Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Despite the recent chatter about Democratic campaigns throwing a few elbows at one another, consider this fascinating tidbit: “In a barrage of 85 different ads that have aired more than 72,000 times in the past two months on local television [in Iowa], no Democrat has even mentioned a primary rival by name, a Wall Street Journal review found.”
* Speaking of television ads, the newest spot from Joe Biden is not subtle in its electability message: after recent polling data is shown on screen, the voiceover tells viewers, “This is no time to take a risk.” The text ads, “Vote Biden. Beat Trump.”
* Republican fundraising for the 2020 presidential campaign has been impressive of late, but don’t overlook the Senate races. The Washington Post reported, “The big-money groups aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell raised $68.3 million in 2019, a record sum for a non-election year.”
* The Democrats’ presidential primary in New Hampshire is Feb. 11, and the Trump campaign announced yesterday that he’s scheduled a rally in the Granite State for Feb. 10. Perhaps the president doesn’t like it when people other than him get attention, or perhaps Trump is a little concerned about his likely margin of victory in the GOP primary.
* Nothing’s official, but the New York Times reported that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is considering a Biden endorsement, which would probably boost her odds of a vice presidential nomination if Biden receives the Democratic nod. * In Iowa, a Public Policy Polling survey this week found incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst (R) ahead in her re-election fight against Theresa Greenfield (D), though her 47%-to-41% advantage is hardly overwhelming. * And in voting rights news, Democrats in Virginia’s state Senate voted this week to make Election Day a state holiday, while Democrats in New Jersey’s legislature voted to create online voter registration.
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
