Welcome to the AR/Intel Race Rundown, our weekly recap of the most important news happening in campaigns across the country.
This week marked the end of the first quarter of 2019 and several presidential candidates began announcing how much money they had raised. In Georgia, Stacey Abrams continued to fuel “will she, won’t she” speculation about a possible Senate run while a former Mayor from Columbus met with top Senate Democrats in D.C. Several individuals announced House candidacies this week as well, including a Navy veteran who is aiming to unseat Rep. John Katko (R-NY).
Catch up with all the news you may have missed below.
NATIONAL
The New York Times reports on new figures from the Labor Department that shows 196,000 jobs were added in March and that the unemployment rate was 3.8 percent. (The New York Times, 4/5/19)
FiveThirtyEight: “What More Than 40 Years Of Early Primary Polls Tell Us About 2020” (FiveThirtyEight, 4/1/19)
PRESIDENTIAL
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign said that it raised $18.2 million in his first six weeks as a candidate, Talking Points Memo reports. (Talking Points Memo, 4/2/19)
Sen. Kamala Harris’s campaign said Monday that it raised $12 million in the first quarter of 2019 from more than 218,000 individual contributions, The Hill reports. (The Hill, 4/1/19)
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke raised $9.4 million over the first 18 days of his presidential bid, The New York Times reports. (The New York Times, 4/3/19)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg said Monday that he raised more than $7 million during the first quarter of the year, The Washington Post reports. (The Washington Post, 4/1/19)
SENATE NATIONAL
The Associated Press: “A Look At States In Center Of 2020 Battle For Senate Control” (The Associated Press, 3/30/19)
SENATE ALABAMA
Politico reports that Rep. Bradley Byrne raised more than $1.2 million for his Senate campaign in Alabama in the first quarter of this year and ended the quarter with more than $2 million cash on hand. (Politico, 4/3/19)
- AL.com: “Will Byrne’s Early 2020 Senate Fundraising Deter Other Republicans From Running?” (AL.com, 4/3/19)
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who currently represents the Florida Panhandle in the U.S. House, has told colleagues he is considering moving across the state line to run for the Senate in Alabama in 2020, several House lawmakers told The Hill. (The Hill, 4/4/19)
SENATE ARIZONA
Retired astronaut Mark Kelly’s (D-AZ) campaign announced he raised more than $4 million in the first quarter, The Arizona Republic reports. (The Arizona Republic, 4/3/19)
SENATE COLORADO
Democrat Mike Johnston announced Tuesday that his campaign for the U.S. Senate raised $1.8 million since the beginning of the year — setting a state fundraising record, Colorado Politics reports. (Colorado Politics, 4/2/19)
- Johnston recently placed dozens of Facebook ads targeted to run everywhere in the country except in the Centennial State, The Washington Free Beacon reports. (The Washington Free Beacon, 4/5/19)
The Denver Post reports that Stephany Rose Spaulding (D-CO), a professor of women’s and ethnic studies at the University of Colorado’s Colorado Springs who lost a Congressional race to Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) last year, announced Monday that she is running against U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner. (The Denver Post, 4/1/19)
Colorado Politics reports that Diana Bray, a psychologist and climate activist, also declared a bid for Senate. She is the ninth Democratic candidate running to take on Sen. Gardner. (Colorado Politics, 4/3/19)
SENATE GEORGIA
Stacey Abrams said Thursday that running for president is “probably third on the list” of her potential future bids for office, behind running for the US Senate or seeking a gubernatorial rematch, CNN reports. (CNN, 4/4/19)
CBS-Columbus reports that former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson is moving closer to a possible Democratic run next year for U.S. Senate. Earlier this week, Tomlinson was in Washington D.C. and met with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto. (CBS-Columbus, 4/4/19)
SENATE IOWA
NBC-Des Moines reports that Sioux City Democrat and former professional baseball player J.D. Scholten is being encouraged to challenge Sen. Joni Ernst in 2020. (NBC-Des Moines, 4/2/19)
SENATE KANSAS
Politico reports that Republican Rep. Roger Marshall, who raised $700,000 in the first quarter of the year, is considering a run for Senate in Kansas. (Politico, 4/1/19)
SENATE KENTUCKY
Draft Amy McGrath and Ditch Mitch, two campaigns from the anti-McConnell Ditch Fund, have kicked off a fundraising campaign, The Hill reports. (The Hill, 4/3/19)
In August 2016, former Auditor Adam Edelen and Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones announced their plan to save politics in Kentucky by forming a group to recruit and elect new candidates. A little more than two years later — and less than a month after Edelen formally announced his candidacy for governor — the group dissolved, The Lexington Herald Leader reports. (The Lexington Herald Leader, 4/3/19)
SENATE NEW MEXICO
Democratic Rep. Ben Ray Luján announced he is running for Senate in New Mexico, Politico reports. (Politico, 4/1/19)
Freshman Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), who was floated as a possible Senate candidate, ruled out a run on Wednesday, Las Cruces Sun-News reports. (Las Cruces Sun-News, 4/3/19)
SENATE TEXAS
Houston Chronicle: “Castro V. Cornyn: U.S. Senate Race Would Feature Two Undefeated Texas Lawmakers” (Houston Chronicle, 4/2/19)
SENATE WEST VIRGINIA
Just five months after being reelected to the U.S. Senate, Joe Manchin is mulling a run for governor in 2020 against GOP Gov. Jim Justice, Politico reports. (Politico, 4/5/19)
HOUSE NATIONAL
BuzzFeed: “The AOC-Nancy Pelosi Alliance Could Face A New Test In The Fight Over Protecting Incumbents” (BuzzFeed, 4/2/19)
Politico reports that House Majority PAC, the major pro-Democratic super PAC for congressional races, has hired several senior staffers. Abby Curran Horrell, a DCCC alum who has worked as Rep. Ann McLane Kuster’s (D-NH) chief of staff for the last six years, will serve as Executive Director. (Politico, 4/5/19)
HOUSE CALIFORNIA
CA-21: Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA) failed to disclose several business interests during his most recent congressional candidacy, including the fact that he sits on the board of a for-profit Canadian mining company, according to public records obtained by The Fresno Bee. (The Fresno Bee, 4/1/19)
HOUSE FLORIDA
FL-26: The Miami Herald reports that Irina Vilariño (R-FL), co-owner of Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine restaurants, announced that she’s launching a campaign for Florida’s 26th congressional district. Vilariño was a frequent presence during the 2018 elections with Republican candidates, including Rick Scott and has been a contributor on FOX News. (The Miami Herald, 4/3/19)
HOUSE GEORGIA
GA-07: Forsyth News: “Here’s How Much Money Candidates For The 7th District Have Raised So Far” (Forsyth News, 4/4/19)
HOUSE MONTANA
MT-AL: The Billings Gazette reports that State Rep. Tom Winter (D-MT) is running for Montana’s sole seat in the U.S. House in 2020. The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, who is expected to announce a 2020 bid for governor. (The Billings Gazette, 4/2/19)
HOUSE NORTH CAROLINA
NC-06: Republican Rep. Mark Walker has been caught up in a federal corruption probe against the North Carolina Republican Party and led to the indictment of former congressman Robin Hayes, Politico reports. (Politico, 4/2/19)
HOUSE NEBRASKA
NE-02: Omaha World Herald reports that Morgann Freeman (D-NE), a Black Lives Matter activist and member of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce’s young professionals group, will challenge Democrats Ann Ferlic Ashford, an attorney, and Kara Eastman, a former nonprofit executive, in a primary to run against Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE). (Omaha World Herald, 4/1/19)
HOUSE NEW MEXICO
NM-03: Albuquerque Journal reports that Joseph Sanchez (D-NM), a first-term state representative and engineer, as well as Mark McDonald (D-NM), regional business developer for a medical helicopter company, are running for the House seat being vacated by Ben Ray Lujan as he runs for U.S. Senate. The outlet also noted that 8 more possible candidates are considering a run. (Albuquerque Journal, 4/2/19)
HOUSE NEW YORK
NY-24: Navy veteran Roger Misso announced he will run as a Democratic candidate for the 24th Congressional District seat in 2020 against incumbent Rep. John Katko, Syracuse.com reports. (Syracuse.com, 4/4/19)
HOUSE TEXAS
TX-07: Houston Chronicle reports that Republican Army veteran Wesley Hunt announced his candidacy for Texas’ 7th Congressional District, the seat currently held by Rep. Lizzie Fletcher. (Houston Chronicle, 4/2/19)