Jun 13, 2018

Go deeper: Meet Trump-endorsed Corey Stewart

Haley Britzky

Photo: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

President Trump congratulated Corey Stewart on Wednesday, after Stewart took a victory in the Virginia Republican Senate primary race on Tuesday night, saying he has a "major chance of winning" against "a total stiff, Tim Kaine."

The big picture: Virginia went blue in the 2016 election for Hillary Clinton, and Stewart — a pro-Trump candidate who has received attention for defending Confederate symbols — faces an uphill climb vs. Kaine.

Meet Corey Stewart
  • Stewart has promised voters a "vicious" campaign for the Senate seat against Kaine.
  • He's a man after Trump's own heart. Per the Washington Post, when the crowd at his election night party chanted "Lock her up!" Stewart said: "That might just happen, by the way. And Timmy, too. Oh, we’re gonna have a lot of fun between now and November, folks.”
  • He called Paul Nehlen, a "pro-White" congressional candidate, his "personal hero" last year, according to WaPo. He has since disavowed Nehlen.
  • He was the chair of Donald Trump's Virginia campaign during the 2016 election, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "before being fired for a rogue anti-establishment protest."
  • He said Tim Kaine's son should be send to Guantanamo, per the Times-Dispatch, because of charges from a left-wing protest.
  • Kaine called Stewart: “A cruder imitation of Donald Trump who stokes white supremacy and brags about being ‘ruthless and vicious.'"
  • He sat down for an interview with Mike Cernovich — part of the self-described "new right" — for an interview after being fired from Trump's Virginia campaign, and was endorsed by a "prominent member of the neo-Confederate movement," per CNN.
What they're saying:
  • Former Republican Lieutenant Governor in Virginia, Bill Bolling:
  • Republican strategist Brian Walsh:

Go deeper

Sara Fischer

Older candidates take the lead on social media

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Michael Bloomberg, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden — all close to 80 — are pushing the boundaries on social media, while their younger Democratic presidential rivals are comparatively staying out of the fray.

The big picture: President Trump's unexpected rise to political power has shown Democrats and world leaders the power of harnessing popular internet culture to get elected.

Go deeperArrow18 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Axios

South Korea and Italy step up emergency measures as coronavirus cases jump

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

The novel coronavirus has spread to more nations as South Korea and Italy step up emergency measures in their countries amid rising case numbers on Sunday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed at least 2,462 people and infected almost 79,000 others, mostly in mainland China. South Korea increased the infectious disease alert to red, the highest possible, as its case numbers jumped to 602 and the death toll to five. Italy's government announced emergency measures, with several towns in the north effectively placed in lockdown, as it confirmed two deaths and infections rose to 79.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 4 hours ago - Health
Axios

Bernie Sanders wins Nevada caucus

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders waves to supporters at a campaign rally on Friday in Las Vegas. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders is projected to handily win the Nevada Democratic primary caucus, becoming the clear frontrunner among 2020 Democratic presidential primary election candidates.

Why it matters: Nevada is the first state with a diverse population to hold a nominating contest, highlighting candidates' abilities to connect with voters of color — particularly Latino voters.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy