Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* A new national CNN poll found former Vice President Joe Biden (D) leading Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, 32% to 18%. That’s a smaller gap than in a CNN poll conducted last month around the time of Biden’s kickoff. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is third in the poll with 8%, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with 7%.
* On a related note, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) reached 1% in the CNN poll, which means he’s now qualified to participate in the first round of Democratic debates. It’s worth noting, however, that the DNC has capped the number of participants at 20 — and Bennet is the 20th. It raises the prospect of candidates qualifying for the events but not making it onto the stage.
* Biden’s campaign this morning unveiled the Delaware Democrat’s climate and energy plan, and it’s a bit more ambitious than expected. The blueprint calls for, among other things, net zero emissions by 2050, which is line with the IPCC’s plan.
* Speaking of Biden, the New York Times today takes a closer look at the Delaware Democrat’s 1988 presidential campaign, which was a bit of a train wreck.
* Elizabeth Warren, meanwhile, unveiled a $2 trillion climate plan today, which includes extensive investments in low-carbon technology and a “Green Marshall Plan” to assist developing nations poised to suffer as the climate crisis intensifies. * Another presidential hopeful, Julián Castro, yesterday unveiled a plan to overhaul police use of deadly force and reduce wrongful shootings through federal law enforcement standards. As part of the proposal, the former HUD secretary intends to combat “racially discriminatory policing.” * And in North Carolina, a state the president won by nearly four points in 2016, a new Emerson poll points to possible trouble for the Republican. In a hypothetical match-up, the poll found Trump trailing Biden by 12 points. The incumbent is also behind Sanders and Pete Buttigieg by 8 and 4 points, respectively. The same poll found him tied with Warren and narrowly leading Harris.
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
