Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In New Hampshire, a new Suffolk/Boston Globe poll found former Vice President Joe Biden (D) leading the Democratic presidential field with 20% support, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who easily won the New Hampshire primary in 2016, with 12%. Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) was third in the poll with 11%, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with 8%.
* For what it’s worth, the same survey polled Republicans in the Granite State and found Donald Trump with 72% support, followed by former Gov. William Weld with 16%. That’s obviously an overwhelming advantage, but 72% for an incumbent president in a swing state isn’t great.
* As for national polling, CNN’s new results show Biden receiving a significant bump in the wake of his formal announcement, and the former vice president now leads the Democratic field with 39%. Sanders was second in the poll with 15%, followed by Warren at 8%, and Buttigieg at 7%. The only other two candidates in the survey with support at 5% or higher were former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).
* In his first public speech as a 2020 candidate, Biden yesterday started to share the outline of his platform, which apparently includes support for, among other things, a $15 minimum wage and scrapping Trump’s tax breaks.
* As Rachel noted on the show last night, Kamala Harris’ campaign made a significant new hire, picking up Jim Margolis as her media adviser. Margolis is generally seen as one of the Democrats’ top admakers, with experience in both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. * Brad Parscale, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, delivered a paid speech to Romanian politicians last month, which seems odd. “The appearances are terrible,” Richard Painter, a chief ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush, told the Washington Post. “You would certainly think that a campaign manager would not take money from foreign nationals in this political environment.” * If you’re looking for another Democratic presidential candidate whose name begins with a “B,” I have some good news for you: Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) appears to be moving closer to a White House bid, including hiring staff in Iowa.
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
