Oct 1, 2018

Obama's second wave of 2018 midterm election endorsements

Barack Obama after a rally in Pennsylvania. Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama announced another round of endorsements Monday ahead of next month's midterm elections, lending his support to an additional 260 candidates.

Between the lines: This round "focused on close races ... state legislative and/or statewide races that are redistricting priorities; ... and building a pipeline of diverse talent and elevating the next generation of leaders within the Democratic Party."

  • Four of our Axios 8 for 2018 races were on the list, including Gina Ortiz Jones in Texas' 23rd Congressional District, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in Florida's 26th Congressional District, Joe Radinovich in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District and Cindy Axne in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District.
  • Two other Axios 8 races were featured on his initial list: Richard Cordray, running for Ohio governor, and Katie Porter in California's 45th Congressional District.
  • One more thing: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York's 14th Congressional District) made the list, but Keith Ellison, running for Minnesota attorney general and facing allegations of domestic abuse, did not.

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Axios
Updated 5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 32,471,119 — Total deaths: 987,593 — Total recoveries: 22,374,557 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 7,032,524 — Total deaths: 203,657 — Total recoveries: 2,727,335 — Total tests: 99,483,712 — Map.
  3. States: "We’re not closing anything going forward": Florida fully lifts COVID restaurant restrictions — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tests positive for coronavirus.
  4. Health: Young people accounted for 20% of cases this summer.
  5. Business: Coronavirus has made airports happier places —The expiration of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance looms.
  6. Education: Where bringing students back to school is most risky.
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What he's saying: The ad — which began Friday night, and is a follow-up to "Fresh Start" — draws from a Biden speech earlier in the week in Manitowoc, Wisconsin:

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Trump prepares to announce Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court replacement

Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Photo: Matt Cashore/Notre Dame University via Reuters

President Trump is preparing to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, a favorite of both the social conservative base and Republican elected officials, to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republican sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Barrett would push the already conservative court further and harder to the right, for decades to come, on the most important issues in American politics — from abortion to the limits of presidential power. If confirmed, she would give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the high court.

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