Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* There’s a lot to chew on in the new Washington Post/ABC News poll, but here’s a topline result that stood out for me: 55% of American voters say they “definitely” will not vote for Donald Trump next year. That may seem encouraging to the president’s critics, though it’s worth noting for context that in 2016, 54% of Americans who cast ballots didn’t vote for Trump and he won anyway.
* The same polling found former Vice President Joe Biden (D) leading the Democrats’ presidential field with 13%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) with 9%. Most of the party’s voters are undecided. (Note: in this poll, respondents were asked to volunteer their top choice; they were not read a list of candidates.)
* Biden picked up an important endorsement this morning, receiving the support of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
* In the face of criticism that his campaign hasn’t been substantive enough, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) unveiled a plan to combat the climate crisis this morning. His plan is to position the United States as a net-zero emissions country by 2050. That’s in line with United Nations targets, though the Green New Deal aims for the same target by 2030.
* According to the New York Times, 16 presidential hopefuls have qualified for the upcoming Democratic debates, while four — Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Mayor Wayne Messam, and Marianne Williamson — have not yet met the minimum thresholds. * Biden’s campaign made it a priority to have strong fundraising right out of the gate, and as Rachel noted on Friday’s show, the former vice president and his team met their goal: Biden raised $6.3 million in his first 24 hours, which narrowly topped Beto O’Rourke’s $6.1 million first-day haul. * On a related note, some of the former vice president’s supporters have launched a super PAC on his behalf, and while Biden cannot legally stop them, one of his aides said he “does not welcome assistance from super PACs.” * And though it seems a little hard to believe, a new Emerson poll in Texas found several Democratic presidential hopefuls running competitively with Donald Trump, with O’Rourke tied with the president, and Biden actually leading the Republican, 50% to 49%. The same poll showed Biden leading O’Rourke among Democratic voters in the Lone Star State, 23% to 22%.
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
