June 12, 2019: Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, and Beto O’Rourke will join striking fast food restaurant workers this week. Joe Biden and Donald Trump campaigned in Iowa and traded barbs.

Notable Quote of the Day

“I’m not saying it’s more important than a data operation or a communications shop, [but] if we get into the summer and the major campaigns haven’t brought faith outreach on, then I’d be very concerned. Otherwise, we’ll be leaving voters on the table.”

– Michael Wear, 2012 Obama faith outreach director

Democrats

 

• While campaigning in Iowa Tuesday, Joe Biden said if he were elected president, the country would find a cure for cancer. He criticized Trump, who was also in the state, for his tariff policy.

 

 

• New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) campaigned for Cory Booker in Iowa Tuesday.

 

 

• Steve Bullock visited southwest Iowa communities affected by flooding along the Missouri River.

 

 

• Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, and Beto O’Rourke will join striking fast food restaurant workers in events organized by the group Fight for $15 and a Union in three early voting states—Nevada for Harris and South Carolina for Buttigieg and O’Rourke.

 

 

• Responding to the jury deadlock in the trial of border activist Scott Warren, Julián Castro tweeted that his administration “will not criminalize humanitarian aid and will treat asylum seekers with compassion.”

 

 

• John Delaney discussed his presidential campaign on Bloomberg’s Sound On podcast.

 

 

• In an interview with The Des Moines Register, Kirsten Gillibrand said society had developed moral clarity on abortion. “There is no moral equivalency when you come to racism. And I do not believe that there is a moral equivalency when it comes to changing laws that deny women reproductive freedom,” she said.

 

 

• In an interview with BuzzFeed News’ AM to DM, Jay Inslee discussed prioritizing climate change, decriminalizing sex work at the state level, healthcare, and abortion.

 

 

• Amy Klobuchar joined Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren in a letter to McDonald’s criticizing the company for its handling of sexual harassment complaints.

 

 

• Wayne Messam answered 20 questions about his campaign, gun violence, immigration, Afghanistan, and personal history in Independent Journal Review’s The 2020 Twenty series.

 

 

• Boston Magazine profiled Seth Moulton, including his early years at Harvard and enlistment in the Marines.

 

 

• While campaigning in New Hampshire, Tim Ryan said he would “be the education president” and advocate social and emotional programs and more mental health counselors in public schools.

 

• Eric Swalwell discussed LGBT policy and said he would sign the Equality Act during an interview on SiriusXM Progress.
  
• In an interview on The Ezra Klein Show, Warren discussed what would happen on the first day of her presidency and how she would implement her policy plans.

 

• During a tour of a Las Vegas cannabis facility, Marianne Williamson said she supported legalizing marijuana at the federal level, granting amnesty for nonviolent offenders convicted of marijuana-related crimes, and distributing tax revenue from cannabis to K-12 education.

 

 

• Andrew Yang gave a second family $1,000 per month, this time in Iowa, as a showcase for his universal basic income proposal.

 

Republicans

 

• Donald Trump spoke at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy in Council Bluffs and a fundraiser in Des Moines Tuesday. He promoted his trade policy and criticized the Green New Deal and Biden.

 

On the Cusp: Tracking Potential Candidates

 

• Stacey Abrams has not ruled out running for president, saying the nominating process would “winnow out who is actually viable” and that she could enter in the fall. She said, “I will enter this race if I think I can add value to it. I don’t have enough information at this moment to make that decision.”

 

What We’re Reading

• Associated Press: Trump, Biden trade insults during dueling Iowa visits
• FiveThirtyEight: Is The Senate Really A Better Option For Some Presidential Candidates?
• New York Times: The End of the Polling Booth

Flashback: June 12, 2015

After 36 years, the Iowa Republican Party announced it was canceling the Iowa straw poll. “The poll had been criticized in recent elections as an irrelevant metric of potential Republican presidential nominees. Though historically, it’s been a test of candidates’ organizing power and retail politicking skills, it was blamed in 2012 for contributing to the lengthy, circus-like atmosphere of the Republican primary, in part by propping up candidates like [Michele] Bachmann who might have faded earlier but for the event,” Politico reported.