May 11, 2019

As Biden predicts a shorter race, rivals dig in for long fight

From hiring to messaging, recent moves by 2020 hopefuls telegraph preparations for a sustained nomination battle.

May 11, 2019, 7:30 AM EDT
By Jonathan Allen

WASHINGTON — Slow your roll, Joe.

That’s the message several of former Vice President Joe Biden’s rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination are sending with their recent campaign moves.

“This field is going to be winnowed out pretty quickly,” Biden, the current front-runner, told reporters in Los Angeles this week. “...It’s going to work its way through relatively quickly for all of us.”

But the rest of the field is offering fresh evidence that it is preparing for a long nomination fight.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/biden-predicts-shorter-race-rivals-dig-long-fight-n1004481?cid=public-rss_20190511

May 11, 2019

Trump tells Iran 'call me,' playing good cop to Bolton's enforcer

By Nicole Gaouette and Kevin Liptak, CNN

Updated 8:28 AM ET, Sat May 11, 2019

Washington (CNN) - President Donald Trump and his most senior Cabinet officials have a message for the leaders in Iran -- it's just not quite the same one.

National security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have threatened "unrelenting force" and "a swift and decisive response" to any Iranian provocation after saying intelligence indicates Tehran may intend to threaten US forces or allies in the region.

Asked Thursday if there's a risk of military confrontation, Trump said, "I guess you could say that always, right?" and then delivered his central message. "What I'd like to see with Iran, I'd like to see them call me," the President said.

"What they should be doing is calling me up, sitting down; we can make a deal, a fair deal. ... We're not looking to hurt Iran," Trump said in remarks to reporters at the White House. "I want them to be strong and great and have a great economy. But they should call, and if they do, we're open to talk to them."

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/11/politics/trump-call-bolton-threat/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_allpolitics+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Politics%29

May 11, 2019

Florida takes shape as Joe Biden's firewall

The former vice president is crushing the Democratic field in the nation’s third-largest state.

By MARC CAPUTO 05/11/2019 06:49 AM EDT

MIAMI — Florida, with its hordes of older voters and establishment-oriented Democratic Party, doesn’t just look like Biden Country. Judging from the initial reaction to his presidential bid in the nation’s third-largest state, it’s shaping up to be his firewall.

Joe Biden is crushing the Democratic field here, including Bernie Sanders, in the latest polling. More than one-third of Democratic state legislators endorsed him almost as soon as he announced his candidacy, a testament to state political ties that stretch back decades and span generations.

“Biden is in a class all on his own in Florida,” said pollster Ryan Tyson, who just completed a survey of Florida Democrats.

In prior Democratic presidential primaries, Florida didn’t matter nearly as much to the outcome as it figures to next year. The crowded 2020 field increases the likelihood of a drawn-out primary season that remains unsettled when the state votes in mid-March.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/11/joe-biden-florida-1317604

May 11, 2019

Judge Orders Assistance for Spanish-Speaking Voters

Source: PoliticalWire



May 11, 2019 at 8:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard

A federal judge is requiring 32 of Florida’s 67 counties to provide election materials and assistance to Spanish-speaking voters before the 2020 presidential primary, NBC News reports.

The decision “comes after several civic engagement groups and individuals sued the state secretary of state and elections supervisors last year for what they say was a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for not making available bilingual voting materials and assistance to the state’s growing number of Spanish speakers.”

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Read more: https://politicalwire.com/2019/05/11/judge-orders-assistance-for-spanish-speaking-voters/

May 11, 2019

Beto O'Rourke plans 'reintroduction' as 2020 buzz fizzles

By WILL WEISSERT and STEVE PEOPLES
2 hours ago

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Beto O’Rourke barreled into the 2020 presidential race with breakneck energy and a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants campaign style that saw him leap atop tables to address overflow crowds with the organic, off-the-cuff candor that had made him a Texas sensation.

But since his mid-March campaign launch, the buzz surrounding the former congressman has evaporated. Competing in a massive field of Democratic White House hopefuls, O’Rourke has sagged in the polls. He’s made few promises that resonated or produced headline-grabbing moments, instead driving around the country meeting with voters at mostly small events.

In a tacit recognition that this approach isn’t working, O’Rourke is planning to try again, taking a hands-on role in staging a “reintroduction” ahead of next month’s premier Democratic presidential debate. As he finalizes his plans, O’Rourke has entered an intentional “quiet period” to build out campaign infrastructure, according to an adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the campaign’s strategy.

That will end soon. O’Rourke is planning to significantly ramp up national media appearances — he is appearing live on ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday after skipping most such exposure in recent months. He’s also poised to offer more concrete policy plans on top issues. So far, he’s issued just one — a sweeping proposal to combat climate change.

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https://apnews.com/1e32cf3855734117b0aa1a1d55867b6e