Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Last year, after the Tennessee Black Voter Project kicked off an initiative to register new voters in a state with one of the lowest registration rates in the country, Tennessee’s Republican-led legislature passed a new law to make voter-registration drives far more difficult. Yesterday, a federal judge blocked that law.
* Following a provocative exchange in last night’s Democratic presidential primary debate, Julián Castro argued this morning that he wasn’t targeting Joe Biden over his age. In the same interview, however, the former HUD secretary went on to refer to Biden “as someone who’s ‘been around for a long time’ and had trouble hearing him.”
* Andrew Yang, a Democratic presidential candidate, announced at last night’s debate that he wants to create a test model for his universal-basic-income idea by paying 10 people $1,000 a month for a year. That’s probably not something a presidential hopeful can do legally.
* If you enjoyed Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) 2016 presidential campaign, you can look forward to a sequel. “Look, I hope to run again,” he told reporters yesterday. “We came very, very close in 2016. And it’s the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.” The Texas Republican won 11 primaries in his race, second only to Donald Trump’s 41.
* Speaking of former presidential candidates, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said yesterday he won’t endorse anyone in the 2020 presidential primaries or the presidential general election. Given Romney’s history, however, don’t be too surprised if he changes his mind. * In Colorado, the massive field of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates is starting to get a little smaller. Former U.S. Attorney John Walsh became the second Senate hopeful to end his candidacy, announcing yesterday that he’s supporting former Gov. John Hickenlooper. Former state Sen. Mike Johnston ended his campaign last week. * And due to cybersecurity concerns, it appears the original idea of “virtual” Democratic presidential caucuses in Iowa and Nevada, in which voters could participate via phone, is no more. Democratic officials in both states are still exploring alternatives.
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
