Race Rundown: New Debate Rules Shake Up Dem’s 2020 Field

PRESIDENTIAL

The DNC announced new parameters for the third and fourth Democratic presidential debates. To qualify for the September debates, candidates must receive 2% support in four approved polls released between June 28 and Aug. 28 while also collecting contributions from a minimum of 130,000 unique donors before Aug. 28. That donor list must include a minimum of 400 individuals in at least 20 states. (The Associated Press, 5/29/19)

• BuzzFeed: “The New Presidential Debate Rules Immediately Have Some Democrats Frustrated With The DNC” (BuzzFeed, 5/29/19)

The Washington Examiner: “Warren Poised To Break Out, AOC Endorsement Could Derail Sanders” (The Washington Examiner, 5/28/19)

POLL: The latest Morning Consult poll of Democratic primary voters found former Vice President Joe Biden leading the field for President with support from 38% of those polled. He is followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (20%), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (9%), Sen. Kamala Harris (7%), and Mayor Pete Buttigieg (7%). (Morning Consult, 5/28/19)

SENATE NATIONAL

The NRSC announced it will blacklist any political consulting firm that works to unseat an incumbent. (Politico, 5/24/19)

SENATE ALABAMA

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) endorsed State Rep. Arnold Mooney for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Alabama. (Alabama Political Reporter, 5/28/19)

Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL), who launched his Senate campaign earlier this year, told The Hill he’s spoken to GOP sources close to Roy Moore who said the former Alabama judge will announce his candidacy for the Senate soon. (The Hill, 5/28/19)

• Following Byrne’s statement, President Trump publicly cautioned Moore about making another bid for the Senate seat, writing on Twitter that he “cannot win.” (The Washington Post, 5/29/19)
• Moore responded to the President’s tweet, telling The Associated Press that establishment Republicans don’t want him to enter the Senate race because “everybody knows I can win.” Moore also said that the President’s comments wouldn’t dissuade him from running. (The Associated Press, 5/29/19)

AR/Intel Insiders: We’ve updated our Alabama Senate Race Brief to give you the most up to date information on candidates, news, and polling.

SENATE ARIZONA

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who had considered running for U.S. Senate before deciding against it, endorsed candidate Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in his bid to challenge Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ). (Arizona Central, 5/30/19)

SENATE COLORADO

Andrew Romanoff (D-CO) announced that his U.S. Senate campaign has won endorsements from more than 250 current and former elected officials, including former Rep. John Salazar. (Colorado Politics, 5/28/19)

SENATE SOUTH CAROLINA

Democrat Jaime Harrison, the former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, announced his Senate bid against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). (The Huffington Post, 5/28/19)

The DSCC formally endorsed Harrison the day after he entered the race, making him the committee’s third endorsed candidate this cycle. The other two are Mark Kelly of Arizona and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico. (Politico, 5/30/19)

HOUSE NATIONAL

Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “House 2020: Incumbents Hardly Ever Lose Primaries” (Sabato’s Crystal Ball, 5/30/19)

HOUSE IOWA

IA-02: Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) endorsed Democrat Rita Hart to replace him in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. (Iowa City Press-Citizen, 5/29/19)

AR/Intel Insiders: From the presidential election to Senate and House races — Iowa is shaping up to be extremely competitive next year. Get up to speed on all the races here.

HOUSE MINNESOTA

MN-01: Democrat Dan Feehan, who lost in 2018 to now-Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN) by 1,315 votes, announced he will run for Congress again. (Alpha News MN, 5/29/19)

HOUSE MONTANA

MT-AL: Roll Call: “Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte May Run For Governor, Opening Up At-Large House Seat” (Roll Call, 5/29/19)

HOUSE NORTH CAROLINA

NC-03: Roll Call: “Runoff For Safe Republican Seat In North Carolina Divides The Conference” (Roll Call, 5/29/19)

NC-09: A new JMC Analytics poll showed Republican Dan Bishop leading Democrat Dan McCready 46% to 42%. (JMC Analytics, 5/24/19)

AR/Intel Insiders: Catch up on all the North Carolina special elections here.

HOUSE SOUTH CAROLINA

SC-01: Charlotte Observer: “GOP Thinks They Can Retake Congress Seat. But Who Will Take On SC’s Joe Cunningham?” (Charlotte Observer, 5/24/19)

HOUSE UTAH

UT-04: UtahPolicy reports that Kathleen Anderson, who served as the communications director for the Utah Republican Party and as President of the Utah Federation of Republican Women, is preparing to launch a campaign challenging freshman Rep. Ben McAdams (D-UT). (Utah Policy, 5/24/19)

AR/Intel Insiders: There are currently no Republicans running but at least eight are considering. For bios on all the possible candidates, click here.