Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* If you were hoping to see the largest field of presidential candidates get even bigger, I have some good news for you: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) kicked off his White House bid this morning.
* On a related note, it’s worth noting for context that the Democratic mayor’s constituents haven’t exactly endorsed his ambitions: a Quinnipiac poll last month found a whopping 73% of Democrats in New York City said de Blasio should not run for president. Evidently, he disagrees.
* Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s Democratic presidential campaign raised $1 million in its first day, which is a pretty respectable haul for a late entrant with a modest national profile.
* We can apparently add Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to the list of Democratic presidential hopefuls who will not participate in a town-hall forum on Fox News.
* Speaking of the California senator, Harris also announced plans yesterday to use executive action in 2021 to ban the importation of assault weapons, if Congress fails to act on the issue. * Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) unveiled his “Evergreen Economy” plan this morning, focused on job creation and economic development through combating the climate crisis. * A Quinnipiac poll out of Pennsylvania yesterday offered former Vice President Joe Biden (D) some fresh good news: he leads the Democratic presidential field in the Keystone State with 39%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) with 13%. Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) were tied for third with 8% each, followed by Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 6%, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) with 5%. No other Democratic candidate topped 2%. * In related news, the same poll found Donald Trump trailing most of the leading Democratic candidates in Pennsylvania in hypothetical general election match-ups, though Biden did the best, leading the incumbent president by double digits (53% to 42%). For context, it worth noting that the former vice president was born in Scranton, Pa.
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
