Illustration: Axios Visuals/Aïda Amer
Former Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) has died after a 3-year battle with encephalitis, an inflammatory brain condition, the Charlotte Observer reports.
The big picture: Hagen climbed from being a Capitol Hill intern to her state's first female Democratic senator. She was elected in 2008, beating Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, but was defeated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in 2014.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders at the November debate in Atlanta. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Seven candidates qualified for the sixth Democratic 2020 presidential debate, scheduled for Dec. 19 at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.
Driving the news: All qualifying candidates have said on Twitter they won't attend the debate unless the host, Loyola Marymount University, reaches a deal with its workers in an ongoing labor dispute.
Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
The November Democratic primary debates, hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post, are scheduled to take place in Georgia on Nov. 20. Ten presidential candidates qualified to appear on stage, leaving former HUD Secretary Julián Castro as the notable exception.
How it works: Each candidate needed to hit 3% in at least four accepted polls to qualify, or 5% in two single-state polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and/or Nevada. Candidate were also required to attract 165,000 unique donors and a minimum of 600 unique donors per state in at least 20 states.
Photo: Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
President Trump blessed and helped win, against the odds, the Florida and Georgia governors races in 2018 — an astonishing display of political muscle.
Driving the news: This year, in two more conservative states, Trump tried a similar feat — Kentucky earlier this month, and Louisiana yesterday — and flopped.