2020 Daily Trail Markers: Biden's team disputes poll showing him behind
After a national poll Monday indicated Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were effectively tied with Joe Biden, the former vice president's campaign Tuesday stressed two other polls that they say more effectively represent the views of the Democratic primary electorate.
"If you have been a pollster for a long time, you can smell funky data," Biden campaign pollster John Anzalone told CBS News campaign reporter Bo Erickson of Monday's Monmouth poll. "You're not doing anything wrong...it's just statistics."
Anzalone argued yesterday's less-than-300 sample size poll was an "outlier" and would have been re-run if his shop returned a similar poll.
The weekly Morning Consult poll on Monday evening and Tuesday's Emerson poll indicated that Biden maintains his lead in the Democratic field, with Sanders and Warren trailing.
Biden's deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, also told MSNBC that polling shows Biden has support from a "diverse coalition" of voters — including African American primary voters — that will be key to winning the nomination.
FROM THE CANDIDATES
KAMALA HARRIS: The California senator got some flack online for sharing the entire Monday night MTV Video Music Awards performance of artist Lizzo. "Colorful. Vibrant. Joyful. Unapologetic. Powerful. How could you not love @lizzo?" wrote Harris.
CBS News campaign reporter Stephanie Ramirez says Harris included a Lizzo track in the summer playlist she released in June. The Lizzo song on the playlist, "Like a girl," starts with the lyrics: "Woke up feelin' like I just might run for President." Lizzo, however, has been tweeting about other candidates recently.
On August 24, the artist posted: "I hear a lot of about Bernie Sanders being 'too old' to run or be president...but we've currently got a 73-year old in office so drop the ageism s*** and just listen to what he's got to say."
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign has announced an endorsement from Emerge America co-founder Andrea Steele. Emerge America is a national organization that focuses on electing female Democrats across the country.
CAPITOL COVERAGE
IN THE HOUSE: A day after Representative Sean Duffy's resignation announcement, all eyes are now on a special election in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District. Duffy himself, who wanted to spend time with his soon-to-be ninth child, told WSAW-TV "anything can happen" in the special election but pointed to President Trump's 20-point win in 2016.
"I think what's interesting is who's getting into the primaries from both sides. I'm sure you could have 5 or 6 Republicans, 5 or 6 Democrats," he said Tuesday morning. Wisconsin Democrats have also begun special election efforts and announced a North Central Regional Organizing Director to cover Duffy's district. "We're better equipped than ever before to organize teams and partner with our county parties to talk to voters throughout the 7th Congressional District in the months ahead," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler told CBS News Political Unit broadcast associate Aaron Navarro.
GOVERNOR'S MANSION
MACHINE ERROR: Some counties are reporting malfunctions with touch-screen voting machines on the day of Mississippi's gubernatorial Republican runoff between Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves and former chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court Bill Waller Jr. The malfunctions range from automatically switching the vote from Waller to Reeves to "broken party locks" that allow different party voters in the primary to cross over and vote again.
Mississippi's secretary of state told Navarro one machine in Lafayette County was replaced Tuesday morning, but the machines are county-owned and "it is the responsibility of the parties in the primary election to test the machines." Waller responded on Twitter that his campaign has received similar reports from multiple counties.