2020 Daily Trail Markers: Democrats make their way to Iowa this week
The Iowa caucuses are just 98 days away, and nearly every candidate will be returning to the Hawkeye State this week for one of the signature events of the Democratic primary cycle: the Iowa Democratic Party's Liberty & Justice Celebration. The event, a fundraiser for the Iowa Democratic Party, used to be known as the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.
"The final phase of this campaign really begins here," said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price. "There's a lot to happen, but from here on, it's a sprint to Caucus Day for a lot of these candidates and campaigns."
More than 13,000 people are expected to attend the event, Price said. CBS News campaign reporters Musadiq Bidar and Adam Brewster say it's one of the last chances for Iowans to compare different candidates in person on a single night and gives campaigns a chance to show off their organizational strength.
The caucus cycle has featured countless multi-candidate events, but this will be the largest to date and could be one of the biggest Democratic events before nominating convention next July. Price said events like this give caucus goers a chance to "see the candidates back-to-back and a chance to hear their visions, their messages and be able to further winnow down who they support or put someone new on their radar screen."
The 2007 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner was a launching point for Barack Obama's victory in Iowa. But Price credited the event with helping propel John Kerry and Al Gore to victories in Iowa. With less than a 100 days to go until Caucus Day, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg have polled above the rest of the candidates since late September. Those campaigns, along with Kamala Harris, have built out the largest ground game operations in the state.
Organizers will be working around the clock as Caucus Day approaches, trying to capture support as Iowans make their final decisions. The polls show there is room for a potential shakeup with a little over three months to go. A recent USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that 29% of likely Iowa Democratic caucus goers were undecided about their top choice, and 63% said they might change their mind about who their first choice is before Caucus Day in February.
FROM THE CANDIDATES
JOE BIDEN
Jessica Mejía, formerly western regional director for the progressive group Emily's List, will start this week in Los Angeles as Joe Biden's new California state director. In 2016, CBS News campaign reporter Alex Tin says Mejía served in key roles for Hillary Clinton's primary and general election bids out West. Biden now joins a handful of candidates who have hired state directors in the Super Tuesday contest, where the former vice president has jockeyed for a lead against Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
ANDREW YANG
Andrew Yang announced late Sunday that Evelyn Yang, his wife, will be making her first campaign trail appearance this weekend in Iowa, CBS News political unit associate producer Ben Mitchell reports. While spouses joining candidates on the trail is hardly new, Evelyn Yang is a key part of her husband's pitch to voters. He never fails to mention her in his speech as an example of the economy's failure to recognize home caregivers as part of the labor force, and he always talks about her role in caring for their home and their two young sons, one of whom has autism.
Yang uses his family life as an example of why Universal Basic Income (UBI) is so important to thousands of home caregivers around the country. Now, voters will be able to hear from his wife at a crucial time – her debut will take place during the one of the Iowa Democratic Party's biggest cattle calls of the election cycle.
STATE-BY-STATE
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Vice President Pence will travel to New Hampshire on November 7 to file for the 2020 New Hampshire primary ballot, on behalf of President Trump, CBS News campaign reporter Nicole Sganga confirms. A Trump campaign spokesperson also confirmed that Pence will make an appearance at Politics & Eggs, a series sponsored by the New Hampshire Institute Politics' at St. Anselm College, after his primary filing with Secretary of State Bill Gardner at the State House.
In a statement, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley responded in part, "The Trump-Pence administration is defined by its broken campaign promises to New Hampshire voters - from trying to kick 89,000 Granite Staters off their health care plans to gutting environmental protections to prioritizing lobbyists and special interests over working Granite Staters."
SOUTH CAROLINA
The president and ten Democratic presidential candidates descended upon the "first in the South" primary state this weekend to participate in a forum that was advertised as a criminal justice-focused event. But the weekend's focus was in part overshadowed by the controversy that ensued after the president received a Bipartisan Justice Award. CBS News campaign reporter LaCrai Mitchell spoke with CBSN's Elaine Quijano about why Democratic candidates criticized the president for receiving the award and what they had to say about their plans for reforming the country's criminal justice system.
ISSUES THAT MATTER
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, and Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bennet and Bernie Sanders all attended the J-Street conference in DC to talk about Israel-U.S. relations and foreign policy says CBS News 2020 broadcast associate Aaron Navarro. J-Street is a progressive pro-Israel group that has been advocating for a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict.
One common topic of discussion among the five candidates was U.S. aid to Israel and whether it should be contingent on stopping the annexation of the West Bank. Buttigieg said he would support more rules on giving aid and that "settlements are detrimental to what we want to see happen." "We have a responsibility…to ensure that U.S. taxpayer support for Israel does not get turned into taxpayer support for a move like annexation," Buttigieg said at the conference.
Klobuchar said aid should not be negotiated right now, and Bennet said the withholding of aid could be an "instrument that could be easily manipulated by somebody like Prime Minister Netanyahu for his own political interests. So, I wouldn't want to say categorically one way or another." Sanders said he would withhold aid if Israel didn't address humanitarian needs in Gaza, reports CBS News campaign reporter Cara Korte.
CONGRESSIONAL COVERAGE
IN THE SENATE
Former North Carolina U.S. Senator Kay Hagan passed away Monday at the age of 66 from encephalitis caused by the rare Powassan virus. Hagan served one term in the Senate after beating incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole in 2008 and was defeated in 2014 by Republican Thom Tillis.
CBS News political unit associate producer Eleanor Watson notes that Tillis tweeted his condolences soon after news broke, saying, "Susan and I are absolutely heartbroken by Senator Kay Hagan's sudden passing and extend our condolences and prayers to her loving family and many friends. We join all North Carolinians in remembering her dedicated and distinguished record of public service to our state & nation."
IN THE HOUSE
GOP Representative Greg Walden of Oregon announced this term would be his last, and that it was time for him to move on from public office. CBS News political unit broadcast associate Aaron Navarro notes Walden has held the Second District seat since 1998. Walden said in a statement he was confident he'd be able to retain it. He is also the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and said he was optimistic "a path exists for Republicans to recapture a majority in the House, and that I could return for two more years as chairman."
Walden joins a growing list of House Republicans to announce they will leave in 2020. So far, 16 Republicans have announced retirement from Congress, three are seeking higher office and three have resigned. By comparison, four Democrats are retiring, two are running for Senate, one for the presidency, and one – Congresswoman Katie Hill – has resigned.
Hill announced last night she would resign at the end of the week, and added in a video posted today that "her fight is not over." Hill has come under scrutiny recently due to allegations of sexual relationships with a member of her congressional staff and a campaign staffer. Hill has denied her relationship with the congressional aide, but admitted to the campaign aide relationship. Details of this were first published by a Republican blog that obtained her personal text messages and pictures. In her video today, Hill said she would fight "to ensure that no one else has to live through what I just experienced. Some people call this electronic assault, digital exploitation. Others call it 'revenge porn.' As the victim of it, I call it one of the worst things that we can do to our sisters and our daughters."
GOVERNOR'S MANSION
SOUTHERN SUPPORT
CBS News associate producer Eleanor Watson reports that the Republican National Committee is getting ready to mobilize at the end of the week for the three southern gubernatorial races in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Louisiana. The committee will kick off a "National Week of November" get out the vote event on Friday that will last until election day. According to a GOP official, the initiative is to mobilize for those races as well as test the infrastructure of the staff and ground game a year out from Election Day 2020.
