Tag2020 presidential coverage

Biden leads in Democratic pageviews for second consecutive week

By Joel Williams
In Federal
March 17, 2020 at 9:33 AM


Each week, we report the number of pageviews received by 2020 presidential campaigns on Ballotpedia. These numbers reflect the time investments of our community of thousands of readers who visit a Ballotpedia because they think the candidate is worth knowing more about, whether they believe the candidate has a strong chance of winning or is an unknown who warrants a closer look.Pre

Last week, Joe Biden led all Democratic campaigns in pageviews. His campaign page was viewed 7,230 times, equaling 45.6% of pageviews for all Democratic campaigns this week. He was followed by Bernie Sanders with 5,820 pageviews (36.7%) and Tulsi Gabbard with 2,810 (17.7%).

All three candidates received fewer pageviews this week relative to last week. Sanders received 74.9% fewer pageviews, Biden received 72.9% fewer pageviews, and Gabbard received 67.7% fewer pageviews.

Biden leads in lifetime pageviews with 207,573, followed by Sanders with 194,115, and Gabbard with 116,601.

Donald Trump received the most pageviews of the three Republican candidates for the first time. Trump received 7,412 pageviews, while Roque de la Fuente received 3,040 and Bill Weld received 3,028.



Louisiana postpones presidential primaries amid coronavirus concerns

By Sarah Doyel
In Federal
March 13, 2020 at 5:13 PM

On March 13, Louisiana postponed its presidential primary elections by more than two months amid public health concerns due to the coronavirus outbreak. The state rescheduled its primaries from the planned date of April 4 to June 20. Its municipal elections are also delayed until July 25. Louisiana is the first state in the nation to postpone its primary elections due to the virus.

Louisiana Secretary of State R. Kyle Ardoin made the announcement at a press conference on March 13. He said, “Today I have certified that a state of emergency exists and requested that the governor issue an executive order postponing the elections this spring.”

The new date of June 20 is eleven days after the Democratic National Committee’s deadline of June 9 for presidential primary elections. The DNC said in a statement that they will coordinate with states as they adjust primary election processes in advance of the Democratic National Convention, but that Louisiana may lose half its delegates as a result of missing the deadline.

At the time of the announcement, four other states planned to hold their primaries as planned the following week, on March 17: Ohio, Arizona, Florida, and Illinois. Three other states are scheduled to hold a primary or caucus on April 4—Alaska, Hawaii, and Wyoming—and Wyoming has canceled the in-person element of its caucuses, encouraging voters to submit ballots by mail. At the time of Ardoin’s announcement, Alaska and Hawaii planned to continue with their primary elections on April 4 as scheduled.

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Joe Biden leads in Ballotpedia pageviews for the first time since November

By David Luchs
In Federal
March 10, 2020 at 5:30 AM

Each week, we report the number of pageviews received by 2020 presidential campaigns on Ballotpedia. These numbers show which candidates are getting our readers’ attention.

Joe Biden’s campaign page received 26,727 views for the week of March 1-7. Biden’s pageview figure represents 45.6% of the pageviews for Democratic candidates during the week. Bernie Sanders followed with 23,147 pageviews (39.5%) while Tulsi Gabbard had 8,700 (14.9%). This is the first week where Biden has led in pageviews since the week of November 10-16, 2019.

Gabbard had the largest week-over-week increase in pageviews at 305.22%. Biden’s pageviews increased by 256.50%, while Sanders’ increased by 106.65%.

Biden remains the leader in overall pageviews this cycle with 200,343. Sanders has received 188,295 and Gabbard 113,791.

Three candidates ended their campaigns last week. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign page on Ballotpedia received 161,746 pageviews, while Amy Klobuchar’s received 128,374 and Michael Bloomberg’s received 54,802.


22 of 149 congressional primaries on Super Tuesday advance to primary runoff

By Marielle Bricker
In Federal, Local, State
March 6, 2020 at 3:06 PM

Five states held statewide primaries on March 3, 2020: Alabama, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, and Texas. In those states, 22 congressional races advanced to primary runoffs. Nine are Democratic primary runoffs, and 13 are Republican primary runoffs.

Alabama saw the highest percentage of primaries advance to primary runoffs. Of the six primaries on the ballot, four advanced to a primary runoff (67%)—three Republican primary runoffs and one Democratic primary runoff. Texas saw the next-highest percentage, with 17 of the 74 primaries advancing to a primary runoff (23%). North Carolina had one of 15 primaries advance to a primary runoff (7%). California does not hold primary runoffs. Arkansas’ congressional primaries were canceled for all four seats after one or fewer Democratic or Republican party candidates filed to run.

Overall, 149 primaries were held across a combined 117 seats up for election in the five states. California’s 25th Congressional District is up for regular and special election, and is counted twice in both figures. Of the primaries on the ballot, 47 were Republican primaries, 48 were Democratic primaries, and 54 were top-two primaries.

Entering the 2020 election, the U.S. Senate has 45 Democrats, 53 Republicans, and two independents who caucus with the Democratic Party. Thirty-five of the 100 Senate seats are up for election. A majority in the chamber requires 51 seats. The U.S. House has 232 Democrats, 197 Republicans, one independent, and five vacancies. All 435 seats are up for election. A majority in the chamber requires 218 seats.

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What happens to Democratic delegates allocated to withdrawn candidates?

By Jerrick Adams
In Federal
March 5, 2020 at 8:39 AM

Seven Democratic presidential candidates have been allocated at least one pledged delegate each. Three have withdrawn from the race: Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar. What will happen to their delegates?

The Delegate Selection Rules for the 2020 Democratic National Convention include two provisions dealing with the binding of delegates to the candidates they supported at the time of their selection.

  1. “No delegate at any level of the delegate selection process shall be mandated by law or Party rule to vote contrary to that person’s presidential choice as expressed at the time the delegate is elected.”—Rule 13.I (p. 14)
  2. “Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.”—Rule 13.J (p. 14)

Beyond this, the Delegate Selection Rules do not directly address how a candidate’s withdrawal from the race before the convention affects the delegates pledged to that candidate.

In some states, however, statutes establish provisions releasing delegates upon a candidate’s withdrawal, at the candidate’s direction, or after a specific number of ballots have been taken at the national convention.

For example, Tennessee state law says that delegates to national nominating conventions are bound by the results of the presidential preference primary for the first two ballots taken at the convention. From the third ballot onward, delegates remain bound to their candidates so long as they maintain at least 20 percent of the total convention vote. Tennessee law also allows candidates to release their delegates, thereby freeing them to vote for other candidates.

Eleven states allow for the release of pledged delegates either upon a candidate’s withdrawal or at the candidate’s direction: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee.

Nine states allow for the release of pledged delegates after a specific number of ballots have been taken at the convention: Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, and Tennessee.

All together, 12 states have at least one of these provisions in place. Indiana has no candidate-withdrawal statute. Connecticut, Georgia, and Oklahoma do not have multiple-ballot release statutes. The remaining states have both in place: Arizona, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, and Tennessee.

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Sanders tops 11,000 pageviews in a week

By Joel Williams
In Federal
March 2, 2020 at 8:43 PM

 

Each week, we report the number of pageviews received by 2020 presidential campaigns on Ballotpedia. These numbers reflect the time investments of our community of thousands of readers who visit a Ballotpedia because they think the candidate is worth knowing more about, whether they believe the candidate has a strong chance of winning or is an unknown who warrants a closer look.

Last week, Bernie Sanders led all Democratic campaigns in pageviews. His campaign page was viewed 11,201 times, equaling 32.9% of pageviews for all Democratic campaigns this week. He was followed by Joe Biden with 22.0% of pageviews and Michael Bloomberg with 22.0%. The only other Democratic candidate to receive more than 10,000 pageviews in a week was Marianne Williamson (12,172) during the week of the first primary debate.

Four Democratic candidates received more pageviews this week relative to last week. Joe Biden led all candidates with 68.3% more pageviews this week. Michael Bloomberg (1.2%) and Amy Klobuchar (3.4%) saw a decrease in their pageviews this week relative to last week.

The top three Democratic presidential candidates in lifetime pageviews are Biden with 173,616, Sanders with 165,148, and Elizabeth Warren with 153,225. Last week, Pete Buttigieg (184,297 pageviews) and Tom Steyer (57,800 pageviews) ended their campaigns.

Donald Trump received the most pageviews of the three Republican candidates for the first time. Trump received 7,975 pageviews, while Roque de la Fuente received 6,549 and Bill Weld received 5,333.

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Biden wins South Carolina Democratic primary

By Emily Aubert
In Federal
February 29, 2020 at 9:41 PM

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary on Saturday night. With 50 percent of precincts reporting, Biden received 50% of the vote. Sen. Bernie Sanders was second with 19%. Former investor Tom Steyer was the only other candidate to pass the double-digit mark and was third at 12%.

Fifty-four pledged delegates were at stake in South Carolina. Biden is projected to win at least 25 of those delegates. Sanders is expected to win at least six.

Biden and Sanders will top the delegate scoreboard as the candidates head into Super Tuesday on March 3, when 14 states and one territory hold presidential nominating events. Among them are the country’s two most populous states—California and Texas.

One-third of all Democratic pledged delegates—1,344—are up for grabs on Super Tuesday.

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With three presidential nominating contests behind us, where does the Democratic race for delegates stand?

By Jerrick Adams
In Federal
February 25, 2020 at 2:01 PM

Bernie Sanders leads the Democratic delegate race with an estimated 45 pledged delegates. Pete Buttigieg is in second with an estimated 25 delegates, followed by Joe Biden with 15 delegates, Elizabeth Warren with eight, and Amy Klobuchar with seven. These estimated totals reflect projections as of February 25, 2020, following the Nevada caucuses.

To win the nomination, a candidate needs the support of at least 1,991 pledged delegates on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for July 13-16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

There will be 4,750 delegates in attendance: 3,979 pledged delegates and 771 automatic delegates (often referred to as super-delegates). Automatic delegates will not be permitted to vote on the first ballot.

If no candidate wins a majority of pledged delegates on the first ballot, a second vote will take place. At this point, automatic delegates will be able to vote. A candidate must then win a majority all delegates in order to win the nomination. Because some automatic delegates can cast only half-votes, which are not rounded up, the majority figure required for the second and any subsequent ballots is 2,375.5.

Pledged delegates are allocated proportionally based on the outcome of each state’s nominating contest. A candidate is typically only eligible to receive a share of the pledged delegates at stake if he or she wins at least 15% of votes cast in a primary or caucus. Party rules require that pledged delegates “shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.” Pledged delegates are selected in several ways: direct election in primaries or caucuses, local or district party conventions, and state party conventions.

Automatic delegates are not obligated to pledge their support to any candidate. Automatic delegates include Democratic members of Congress, governors, and other party leaders, including former presidents and vice-presidents.

In the three states that have conducted nominating contests so far, 101 total pledged delegates have been at stake, or 2.5% of all pledged delegates.

In the South Carolina primary on Feb. 29, 54 pledged delegates will be at stake, bringing the cumulative total to 155 (3.9%). On March 3, or Super Tuesday, 14 states and one territory will conduct nominating contests to allocate 1,344 pledged delegates. That will bring the cumulative total to 1,499 (37.7%). By month’s end, 2,603 delegates will have been allocated, 65.4% of the cumulative total.

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Eleven presidential candidates raised a combined $390 million in January

By David Luchs
In Federal
February 24, 2020 at 2:04 PM

Michael Bloomberg (D) led presidential candidates in fundraising for January 2020, according to financial reports filed with the Federal Election Commission Thursday. Bloomberg raised $263.8 million in January, including $263.7 million in self-funding. He was followed by Tom Steyer (D), who raised $65.3 million, including $64.7 million in self-funding. Bernie Sanders ($25.2 million) and Elizabeth Warren ($11.0 million) were the only other candidates to raise more than $10 million

As of the January 31, 2020, reporting cutoff, President Donald Trump (R) had $92.6 million in cash on hand, the most of all presidential candidates. Bloomberg followed with $55.1 million, then Steyer with $17.9 million. Sanders had $16.8 million, and no other candidates had more than $10 million on hand.

President Trump’s $217.7 million raised to date is 27.0% more than the inflation-adjusted $166.0 million President Barack Obama (D) had raised at this point in his 2012 re-election campaign. According to Republican National Committee (RNC) finance reports filed Thursday, Trump and the RNC have raised a combined $810.9 million. At this point in the 2012 campaign cycle, Obama and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) had raised a combined inflation-adjusted $563.9 million.

The eight remaining noteworthy Democratic candidates have collectively raised $1.164 billion this cycle, while the three noteworthy Republicans have collectively raised $233.5 million. The eight Democrats had a combined $110.7 million in cash on hand to the three Republicans’ combined $97.5 million.

Since the start of the election cycle, the top five Democratic fundraisers are Bloomberg ($464.1 million), Steyer ($271.6 million), Sanders ($134.3 million), Warren ($93.0 million), and Pete Buttigieg ($83.0 million). The 11 noteworthy Democratic and Republican candidates have raised a combined $1.398 billion since the start of the election cycle.

Click here to learn more about 2020 Presidential election campaign finance.

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Presidential election, 2020
Presidential candidates, 2020
Democratic presidential nomination, 2020
Republican presidential nomination, 2020



Sanders receives most pageviews in past week, followed by Bloomberg and Buttigieg

By Joel Williams
In Federal
February 24, 2020 at 1:54 PM


Each week, we report the number of pageviews received by 2020 presidential campaigns on Ballotpedia. These numbers reflect the time investments of our community of thousands of readers who visit a Ballotpedia because they think the candidate is worth knowing more about, whether they believe the candidate has a strong chance of winning or is an unknown who warrants a closer look.

Last week, Bernie Sanders led all Democratic campaigns in pageviews. His campaign page was viewed 7,351 times, equaling 22.3% of pageviews for all Democratic campaigns this week. He was followed by Michael Bloomberg with 18.1% of pageviews and Pete Buttigieg with 15.9%.

Elizabeth Warren was the only Democratic candidate to receive more pageviews this week relative to last week. Her campaign page received 1.8% more pageviews than the week prior. All other Democratic candidates saw a decrease in pageviews relative to last week. The candidate with the largest decrease among them was Amy Klobuchar with a 34.6% decrease.

The top three Democratic presidential candidates in lifetime pageviews are Buttigieg with 178,783, Joe Biden with 166,119, and Sanders with 153,947.

Donald Trump ranked second of the three Republican candidates in pageviews last week. Trump received 5,501 pageviews, while Roque de la Fuente received 6,155 and Bill Weld received 4,951.

Click here to learn more about Presidential campaign 2020 pageviews on Ballotpedia.