Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday he will postpone the New York presidential primary originally scheduled for April 28 due to the coronavirus threat.
“I don’t think it’s wise to be bringing a lot of people to one location to vote, a lot of people touching one doorknob, a lot of people touching one pen,” Mr. Cuomo said in a news conference. “So we are going to delay that and link it to an election that was previously scheduled on June 23.”
A primary for state legislative and congressional races had already been set for June 23, and now all of the state’s primary elections will be held on the same date, he said.
Ten other states, as well as Puerto Rico, have rescheduled their primary elections as the campaign calendar has been upended by the outbreak, citing guidance from health officials who have urged people to avoid gathering spots, including polling places.
A handful of other states have switched to voting entirely by mail and have extended deadlines for doing so.
Dan Tai (via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy Dan Tai (above) asks, “So, you ever just have those days when you’re super productive? It was one of them! How was your day?” How about you, readers? Amid all this self-isolation, do you feel like you’re getting some of those tasks you’ve put off accomplished? • Outsports: Denis Finnegan is a champion. A national champion. And he’s been a national champion 10 times over. That’s some real dominance. Few people in the world, in any sport, can claim that many titles over a decade. Finnegan also happens to be gay. • CBS News: As unemployment claims surge, Starbucks CEO and President Kevin Johnson announced this week his commitment to pay all workers in the U.S. and Canada for the next 30 days, regardless of whether they come into work or the stores they work at temporarily close. • Song of the Day: For some reason, this song by Barbra Streisand, released in 1981, has been “coming in and out” of my mind as we all self-quarantine. Gorgeous vocals and it reminds we’ll all be back in each other’s lives in real person soon. Please take a moment to hit play and chill.
• People: In his new book, The Bachelor star Colton Underwood revealed that he questioned his sexuality through his teen years, after relentless bullying from teammates. Underwood says he remembers searching online “Am I gay?” as far back as Elementary School. • BBC: The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus, Clarence House has confirmed. Prince Charles, 71, is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health.” • Hollywood Reporter: In 2018 and 2019, booking Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was a top priority for producers at Fox News. So much so that one Fox News producer sought to reassure Devos’ press secretary that host Maria Bartiromo would go easy on the Secretary if she sat for an interview, which she did six days later. “Ps remember any question she doesn’t feel comfortable answering — she can choose to not answer and pivot the topic. This will be an easy interview and enjoyable.” • Gaily Grind: President Trump used his daily White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday to rail against the press and Democrats, arguing that the main reason they oppose his idea to potentially reopen businesses by Easter is that they want the economy to fail to hurt his reelection prospects. #srsly Check out the exchange with CBS News journalist Paula Reid below.
“I think it’s very clear that there are people in profession that write fake news. You do” — asked about public health experts saying his push to reopen the country by Easter is a bad idea, Trump goes on the attack against a reporter pic.twitter.com/R04DBCuQxT
“We believe that it’s time to prepare to work like hell for Joe Biden and to bring the party together so we’re unified behind one candidate,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in an interview with The Washington Post.
Members of the board used “a lot of colorful language” to describe how President Trump’s policies have hurt workers, particularly in the Midwest, according to a person familiar with the proceedings who was not authorized to discuss a private meeting.
Former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg (image via campaign)
Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has announced he will donate assets from his now-defunct presidential campaign – including $18 million in cash – to the Democratic Party.
The assets will be used to organize voters in general election swing states.
The decision, which exploits a provision in campaign finance law available only to federal candidates, amounts to a shift in strategy for the billionaire political activist, who had previously promised to personally fund ground staff and offices in six states through an independent expenditure effort.
He now hopes that much of the same operation will be run through the state and national Democratic Party, which would allow for it to directly coordinate with the Democratic nominee, who he expects to be former vice president Joe Biden. An independent expenditure campaign is barred from such coordination.
Under normal circumstances, federal rules allow individuals to give a maximum of $355,000 per year to the Democratic National Committee. The party has set up a Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee with state parties, that allows wealthy individuals to give $865,000 in one year. Bloomberg has already donated the maximum allowed to this account.
But the new shift of resources means he is able to give more than 20 times the maximum a donor can give to the national party in one year, because of provisions that allow federal candidates to donate unlimited amounts of leftover money to national and state parties as they wind down their campaigns.
L-R Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders After losing all three Democratic primaries Tuesday night by double-digits, Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) campaign manager on Wednesday said that the senator “is going to be having conversations with his supporters to assess his campaign,” according to The Hill. Noting that “the next primary contest is three weeks away,” Sanders’s campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, said in a statement that Sanders “is focused on the government response to the coronavirus outbreak and ensuring that we take care of working people and the most vulnerable.” This follows a brutal night for Sanders where he lost across the board to former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden won Florida’s primary 62 percent to Sanders’ 23 percent, per Buzzfeed News. In Illinois, it was Biden 59 percent to Sanders’ 36 percent, and in Arizona, the former vice president won 44 percent versus 32 percent for Sanders. Biden spoke after the three contests were called and he addressed Sanders’ supporters directly:
“Senator Sanders and I may disagree on tactics, but we share a common vision for the need to provide affordable health care for all Americans, reduce income inequity that has risen so drastically, to tackling the existential threat of our time, climate change.
“Sen. Sanders and his supporters have brought a remarkable passion and tenacity to all of these issues. Together, they have shifted the fundamental conversation in this country. So let me say, especially to the young voters who have been inspired by Senator Sanders: I hear you. I know what’s at stake. I know what we have to do.”
Biden began his delegate lead in the race by coming out on top in 10 of 14 contests on Super Tuesday. Then on March 10, Biden won five of six contests including Washington state which was considered a safe haven for Sanders. Political experts say Biden will have a nearly insurmountable lead in delegates by the time all of the votes are counted from this week’s primaries. Biden currently has around 1,180 delegates, while Sanders has just about 884 delegates. You can check the count as more delegates are allocated at RealClearPolitics. Candidates must garner at least 1,991 to officially clinch the nomination. Forty percent of delegates remain to be allocated. Ohio, scheduled to vote last night, postponed its primary at the last minute due to coronavirus concerns. Additionally, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, and Puerto Rico have also delayed their primaries.
Responding to the ongoing coronavirus threat, the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionreports the Democratic primary in Georgia will be postponed for two months.
Georgia elections officials postponed the presidential primary scheduled for next week because of the coronavirus pandemic, becoming the second state forced to push back a vote in the race for the White House due to the outbreak.
The state rescheduled the presidential vote previously scheduled for March 24 until May 19, the same date as the regular primary for a U.S. Senate seat and many other offices, elections officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday.
“Events are moving rapidly and my highest priority is protecting the health of our poll workers, their families, and the community at large,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger [photo].
Louisiana was the first state to move its Democratic primary shifting to June 20th.
L-R Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders Heading to bed but here’s what we know so far… You might say former Vice President Joe Biden had a good night. And I’m heading for bed. Have a good night everyone…
L-R Sen. Cory Booker, former Vice President Joe Biden (via Instagram) New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has officially endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president adding to the growing support of Democratic lawmakers for Biden. From the New York Times:
Mr. Booker’s endorsement comes one day after Senator Kamala Harris of California endorsed Mr. Biden, and the two senators will appear with him at a rally in Detroit on Monday night. Mr. Booker will also campaign alongside Mr. Biden in Flint, Mich., earlier in the day and attend a fund-raiser with him.
Mr. Booker and Ms. Harris were two of the most prominent black candidates to run for president, and their endorsements come as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont scrambles to make up ground among black voters in Michigan, where they make up a sizable part of the electorate.
“African-American voters in the South, African-American voters here in Detroit, they have played a pivotal role in my entire lifetime in choosing the Democratic nominee,” Mr. Booker said. He pointed to Mr. Biden’s deep connections with black voters and what Mr. Booker saw as “understanding the issues of race and frankly racial reconciliation and racial justice, and even saying things now about choosing a black woman on the Supreme Court.”
The answer to hatred & division is to reignite our spirit of common purpose.@JoeBiden won’t only win – he’ll show there's more that unites us than divides us.
He’ll restore honor to the Oval Office and tackle our most pressing challenges.
In the final statewide poll before Michigan voters head to the Democratic primary polls tomorrow, Joe Biden holds a lead over Bernie Sanders in the crucial primary contest according to the Monmouth University Poll.
Among Michigan voters who are likely to participate in the Democratic primary tomorrow, support currently stands at 51% for Biden and 36% for Sanders.
Another 1% back Tulsi Gabbard, 6% say they will vote for a slate of uncommitted delegates, and 2% are undecided.
Biden leads Sanders among both white voters (50% to 36%) and voters of other races (53% to 36%). Biden is winning voters age 50 and over (62% to 24% for Sanders) by a larger margin than Sanders is winning those under 50 years old (49% to 38% for Biden). Women prefer Biden to Sanders (53% to 33%), while men prefer Sanders (49% to 39% for Biden).
There are 147 delegates up for grabs in Tuesday’s Michigan primary. The survey also shows both Democratic White House hopefuls would best Trump today in head-to-head hypothetical match-ups. Biden has a 48% to 41% lead over Trump, while Sanders has a slightly smaller 46% to 41% margin. It’s worth remembering that Trump won Michigan by a scant 10,704 votes four years ago.
L-R Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president. Via press release, the California senator issued this statement:
“When I started my run for president, I said America needs a president who reflects the decency and dignity of the American people; a president who speaks the truth; and a president who fights for those whose voices are too often overlooked or ignored. I still believe that to this day. That is why I am proud to announce I am endorsing my friend, Vice President Joe Biden, for President of the United States.”
Harris also tweeted out a video clip from Alabama where she is preparing to take part in the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. In the video message she says, “I wanted you to know that, with great enthusiasm, I am going to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States.” She continued: “I believe in Joe. I really believe in him and I have known him for a long time. One of the things that we need right now is we need who really does care about the people and who can, therefore, unify the people. And I believe Joe can do that.” “I am supporting Joe because I believe that he is a man who has lived his life with great dignity. He is a public servant who has always worked for the best of who we are as a nation, and we need that right now.” Biden thanked Harris three minutes later retweeting her endorsement. I’ll go ahead and say this: I think Kamala Harris should be Biden’s running mate, and I think Biden should announce that soon. I believe that is the strongest ticket for Democrats to rally around and support.
Kamala — You’ve spent your whole career fighting for folks who’ve been written off and left behind — and no small part of that alongside Beau. From our family: thank you.https://t.co/ePtRKVjzXB
— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) March 8, 2020
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday he will postpone the New York presidential primary originally scheduled for April 28 due to the coronavirus threat. 
