Biden: This guy, like all bullies, is a coward. He does not want to run against me

House Majority PAC raised a whopping $41 million in 2019,

FIRST IN SCORE — JUST SUPER — House Majority PAC raised a whopping $41 million in 2019, nearly three times more than the $14.8 million it raised in the 2017 off-year, Ally writes in. It started 2020 with $37.5 million on hand. The haul includes a $10 million donation from Bloomberg.

HMP raised more than its GOP counterpart, the Congressional Leadership Fund, which said Monday that it raised $32.6 million (which is also an off-year record for them), and has $28 million in the bank. (This a reversal from the 2017 off-year when CLF raised $26.9 million and HMP raised $14.8 million.) Meanwhile, American Action Network, the nonprofit tied to CLF, raised about $35.4 million in 2017 — they did not announce a cash on hand balance — while the Democratic nonprofit House Majority Forward did not announce a fundraising total.

— Senate Majority PAC, the Senate Democratic super PAC, raised $61 million in 2019, Campaign Pro’s James Arkin reported for Pros. The haul crushes their previous off-year fundraising records, and they’ll report more than $47 million in the bank.



https://www.politico.com/morningscore/

TX-HD28: Voters in the Houston area will head to the polls today for a special election runoff

DEEP IN THE HEART — Voters in the Houston area will head to the polls today for a special election runoff for a state House seat that’s attracted outsized attention, as Democrats plot a takeover of that chamber — and a seat at the policy- and map-making table in Austin — this fall. They need to flip nine seats to gain control in what would be a coup for congressional redistricting; Texas is poised to gain at least two seats in 2022.

The race pits Democrat Eliz Markowitz against Republican Gary Gates, and Democratic groups have poured hundreds of thousands into the district against the self-funding Gates, who has the backing of national Republicans, as well as Gov. Greg Abbott’s political machine. Top Democratic presidential candidates have also backed Markowitz, including Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Mike Bloomberg.

Democrats hoping to flip the state House are looking for a head start on the process, but also note that HD-28 — while on the state Democratic Party’s list of 22 target districts — is not among the most competitive districts they’re trying to flip en route to a majority. In 2018, Beto O’Rourke, who has lent his starpower to Markowitz’s campaign, lost it by just 3 points in his bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, making it the sixteenth-most-favorable district (based on 2018 margins) for Democrats out of their 22 targets,

Notably, there is some level of expectation-setting from Democrats who have invested in the race as well. A memo circulated by Forward Majority — a Democratic group focused on legislative races that’s invested more than $400,000 in this particular election — read that this election is “an important contest,” but shouldn’t be viewed as a bellwether. A win from Markowitz would be “a thunderclap upset,” the memo read. Forward Majority also brought up child abuse accusations against Gates from 2000 in an ad, charges which Gates denies and long fought.

Republicans, too, have taken notice. “Democrats are clearly managing expectations after spending the last three weeks talking a big game in the district," Aaron De Leon, political director for the pro-Gates Associated Republicans of Texas, told The Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek. "Now as early vote tallies roll in, they are trying to save face at the last minute as Fort Bend voters are clearly rejecting their radical progressive agenda.” Svitek reported that early-voting turnout has been big — more people voted early now than in the November special election — and that an analysis from the Gates campaign found that 53 percent of the early vote was Republican, 30 percent was Democratic and 17 percent was independents.

Even still, this seat, located in Fort Bend County, could bring valuable lessons for both House Democrats’ prospects in the Lone Star State and the battle for the statehouse. It has similar demographic trends to most of the seven congressional seats that the DCCC is targeting in 2020. Voters in HD-28 backed Mitt Romney by nearly 30 points in 2012, while President Donald Trump won it by just 10 in 2018.




https://www.politico.com/morningscore/

Virginia finalizes passage of Equal Rights Amendment, setting stage for legal fight

RICHMOND — Virginia's legislature finalized passage of the Equal Rights Amendment on Monday, with women presiding in both the Senate and House of Delegates for the historic votes.

Virginia becomes the 38th — and potentially final — state to ratify the amendment guaranteeing equal protection for women, setting the stage for a legal fight over whether too much time has passed to add it to the U.S. Constitution.

“We have waited over 400 years, and now is our time,” Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) said at a news conference Monday morning ahead of the vote.

Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), who usually presides in the Senate, stepped aside so that Lucas could wield the gavel for the midafternoon vote in that chamber, which was 27 to 12, with all Democrats and six Republicans in favor. Lucas is both the first woman and first African American to serve as president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate.




https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/virginia-expected-to-finalize-passage-of-era-monday-setting-stage-for-legal-fight/2020/01/27/b178265c-4121-11ea-b503-2b077c436617_story.html

Vt. Legislature passes family leave bill opposed by GOP governor

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Legislature has given final approval to a bill that would guarantee workers as many as 12 weeks of paid family leave, but its future is uncertain.

The Vermont House gave final approval to the billion Thursday after lawmakers in the chamber agreed to a version given final approval by the Senate this month.

“The strong support from both chambers in the legislature shows what a priority this is for communities across the state,” Democratic House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said in a written statement. “Passing this bill into law will make Vermont the eighth state to implement a paid family and medical leave program and is a critical piece in recruiting and retaining a workforce in Vermont.”

The bill guarantees up to 12 weeks of paid parental or bonding leave and up to eight weeks of paid family care leave. The bill also contains the opportunity for individuals to opt in to a personal medical leave policy for up to weeks.

But Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who is supporting a voluntary paid family leave program, said during his budget speech on Tuesday that the $29 million payroll tax the Legislature's version would require is too much.



https://www.theeagle.com/legislature-passes-family-leave-bill-opposed-by-gop-governor/article_51e57616-11ba-5054-ab7b-fe56a2e1a755.html

Senate Democrats' super PAC raises record $61M in 2019

Senate Majority PAC, the super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, raised $61 million in 2019, a record sum that will boost Democrats as they seek to recapture the Senate this year.

The fundraising total, which was shared first with POLITICO, shattered the group's previous off-year fundraising records from recent election cycles and topped their GOP counterpart's haul for last year. The super PAC entered 2020 with more than $47 million in the bank, more than triple the $13.7 million it had at the same point two years ago.

Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and the GOP is defending 23 seats to just 12 for Democrats this year. At least a half-dozen GOP seats are considered battlegrounds, while Democrats are defending two or three vulnerable incumbents. Democrats must net three seats to win back control of the chamber if they also win the White House.

That math has Democrats seeing a viable path back to control of the Senate, six years after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republicans took the majority.




https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/28/senate-democrat-super-pac-raises-61-million-107479

DCCC unveils initial dozen candidates for 'Red to Blue' program

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) unveiled on Tuesday a list of a dozen candidates who it believes are best positioned to either hold or flip a handful of competitive districts in 2020.

The list includes several Democratic candidates in 2018 who came up short in the general election, such as Gina Ortiz Jones (Texas), who narrowly lost to Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) last cycle; Hiral Tiperneni, who lost to Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.); Dan Feehan, who was defeated by Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.); Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, who lost to Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.); and Carolyn Long, who was defeated by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.).

Other new additions to the list include Rita Hart in Iowa’s 2nd District, Christina Hale in Indiana’s 5th District, Jackie Gordon in New York’s 2nd District, Eugene DePasquale in Pennsylvania’s 10th District, Jill Schupp in Missouri’s 2nd District and Wendy Davis in Texas’ 21st District.

The list of candidates, part of the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program, comes as Democrats find themselves playing defense in 2020. The party flipped 43 House seats in 2018 in a wave election that saw Democrats recapture a majority in the chamber.

“The strength of our candidates matters, and these 12 local leaders have shown they have what it takes to win the trust of their voters and earn their votes,” Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), the chair of the DCCC, said in a statement. “For that reason, I am proud to add them to our battle-tested Red to Blue program.”




https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/480231-dccc-unveils-initial-list-of-a-dozen-candidates-for-red-to-blue-program

ME-SEN: Collins challenger Sara Gideon raises $3.5 million in fourth quarter of 2019

Maine State House Speaker Sara Gideon on Tuesday announced that she raised $3.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 in her bid to oust Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a sum that puts her among the top Democratic Senate fundraisers.

The multimillion fundraising haul was powered by nearly 4,200 Maine residents, her campaign said, adding that 95 percent of the individual donations to Gideon’s Senate bid were under $100.

Year-end campaign finance reports for 2019 aren’t due to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) until Jan. 31, so it’s unclear how much of Gideon’s $3.5 million haul came from out-of-state donors, though it’s expected to be a substantial amount. Democrats across the country are eager to unseat Collins, especially after her 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and have poured money into Maine to oppose her.

Still, Gideon will have to make it through a primary in June. She faces challenges from a handful of Democrats, including Betsy Sweet, who unsuccessfully sought her party’s nomination for governor in 2018.

Gideon has largely emerged as the frontrunner in the primary, outraising her Democratic opponents and picking up several key endorsements, including one from Planned Parenthood.



https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/480235-collins-challenger-sara-gideon-raises-35-million-in-fourth-quarter-of-2019

Iowa Really Is a Toss Up

Jonathan Bernstein: “The FiveThirtyEight average has Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden tied for first (Sanders has a 0.1% advantage). But the most important point made by the FiveThirtyEight analysts is over at their projection page: “Joe Biden is forecasted to win an average of 28% of the vote in Iowa. In 80% of simulations, he wins between 11% and 44% of the vote.” Plug in Sanders, and the same results come back. Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have similar, although slightly lower, ranges. In other words, it’s plausible that those four candidates could finish in any order at all. It also wouldn’t be surprising if one or two of them finish below Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, although she could also finish below several of the others if she winds up at the bottom of her likely range.”

“The FiveThirtyEight model is telling us something important. When there are lots of candidates, and lots of voters who like most or all of them, the history is clear: Large swings from the polls to the final results are possible in Iowa, even in the final week.”



https://politicalwire.com/2020/01/28/iowa-really-is-a-toss-up/

Sanders allies in new uproar over DNC convention appointments

Some Democratic National Committee (DNC) members and supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are venting frustration at DNC chairman Tom Perez over his initial appointments to the committees that will oversee the rules and party platform at the nominating convention in Milwaukee later this year.

Sanders’s allies are incensed by two names in particular - former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who will co-chair the rules committee, and Hillary Clinton’s former campaign chairman John Podesta, who will have a seat on that committee.

The Sanders campaign unsuccessfully sought to have Frank removed from the rules committee in 2016, describing him as an “aggressive attack surrogate for the Clinton campaign.”


https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/480174-sanders-allies-in-new-uproar-over-dnc-convention-appointments