2020 Daily Trail Markers: Democrats slam Trump's July 4 celebration
Several of the Democratic presidential candidates have responded to President Trump's "Salute to America" celebration on the National Mall on July 4:
Bill de Blasio: De Blasio told CBS News campaign reporter Musadiq Bidar in an interview in Iowa this afternoon that he "love[s] this country and I love celebrating our history. But I would never spend millions and millions of dollars on a military display that's just about Donald Trump's ego ... We don't need tanks going down the avenues of Washington, we need money given to our veterans and their health care and their mental health care. The things we could do to put them back on their feet."
Julian Castro: Castro told "CBS This Morning" co-anchor Gayle King in an interview Wednesday morning that "instead of addressing something like veteran homelessness, [Mr. Trump] is spending it on boosting his ego with a parade that's fundamentally about him and then getting tickets into the hands of wealthy donors for the Republican Party. What a waste of money."
Beto O'Rourke: In a gaggle with CBS News campaign reporter Adam Brewster in Iowa, O'Rourke said, "I don't know that these kind of displays are necessary. They're certainly very expensive. I would much rather us honor our veterans, those who serve this country, those who are currently deployed and serving in uniform. I think that's a much better way to celebrate our armed forces than the military equipment and the tanks and the jet planes and all that stuff. So yeah, it's unfortunate, but that's what we've come to expect from this president."
Pete Buttigieg: In an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN, Buttigieg said, "The Fourth of July is supposed to be about our country, not about any one person. Not about politics. Definitely not about the ego of the president. The people who got our country started in the revolution were skeptical of the presidency getting to look too much lime an imperial or royal office, and I'm afraid that's the direction this president is taking it."
Kamala Harris: In a gaggle with CNN tweeted by Kyung Lah, Harris said, "What I'd ask is he thinks about a military parade — why don't you think about military families? And think about the fact that military parents, that you're sending their sons and daughters to what might be war and what are your thoughts and reflections about that? What are your thoughts and priorities around supporting members of our military and veterans? That's how I think about that issue."
Bernie Sanders: Sanders tweeted: "This is what authoritarians do: @realDonaldTrump is taking $2.5 million away from our National Park Service to glorify himself with a spectacle of military tanks rolling through Washington. And top GOP donors are getting VIP seats, all at taxpayer expense."
Marianne Williamson: In a tweet, Williamson said: "Here is the livestream link for my July 4 talk. 2pm Pacific, 5pm Eastern. There will be no army tanks; only a celebration of the Declaration of Independence and a deep discussion about how to make it more real for our time."
Michael Bennet: Bennet criticized Mr. Trump in a tweet: "President Trump is turning the 4th of July into a political spectacle – at the expense of taxpayers and our National Parks."
And Mr. Trump's sole primary challenger Bill Weld weighed in as well: Weld tweeted: "With the President draining the budget of the National Park Service to fund his own July 4 military-style extravaganza on the Mall, we are reaching the "bread and circuses" stage of tyrants seizing total power in a democracy.At least Julius Caesar paid for his own triumphs!:
FROM THE CANDIDATES
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: Harris began her day with a seventh endorsement from the Congressional Black Caucus — this one from Connecticut Rep. Jahana Hayes, according to CBS News Campaign Reporter Stephanie Ramirez. Hayes made history in her state as the first black woman to represent Connecticut in Congress. The Harris campaign also says Hayes is the first federally elected Connecticut official to endorse in the Democratic presidential primary.
Harris referred to Mr. Trump as a predator in a speech in West Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday. "We have a predator living in the White House," she told voters.
As of 5 p.m., Harris had not yet released her second quarter fundraising numbers. Ramirez was told by the campaign it will happen "later this week."
STATELY COVERAGE
DOWN SOUTH: Sen. Elizabeth Warren received endorsements from two South Carolina State Representatives today, according to CBS News Campaign Reporter LaCrai Mitchell. In an op-ed in The State, Richland County Reps. Wendy C. Brawley and Kambrell Garvin said they believe the only way to open doors of opportunity for all South Carolinians is to make big, structural changes in the state's economy. They think Warren is the person who can get this job done. In statements provided by the representatives, they cited Warren's policy proposals, fight for the working class and vow to tackle growing student debt as reasons for throwing their support behind her.
"[Warren] understands the problems millions of Americans face every day trying to keep a roof over their head and food on the family table," said Brawley. "She has well-thought out plans that actually solve problems … her solutions are practical and don't put greater burdens on working families, and most important, she offers a realistic way to pay for each plan she proposes."
Garvin added that Warren's education policy proposals will help improve the lives of children and families.
"As a former community organizer and public school teacher, law graduate, state legislator and life-long advocate for South Carolina's public schools, I believe that education is key to lifting children out of poverty and providing them the tools for success," said Garvin. "I chose to support Elizabeth Warren because of her ambitious policy proposals and sincere desire to make the American Dream obtainable for all families."
According to the campaign, this is Warren's third endorsement in the state.
SOUTH CAROLINA FUNDRAISING: As 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls reveal second quarter fundraising hauls, Democratic Senate challenger Jaime Harrison's campaign announced that his team has raised more than $1.5 million in the first fundraising quarter since launching in May, according to Mitchell. Harrison is challenging longtime Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham for his seat in the Senate. Harrison's campaign says that it has brought in $1.3 million in the 33 days since officially launching and that this fundraising haul is the most ever raised by a Democratic Senate challenger in South Carolina political history.
"I am inspired and humbled by the overwhelming support," said Jaime Harrison in a statement. "Together, we're going to win this campaign to elect a United States Senator with the courage to lower health care costs and defend our rural hospitals, protect our coasts, and create opportunity for all South Carolinians."
According to the campaign, Harrison has received 60,224 total contributions with an average contribution of $26. Harrison's campaign manager Zack Carroll says their team is building a campaign on an outpouring of support from grassroots donors and volunteers.
"This campaign is focused on empowering regular South Carolinians to hold Lindsey Graham accountable for his record of always putting his political future ahead of what's best for South Carolina."
ISSUES THAT MATTER
#CLOSETHECAMPS PROTESTS: Protestors gathered in front of Sen. Lindsey Graham's Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, office yesterday to protest conditions that have been reported at migrant detention facilities on the border.
"Senator Graham believes the petitions for asylum should be filed in the migrants home country — generally Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala — or in Mexico," a spokesperson for Graham told Mitchell. "He believes this will help prevent migrants from risking their lives on a dangerous 1,000 mile journey to the United States."
The Charleston-based "Close the Camps" protest was one of multiple demonstrations nationwide that took place yesterday. Local news outlets report that protesters demanded for Graham to close the camps and refuse authorized funding for deportations.
HOUSE RACES
DOCTOR WHO: In less than a week, voters will choose between two doctors, Dr. Joan Perry and Dr. Greg Murphy, to be their Republican candidate for North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District, which has been consistently red since Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr.'s election in 1994. His death in February resulted in a special election and, since none of the 17 GOP candidates got more than 30% of the vote in the initial May primaries, a runoff was called between the two top vote getters in Perry and Murphy.
With a comfortable red path to the House either way, the race between the two candidates has turned into the GOP's real first test to get a woman, Perry, past the primaries — something that was rare in 2018. The National Republican Congressional Committee has made getting more women past the primaries a priority and has contacted over 170 female candidates nationwide so far, reports CBS News Political Unit broadcast associate Aaron Navarro.
All 13 Republican women in the House, including Republican Conference Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, have endorsed Perry. Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Joe Anne Jones, the wife of the late congressman, are also other notable endorsements. Perry's pro-life stance, a foundational part of her campaign, has resulted in a bit over $1 million in campaign support from the Women for Women Action Fund and the Women Speak Out Political Action Committee, according to the Federal Election Committee. Murphy has relied more so on support from Meadows' House Freedom Fund PAC, which spent $186,000 in opposition efforts against Perry.
As of Wednesday afternoon, about 9,500 early votes have been recorded so far according to North Carolina State Election Board officials, about 70 percent of the voter turnout from the May primaries. The general election will be held on Tuesday, July 9.
MONEY MATTERS
SENATE BATTLEGROUNDS: In addition to Harrison, Democratic Senate candidates in battleground states across the country have posted impressive fundraising numbers for the second financial quarter, reports CBS News associate producer Ellee Watson.
Mark Kelly in Arizona, who is facing Sen. Martha McSally, raised $4.2 million. In the first week of her campaign, Sara Gideon raised $1 million in Maine where she hopes to run against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election. Gideon faces a Democratic primary with Betsy Sweet. In New Mexico, Ben Ray Lujan raised $1.1 million, and two candidates in Colorado raised over $1 million.
