The final sprint to the Iowa caucuses

5 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
11:49 a.m. ET, February 1, 2020

Klobuchar nabs endorsement from California Rep. Linda Sánchez 

Sen. Amy Klobuchar nabbed an endorsement on Saturday from outside of Iowa just two days before the caucuses.

California Rep. Linda Sánchez threw her support behind Klobuchar, according to a campaign spokesperson. Sanchez served as the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus in the 115th Congress.

“Our number one priority in this election is defeating Donald Trump and Senator Amy Klobuchar is the best candidate to take him on,” said Sánchez. “Amy not only has bold, progressive policies and an optimistic economic agenda, she also has a proven track record of delivering real results as I’ve seen in the Senate. Amy will be a President for all of America and I’m proud to support her in this campaign.”

11:44 a.m. ET, February 1, 2020

Biden campaign talking points show focus on spat with Sanders over Social Security

Joe Biden’s campaign distributed talking points to surrogates ahead of the Iowa caucuses this week that signal a campaign concerned about spinning a recent spat with Bernie Sanders as the former vice president defending himself and not attacking the Vermont senator.

The 20-page document, which was provided to CNN, was sent ahead of an influx of Biden surrogates headed to Iowa this weekend, days ahead of the state’s critical caucuses. The guide includes details on all of Biden’s policy positions but leads with key questions that surrogates could be confronted with, including former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, impeachment and the tense back-and-forth between Biden and Sanders over Social Security.

The Biden campaign declined to comment on the content of the talking points.

The guide argues that Biden “didn’t go negative on Bernie” and was just “responding to attacks on his record.”

“The truth is – Bernie and his allies have viciously distorted Joe's record on Social Security in robocalls, digital ads, and email blasts,” the talking points argue. “Fact checkers called his attack false. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called it a flat-out lie.”

They add:

“Joe's campaign is correcting the record to clarify his position on Social Security, not attacking Bernie. It’s is making clear what Joe has committed: as president, he'll not only protect and defend Social Security, but boost benefits for the most vulnerable.”

Biden and Sanders, ahead of the caucuses, have been in a heated back-and-forth that began with their positions on Social Security but devolved into Biden questioning Sanders’ allegiance to the Democratic Party, an accusation he later walked back.

Biden’s campaign is also seeking to downplay the growing operation that Bloomberg has built in key Super Tuesday states that will vote on March 3. 

“Mike Bloomberg has spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars on ads alone, and Joe Biden is still in the lead, nationally and in Super Tuesday states,” the document reads. “After the first four states vote, Joe will have demonstrated that he has the broadest, most diverse coalition, and that he’s the strongest candidate to beat Donald Trump.” 

The talking points also directed surrogates on how to talk about Biden’s son, Hunter, and the possibility of him testifying before the Senate impeachment trial. That possibility is now moot given Republicans won a vote in the Senate on Friday to have no witnesses during the trial.

11:14 a.m. ET, February 1, 2020

Rashida Tlaib boos Hillary Clinton at Sanders Iowa event

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib booed Hillary Clinton during a campaign event for Sen. Bernie Sanders Friday in a moment that highlighted the raw feelings still present from the 2016 primary campaign. 

As a key surrogate, Tlaib -- along with Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar -- was in Iowa stumping for Sanders, as the Vermont senator was stuck in Washington for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. 

During a panel discussion with the three progressive congresswomen, the moderator raised Clinton's attack against Sanders that "nobody likes him." Hours earlier, Clinton on a podcast with the daughter of a former donor had, again, criticized Sanders and his supporters for not doing enough to unify the party after the last primary.

The moderator tried to quell the crowd's jeers, saying "we're not going to boo," when the Michigan congresswoman interjected.

"No, no, I'll boo," Tlaib said, as she then led the crowd in boos.

"You all know I can't be quiet. No, we're going to boo," she said. "That's alright. The haters will shut up on Monday when we win."

In a statement on Twitter Saturday, Tlaib said she allowed her "disappointment" over Clinton's latest comments about Sanders and his supporters "get the best of me," but stopped short of apologizing.

Read the full story here.

9:54 a.m. ET, February 1, 2020

She was stuck in DC. But Elizabeth Warren worked the phones trying to get final Iowa endorsements

Elizabeth Warren has been busy trying to snatch up last-minute endorsements in Iowa with the caucuses just around the corner.

But rather than making that outreach in person in the Hawkeye State, Warren has been doing it over the phone from Washington, DC, where she and her colleagues in the Senate have been serving as jurors in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial.

The Massachusetts Democrat has been squeezing in brief phone calls to local elected officials, power brokers and activists in Iowa by utilizing moments when she can step away from the Senate floor, where cell phones and other electronics have been strictly prohibited during impeachment hearings.

One of those calls on Thursday was to former Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky -- and it worked.

Read the full story here.

9:52 a.m. ET, February 1, 2020

Biden calls Iowa a "toss up"

Joe Biden played the role of pundit after his event in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, answering questions from CNN about what a second, third or fourth place finish in Iowa would mean for him.

“Well there’s a big difference between second and fourth,” he said.

I’ve been saying from the beginning I think we’re gonna do well here. I think it’s gonna be really tight no matter how it works out. It’s been bunched up, it’s gonna remain bunched up I think.”

He added, “I view this as, you know, four sets here. I really mean it. I think that the two caucuses and the two first primaries -- I view them as a package, and how you come out of there I think is gonna determine what your shots are. So I feel good about it.” 

Biden then argued that Iowa isn’t “as consequential” as years past, noting that his metric of success is whether a candidate can “represent every aspect of the Democratic Party.” He labeled Iowa a “toss up” and described New Hampshire as a “real uphill race”

“I just think it’s a different year in that I think the measure, you all won’t do it now, and I don’t mean it in a bad way, but I think what you’re going to have to measure is who can represent every aspect of the Democratic Party. And that’s why I think it matters how you – it’s not as consequential in one sense as it has been in years past. Because I feel very strongly that we have a great firewall in South Carolina. I think we’re in a position where we’ll do very well in Nevada, I think it’s gonna be a real uphill race as it always is for a non-New Englander in New Hampshire. And I think it’s gonna be just a toss up here. It has been all the way along,” he said.

Biden continued: “But look, I’m not being a pundit about it – you guys will make those judgments about it. I’m not being a wise guy, but it’s about, I think, the party understand and folks understand that you gotta be able to represent the whole country."