Notable Quote of the Day

“The Rust Belt bus tours and campaign cattle calls are far more about lingering post-traumatic stress from the Democrats’ 2016 loss than any current electoral strategy. While the traditionally blue states are likely to be crucial to Democrats in a general election, none of the three are scheduled to hold their primary vote before Super Tuesday, the dozen-state primary that’s widely expected to winnow the field in early March.”

– Lisa Lerer and Reid J. Epstein, The New York Times

Democrats

• The lineup for the July 30-31, 2019, Democratic primary debate will be determined Thursday night during a live drawing on CNN.

• D.C. statehood group 51 for 51 announced it was spending six figures on digital and print ads criticizing Michael Bennet for his support of the filibuster, which the group believes is preventing Washington, D.C., from gaining statehood.

• In an interview on Recode Decode with Kara Swisher, Bennet spoke about education, tech companies, and privacy.

• Joe Biden campaigned in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Wednesday.

• In a radio interview, Bill de Blasio said that the decision to fire Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer involved in the death of Eric Garner, was not his. He called for due process in the matter.

• Cory Booker wrote an op-ed in Essence titled “On Trump’s Racist Attacks and How We Fail Women of Color.”

• Steve Bullock said he opposed providing healthcare to immigrants residing in the U.S. without legal permission in an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

• Military Times interviewed Pete Buttigieg about his experience as a veteran and military priorities.

• Jess O’Connell and Sonal Shah are joining Buttigieg’s campaign as senior adviser and national policy director, respectively. O’Connell was the CEO of the Democratic National Committee in 2017 and Shah was the founding executive director of the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation.

• Julián Castro will campaign in New Hampshire Thursday and Friday, marking his first visit to the state since May.

• Kirsten Gillibrand unsuccessfully requested unanimous consent to pass a bill funding the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Wednesday.

• The Kamala Harris campaign opened her Nevada state headquarters in Las Vegas Wednesday.

• In an interview with The Keene Sentinel editorial board, John Hickenlooperdiscussed climate change, healthcare, and artificial intelligence.

• The Seth Moulton campaign criticized the Democratic National Committee’s criteria for qualifying for the debates and submitted 12 polls where Moulton received 1 percent support that were not on the eligible poll list.

• Moulton and Tim Ryan voted to table an impeachment resolution against Trump Wednesday. Tulsi Gabbard did not vote.

• Beto O’Rourke opened a field office in El Paso, Texas.

• In a speech at George Washington University, Bernie Sanders defended Medicare for All and called on other 2020 Democrats to reject donations from the health insurance and pharmaceutical industry.

• Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Al Lawson introduced the College Student Hunger Act of 2019, which would make low-income college students eligible for Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

• In an interview on KCRW’s Press Play, Marianne Williamson said she was not the Democratic version of Trump and discussed asylum and immigration laws.

• Andrew Yang participated in the “20 Questions for 2020” series hosted by NowThisNews. He spoke about Martin Luther King, Jr., Alaska, and tech companies.

Republicans

• Donald Trump held a campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina, on Wednesday night. He discussed the economy, unemployment rates, border security, and his criticism of four progressive congresswomen. 

• Bill Weld will campaign Thursday in Derry, New Hampshire.

General Election Updates

• Mark Sanford said that if he ran for president, he did not believe that “winning necessarily has to be a goal in this kind of thing.” He said he would want to bring a debate forward on the economy.

Flashback: July 18, 2015

While speaking at the Iowa Family Leadership Summit, Donald Trump criticized John McCain and questioned whether he was a war hero.