Via The New York Times: “After months of insisting he would not challenge the Republican incumbent, Mr. Bullock, the governor and ex-Democratic presidential candidate, has until Monday to file to run in Montana.”
LaunchCoronavirus may disrupt the 2020 presidential election — we need a plan
“Quarantines and fear could decimate voter turnout. Congress needs to fund mail-in ballots nationwide now,” Jon Stokes argues in an essay for WIRED.
LaunchThree-quarters of Americans lack confidence in tech companies’ ability to fight election interference
“A significant majority of Americans have lost faith in tech companies’ ability to prevent the misuse of their platforms to influence the 2020 presidential election, according to a new study from Pew Research Center,” TechCrunch reports.
LaunchColumnist: The Bernie Sanders revolution came to Tacoma. It looked and sounded downright reasonable.
“If these are the revolutionaries, it’s a reality we need to face up to — because it speaks volumes about the predicament we’ve gotten ourselves into,” writes Matt Driscoll.
LaunchAre Maine voters ready to dump Susan Collins? New poll shows her tied with top Democratic challenger
Four Democrats are running to replace Susan Collins, but one of them is already tied with Susan Collins in a new poll.
LaunchZoe Fenson: It’s 2020 and women are exhausted
“Can we really push back against a machinery that was built to keep women (and so many others) out of the halls of power? Or will we simply have to swallow our emotions, tamp down our exhaustion, and resign ourselves to America’s misogyny as an immovable object?”
LaunchU.S. Representative Jeff Van Drew plans to betray the Democratic Party and join the Trump cult
New Jersey’s Jeff Van Drew has decided to sell out to the Party of Trump, presumably because he is desperate to get reelected in his Republican-leaning congressional district. Van Drew and his self-serving treachery epitomize what’s wrong with our politics.
LaunchThe lowdown on the “Texodus”
Republican members of the United States House of Representatives from the Lone Star State are retiring en masse. Why? Christopher Hooks explains.
LaunchBoris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? Nah! Try Prime Spectator!
If you aren’t paying attention to what’s happening on the other side of the Atlantic, you should tune in. British politics has entered a moment of incredibly high drama.
LaunchAmy McGrath’s campaign rips Mitch McConnell in new ad for not caring about sick coal miners
Former fighter pilot Amy McGrath isn’t pulling any punches in her campaign for the U.S. Senate against Mitch McConnell.
LaunchFederal judge orders Georgia to switch to paper ballots for 2020 elections
Via Ars Technica: “Election security advocates scored a major victory on Thursday as a federal judge issued a 153-page ruling ordering Georgia officials to stop using its outdated electronic voting machines by the end of the year.”
LaunchHolder: 2020 election “existential”
The former Attorney General of the United States offered opening remarks at Defending the Census, a Netroots Nation 2019 panel.
LaunchFighter pilot Amy McGrath is back — and she’s running against Mitch McConnell
Defeat Mitch. Defend Democracy. That’s Amy McGrath’s mission in 2020. She used to fly fighter jets for the U.S. Marines; now, she’s running against top Republican Mitch McConnell for the U.S. Senate.
LaunchJimmy Carter says a full investigation would show Trump lost in 2016
“I think a full investigation would show that Trump didn’t actually win the election in 2016. He lost the election, and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf,” the legendary former President said.
LaunchDemocrats have a challenger for Susan Collins: Maine Speaker Sara Gideon
Maine’s Speaker of the House, Sara Gideon, announced that she will run for the United States Senate in 2020, taking on entrenched Republican Susan Collins.
LaunchTrump smashed months of FBI work to thwart election interference
Via Politico: “Trump’s willingness to accept foreign assistance has essentially invited overseas spies to meddle with 2020 presidential campaigns, undoing months of work, said law enforcement veterans.”
LaunchWhat if “electability” is more about authenticity than moderation? (It is.)
“It may well be that the same candidates who appeal authentically to progressive emotional sensibilities will also appeal to the voters Democrats most need to persuade in the purple districts and states they need to win–as well as bring out people who otherwise just wouldn’t vote at all,” writes David Atkins. (He’s correct.)
LaunchDemocratic Party says Fox Noise Channel won’t be a media partner for any 2020 debates
Fox Noise Channel — which has been described at times as an arm of the Republican National Committee as well as the parent company of the Trump White House — won’t be hosting any Democratic presidential debates in 2020, party Chair Tom Perez says.
LaunchRepublicans admit fraud took place in NC-09; new election ordered
“After a stunning reversal by Republican Mark Harris, North Carolina election officials Thursday unanimously ordered a new election in the 9th Congressional District, which has gained national attention as the last unresolved House race for the 2018 election,” the Charlotte Observer reports.
LaunchIndividual Number 1 threatens Pelosi and Schumer with government shutdown: “I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it.”
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer met with Donald Trump at the White House and got exactly what they came for.
LaunchWatch Andy Serkis’ devastating, Gollum-themed parody of Britain’s Theresa May
This is possibly the best parody video you’ll watch all year.
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