Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The Democratic National Committee yesterday announced some of the details of the first presidential primary debates of the 2020 cycle. The back-to-back events will be held on June 26 and 27 in Miami, and will air on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo.
* On a related note, as of today, 12 announced candidates have qualified to participate in the DNC’s debates — and that total climbs to 13 if one includes Biden. Depending on who else announces in the coming weeks, that field may yet grow further.
* A new Emerson College poll shows Joe Biden with a big lead over the Democratic field in Pennsylvania, where the former vice president — who was born in Pennsylvania — has 39%. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was second with 20%, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with 11%.
* On a related note, the same survey found Donald Trump trailing Biden and Sanders by double digits in Pennsylvania in hypothetical general-election match-ups. The incumbent president also trailed Warren, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) in the Keystone State, but by smaller margins.
* Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), a 2020 presidential hopeful, released his tax returns from the previous 12 years this morning, and challenged Trump to do the same. * The Atlantic had an interesting report yesterday noting that the Republican National Committee and the pro-Trump super PAC America First aren’t just gearing up for 2020, they’re preparing 2020 attacks that target individual journalists. * Politico reported yesterday that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who has a highly controversial background when it comes to voting rights is “poised to sign a bill to overhaul the state’s voting system with machines that are widely considered vulnerable to hacking.” * And in a curious electoral strategy, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), a longshot presidential candidate, largely endorsed the Republican line on the Russia scandal yesterday afternoon, telling voters that Special Counsel Robert Mueller “reported Trump did not collude with Russia.” She added that she wants people to “put aside partisan interests.”
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
