Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The latest national Quinnipiac poll found former Vice President Joe Biden (D) leading the Democratic presidential field with 30%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) with 19% and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with 15%. Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) was fourth with 8%, followed by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) with 7%. No other Dem topped 3% in this poll.
* The release of the Quinnipiac results coincided with the pollster showing several Democratic contenders — Biden, Sanders, Harris, Warren, Buttigieg, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) — leading Donald Trump in hypothetical general election match-ups.
* On a related note, while the Quinnipiac poll showed Trump trailing Biden by 13 points, the president told reporters yesterday that the former vice president is the Democrat he’s most eager to face. Trump said Biden is “the weakest, mentally.”
* With Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) supporting Trump’s impeachment, the president and his allies have reportedly taken a direct interest in derailing the Michigan incumbent in a 2020 primary race.
* Mindful that his support for “democratic socialism” might raise concerns about his electability, Bernie Sanders is scheduled to deliver a speech today outlining the details of his economic philosophy. * The Washington Examiner had an interesting report today out of Texas, where Republican donors are reportedly preparing “a multimillion-dollar effort to register more than 1 million new GOP voters” in the Lone Star State ahead of the 2020 race. There’s been lingering talk for years about Texas becoming more competitive, and it appears some Republicans in the state have reached the point at which they’re starting to worry about it. * And there was a state House special election in Maine yesterday, where Democrat Stephen Moriarty won with 62% of the vote. The seat was previously held by a Dem, and the party maintains a large majority in the state legislative chamber.
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
