Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) announced this morning that he, too, is running for the Democratic presidential nomination. By my count, he’s the 15th elected official to enter the contest, and the fourth current or former member of the U.S. House.
* Sen. Michael Bemnet (D-Colo.) disclosed yesterday that he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer, though he apparently still hopes to run for president after his treatment.
* Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) will reportedly announce his own presidential campaign during an interview with Stephen Colbert, and the principal focus on his candidacy will be on reducing gun violence.
* As more women come forward to say former Vice President Joe Biden’s affectionate behavior made them uncomfortable, the Delaware Democrat yesterday released a new video vowing to change his behavior and be “more mindful about respecting personal space in the future.”
* Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) raised $9.4 million in the first quarter, which is even more impressive given that he didn’t get in the race until March 14. According to his campaign team, “a majority” of the donors were new and hadn’t financially supported his Senate campaign last year. * On a related note, most of the Democratic presidential candidates have not yet announced their first-quarter fundraising tallies. (My personal hunch is that we’ll get some announcements tomorrow afternoon — because Friday afternoons are when politicians release information they hope will go overlooked.) * Speaking of money in politics, in Arizona’s U.S. Senate race, retired astronaut Mark Kelly (D) is proving to be a rather prolific fundraiser: the first-time candidate raised more than $4 million in the first quarter of 2019. Kelly kicked off a Senate campaign in mid-February and hopes to take on appointed Sen. Martha McSally (R) in 2020. * Finally, the latest Quinnipiac poll found that New York City Bill de Blasio’s (D) constituents, by an overwhelming margin, do not believe he should run for president.
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
