Obama endorses Biden, calls for structural change


Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing
April 15, 2020: Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden on Tuesday. Donald Trump halted funding to the World Health Organization until a review could be conducted. blank    blankblank   


Ballotpedia is monitoring changes made to election dates and procedures in response to the coronavirus pandemic.


Notable Quote of the Day

“A turnout surge among Democratic voters does appear to have helped Karofsky win [the Wisconsin Supreme Court race]. She outperformed Hillary Clinton in the red counties surrounding Milwaukee, but also in numerous rural ones across the state. Karofsky also outperformed in the southwest corner, flipping several counties from red to blue.

As such, Karofsky’s map in Wisconsin was far more akin to the one that got Tammy Baldwin reelected to the Senate in 2018 than to Clinton’s map in 2016, Wikler pointed out.

On the other hand, with Trump on the ballot in a presidential race, he may drive far larger turnout and vote share in many of those rural counties. The total number of votes may be twice as high, so all bets are off.”

– Greg Sargent, The Washington Post

Democrats

  • Former President Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden in a video statement on Tuesday. He said Biden had the leadership required to handle the coronavirus pandemic. Obama also acknowledged Sen. Bernie Sanders in the clip and said the country needed real structural change.

  • Sen. Elizabeth Warren also endorsed Biden on Wednesday morning. “Among all the other candidates I competed with in the Democratic primary, there’s no one I’ve agreed with 100% of the time over the years. But one thing I appreciate about Joe Biden is he will always tell you where he stands,” she said in an endorsement video.

  • Biden will appear remotely on Showtime’s Desu & Mero on Wednesday.

Republicans

  • Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones (D) endorsed Donald Trump on Tuesday. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported he was the first state-elected Democrat in Georgia to back Trump.

  • Trump said on Tuesday that he was halting funding to the World Health Organization until a review could be conducted into the organization’s management of the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Trump also said he would soon issue guidelines for reopening the economy but would leave it to governors to determine the individualized plan for their state. He said he believed some states could open before May 1.

Flashback: April 15, 2016

In a CNN interview, John Kasich discussed the Republican primary, sexual assault, small businesses, and religious liberty laws.blank

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