Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The latest Monmouth University poll found former Vice President Joe Biden (D) leading the Democrats’ presidential primary field nationally with 32% support. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was second with 15%, followed closely by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) with 14%. As usual, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) were the only other contenders with support at 5% or higher.
* The controversy surrounding Biden’s comments about working with segregationist senators lingers, with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) urging the former vice president to apologize. “Apologize for what? Cory should apologize,” Biden replied last night in brief comments to reporters. “He knows better. There’s not a racist bone in my body.”
* In an article that generated quite a bit of chatter in Democratic circles, Politico reported yesterday that Elizabeth Warren is slowly winning over more centrist elements in her party, who see the Massachusetts senator as a credible alternative to Bernie Sanders.
* Several Democratic presidential candidates have unveiled new policy proposals over the last 24 hours, including Kamala Harris’ plan to prevent the spread of HIV, Cory Booker’s plan to extend clemency to more than 17,000 inmates currently behind bars for non-violent drug offenses, and Sen. Michael Bennet’s (D-Colo.) political-reform plan, which includes calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.
* Kamala Harris picked up a notable endorsement yesterday, receiving support from Rep. Al Green (D-Texas). While Harris has other congressional endorsements, Green is the first from outside her home state. * With Roy Moore (R) poised to announce whether he’s running for the U.S. Senate in Alabama next year, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) let everyone know yesterday that former Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) may yet run for his old seat. * And in North Carolina, the Democratic race to take on Sen. Thom Tillis (R) next year is starting to get a little crowded: Cal Cunningham and Eric Mansfield, both former state senators, launched Senate bids this week.
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
