A new online survey from the Democratic polling firm Change Research in Iowa finds Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders tied at 24% in the Iowa Caucuses. Pete Buttigieg is at 14%, Elizabeth Warren 12%, and Kamala Harris 10%. No other candidate was higher than 5% in the poll.
In South Carolina, Crantford Research has a new poll showing Biden leading by 32 points: Biden 42–Harris 10–Buttigieg 8–Warren 8–Sanders 7–Booker 4
In Nevada, Morning Consult has a new poll with Biden leading by 13: Biden 38–Sanders 25–Warren 8–Harris 8–Buttigieg 8–Booker 3–O’Rourke 2–Klobuchar 1.5
“The hosts of Fox & Friends responded on Monday to Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s criticisms of Fox News during a town hall on the network, saying that the South Bend mayor’s discussion of Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham’s shows showed ‘absolutely no courage,’” Axios reports.
Said host Brian Kilmeade: “Don’t hop on our channel and continue to put down the other hosts on the channel, or the channel. If you feel that negative about it, don’t come.”
Josh Kraushaar: “In his landmark book The Paradox of Choice, psychologist Barry Schwartz offered a counterintuitive argument: People claim they want more choices in life, but when they get them, they become paralyzed in their decision-making. ‘We may be worse off with all these choices: We may lack the expertise to choose them wisely, we may lack the time to develop that expertise, and we may already be so overburdened with decisions that adding more will render us unable to make any,’ he wrote.”
“Welcome to the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. The dynamic that Schwartz described plagues the Democratic Party, which is running a record 23 candidates for the right to challenge President Trump. Everyone from small-town mayors to big-state governors wants their chance at winning the presidential lottery.”
Dan Balz says the size of the field also might help Biden during the debates, making it difficult for other candidates to break through: “The size of the field … will limit the value of these early encounters, which will have to be held on consecutive nights to accommodate all of the candidates expected to qualify.”
Mike Allen: “President Trump plans to formally launch his re-election campaign next month, likely with a burst of swing-state rallies, Republican sources tell me. Trump’s personal campaign approach is aimed at sowing further division in the huge Democratic field, and trying to dominate the news so the national discussion hovers on his turf. In conversations, Trump makes it clear that he thinks of the official kickoff as June 16 — four years to the day since he rode down the gold escalator in Trump Tower to announce his improbable 2016 run.”
In a Fox News town hall last night, Pete Buttigieg argued that it is time for America to “change the channel” on the Trump show.
“President Trump’s aides and allies are moving aggressively to shore up his support in three Rust Belt states that propelled him to the presidency — but where his own polling shows him in trouble heading into 2020,” Politico reports. “Trump will travel to Pennsylvania Monday for a rally that comes after recent visits to Wisconsin and Michigan, two other states at the center of his reelection strategy. Those appearances are just the most public display of his team’s efforts to fortify his standing. Behind the scenes, they’ve rushed to the aid of languishing state Republican Party machines and have raised concerns that a potential GOP Senate candidate in Michigan could hurt the president’s prospects there. They are also scrutinizing the map for opportunities to fire up his base in the trio of states.”
Amy Walter: “After watching the Biden campaign thus far and Philly rally yesterday, my takeaway is that his candidacy is like one of those ‘casual’ nice restaurants that you go to b/c they have a big menu and everyone in your group can find something they’ll eat.”
“No one is unhappy (look, honey they have grilled cheese for the kids and I can get a salad), but no one walks away thinking that was an amazing meal or experience. It’s not risky, but it’s also not totally satisfying either.”
Politico: “Whether to appear on the channel has suddenly become a polarizing decision for the sprawling field… The town halls have become an unlikely inkblot test for Democratic presidential candidates.”
“They have carved up the field partly along the lines of who wants or needs the most press attention — but especially based on how the candidates envision their path to the presidency: appealing to Obama-Trump voters who may watch the network, or activating Democratic base supporters who believe Fox’s primetime ‘gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists,’ as Warren said.”
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