached at least 2 percent support in four eligible polls by Aug. 28. Candidate-by-candidate: Democrats Michael Bennet  July 27-28, 2019: Bennet campaigned in Iowa. July 25, 2019: Bennet participated in the NowThisNews “20 Questions for 2020” series, discussing education, social mobility, and discrimination.   July 23, 2019: Bennet appeared on an episode of Hacks on Tap with David Axelrod and Mike Murphy to discuss the state of the Democratic Party. July 19, 2019: Bennet campaigned in New Hampshire. Joe Biden  July 25, 2019: Biden spoke at a presidential forum hosted by the National Urban League in Indianapolis, Indiana. Also on July 25, Biden discussed his debate performance, civil rights, and mass incarceration in a radio interview. July 24, 2019: Biden, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan.   July 23, 2019: Biden issued his criminal justice platform, proposing treating rather than incarcerating people with addictions, increasing funding for drug courts, eliminating sentencing disparities between crack and cocaine cases, and ending the use of private prisons at the federal level. His plan also called for decriminalizing marijuana, expunging marijuana-related offenses, and categorizing marijuana as a schedule II drug. Also on July 23, Biden campaigned in New Orleans, Louisiana, with stops at the Youth Empowerment Project and a fundraiser. July 22, 2019: Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D) endorsed Biden, becoming the sixth member of the Congressional Black Caucus to do so. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan endorsed Biden. July 21, 2019: Nicholas Burns, who served on the National Security Council staff under the Bush and Clinton administrations, joined the Biden campaign as an adviser. July 20, 2019: Biden visited Las Vegas, marking his second trip to the Nevada city since launching his 2020 presidential campaign. During the trip, he said that young Democrats were “not a generation of socialists.” Bill de Blasio July 25, 2019: Following a rise in cycling fatalities in New York City in 2019, de Blasio announced a $58 million bike safety plan that would create a citywide network of protected bike lanes. July 24, 2019: De Blasio said he supported forming a commission to examine reparations for black Americans affected by slavery. July 23, 2019: In an op-ed in BuzzFeed News, de Blasio introduced the first major policy proposal of his campaign on workforce issues. He called for two weeks of paid time off for all workers, a national minimum wage of $15, and replacing at-will employment with a just cause termination policy. July 22, 2019: De Blasio criticized Con Edison’s handling of the heatwave in New York City following outages. He said its response “would be absolutely unacceptable if it were a public entity.” July 21, 2019: NBC News reported that de Blasio added gender pronouns to his Twitter campaign bio, which is a common practice among the transgender community and its supporters. Cory Booker July 25, 2019: Booker spoke at a presidential forum hosted by the National Urban League in Indianapolis, Indiana. Also, Booker wrote an op-ed on CNN.com about antitrust, agribusiness, and food mergers. July 24, 2019: JBooker, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. Booker held a campaign event in Flint, Michigan, following the forum. July 22, 2019: In an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Booker spoke about the political climate and the U.S. Senate.   July 21, 2019: Booker criticized Donald Trump’s rhetoric against four minority congresswoman, comparing him to segregationist George Wallace. July 19, 2019: Booker visited the San Diego Comic-Con. Steve Bullock July 25, 2019: Bullock spoke about emerging technology jobs at the National Governors Association summer meeting in Salt Lake City. July 24, 2019: Bullock wrote an op-ed in Sioux City Journal on Social Security, Medicare, and pharmaceutical costs. July 22, 2019: Bullock launched his official campaign merchandise shop. July 19-20, 2019: Bullock campaigned across Iowa. The Des Moines Register and AARP hosted a series of five forums in Iowa. Bullock participated in an event in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Pete Buttigieg July 26, 2019: Buttigieg released a workers policy plan that would allow all workers, including gig economy workers, to form a union; seek to establish gender pay equity; and set the minimum wage at $15. July 24, 2019: Buttigieg, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. Buttigieg discussed his military service in the final episode of the Reclaiming Patriotism podcast. He also attended at least two fundraisers in the Bay Area in California. July 23, 2019: Buttigieg participated in a 2020 forum series hosted by women’s coworking space company The Riveter in Seattle, Washington. July 22, 2019: Buttigieg proposed raising the maximum annual earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax from $132,900 to $250,000 to keep the program solvent. July 20, 2019: The Des Moines Register and AARP hosted a series of five forums in Iowa. Buttigieg participated in an event in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Julián Castro July 25, 2019: Castro expanded his campaign staff, bringing on former Arizona Democratic Party finance director Joseph Czajkowski and two other finance team members. He also hired a digital director, creative director, and two deputy communications directors. Castro also issued an indigenous communities policy proposal that would create tribal advisory committees within top government agencies and increase spending on healthcare, economic, and other programs for indigenous communities. July 24, 2019: Castro, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. Castro spoke about decertifying police officers involved in shootings of unarmed civilians and Ben Carson’s performance as secretary of housing and urban development in an interview on The Clay Cane Show. July 21, 2019: NBC News reported that Castro added gender pronouns to his Twitter campaign bio, which is a common practice among the transgender community and its supporters. July 19-21, 2019: Castro campaigned in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Iowa. He said he planned to hire more staff in New Hampshire. John Delaney July 25, 2019: Delaney spoke at a presidential forum hosted by the National Urban League in Indianapolis, Indiana. July 24, 2019: Delaney, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. July 22, 2019: Delaney participated in the “20 Questions for 2020” series on NowThisNews, discussing climate change, unions, and Trump’s businesses. July 19, 2019: Politico interviewed Delaney about the upcoming debate, social media, government experience, climate change, healthcare, the 2016 presidential election, and other topics. Tulsi Gabbard July 25, 2019: Gabbard filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging the company violated her First Amendment rights by suspending her advertising account in the hours following the first Democratic presidential debate. July 23, 2019: In an interview on Outkick the Coverage with Clay Travis, Gabbard discussed sports, the military, and the foreign policy credentials of other candidates. July 22, 2019: In an interview on The View, Gabbard discussed Puerto Rico and her concern with decriminalizing unauthorized border crossings. July 20, 2019: Gabbard traveled to Puerto Rico to join protests calling for the resignation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. Kirsten Gillibrand July 26, 2019: Gillibrand and Kamala Harris spoke at a presidential forum Friday hosted by the National Urban League in Indianapolis, Indiana. July 25, 2019: Gillibrand introduced a $10 trillion climate change proposal. Gillibrand called for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, an excise tax on fossil fuel production, and a $52 per metric ton carbon tax, among other policies. July 22, 2019: In response to a report in The New Yorker about Sen. Al Franken, Gillibrand said she did not regret calling for Franken’s resignation following sexual misconduct allegations. July 20, 2019: The Associated Press profiled the state of Gillibrand's campaign and her “Trump Broken Promises Tour.” Mike Gravel July 20, 2019: The Gravel campaign called on John Delaney, John Hickenlooper, and Tim Ryan to withdraw from the presidential race since none of them qualified for the debates via grassroots fundraising while Gravel had met that threshold. Kamala Harris July 26, 2019: Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand spoke at a presidential forum hosted by the National Urban League in Indianapolis, Indiana. July 24, 2019: Harris, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. Michael Kempner, who helped raise more than $3 million for Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign as a bundler, announced he would host a fundraiser for Harris in August. July 23, 2019: Harris introduced the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act to decriminalize marijuana, expunge past marijuana-related convictions, and bar the deportation of immigrants based on a marijuana charge. July 22, 2019: Harris introduced the Water Justice Act, which would call for $250 billion to be spent on water infrastructure and clean and safe drinking water programs. July 19, 2019: Harris campaigned in California, including attending an event hosted by Electing Women Bay Area. John Hickenlooper July 26, 2019: The New York Times profiled Hickenlooper’s presidential campaign and messaging. July 25, 2019: Hickenlooper campaigned in Sigourney, Iowa. July 23, 2019: Hickenlooper wrote an op-ed in Fortune about entrepreneurship and tariffs. July 22, 2019: Hickenlooper posted a digital ad highlighting his experience owning a brewery and serving as governor of Colorado. July 21, 2019: Hickenlooper appeared on WMUR’s CloseUp in New Hampshire, where he discussed fundraising and why he wanted to remain in the race. Jay Inslee July 26, 2019: Inslee announced his platform on unions and workers. In addition to a $15 minimum wage, guaranteed paid family leave, and banning right-to-work laws, Inslee called for barring companies to hold meetings with individual workers to discourage them from unionizing or asking prospective employees for their salary history. July 23, 2019: Inslee talked about climate change solutions in an episode of Why Is This Happening with Chris Hayes. July 22, 2019: Inslee attended a forum hosted by several Democratic clubs in Palisades, California. July 19, 2019: In the Daily Kos series Making Progress, Inslee spoke about climate change and low-income communities, healthcare, and white nationalism. Amy Klobuchar July 25, 2019: Klobuchar spoke at a presidential forum hosted by the National Urban League in Indianapolis, Indiana. Also, in her housing plan released July 25, Klobuchar said she would raise the capital gains tax rate for households making more than $400,000 to help fund additional spending on housing vouchers, rural housing assistance grants, and other housing programs. July 24, 2019: Klobuchar, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. July 22, 2019: In a Washington Post Live interview, Klobuchar discussed the Affordable Care Act, climate change, and immigration. July 21, 2019: Klobuchar reached 2 percent support or more in a fourth qualifying poll for the third Democratic presidential debate in September. Klobuchar’s campaign said she had more than 100,000 contributors and was on pace to meet the donor threshold. Wayne Messam July 19, 2019: Messam spoke at the Young Democrats of America National Convention. Seth Moulton July 26, 2019: WBUR News profiled Moulton’s presidential campaign, military record, and four tours in Iraq. July 24, 2019: Moulton introduced the Automatic Listening and Exploitation Act, which would allow the FTC to penalize companies whose smart devices record user conversations without prompting. July 22, 2019: Moulton spoke about national security and election security, climate change, and cyber issues in an interview on the Evening Beat. July 20, 2019: In an interview on CNN, Moulton said “having a racist president who incites the kind of violent lines we saw in North Carolina” is grounds for initiating impeachment proceedings against Trump. Beto O'Rourke July 25, 2019: O'Rourke opened a South Carolina field office in Columbia. July 24, 2019: O'Rourke, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. O'Rourke held a campaign event in Flint, Michigan, following the forum. In a newly released plan on racial inequality in education, O’Rourke called for increasing diversity among educators, ending disparities in disciplinary actions, and offering student debt relief for teachers. July 23, 2019: O’Rourke discussed his cross-party appeal and Trump’s North Carolina rally in an interview on The View. His wife, Amy O’Rourke, also joined the interview, marking her first national appearance. July 22, 2019: O'Rourke toured Ellis Island and hosted a “Bands with Beto” campaign event in New York. July 21, 2019: In an interview with NBC News, O'Rourke discussed the drop in his campaign’s fundraising and polling and his plan going forward. July 19, 2019: The Des Moines Register and AARP hosted a series of five forums in Iowa throughout the week. O'Rourke participated in an event in Sioux City, Iowa. O'Rourke announced a Social Security policy proposal that would give credits to caregivers of children under 12 and family members with health conditions. The credits, available for up to five years, would be equal to half of the average earnings of a fulltime worker. Fulltime students aged 22 or younger would also be allowed to collect a deceased parent’s Social Security benefits. Tim Ryan July 25, 2019: Ryan spoke at a presidential forum hosted by the National Urban League in Indianapolis, Indiana. July 23, 2019: Ryan talked sports and politics in an episode of Fired Up with Brad Jenkins. Bernie Sanders  July 25, 2019: Sanders posted a social media ad focused on women who support his campaign. July 24, 2019: Sanders, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. Sanders released a plan to increase the number of black healthcare professionals, which includes expanding the National Health Service Corps and related programs in underserved areas; increasing the number of nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants; and canceling student debt. July 24, 2019: Sanders, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. July 22, 2019: The Associated Press profiled the communications network Sanders has created as an alternative to traditional media. July 20, 2019: The Des Moines Register and AARP hosted a series of five forums in Iowa. Sanders participated in an event in Council Bluffs, Iowa. July 19, 2019: Sanders said his campaign will limit the hours of staffers to ensure they earn the equivalent of a $15 minimum wage. Joe Sestak July 25, 2019: Sestak met with the Des Moines Register editorial board. July 23, 2019: Sestak continued to campaign in Iowa, speaking with the Poweshiek County Democrats. July 22, 2019: Sestak campaigned in Iowa, speaking to the Clarke County Democrats. July 20, 2019: Sestak wrote an op-ed in The Des Moines Register on escalating tensions with Iran. Tom Steyer July 25, 2019: Steyer issued his $2.3 trillion climate change platform focused on five pillars: reach a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2045, create a Civilian Climate Corps, provide assistance to communities dependent on the extraction economy, invest in infrastructure, and improve national security and disaster prevention processes. July 23, 2019: Steyer posted a digital ad calling on Nancy Pelosi to cancel the upcoming congressional recess and conduct oversight of Donald Trump. July 22, 2019: Steyer spoke about his policy priorities, diplomatic ties, gun violence, and other issues on WBUR’s Foresight. July 19, 2019: The New York Times profiled Steyer 's presidential campaign and media coverage of his wealth. Elizabeth Warren July 26, 2019: The Warren campaign announced it had received more than 1 million donations. Sanders was the only other candidate to have crossed this threshold in the 2020 election cycle at the time. July 24, 2019: Warren, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. July 23, 2019: Warren introduced the Student Loan Debt Relief Act of 2019 with Rep. James E. Clyburn, which would cancel up to $50,000 of student debt for individuals with a household income of less than $100,000. Partial debt relief would be available for households earning more than $100,000 on a sliding scale. July 22, 2019: In a post to Medium, Warren predicted an economic crisis would develop unless the U.S. took several preventive steps. She called for reducing household debt, enforcing leveraged lending guidance, strengthening manufacturing by investing in green research, and eliminating or automatically raising the debt ceiling. July 21, 2019: NBC News reported that Warren added gender pronouns to her Twitter campaign bio, which is a common practice among the transgender community and its supporters. July 19, 2019: The Des Moines Register and AARP hosted a series of five forums in Iowa throughout the week. Warren participated in an event in Sioux City, Iowa. Marianne Williamson July 26-27, 2019: Williamson is campaigning in South Carolina. July 24, 2019: Williamson tweeted she opposed the Mauna Kea telescope project in Hawaii. July 23, 2019: Williamson spoke about criminal sentencing disparities, white-collar crime, and voter suppression at the NAACP national convention in Detroit, Michigan. July 22, 2019: Williamson discussed establishing a Department of Peace during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. July 21, 2019: In an interview on CNN, Williamson discussed the Trump administration, constitutional principles, and Rep. Ilhan Omar. July 19, 2019: The Des Moines Register and AARP hosted a series of five forums in Iowa throughout the week. Williamson participated in an event in Sioux City, Iowa. Andrew Yang July 25, 2019: Yang discussed A.I. technology and universal basic income in an interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. July 22, 2019: In his plan for veterans, Yang proposed allowing veterans to receive relevant civilian certifications without additional licensing and providing in-state tuition at any public school in any state. Yang also called for increasing funding for veterans crisis lines and changing the Veterans Affairs healthcare network. July 19, 2019: The Des Moines Register and AARP hosted a series of five forums in Iowa throughout the week. Yang participated in an event in Sioux City, Iowa. On an episode of Recode Decode with Kara Swisher, Yang discussed innovation and his critique of calls to break up large tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google. Candidate-by-candidate: Republicans Donald Trump July 25, 2019: Trump held a meeting in the White House to discuss the Democratic primary, small donor platform WinRed, and field operations. Party and campaign officials identified Biden, Harris, and Warren as top challengers. July 24, 2019: Trump traveled to Wheeling, West Virginia, for a private campaign fundraiser. Trump vetoed three joint resolutions that would have prohibited certain arms sales in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Italy. July 23, 2019: Trump spoke at the Turning Point Teen Student Action Summit for conservative high school students. July 22, 2019: Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., announced he was writing a book titled Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us, scheduled to be released on November 5, 2019—roughly one year before the 2020 presidential election. July 19, 2019: Trump hosted a fundraiser at his Bedminster golf course. Bill Weld July 25, 2019: Weld appeared on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell. July 24, 2019: Weld and 10 Democratic candidates spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. July 22, 2019: Weld continued to campaign in New Hampshire, speaking at the Manchester Rotary. July 20-21, 2019: Weld campaigned in New Hampshire, including stops in Randolph and Gorham. Trivia Which presidential election had the highest estimated voter turnout? a. 2008→ b. 1876→ c. 1968→ d. 1860→ What We Read This Week FiveThirtyEight: How 13 Rejected States Would Have Changed The Electoral College Politico: $12,075 on paella and 32 other wacky things the candidates bought The New York Times: The Only Democrat in America Not Running for President U.S. News & World Report: Wanted: President. Mayors Encouraged to Apply. Vox: Trump keeps vowing to win Minnesota in 2020. It’s not as wild as it sounds. Flashback: July 22-26, 2015 Every week, we take a look at the events that defined the 2016 presidential election cycle four years ago. July 22, 2015: The Federal Election Commission published Donald Trump’s personal financial disclosure records. July 23, 2015: Donald Trump toured the U.S.-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas.  July 24, 2015: The New York Times reported that government investigators found classified information on Hillary Clinton’s private email server. The Clinton campaign responded that any classified information found on the server would have been labeled classified after the fact. July 25, 2015: The New York Times profiled Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign and ground game in Iowa. July 26, 2015: Hillary Clinton called for an increase in renewable energy production, including the installation of more than half a billion solar panels nationwide during her first term if elected.