Beto O’Rourke’s presidential announcement dominated headlines on the presidential front this week, but there was plenty of activity down ballot too. In Arizona, Rep. Reuben Gallego is preparing for what looks like an inevitable Senate run while left-leaning groups are looking to recruit a candidate to run against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky. On the House side, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC is hiring its first-ever political director and candidates are lining up to run for two special elections in North Carolina.
Catch up with all the political news you may have missed in this week’s Race Rundown.
NATIONAL
FiveThirtyEight: “The Six Wings Of The Democratic Party” (FiveThirtyEight, 3/11/19)
Politico: “‘Democrats As A Whole Are Not Socialists’: Vulnerable Dems Seek Distance For 2020” (Politico, 3/15/19)
Roll Call: “Small-Dollar Donors Could Hold The Balance In 2020” (Roll Call, 3/15/19)
The Democratic Party has selected Milwaukee to hold its 2020 national convention, The Wall Street Journal reports. (The Wall Street Journal, 3/11/19)
PRESIDENTIAL
Beto O’Rourke officially announced his candidacy for President, The New York Times reports. (The New York Times, 3/14/19)
Former Vice-President Joe Biden hinted Tuesday that he was close to entering the presidential race, The New York Times reports. (The New York Times, 3/12/19)
ABC-Atlanta: “Stacey Abrams Says 2020 Presidential Run ‘Definitely On The Table,’” (ABC-Atlanta, 3/11/19)
Monmouth University released a new poll showing how Democratic Presidential candidates are faring among Democratic voters. “Among a possible field of 23 announced and potential contenders, former Vice President Joe Biden currently has the support of 28% of Democratic voters (similar to his 29% support in January), closely followed by Vermont’s Sanders at 25% (up from 16% in January). Other candidate support remains largely unchanged from January, including California Sen. Kamala Harris (10%), Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (8%), former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke (6%), New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (5%), and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (3%).” (Monmouth University Polling Institute, 3/11/19)
Reuters: “Trump Campaign Preparing Early Focus On Pennsylvania, Wisconsin And Michigan” (Reuters, 3/13/19)
SENATE ALABAMA
A new poll released by the Club For Growth shows Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) leading Roy Moore (R-AL) 52% to 32%, with 16% undecided. (Club For Growth, 3/13/19)
AL.com reports that Roy Moore (R-AL) is “seriously considering” a run for U.S. Senate again in 2020. (AL.com, 3/8/19)
SENATE ARIZONA
FiveThirtyEight: “Arizona’s 2020 Senate Race Already Looks Tough” (FiveThirtyEight, 3/13/19)
The Arizona Republic: “Rep. Ruben Gallego, A Democrat, Lays Groundwork For 2020 Senate Run” (The Arizona Republic, 3/14/19)
The Intercept: “Exxon, Big Pharma, And Wall Street Lobbyist To Host Fundraiser For Mark Kelly In Washington” (The Intercept, 3/12/19)
SENATE COLORADO
The Colorado Independent: “Democrats Draft Playbook For Defeating Gardner, Their Top Senate Target In 2020” (The Colorado Independent, 3/11/19)
SENATE KENTUCKY
The left-leaning Ditch Fund, an advocacy group devoted to toppling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is joining Democrats’ efforts to recruit Amy McGrath to run for his Kentucky Senate Seat, Roll Call reports. (Roll Call, 3/12/19)
SENATE TENNESSEE
The Associated Press reports that the Club for Growth is attacking former Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam as he considers running for the open U.S. Senate seat. (The Associated Press, 3/12/19)
HOUSE NATIONAL
The Cook Political Report: “How Power In The House Has Changed” (The Cook Political Report, 3/13/19)
The Hill: “The 31 Trump Districts That Will Determine The Next House Majority” (The Hill, 3/15/19)
Vox: “Some House Democrats Who Took A ‘No Corporate PAC’ Pledge Are Already Getting Pressure To Ditch That Promise” (Vox, 3/13/19)
Politico reports that the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC is hiring its first-ever political director, part of a larger effort by the PAC to turn more attention to recruiting new candidates. According to Politico, the PAC is hiring David Keith, whose last role was as campaign manager for Democrat Randy Bryce, to take on the new role. (Politico, 3/11/19)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Saturday called capitalism “irredeemable,” The Hill reports. (The Hill, 3/10/19)
HOUSE CALIFORNIA
KQED: “After Midterm ‘Blue Wave,’ Democrats Turn Attention To Unseating Nunes, Hunter In 2020” (KQED, 3/11/19)
HOUSE GEORGIA
GA-07: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Former Fulton County Commission chair John Eaves (D-GA) filed paperwork over the weekend declaring his candidacy for the 7th District seat. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3/11/19)
HOUSE MINNESOTA
MN-05: Some Minnesota Democrats, upset over controversial comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), are taking initial steps to recruit a candidate to run against her in next year’s primary election, The Hill reports. (The Hill, 3/14/19)
HOUSE NORTH CAROLINA
NC-03: Long Leaf Politics: “Breaking Down The 26 Candidates Who Filed For The 3rd Congressional District Special Election” (Long Leaf Politics, 3/11/19)
HOUSE NEW HAMPSHIRE
NH-01: WMUR reports that 2018 Republican 1st Congressional District nominee Eddie Edwards is being recruited to run for “federal office” in 2020. (WMUR, 3/14/19)
HOUSE NEW JERSEY
NJ-05: The Patch reports that Frank Pallotta, a former mayoral candidate and Wall Street executive, is considering running against Rep. Josh Gottheimer next year. (The Patch, 3/14/19)
HOUSE NEW YORK
NY-22: Syracuse.com reports that George Phillips, a high school history teacher, said he plans to seek the Republican nomination to challenge Rep. Anthony Brindisi next year. (Syracuse.com, 3/14/19)
HOUSE TEXAS
TX-23: Rep. Will Hurd, whose district shares 820 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that “building a 30-foot high concrete structure from sea to shining sea is the most expensive and least effective way to do border security,” Axios reports. (Axios, 3/10/19)
TX-23: Texas Monthly: “Will Hurd Has Defied Both Liberals And Donald Trump. Is He The Future Of The GOP, Or A Party Of One?” (Texas Monthly, 3/12/19)