2020 Daily Trail Markers: Democrats descend on New Hampshire convention
FROM THE CANDIDATES
ELIZABETH WARREN: The Massachusetts senator picked up a big endorsement in Iowa Friday from Amber Gustafson, a local activist and Membership & Community Outreach Leader for Moms Demand Action Iowa, according to CBS News Campaign Reporter Adam Brewster.
Many campaigns competed fiercely for Gustafson's endorsement. In an interview, Gustafson said, "I've just been continually impressed with not only the depth and the breadth of the policy that she has rolled out, but also the way in which she has organized in this state. The way that she has built her campaign machine here, it shows that she is deadly serious about winning this race, deadly serious about changing this country and that's what I was looking for."
Gustafson said she likes Warren's plan to combat gun violence, and specifically pointed to Warren's goal to reduce gun deaths by 80%. "It is one thing to win gun violence prevention changes in the law, it's another thing to hold onto them," Gustafson said. "We have to be able to have evidence that we can present to the American public to say, but these laws have reduced deaths."
EARLY STATES
UP NORTH: CBS News Campaign Reporter Nicole Sganga says this Saturday marks the Granite State's very first cattle call ahead of the 2020 presidential primaryL the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention. The event – which is being held in the same arena that hosted a recent President Trump MAGA rally – will bring together 19 presidential candidates alongside state elected officials and activists, each slated to speak for 7-10 minutes at the podium.
New Hampshire's all-call is a "first in the nation" pillar dating back to 1983. This year, expect a message of unity from DNC leaders and party officials looking to heal old wounds ahead of February's contest.
Despite endorsement roll-outs from Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders ahead of the Convention, the vast majority of New Hampshire State officials remain undecided in their support: Only three out of fourteen Democratic state senators have picked a horse. Save a few dozen endorsements, nearly 200 Democratic state representatives remain undecided. Expect 2020 contenders to lobby for the support of local kingmakers in the hallways of Saturday's convention, as the candidates look to build momentum leading up to the third Democratic Debate.
New Hampshire holds a history of going its own way, frequently abandoning Democratic frontrunners for lesser known candidates. The state denied Walter Mondale, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton primary wins despite their eventual nomination to the Democratic ticket. Seasoned New Hampshire voters expect to greet each candidate in person before making up their mind. And while lesser known contenders like Andrew Yang and John Delaney have been taking advantage of New Hampshire's penchant for underdogs, several frontrunners have taken their message outside of the first-in-the-nation primary state.
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have campaigned for 8 days and 12 days respectively in New Hampshire, while Kamala Harris has only spend 6 days with Granite State voters. Expect those numbers to ramp up in the days before the New Hampshire primary. New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Ray Buckley told reporters Wednesday the New Hampshire Democratic Party has 36 times the amount of cash on hand as their Republican counterpart.
Much of that fundraising comes from Democratic presidential candidate purchases of the New Hampshire voter roll, which sells for a whopping $100,000 apiece. And while President Trump lost New Hampshire by less than 3,000 votes in 2016, recent demographic shifts and state contests show the Granite state trending Democrat. Midterm elections in 2018 saw the state Senate, House and Executive Council flip from red to blue.
If you want more New Hampshire political insight ahead of this weekend, check out this week's edition of CBS News Elections & Survey Director Anthony Salvanto's podcast "Where did you Get this Number?" on Stitcher or Spotify. On this week's episode, "Haven't I Seen You Before? Celebrity Politicians And Retail Politics, 2020 Style," CBS News political analyst Leonard Steinhorn and Sganga join Anthony to explore how presidential campaigns are running nationally and locally, as well as the history of presidential primaries and whether you need to be a "celebrity" to run for president.
OUT WEST: The race for rural Nevada is heating this up this week, with Julián Castro's campaign adding a congratulatory column to its roster of upstate endorsements. Castro was the first candidate to visit rural Nevada towns like West Wendover, where he secured the support of the town's mayor.
"The issues in rural Nevada are unique and they're unique rural county to rural county," Michael Cullen, Castro's state political director, told CBS News Campaign Reporter Alex Tin. "Kimi Cole, who's the rural chair for the party here in Nevada, has done a great job pushing campaigns, pushing candidates to visit rural Nevada. So I'm glad to see other campaigns are doing that work," added Cullen.
The former Obama housing chief is now up against campaigns like Elizabeth Warren's in northern Nevada, which this week dispatched rural political coordinator Gabriel di Chiara on a "listening tour" across the state. "Rural outreach is a priority, and we're showing up and organizing in every corner of Nevada," di Chiara said in a statement.
CAPITOL COVERAGE
IN THE HOUSE: Democrats are pouncing on recent news about Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot's alleged financial violations, reports CBS News Political Unit Broadcast Associate Aaron Navarro. The Federal Elections Commission sent a letter in late August to Chabot asking about more than $100,000 that could've been stolen from his reelection fund.
In addition to a Friday press conference with Ohio Democratic chairman David Pepper calling on Chabot's resignation, Chabot's Democratic challenger Kate Schroder Tweeted "Chabot is not the victim, he's the enabler. The inside dealing has gone on too long. We deserve better. It's time for change." Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou said in a statement that Ohio Democrats' attacks are "disgraceful." Chabot's attorney Mark Braden said in a statement that the Congressman "was shocked and deeply disappointed to learn of this financial malfeasance and is taking every appropriate action to resolve this matter."