Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The latest Emerson poll of Iowa Democrats found former Vice President Joe Biden leading the Democratic pack with 29% support. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was second with 19%, while Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) weren’t far behind.
* Speaking of Warren, the Massachusetts senator reportedly made a private apology to Cherokee Nation for her decision to release the results of a DNA test on her ancestry.
* A story out of Michigan to keep an eye on: “A lawsuit alleging partisan gerrymandering by Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature is heading toward trial next week after a three-judge panel rejected a settlement proposed by Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and plaintiffs.”
* Donald Trump’s re-election campaign managed to spend more in the fourth quarter of 2018 than it took in, but the president’s busy travel schedule ahead of the midterm elections probably had a lot to do with the shortfall.
* Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) formally kicked off her 2020 presidential campaign over the weekend. Though the congresswoman is generally seen as a longshot, NBC News reported that Gabbard is receiving support from the “Russian propaganda machine that tried to influence the 2016 U.S. election.” * It’s no secret that Senate Republican leaders are encouraging Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to give up his current post and run for Kansas’ open U.S. Senate seat next year. Trump told CBS News he believes Pompeo won’t leave his current post. * And though the next presidential race may seem like an event on a distant horizon, it’s worth keeping in mind that the Iowa caucuses are now 364 days away. Mark your calendars accordingly.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
