“Bernie Sanders — who swore off big-money fundraisers and criticized Hillary Clinton’s fundraising as ‘obscene’ during the 2016 campaign — is changing his approach as the scramble for Democratic campaign cash heats up,” Politico reports.
“The Vermont senator has decided to hold in-person fundraising events where donors of all means will be invited and the media will be allowed. He has also hired a fundraiser to oversee the effort, a position he did not have in his 2016 bid.”
As Jonathan Bernstein notes, compared to the last four presidents who were reelected, Trump “is solidly behind. His net approval, at -12.8%, is about 14 points worse than Ronald Reagan’s, 20 points worse than Barack Obama’s and 25 points worse than Bill Clinton’s. He trails George W. Bush by 45 points.”
“The midterm elections may have been a sign of what’s ahead for the 2020 presidential election: experts say the voter turnout could be the highest in a century,” Axios reports. “According to Michael McDonald, an elections expert at the University of Florida, turnout for the 2020 presidential election could be as high as 67% — the highest it’s been since at least 1916. If that happens, President Trump will have a tougher fight for a second term.”
“He’s driving turnout among those most unhappy with him (younger voters and people of color) even when he’s not on the ballot. And Trump voters aren’t a growing demographic group. The share of whites with less than a 4-year degree — Trump’s constituency — dropped by 3% from 2014 to 2018.”
The Hill: “Democrats in Iowa are preparing for what’s likely to be the most widely attended caucuses in state history next February, and they’re hoping to avoid the acrimony that followed the closely fought contest in 2016.”
New York Times: “Twelve of the 26 people who have announced that they are running for president in 2020 have already been on the show, with one more, Senator Elizabeth Warren, already scheduled. … ‘The View’ has become an influential political talk show because it isn’t one.”
“The panelists are invited into viewers’ homes every day for an hour, and in between interviewing candidates about the distinction between socialism and democratic socialism, they share intimate details of their lives: how many times a week they step on a scale, how long it was until they slept with someone else after their divorces.”
“More than 60 percent of Democrats said they think it’s acceptable for candidates from their party to appear at the town halls, a new Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday found. Just 17 percent of Democrats said it’s inappropriate for the White House hopefuls to agree to the primetime events.”
Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) marched to victory in the Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, laying the groundwork for a battle with Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) that has been festering in Frankfort for three years, the Lexington Herald Leader reports.
“The two political rivals, who have sniped at each other from their first-floor offices in the Capitol, will move their fight to the campaign trail until Nov. 5. Beshear won Kentucky’s two largest cities to hold off House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins’ rural surge and set up the familiar storyline for the fall.”
A new Monmouth poll finds 73% of Americans say that special counsel Robert Mueller should appear before Congress to testify about his investigation. This includes 58% who say that Mueller should appear at a public hearing and 14% who say that it should only be in a closed setting.
The survey also finds 67% say that former White House counsel Don McGahn should appear before Congress to testify about what he knew as a key witness in the investigation. This includes 56% who say that McGahn should appear at a public hearing and 10% who say that it should only be in a closed setting.
In addition, 69% say that Congress should get a full version of the Mueller report along with supporting documents.
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