2020 Daily Trail Markers: Sanders apologizes to Biden for surrogate's op-ed
Bernie Sanders apologized to Joe Biden on Monday for an op-ed a campaign surrogate wrote that claimed Biden has a "big corruption problem." Sanders told CBS News campaign reporter Cara Korte, "It is absolutely not my view that Joe is corrupt in any way. And I'm sorry that that op-ed appeared."
The op-ed, published in The Guardian by law professor Zephyr Teachout, said Biden "has perfected the art of taking big contributions, then representing his corporate donors at the cost of middle- and working-class Americans."
Her op-ed came as tensions have been rising between Sanders and Biden. Over the last week, Sanders and his team have criticized Biden's past remarks on Social Security funding, using a video that takes Biden's comments out of context and appears to show him agreeing with former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan about privatizing the program. "I think it is important to know where a senator has come from and where his head is at. And Joe's record on [Social Security] is a little different than mine," said Sanders. Biden responded Monday by telling VICE News that the Sanders campaign "lied" about his record.
CBS News asked Sanders if he approved of his supporters' aggressive online attacks on his opponents. "No, I really don't," he said. "If anyone knows me, what I believe is we need a serious debate in this country on issues. We don't need to demonize people who may disagree with us."
He added, "I appeal to my supporters: Please, engage in civil discourse…And by the way, we're not the only campaign that does it. Other people act that way as well. I would appeal to everybody: Have a debate on the issues. We can disagree with each other without being disagreeable, without being hateful. That is not what American politics should be about."
Later Monday, Biden thanked Bernie for his remarks on Twitter. "These kinds of attacks have no place in this primary," the former vice president added. "Let's all keep our focus on making Donald Trump a one-term president."
Following an event in Iowa on Tuesday, Biden again told CBS News campaign reporter Bo Erickson that he had accepted Sanders' apology.
STATE-BY-STATE
CALIFORNIA
Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg this week rolled out a handful of new endorsements in California, their latest as the Super Tuesday contest braces for the beginning of early voting on February 3. Steyer's new backers were announced after the opening of his new field office in Fullerton, the campaign's fourth office in the state.
The Bloomberg campaign announced his latest endorsers on the heels of his trip last week through California, his fifth day campaigning there. Not on the list was Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who met with Bloomberg on Friday. CBS News campaign reporter Alex Tin says the former Kamala Harris endorser said in a statement that she would not endorse "during the primary, but rather focus on unifying around the Democratic nominee — and the ultimate goal of beating Trump."
IOWA
Amy Klobuchar continues to roll out endorsements in Iowa and earned the support of three more local state legislators on Tuesday. The Quad City Times called her "the one," and the New York Times issued its dual endorsement of Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren.
In Iowa, CBS News campaign reporters Musadiq Bidar and Adam Brewster say Klobuchar now has the endorsement of 16 current state legislators, the most of any candidate. After hosting a series of conversations centered on climate change, State Senator Rob Hogg announced his support for Klobuchar Tuesday morning. In a statement, Hogg said Klobuchar is a "strong leader for climate," adding that her "plan for quick action on climate…is achievable and is guided by science."
Hours later, at a press conference in Des Moines, State Representatives Chris Hall and Monica Kurth also announced their endorsement of Klobuchar. Kurth had previously endorsed Cory Booker, and Hall used to be political director for Beto O'Rourke in Iowa.
The legislators praised Klobuchar's ability to work across the aisle and reach voters in rural and urban districts. State Representative Ruth Ann Gaines, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus in Iowa and the first state legislator to back Klobuchar, said she initially had concerns about Klobuchar's support among African-Americans. "But I knew they would come," Gaines said of black voters. "I knew the problem was there weren't too many people in the race for African Americans to really see and be able to trust." Gaines said Klobuchar's support with African-Americans "is stronger with Senator Booker leaving the race."
Meanwhile, Warren picked up two coveted endorsements from state legislators who had previously backed Booker. State Representatives Jennifer Konfrst and Heather Matson are first term lawmakers who flipped their districts in the 2018 election. Warren is second only to Klobuchar in Iowa statehouse endorsements.
"After a long Iowa caucus campaign, Elizabeth Warren has emerged as the best candidate to defend our shared values, ensure opportunity for all and give a voice to those too often left behind," Matson said in a statement.
"Nothing is more important to me than electing a president who has a vision for ensuring everyone in our country has a chance at the American dream," Konfrst said in a statement. And former Vice President Joe Biden received an endorsement from DNC member and Iowa labor activist Sandy Opstvedt. "Joe Biden has always - and will always - stand up for labor in Iowa and across the country, because that's who he is," Opstvedt said in a statement.
NEVADA
Pete Buttigieg's campaign has donated more than $13,000 to the campaigns of local and state elected officials here in Nevada, state campaign finance disclosures reveal. The contributions, first reported by The Nevada Independent, far exceed that of the former South Bend mayor's top-polling competitors.
CBS News campaign reporter Alex Tin says the only reported donations from the campaigns of Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Tom Steyer are to local and state parties, though Steyer had donated generously to several Nevada Democrats in 2018 before announcing his run for president.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire Youth Movement Action has endorsed Sanders. The political arm of the first-in-the-nation primary state's progressive youth organization has enlisted 10,000 members throughout the state. In an internal vote among movement leaders, Sanders received over 80% support.
"It's clear that Sanders is a movement candidate that has been backing a lot of the issues our generation cares about before we were born," New Hampshire Youth Movement State Director Dylan Carney told CBS News campaign reporter Nicole Sganga.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and the House Democrat campaign arm held a call with reporters today about the state dropping the requirement of a full Social Security number for voter registration, a result of one of several litigation lawsuits Democratic groups have filed to deal with voter suppression.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have filed more than a dozen cases in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Minnesota and Florida to deal with issues of early voting, ballot order laws, and in the case of South Carolina, voter registration issues. South Carolina was previously one of three states to require a full Social Security number for voter registration, along with Tennessee and Virginia, but now only requires four digits.
"Unfortunately we continue to see the levels of laws aimed at preventing people from voting, particularly young voters, first time voters, African-American voters and other voters of color," said DCCC general counsel Marc Elias. CBS News political unit broadcast associate Aaron Navarro reports the voting rule change impacts the roughly one million non-registered, but eligible, voters in South Carolina.
Elias said the rule was a good example of a "hurdle that really makes no sense" and said the case will stay in the jurisdiction of a federal court through November 2020, in case a voter who doesn't have his or her full Social Security number is denied registration. Clyburn commended the effort by the state Democratic party, the DCCC and the DSCC and said for them to get involved "is a testament to how effective voter suppression has been, especially throughout the South."
"Everybody knows one of the things people are very, very reluctant to do is give out their Social Security number. I'm very reluctant to give it out, and I get a little bit unnerved when people, even legitimate businesses, ask me for it," Clyburn said during the call. He and DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos added that they have a ground game in place in the state, through meetings with local fraternities and sororities and faith based groups, to register eligible voters. "We will do it this year like we have never done it before." He added, "We're just waiting for implementation time."
In addition to the challenge to unseat Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, House Democrats have to defend Joe Cunningham in the First Congressional District, which he won by less than two points in 2018.
IMPEACHMENT COVERAGE
WITNESS LIST
Whether the Senate hears from witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Trump is a question that will be considered in the coming days, after the House impeachment managers and the president's legal team have finished their opening arguments, reports CBS News political unit associate producer Eleanor Watson.
This is the approach advocated by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who says he's modelling the process on Bill Clinton's impeachment trial in 1999. In that trial, House managers interviewed three witnesses, and video excerpts from the interviews played on the Senate floor during the trial.
At the top of the list of witnesses Democrats would call if they have the opportunity are former national security adviser John Bolton and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, both of whom they believe have more information about the pressure campaign Mr. Trump is accused of carrying out against the Ukrainian president. One of the articles of impeachment charges charges Mr. Trump with abuse of power for making the announcement of investigations of Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden a pre-condition for the release of congressionally approved Ukrainian military aid and a White House visit.