At least 6 Democratic presidential hopefuls would defeat President Trump in a head-to-head matchup if it were held now, according to a new Quinnipiac University national poll that surveyed 1,214 registered voters nationwide.
The bottom line: In descending order, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Cory Booker all polled higher in a direct one-to-one matchup with Trump.
The White House Office of Public Liaison has hired Nicole Frazier, Sen. Cory Gardner's regional director, as the new head of African American outreach, three sources familiar with the hire told Axios.
Why it matters: The position has been vacant for a few months and was a top priority for the administration as it ramps up President Trump's re-election efforts, including plans to boost Trump’s 2020 support among African Americans, one of the sources said.
2020 Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg would bring the U.S. back into the Iran nuclear deal, rejoin the Paris climate accord and wouldn't currently consider military force in Iran or Venezuela.
The backdrop: Buttigieg, who currently sits around 4th or 5th in most polls, gave his first foreign policy speech today at Indiana University. He said as president he would isolate dictators, prioritize international cooperation — particularly on climate change — and have a "high bar" for military intervention.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN's Manu Raju on Tuesday that the numbers in the Democratic caucus "are not even close" to move forward with impeaching President Trump, and that victories in court and concessions from the Justice Department on the Mueller report should be satisfying to Democrats.
2020 Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke released a voting rights and democracy reform plan on June 5, with the goal of registering more than 50 million voters and ensuring that 35 million more votes are cast in 2024.
Why it matters: Voter turnout is traditionally low in the U.S. Before 2018, turnout rates for midterms since 1974 had languished around 40% to 41%. Turnout in the 2016 presidential election was 60%, per Axios' Alexi McCammond. O'Rourke wants to increase the national voter turnout to 65% with initiatives such as tackling voter restrictions.
Joe Biden references President Trump at least 76 times in his prepared remarks for a Davenport, Iowa appearance on Tuesday — the same day that Trump will make an appearance.
Why it matters: Trump's aides have long seen the former vice president as his biggest potential threat in 2020. The president has recently been saying it out loud— and Biden seems to be just as focused on Trump — as their dueling Iowa trips provide a juicy splitscreen.
Joe Biden has led the 2020 polls since before he even entered the race, but some swing voters in his home state — who voted for Barack Obama and then Donald Trump — aren't feeling him.
The big picture: They think he looks too old to be president, but the real kicker is that many of these voters felt Biden's portrayal of the Charlottesville protests in his announcement video was "a complete lie," in the words of one participant. That's why Biden could have trouble winning some of these voters back to the Democratic side in 2020.
Voters are hearing a lot about abortion bans happening around the country, putting the heat on President Trump and 2020 Democrats to get their campaign messaging right.
Driving the news: 89% of voters have heard "some" or "a lot" about the abortion bans in the past few weeks, according to a new national poll from the Navigator Research project shared exclusively with Axios.
Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich) stepped down from the conservative House Freedom Caucus — which he co-founded — and its board Monday, CNN first reported.
Why it matters: The Michigan congressman is the only Republican in Congress to support impeachment proceedings against President Trump. The caucus officially condemned him for his stance last month. He hasn't backed down from his controversial position — even as big GOP donors like the DeVos family pulled their support.
