Impact2020 Briefing: Dec. 3, 2019
Welcome to your Impact2020 briefing for Tuesday, December 3. Of note today: Kamala Harris’ presidential bid comes to an end, Cory Booker is hoping black men break his way in S.C., and a look at Mike Pence’s 2020 value.
On the Ground
Harris bows out
After launching her presidential campaign with a splash less than a year ago, California Sen. Kamala Harris made an equally stunning exit Tuesday, telling supporters in an email that she did not have the resources to continue her 2020 bid, I write for The Sacramento Bee.
“I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign,” Harris wrote. “And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete.” More here on Harris’ decision and what it means for the Democratic primary.
We vote, too
While many of the Democrats running for president in 2020 have worked to appeal to black women voters in South Carolina, Cory Booker is zeroing in on black men, Maayan Schechter reports for The State.
“Sometimes men, we need to be inspired,” Rev. Martin Quick told Schecter after a forum with Booker in Columbia, S.C. “More or less we need a coach type to get us going. That was the best part of him coming was to get that type of inspiration.” Much more here on Booker’s outreach.
Pence watch
Should Donald Trump ditch his veep? McClatchy White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers looks at the argument, pushed by some Republicans, that the president needs a running mate next year “who can pull in more suburban women and minority voters.”
But Chambers also talks to conservatives activists and GOP strategists who believe Vice President Mike Pence is just the right complement to Trump in 2020.
Trail Mix
Data dive: The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Lai examines voter data from last month’s off-year election in Philadelphia — and has some good news for Democrats.
Asked & answered: Elizabeth Warren has taken far more questions at two recent town halls in Iowa, James Q. Lynch reports for The Cedar Rapids Gazette, a change she says is unrelated to her slipping poll numbers in the state.
VAT > wealth tax: Andrew Yang explained to The Keene Sentinel editorial board why his plan for a value-added tax “would be a better option than a wealth tax, as proposed by” Warren.
More ed board meetings: Yang also sat down with the Des Moines Register’s editorial board, as did Amy Klobuchar.
“A pretty pragmatic state”: Sacramento-area Rep. Ami Bera spoke with The Sacramento Bee’s Bryan Anderson about his endorsement of Joe Biden and why he thinks Biden’s pragmatic ideas will appeal to California voters.
Greens gone: Arizona will not recognize the Green Party as an official party in 2020, which “likely will be a relief for Democrats heading into what is expected to be a hard-fought and tight 2020 election,” the Arizona Republic’s Andrew Oxford writes.
Holding out for Beto: Democrats hoping to recruit Beto O’Rourke to run for Senate in Texas released a new poll showing him within striking distance of Republican Sen. John Cornyn, Todd J. Gillman reports for The Dallas Morning News.
Another open seat in CA? San Diego-area Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter didn’t explicitly say he will resign from Congress after pleading guilty to misusing campaign funds, but the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Lauryn Schroeder reports that Hunter promised to “handle people’s cases and pass it off to whoever takes this seat next.”
Number of The Day
51
The average percentage of registered voters in the battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that oppose the impeachment inquiry, per the Washington Post. An average of 44 percent support the inquiry.
For Planning Purposes
Dec. 3
Julián Castro attends a roundtable on veterans’ homelessness in Los Angeles.
Biden’s “No Malarkey” bus tour continues in northern Iowa.
Klobuchar holds a town hall in Portsmouth, N.H.
Yang opens a campaign office in Manchester, N.H.
Dec. 4
Pete Buttigieg meets with community leaders in Birmingham, Al.
“The Newest Hair on the Back of the Democratic Primary”
The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah explains how getting rid of Democratic candidates in 2020 “is like shaving an old man’s back hair.”
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This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 3:12 PM.