| | | | 5 BIG 2020 storylines you need to watch this week, ranked |  | | 5. Town hall time (again): Tonight, starting right about when this newsletter hits your inbox, CNN will host a trio of town halls with 2020 candidates. Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton kicks it off at 6 p.m. ET, followed by Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio) at 7 p.m. and Rep. Eric Swalwell (California) at 8 p.m..
To date, none of these three candidates have been able to put together any real mojo in the race -- all are caught in the third and fourth tiers by better-known, buzzier or better-financed candidates.
For Moulton, Ryan and Swalwell, these town halls represent a massive chance to change that. (Remember that Pete Buttigieg was just another guy before his CNN town hall at the South by Southwest festival in Austin in the spring). And aside from the debates later this month -- much more on that below -- these three candidates may not get a better (or second) chance to prove that they are more than also-rans in the race.
For candidates well off the pace, it gets late early in the presidential race -- unless you can have, say, a major moment in a nationally televised town hall.
4. The Trump primary withers: It's been clear for a while now, at least to anyone paying attention, that Donald Trump isn't losing in a Republican primary in 2020. For all of Trump's problems, he is beloved -- and, no, that is not too strong a word -- by his fellow Republicans. (In a CNN poll released Sunday, 86% of Republicans said they approved of the job Trump is doing in office.)
Now the handful of Republicans who talked a big game about running against Trump are starting to admit defeat. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tweeted on Saturday: "I truly appreciate all of the encouragement I received from people around the nation urging me to consider making a run for President in 2020. However, I will not be a candidate."
And former Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- a CNN contributor -- recently tweeted this: "Appreciate all the encouragement to challenge @realDonaldTrump in 2020. Know that while the path looks tough, all of my options are on the table. Like all of you, I want our country to be united, forward looking and problem solving. #2020"
My educated guess? Kasich takes a pass, knowing he will get walloped.
3. The "i" word: Speaking of that new CNN poll, there are a bunch of fresh numbers in it on how the public feels about the prospect of House Democrats beginning impeachment proceedings against him.
Four in 10 (41%) think the President should be "impeached and removed from office," a modest gain from the 37% who said the same in late April. A majority (54%) still don't think Trump should be impeached.
Here's the problem for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (California) as she looks to beat back again this week the rising forces within her caucus pushing for impeachment: 76% of Democrats say Trump should be impeached and removed from office. Meanwhile, just 1 in 3 (35%) of independents and a meager 6% of Republicans feel that way.
Which means Pelosi is caught between her base and a hard place.
2. Trump's big Britain bash: The President makes his first state visit to the United Kingdom beginning Monday, but he's already roiling the waters across the pond.
In interviews with the Sun and Sunday Times previewing the trip, Trump:
* Seemed to endorse former London Mayor Boris Johnson as the next prime minister
* Telling the United Kingdom to "walk away" from Brexit talks
* Referred to comments Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, made about him this way: "I didn't know that she was nasty."
Trump's visit comes at a perilous time for Britain, with Prime Minister Theresa May set to resign on June 7 -- and the race to succeed her in major turmoil.
The President, an agent of chaos, has already created some before Air Force One even touches down. Expect more where that came from in the early part of this week.
1. Welcome to debate month!: It's June, which means that we are less than a month away from the first Democratic debates -- on June 26 and June 27 in Miami! Yes! Get excited!
Here's where we stand at the moment: 19 of the 23 announced Democratic candidates have met one of the two criteria to qualify for the debates. (The four who have not: Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Moulton and Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet.)
Of those 19, 13 are locks for a spot on the debate stage on one of the two nights in Miami, having met both of the qualifying criteria: 1% in 3 national or state polls AND 65,000 unique donors. That group includes the names you know (Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris) but also some names you may not know as well (Andrew Yang, Marianne Williamson, Tulsi Gabbard).
Getting on the stage for the first debates (and the second ones in Detroit on CNN the following month) is absolutely essential for any candidate seeking to build momentum in the race. These debates will draw a large national audience -- the likes of which these candidates haven't seen yet. A strong performance can literally make a campaign. | | | | | | |
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