Notable Quote of the Day

“It’s not just Biden’s margin that stands out, either; he’s also only one of three candidates to crack the 50 percent mark at this point in the cycle. (The other two were Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984, both of whom were incumbents who went on to win landslide victories by 23 and 18 points, respectively.) It’s unlikely that Biden wins by that sort of margin, given our increasingly polarized politics, but it is a sign that there are fewer undecided or third-party voters for Trump to pick up to help improve his position. It also doesn’t bode well for Trump that he is in the worst position of any incumbent since Jimmy Carter in 1980.

But before you declare Biden the winner, remember his lead is not insurmountable. Polls closer to November could very well show a race that is tightening. At this point in the 1988 cycle, Michael Dukakis led nationally by almost 5 points, and in 2000, George W. Bush was up by nearly 8 points. But Dukakis ended up losing by nearly 8 points in November while Bush narrowly lost the popular vote. (He still won the Electoral College, thanks to Florida.)”

– Geoffrey Skelley, FiveThirtyEight

Election Updates

• The Democratic National Committee announced on Wednesday that delegates should not attend the Democratic National Convention in August in Milwaukee due to concerns with the coronavirus pandemic.

• At least two dozen Republican national security officials who served in the Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II administrations are endorsing Joe Biden. Reuters reported the group will publicly endorse and campaign for Biden.

• The pro-Biden super PAC, Unite the Country, released three television and digital ads on Wednesday highlighting Biden’s economic record and response to the 2008 financial crisis.

• Biden hired L.T. McCrimmon as North Carolina state director and Alana Mounce as Nevada state director as part of a staff build-up in the two battleground states.

• Donald Trump is visiting Wisconsin to tour the shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine. He is also traveling to Green Bay to record a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity.

• The Trump campaign is suing Priorities USA for airing an ad criticizing Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying it misrepresents his use of the word “hoax.”

Flashback: June 25, 2016

The Democratic Platform Drafting Committee approved a final draft of the party’s platform that included calls to raise the minimum wage to $15, abolish the death penalty, more strictly regulate Wall Street, establish a multi-millionaire surtax, and review existing trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.