Every weekday, Ballotpedia tracks the events that matter in the 2020 presidential election.
Now we’re bringing you the highlights from our daily briefings in a weekly format so you can stay up-to-date on the 2020 election with one weekly email.
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Candidates by the Number
There are 16 new candidates running since last week, including five Democrats, six Republicans, and one Green. In total, 953 individuals are currently filed with the FEC to run for president.
Notable Quotes of the Week
“Democrats who argue that nominating a moderate presidential candidate is the best approach to beat Trump are certain to say Louisiana’s race bolsters their case. Edwards, a West Point graduate, opposes gun restrictions, signed one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans and dismissed the impeachment effort as a distraction.
Still, while Rispone’s loss raises questions about the strength of Trump’s coattails, its relevance to his reelection chances are less clear. Louisiana is expected to easily back Trump next year, and Edwards’ views in many ways are out of step with his own party.”
– Melinda Deslatte, Associated Press
“This debate was not a competition, as the first debate outings last summer were, over who could sound most unhesitantly progressive, or most flamboyantly impatient with conventional politics or the incremental liberalism of Barack Obama. Instead it was a competition over who could sound most credibly in touch with the political, policy, and even psychic needs of a country they see as ready to move beyond the traumas of the Trump era.”
– John F. Harris, Politico
“The debate seemed like a series of bilateral boxing matches rather than a group debate. … The paired contests made for good television and easy to follow narratives that emphasized specific points of difference between candidates on wealth inequality, racial justice, foreign policy and gender equality. In a race between candidates who largely agree on issues, the event provided a window into substantive and stylistic distinctions between the candidates in a way that seemed productive.”
– Jennifer Victor, George Mason University professor of political science
Week in Review
Dems debate electability, foreign policy, black voter outreach in Atlanta
Ten Democratic presidential candidates debated Wednesday night in Atlanta: Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang.
The candidates discussed impeachment, electability, healthcare, tax policy, national security, climate change, voting rights, border policy, and abortion. Warren had the most speaking time at 13.5 minutes. Yang spoke the least at 6.8 minutes.
For highlights from the debate for each candidate, click here.
Three candidates hit fundraising and polling milestones this week
The Bernie Sanders campaign announced on Tuesday that it had received more than 4 million donations, a milestone it did not reach until after the New Hampshire primary during the 2016 election.
Tom Steyer earned his fourth and final qualifying poll on Monday for the December debate. He has not yet met the 200,000-donor threshold.
Cory Booker also announced on Thursday that he had crossed the fundraising threshold for the December debate. He has not yet met the polling threshold.
Trump’s black voter outreach, medical exam, and Apple visit
Donald Trump launched a six-figure ad campaign in black community newspapers and on urban-format radio stations in 11 markets across the country.
Over the weekend, Trump visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. The president’s physician, Sean Conley, called the exam a routine interim checkup.
Trump also toured an Apple manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas, and met with company CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday.
Bloomberg one step closer to 2020 presidential bid, Messam out
Michael Bloomberg filed as a presidential candidate with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, but his campaign said that he had not made a final decision to run and the federal filing was done to comply with election law.
Bloomberg announced earlier in the week that he will spend an estimated $15 million to $20 million on voter registration drives in Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Wayne Messam ended his presidential campaign on Wednesday. He wrote in a statement, “I will continue to be engaged during this 2020 cycle to ensure that we defeat Donald Trump. My state of Florida will be ground zero and I intend to be a factor to mobilize our state.”
California court strikes down tax return ballot law
The California Supreme Court struck down a state law Thursday requiring presidential candidates to disclose five years of tax returns to appear on the ballot.
Want more? Find the daily details here:
Poll Spotlight
Staff Spotlight
Malik Hubbard is a Democratic staffer with experience in Ohio politics, including during the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. His national experience includes work on the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign and with the Center for Popular Democracy. Hubbard is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University.
Previous campaign work:
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2016 Hillary Clinton (D) presidential campaign, national deputy African American vote director
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2014 Ed FitzGerald (D-Ohio) gubernatorial campaign, deputy campaign manager
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2012 Organizing for America operation vote director
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2006 Ohio Democratic Coordinated Campaign, field director
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2005 Tim Kaine (D-Va.) gubernatorial campaign, deputy field director
Other experience:
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2017-2018: Center for Popular Democracy, deputy political director
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2015-2017: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, regional political director
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2011-2012: Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, executive director
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2007-2011: Office of Gov. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio), deputy director of boards and commissions
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2008: Democratic Party of Ohio, political director
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2003-2004: America Coming Together, base field director
What We’re Reading
Flashback: November 18-22, 2015
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November 18, 2015: Donald Trump released a series of radio ads in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
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November 19, 2015: During a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations, Hillary Clinton discussed her plan to combat the Islamic State.
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November 20, 2015: CNN announced its debate criteria for the Republican debate on Dec. 15, 2015. To qualify for the primetime debate, a candidate needed to reach an average of at least 3.5 percent nationally or 4 percent in Iowa or New Hampshire over a six-week period.
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November 21, 2015: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, and Bernie Sanders attended South Carolina’s Annual Blue Jamboree.
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November 22, 2015: Donald Trump and Ben Carson were interviewed on ABC News’ This Week about Syrian refugees.
Trivia
In which state do Democrats have the longest-running winning streak in presidential elections?
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