2020 Daily Trail Markers: 20 Democrats make the cut for second debate
The candidates who qualified for the second democratic presidential debate in Detroit later this month were just announced, CBS News Political Unit associate producer Sarah Ewall-Wice reports. Here's who made the cut:
- Sen. Michael Bennet
- Vice President Joe Biden
- Sen. Cory Booker
- Gov. Steve Bullock
- Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Sec. Julian Castro
- Mayor Bill de Blasio
- Rep. John Delaney
- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
- Sen. Kamala Harris
- Gov. John Hickenlooper
- Gov. Jay Inslee
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar
- Rep. Beto O'Rourke
- Rep. Tim Ryan
- Sen. Bernie Sanders
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren
- Marianne Williamson
- Andrew Yang
Missing on stage: Sen. Mike Gravel, Mayor Wayne Messam, Rep. Joe Sestak and Tom Steyer.
CNN, which will be broadcasting the debate, will hold a live drawing on Thursday evening to see who will appear each night of the two-day event.
***And a quick programming note***
If you're interested in getting an up close look at our team as they cover the 2020 campaign trail, you can follow them on Instagram – @2020trailmarkers – for the latest on their travels, stories and behind-the-scenes view of the candidates.
FROM THE CANDIDATES
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG: The South Bend mayor released his Douglass Plan last week, aimed at addressing systemic racism in various policy areas. And while he's calling it "the most comprehensive plan" that has been put forth in this campaign to uplift black Americans, he continues to struggle in engaging this group. In South Carolina, 60% of the Democratic electorate is expected to be African American in the 2020 election and some voters feel that even with a plan targeted at uplifting black communities, Buttigieg still might struggle to connect with one voting bloc in the state — black churchgoers. The Buttigieg camp says he plans to meet publicly and privately with church leaders and their congregations throughout South Carolina. CBS News campaign reporters LaCrai Mitchell and Jack Turman spoke to black pastors throughout the state who discussed the history of the black church and explained why the openly gay and millennial mayor may have trouble connecting with southern black churchgoers, who tend to be more socially conservative.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: Harris separated herself from Sanders on Wednesday by stating that she opposes a middle class tax hike to pay for Medicare for All. The California senator said this in an interview with CNN Wednesday morning. Harris also admitted she thinks it may take more than four years to transition the country to a Medicare for All plan. She was pressed on how the plan would be paid for without a middle class tax increase. CNN also noted that the plan is estimated to cost around $30 trillion over 10 years. The campaign told CBS News campaign reporter Stephanie Ramirez: "A number of measures have been proposed as potential revenue raisers to pay for Medicare for All. Sanders and other experts have probably put out more than a dozen ideas, one of which is increasing middle class taxes. That one is off the table for Kamala. She believes we can raise revenues by targeting higher-end earners, corporations, and things like Wall Street financial transactions, which she mentioned on CNN. A recent financial transaction tax proposal was estimated to raise $2 trillion alone, for example, and CNN has reported Medicare for All would cost $1.4 trillion a year."
GOV. JOHN HICKENLOOPER: CBS News campaign reporter Nicole Sganga was there as the former Colorado governor addressed students at Dartmouth College's summer debate program in New Hampshire. Sganga says Hickenlooper was again asked, in light of his campaign shake-up, why he is not running for Senate. "I don't think they need me to beat Cory Gardner," said Hickenlooper. "And I believe I will do a better job at beating Donald Trump." Sganga also said in an odd moment, the governor conceded, "At 1% in the polls, I can't be too confident at my likelihood to win the nomination."
STATELY COVERAGE
UP NORTH: Today, a CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire, shows Biden leading with 24% support of likely Granite State Democratic primary voters, followed by Warren and Sanders, each polling at 19%. Sganga says Buttigieg racked up 10% of support, followed by Harris in fifth at 9%. The poll surveyed 386 likely first-in-the-nation voters from July 8 to 15 and has a 5% margin of error.
IN THE MIDDLE: In a column for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Iowa State Rep. Liz Bennett announced she is endorsing Senator Elizabeth Warren for president. Bennett is a three-term state representatives from eastern Cedar Rapids. In the column, Bennet wrote she was impressed by Warren's "intelligence and courage" and inspired by her "empathy and the effortless way she lives her values." This comes two weeks after retired Iowa Congressman Berkley Bedell announced his endorsement for Warren. Bedell, now 98 years old, cited Warren's "grit" and "determination" as well as her "plans to make the changes we need to secure our country and our world for grandchildren" as the reasons for his support. The campaign tells CBS News campaign reporters Musadiq Bidar and Adam Brewster, Bedell will make introductory remarks for Warren before her town hall event tomorrow afternoon in Sioux City, Iowa.
Separately, the Des Moines Register analyzed how much candidates spent and raised in Iowa with data showing Sanders spending nearly $150,000 more than the next closest candidate. Sanders spent over $440,000 and during the second quarter he made three trips to Iowa, spanning eight days and 20 events. Rounding out the top five were O'Rourke (over $300,000, four trips, 16 days and 46 events), Delaney (nearly $260,000, four trips, nine days, 30 events), Harris (over $165,000, two trips, four days, six events) and Warren (over $140,000, four trips, nine days, 18 events).
Iowa is a place where candidates typically come to spend money, not raise it. Buttigieg had a ton of support here, and held one of the largest events of caucus season back in April when over 1,000 people attended a rally in Des Moines. Some strategists have speculated he missed a big opportunity to crystalize support by not having a big staff in place during his rise; however, when you talk to caucus goers his name comes up frequently as being on their list. Buttigieg had several maxed individual contributions and outraised every other Democratic candidate in Iowa with over $42,000 in contributions from the Hawkeye State. Rounding out the top five were Sanders (nearly $38,000), Biden (over $25,000), Warren (nearly $25,000) and Harris (over $12,000).
OUT WEST
Biden's team is probably not celebrating two polls released this week in California, showing the former vice president's support there sliding ahead of his visit to the Golden State on Thursday. Both Change Research and Quinnipiac have Harris, who hails from the state, surging to a lead in the Super Tuesday contest, with Biden, Warren and Sanders also posting double digits. CBS News campaign reporter Alex Tin says though an overwhelming majority of Democrats have long viewed her favorably, for months Harris had trailed competitors in the state that also elected her attorney general. But there's at least one silver lining for Biden in Quinnipiac's poll of the liberal bastion: nearly half of the state's Democrats say he has the best chance of beating President Trump, far more than runner-up Sanders (12%).
CAPITOL COVERAGE
EYEING THE SENATE? In an interview today with a Kansas radio station, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not rule out a run for Senate in Kansas like he has previously, notes CBS News Political Unit associate producer Ellee Watson. In February, he told the "Today Show" he had "ruled out" a Senate run. In the interview today, he said he intends to be secretary as long as Mr. Trump wants him to be, but added, "I always leave open the possibility that something will change and my path in life will change too." Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, "I've said several times, and I'm not sure the president agrees with this that I'd love to see the secretary of state run for Senate in Kansas, but the filing deadline isn't until June, so I think at this early stage in Kansas, I don't really have anything to add.
LINDSEY'S LOOT: South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham brought in more than $3 million in the second-quarter of 2019 fundraising, surpassing his previous personal fundraising record of $2.05 million during Q1. According to his campaign team, Graham is expected to be the third highest amongst Republican senators in terms of funds on hand. "For our supporters to step up and give record-breaking amounts in back-to-back quarters shows they truly have Senator Graham's back," said campaign manager Scott Farmer in a press release on Monday. "Senator Graham will boldly continue to work with President Trump to rebuild our military, confirm conservative judges and secure our border…and the people of South Carolina will propel us to victory." In a previous edition of CBS News 2020 Daily Trail Markers, Mitchell reported that Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison's campaign said its fundraising haul in Q2 was the most ever raised by a Democratic Senate challenger in South Carolina political history. Harrison raised $1.5 million from over 50,000 donors.