Democrats increase qualifying thresholds for November debate
The Democratic National Committee is increasing the polling and fundraising requirements for presidential candidates to qualify for the primary campaign's fifth debate in November.But in a nod to the potential for late-surging campaigns, the increases are not as steep as those from the first and second debates during the summer to the third and fourth debates after Labor Day.The party's Monday announcement comes as candidates make their final fundraising pushes to qualify for the Oct. 15-16 debates in Ohio.The requirements from debate to debate have been heavily scrutinized by candidates and party activists alike, as DNC Chairman Tom Perez juggles potentially conflicting priorities: keeping a historically large field from being too unwieldy for voters while keeping his promise that everyone running would have a fair shot to make a case on the national stage.To make the November debate, candidates must have at least 165,000 unique donors, with at least 600 each in at least 20 states.
Democratic debate: Fiery exchanges over costs of health care
HOUSTON — Joe Biden vigorously defended his health care plan against Democratic rivals in Thursday night's presidential debate, a high-stakes clash in which health insurance played proxy for the broader fight for the direction of the party.Biden lashed out at his more progressive rival, Sen.
Yang plans to give away $1K/month to 10 families
HOUSTON — Businessman Andrew Yang is announcing plans to give away $1,000 a month to 10 families over the next year as part of his effort to prove the efficacy of his universal basic income campaign proposal.Yang said during Tuesday night's Democratic primary debate that he will randomly choose 10 families to receive $12,000 over the next year that will come from his campaign funds.
Myriad election systems complicate efforts to stop hackers
WASHINGTON — A new Senate report on Russian interference in U.S. elections highlighted one of the biggest challenges to preventing foreign meddling: the limited powers and ability of the federal government to protect elections run by state and local officials.
Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg makes Seattle stop
SEATTLE -- Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg made a Seattle visit on Tuesday.He and his supporters gathered at the Showbox for a grassroots fundraiser.
Biden: Congress should immediately make 'Dreamers' citizens
Ahead of the first Democratic debates, Joe Biden is proposing that Congress grant immediate citizenship to more than 800,000 U.S. residents who were brought to the country illegally as children.The former vice president and Democratic polling leader introduced some of his immigration priorities Monday in a newspaper op-ed that blisters President Donald Trump for an "assault on the dignity" of the Latino community through policies and rhetoric designed to "scare voters" in 2020."Trump repeatedly invokes racist invective to describe anyone south of the Rio Grande," Biden writes, assailing him for "actions that subvert our American values and our ability to lead on the global stage."Biden, who launched his 2020 campaign in April, calls for streamlining the asylum system for migrants and spending more on electronic security at borders instead of building Trump's proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Jay Inslee touts $9 trillion climate plan as economic boom
Democratic presidential candidate Jay Inslee is pitching a $9 trillion-plus climate action plan that he touts as an economic renaissance and scientific necessity, putting the Washington governor at the forefront of White House hopefuls pushing for sweeping action to combat the causes and effects of a warming planet.Inslee compares his "Evergreen Economy" plan, which combines public and private spending, to President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, the mobilization of the U.S. manufacturing base during World War II and the 1960s NASA mission to reach the moon."We didn't go to the moon because it was easy, but because it was hard," Inslee told The Associated Press ahead of the release of his 38-page plan on Thursday. "We need a common purpose ...
Inslee: Forget impeaching Trump. Voting him out is better.
Democratic presidential candidate Jay Inslee wants his party to scrap any thoughts of impeaching President Donald Trump and instead focus on voting him out of office."We should have a dramatic, engaged, concerted, energetic and successful effort in November 2020 to make Donald Trump a blip in history," the Washington governor said during a CNN town hall Wednesday.He said damning details still could emerge about Trump's 2016 campaign and business dealings but added that a Republican-led Senate would never remove the president.Inslee, an underdog in the crowded 2020 Democratic field, faces pressure to raise his profile in a campaign dominated by other better-known figures such as former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke and Vermont Sen.
Gov. Inslee focuses on climate change in 2020 presidential bid
Declaring climate change the nation's most pressing issue, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee launched his 2020 Democratic presidential bid on Friday with a promise to refocus American government and society.