Month: September 2020

Democratic presidential hopefuls are barnstorming South Carolina, lured by a condensed primary schedule and diverse electorate that will be crucial to securing their party’s nomination in 2020.

The Palmetto State is poised to be among the most important early contests of 2020. Not only is the primary there the first in the South, but the first where black voters will make up a majority of the Democratic primary electorate, setting the state up as a proving ground of the candidates’ ability to court a key voting bloc.

Adding to the crucial nature of South Carolina’s nominating contest is California’s 2017 decision to push up the date of its 2020 primaries from June to March 3, when voters in eight other states will head to the polls for Super Tuesday.

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“People like to be with winners,” said Jaime Harrison, an associate chairman of the Democratic National Committee who’s weighing a challenge to Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op MORE (R-S.C.) in 2020.

“The person that wins South Carolina takes a ton of momentum going into Super Tuesday.”

Over the weekend, Sen. Kirsten GillibrandKirsten GillibrandWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Warren, Pressley introduce bill to make it a crime for police officers to deny medical care to people in custody Senate Dems press DOJ over coronavirus safety precautions in juvenile detention centers MORE (D-N.Y.) made her first trip to South Carolina since announcing her presidential campaign. Not far behind her was Sen. Cory BookerCory Anthony BookerRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants Black lawmakers unveil bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk MORE (D-N.J.), who spent Sunday and Monday in the Palmetto State.

Sens. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE (D-Mass.) are set to make a new round of trips to South Carolina in the coming days after visits in January.

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Trav Robertson, the chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said that a victory in the state’s primary will hinge on long-term organizing similar to former President Obama’s expansive field operation in the state in 2008.

“I’m looking to see who is going to recreate the field organization from 2008,” Robertson said. “Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaHarris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Five ways America would take a hard left under Joe Biden Valerie Jarrett: ‘Democracy depends upon having law enforcement’ MORE came into South Carolina knowing that they might be the underdog … and he calculated what he thought the turnout was going to be and created his own electorate.”

South Carolina was a saving grace for Obama’s first bid for the White House. He won a resounding victory there after back-to-back losses to then-Sen. Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE (D-N.Y.) in New Hampshire and Nevada, giving his campaign a shot in the arm ahead of Super Tuesday.

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“There was such a grass-roots operation [in Obama’s 2008 campaign],” Harrison said. “It was really the first time you saw that type of operation take place.”

While the primary schedule isn’t finalized yet, the South Carolina contest is tentatively set for Feb. 29, 2020, a week after the Nevada caucuses are expected to take place and just days before Super Tuesday.

Already, candidates are hiring aides and advisers with deep South Carolina experience.

Earlier this month, for example, Booker brought on Clay Middleton, a former state director for Clinton’s 2016 bid and political director for Obama’s 2008 campaign, as a senior political adviser and Christale Spain, the former South Carolina political outreach director for Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE’s (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential campaign, as his state director.

Likewise, Harris hired Jalisa Washington-Price, the former South Carolina political director for Clinton’s 2016 campaign, to head up her operation in the state.

The 2020 primary contest will also be the first to feature at least two high-profile black candidates, Booker and Harris. Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist, said that alone could carry weight in South Carolina, where African-Americans made up 61 percent of the Democratic primary electorate in 2016.

Last month, just days before he announced his candidacy for president, Booker traveled to Columbia, the state’s capital, to speak at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day rally.

Also in January, Harris attended a gala hosted by Alpha Kappa Alpha, the country’s oldest black sorority, in Columbia.

The California Democrat is herself a member of the sorority, which boasts nearly 300,000 members worldwide who could give Harris an early boost among some black female voters, another crucial voting bloc for Democrats.

Securing support among South Carolina’s black voters is likely to be a crucial test for both Booker and Harris, Bannon said.

“You have two candidates here – Harris and Booker – that may have some real appeal to black voters,” Bannon said. “And it seems to me that only one of them can make it out of South Carolina.”

Harrison cautioned against “taking anything for granted” when it comes to courting black voters in the state.

In 2007, public polls initially showed Clinton leading Obama among African-Americans in South Carolina. It was only after an intense organizing effort that Obama came back to win roughly 80 percent of the black vote in the state’s primaries.

“People like both [Harris and Booker] and they’ve done well in terms of their outreach efforts. But you can’t just rest on your laurels there,” Harrison said. “At the end of the day, you have to demonstrate that you’re the best candidate for the African-American community.”

Several other 2020 hopefuls have already made a push to appeal to black voters in South Carolina.

Sanders, who is considering a White House bid but has not announced a decision yet, traveled to South Carolina along with Booker to speak at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day rally in Columbia.

And Warren has made a point in stump speeches to decry the economic barriers faced by African-Americans, including during a campaign event in South Carolina last month.

“Why has the path gotten so rocky for so many people who work hard?” Warren said. “And why is it so much rockier for African-Americans?”

With a dozen Democrats already in the race and potential campaign announcements from the likes of Sanders and former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE, the candidate visits to South Carolina are only likely to become more frequent.

“You’re going to see a lot of candidates come through South Carolina and the voters here are going to go on a lot of dates with the candidates,” Robertson said. “But none of them need to get married on the first date.”

Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.) is expected to announce a 2020 presidential bid as soon next week, according to two people familiar with the plans.

Sanders is gearing up to release a video announcing his campaign, the people said. It will be accompanied by a petition seeking 1 million signatures from voters supporting the Vermont senator’s White House ambitions.

News that Sanders had already recorded the announcement video was first reported on Saturday by Politico.

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Sanders’s anticipated announcement is part of a so-called soft launch of a campaign, one person familiar with the plans told The Hill.

A spokesperson for Sanders denied on Saturday that the senator was planning for a 2020 announcement next week.

In jumping into the presidential race, Sanders would join an already crowded field of contenders for the Democratic nomination that so far includes Sens. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.), Cory BookerCory Anthony BookerRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants Black lawmakers unveil bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk MORE (D-N.J.), Kirsten GillibrandKirsten GillibrandWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Warren, Pressley introduce bill to make it a crime for police officers to deny medical care to people in custody Senate Dems press DOJ over coronavirus safety precautions in juvenile detention centers MORE (D-N.Y.) and a handful of others.

Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, mounted an insurgent challenge to Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. While he ultimately fell short in that contest, the progressive firebrand built a vast network of grass-roots supporters and notched wins in a handful of key states, including New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Since then, Sanders has proven to be an influential figure in Democratic politics. Some of the senator’s signature policy proposals, like “Medicare for all” and a $15 minimum wage, have gained traction among Democratic lawmakers. And the senator stumped for a number of Democratic candidates during the 2018 midterm elections.

On Friday, Our Revolution, the grass-roots group founded by Sanders after his 2016 presidential bid, announced that it was launching the second phase of its effort to draft the Vermont Independent into the 2020 race.

In an email to supporters, David Duhalde, the group’s political director, said that that phase would include “launching direct outreach programs for phone banking, texting, and door knocking,” as well as “coordinating one-on-one trainings with group leaders and volunteers.”

Updated at 5:16 p.m.

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A majority of U.S. political consultants believe that sexual harassment is at least somewhat common in campaign industry, while nearly half of female consultants say that they have experienced harassment themselves, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

Campaign and Elections magazine’s inaugural State of the Campaign Industry Survey found that 59 percent of political consultants see sexual harassment as common in the campaign world. Forty-four percent said that have encountered it themselves.

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What’s more, 46 percent of female consultants surveyed said that they have been victims of some form of harassment while working in the industry.

The survey results suggest that more than a year after the advent of the “Me Too” movement that saw harassment and misconduct allegations emerge against powerful men in business, politics and other industries, such conduct lives on in campaign politics.

But according to the survey, only 44 percent of respondents said that they believe the campaign industry has an issue with sexism and harassment. Only 26 percent said that they think harassment is more common in political consulting than in other fields.

The survey also revealed key differences in how Republican and Democratic political professionals see the campaign industry in light of the “Me Too” movement.

Sixty-two percent of Democratic consultants surveyed either completely or mostly agreed with the notion that the industry has a “Me Too” problem, while 24 percent said they “don’t know.”

Conversely, 46 percent of Republicans completely or mostly disagreed with that perception. Another 29 percent said they “don’t know.”

Among female consultants, 54 percent said the campaign industry is a “hostile” work environment for women. Among men, that number was just 30 percent.

Likewise, nearly half of women consultants – 48 percent – said that they were denied a job “they were otherwise qualified for,” because of their sex or race, according to the C&E survey.

The State of the Campaign Industry Survey was conducted by PSB Research from Jan. 10 to Feb. 2. It is based on online interviews with 408 professional political consultants and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.85 percentage points.

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) on Thursday officially endorsed Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.) for president.

“Democratic Socialists of America is proud to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders for president! We’re building a mass movement to take on the billionaires and win a society that puts people over profit. Join us,” the group tweeted.

Democratic Socialists of America is proud to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders for president! We’re building a mass movement to take on the billionaires and win a society that puts people over profit. Join us https://t.co/Gsy5Ij2G2K pic.twitter.com/66DHY9hqyk

— DSA (@DemSocialists) March 22, 2019

The group first announced earlier this month that just more than 13,000 of its members — 24 percent of eligible membership — participated in a survey asking whether DSA should endorse Sanders’s 2020 White House bid. About 76 percent of respondents indicated support for endorsing Sanders’s campaign, while 24 percent said they were opposed.

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The DSA endorsed Sanders in his 2016 primary bid against former Secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE and helped boost Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezAttorney says 75-year-old man shoved by Buffalo police suffered brain injury How language is bringing down Donald Trump Highest-circulation Kentucky newspaper endorses Charles Booker in Senate race MORE (D-N.Y.) in her congressional bid during last year’s midterms.

“He has the best possible chance of the Democratic field to beat Trump,” Jeremy Gong, a member of the DSA’s National Political Committee who voted to endorse Sanders, told The Guardian.

“Specifically because he has a working-class political agenda, as opposed to an elite, or moderate, or corporate-friendly agenda that is not exciting to anyone electorally — except a very small number of either Democratic party diehards or upper middle class or wealthy people.”

Sanders has maintained his position among the top spots of most national and statewide polls and has raised a staggering $5.9 million within the first 24 hours after announcing his campaign last month. Sanders’s haul was second only to former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s (D-Texas) $6.1 million, which he raised within 24 hours of his campaign announcement earlier this month.