Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, your daily rundown on all the latest news in the 2020 presidential, Senate and House races. Did someone forward this to you? Click here to subscribe.
We’re Julia Manchester, Max Greenwood and Jonathan Easley. Here’s what we’re watching today on the campaign trail.
LEADING THE DAY:
WARREN OUT: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced she was suspending her presidential campaign on Thursday after a number of disappointing finishes in the early primary states and on Super Tuesday.
A number of women activists and lawmakers online mourned the loss of Warren, who was the last major female candidate in the race.
“This election cycle in particular has … presented very legitimate questions about the challenges of women running for president of the United States,” Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who also ran for president, told reporters on Capitol Hill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also reacted to the news, saying that she often wishes she was not the most powerful woman in government. “Every time I get introduced as the most powerful woman, I almost cry, because I wish it was not true,” Pelosi said on Thursday.
Warren’s absence from the race leaves former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as the two top contenders. The upcoming face-off between the two will likely illustrate the deep divide between centrists and progressives within the Democratic Party.
Warren declined to endorse a candidate on Thursday.
The Massachusetts Democrat is closely aligned with the progressive left, but an endorsement for Sanders is not certain. Divisions opened up between Sanders and Warren throughout the primary season, and there are some hard feelings to sort through as progressives plot a path forward.
The left does not have much time if it hopes to stop Biden, who has been gaining strength due to support from black voters and suburban moderates.
Biden is looking at a massive win in Mississippi on Tuesday, and if Sanders doesn’t pull off a resounding victory in Michigan, the race might be over very soon.
— Julia Manchester
READ MORE:
On the Trail: Warren falls victim to the electability obsession, by The Hill’s Reid Wilson
Warren says she doesn’t plan to immediately endorse in 2020 race, by Max
Warren drops out of presidential race, via Julia
Harris highlights ‘challenges’ for women after Warren drops out, by Jonathan
FROM THE TRAIL:
Sanders is bailing on a planned rally in Mississippi to campaign in Michigan, a sign that his campaign is pivoting to the Midwest after a series of stinging losses in the South, The New York Times’ Sydney Ember reports. For Sanders, a strong showing in the Midwest may be his last best hope in the Democratic nominating contest, especially with the primary race heading towards a handful of other states that appear less favorable to Sanders, like Florida. The move is also something of an acknowledgement by Sanders that his standing among black voters hasn’t improved much since 2016. In Mississippi, where he lost badly to Hillary Clinton in 2016, black voters are expected to make up a majority of the primary electorate.
Still, Sanders is facing an increasingly urgent situation in Michigan, which holds its primary on March 10. A Detroit News poll released on Tuesday showed him trailing Biden by 6 points. And the former vice president recently scored the endorsement of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, The Hill’s Tax Axelrod reports.
PERSPECTIVES:
Keith Naughton: ‘Michigan or bust’ for Sanders – and it’s going to be a bust
Lili Loofbourow: The most diverse field in history has come down to this
Richard Wolffe: Biden’s race to lose
FROM CONGRESS AND THE STATES:
Republican lawmakers see Biden’s re-emergence as the front-runner in the Democratic presidential primary race as a setback in their efforts to recapture the House and hold control of the Senate, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports. GOP senators conceded on Wednesday, the day after Super Tuesday, that they would prefer Sanders win the nomination, believing that he’d be an easier candidate to run against in the fall. “I think Bernie is the easiest to contrast with. Biden would be a little harder to contrast with,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “Truly, I think it’s better for us for Bernie to be the nominee in terms of down-ballot.”
New polls from the left-leaning outlet Public Policy polling find Democrats with a small lead over Republicans in key Senate races in Maine, Colorado, North Carolina and Arizona. Read the memo here.
POLL WATCH:
Biden: 34 percent (+16)
Sanders: 30 percent (+1)
Gabbard: 1 percent (+/-0)
Biden: 61 percent (+27)
Sanders: 12 percent (-1)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
March 10:
-Idaho primaries
-Michigan primaries
-Mississippi primaries
-Missouri primaries
-North Dakota Democratic caucuses
-Washington State primaries
March 15:
-Eleventh Democratic presidential primary debate
March 17:
-Arizona Democratic primary
-Florida primaries
-Illinois primaries
-Ohio primaries
March 24:
-Georgia primaries
March 29:
Puerto Rico Democratic primary
ONE FUN THING:
Former Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg mixed “Star Wars” and politics after he dropped out of the presidential race on Wednesday, tweeting a video of Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi taking on Darth Vader, in response to a tweet from President Trump.
The tweet appeared to cast Bloomberg as Obi-Wan and Trump as Darth Vader, which has us wondering, is Joe Biden Luke Skywalker?
Anyways, President Trump hit back on Twitter today, this time tweeting a video of “Spaceballs” protagonist Lone Starr — edited to have Trump’s face — easily holding back antagonist Dark Helmet — doctored to have Bloomberg’s face.
And while the likelihood of these two having an intergalactic showdown is slim to none, Bloomberg has already started his anti-Trump operation ahead of the general election. The Washington Post first reported that Bloomberg is planning an organization targeting six states: Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania, that would both attack President Trump on key issues and support the Democratic nominee for president.
We’ll have the latest campaign news for you tomorrow! May the Force be with you.
