Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The latest Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll — the most closely watched of all Iowa polls — found Elizabeth Warren taking the lead in the first Democratic nominating contest with 22%, followed by Joe Biden at 20%. Bernie Sanders was third with 11%, followed closely by Pete Buttigieg at 9%. Kamala Harris rounded out the top five with 6% support. (Of the top five candidates, Warren was the only candidate to see her support grow since June.)
* On a related note, it’s worth noting that in the same Iowa poll, local Democrats were asked for their first and second choices, which matter a great deal given the way the state’s caucus system is structured. When first- and second-choice preferences are combined, Warren’s advantage over Biden is even more striking: 42% to 30%. Sanders is further back at 21%, followed by Buttigieg’s 18%.
* Staff shake-ups on Bernie Sanders’ team continue, with the Vermont senator parting ways with one of his Iowa deputy field directors. Kevin Lata had previously worked on Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, as well as Hillary Clinton’s 2016 team.
* In keeping with the recent trend, the Alaska Republican Party became the latest state GOP to officially cancel its Republican presidential primary, which had been scheduled for April. Several state parties have taken similar steps to protect Donald Trump from possible embarrassment against his primary rivals.
* As the General Motors strike continues, several Democratic presidential candidates have visited picket lines to show support for members of the United Auto Workers.
* With some evidence of Texas becoming more competitive, Republican officials are making it easier for Green Party candidates to qualify for the ballot, with the obvious hope that the move will undermine Democratic support. * Though it’s difficult to know if this is a stunt, Cory Booker’s campaign manager wrote in a new memo to staff and supporters that the New Jersey senator’s presidential campaign may come to an end without another $1.7 million before the end of the quarter. (The third quarter ends a week from today.) * As expected, Rep. Joe Kennedy (D) officially kicked off a primary campaign in Massachusetts against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey (D) over the weekend. * And following their recent Twitter argument over which one of them is more closely aligned with Trump’s foreign policy, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is reportedly taking steps to undermine Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-Wyo.) prospective U.S. Senate campaign.
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
