Democrats see golden opportunity to take Georgia Senate seat

Democrats see golden opportunity to take Georgia Senate seat-thehill: Democrats are feeling bullish about their chances to win a Senate seat in Georgia in the wake of GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson’s decision to retire. The announcement, Democrats argue, gives them a golden opportunity to expand the Senate battleground map heading into 2020 and chip away at the GOP’s Senate firewall.

Democrats excluded from debate face battle for survival

Democrats excluded from debate face battle for survival-thehill: Democratic presidential candidates who are still struggling to introduce themselves to early state voters face a critical inflection point over the next several weeks, as they battle to keep their campaigns funded and operating even without the chance to participate in next month’s debate. Some have acknowledged that their hopes of mounting a strong campaign ended when they failed to meet the threshold to make the debate stage.

Kirsten Gillibrand exits presidential race

Kirsten Gillibrand exits presidential race-politico: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand dropped out of the presidential race Wednesday evening, pledging to help the eventual Democratic nominee beat President Donald Trump next year. The New York Democrat, who ran a distinctly feminist campaign, failed to meet the Democratic National Committee’s criteria for the committee's September presidential debate. A statement released by her campaign cited her lack of “access to the debate” stage as a reason she decided to end her run.

Georgia GOP abuzz about Senate vacancy

Georgia GOP abuzz about Senate vacancy-thehill: Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R-GA) decision to resign at the end of the year set off a furious behind-the-scenes scramble among Georgia Republicans vying to curry favor with Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who will choose his replacement. Isakson kept his decision private from all but his closest advisers, sources with knowledge of his decision said. Some aides and allies, including Kemp, were told he would quit just hours before the announcement went out.

GOP Rep. Sean Duffy resigning on September 23

GOP Rep. Sean Duffy resigning on September 23-rollcall: Wisconsin GOP Rep. Sean Duffy announced Monday that he is resigning from Congress on Sept. 23, after news that the child his family is expecting will have a heart condition. “Recently, we’ve learned that our baby, due in late October, will need even more love, time, and attention due to complications, including a heart condition,” Duffy wrote in a Facebook post. The child will be Duffy’s ninth.

Nervous Republicans focus energy on protecting Senate “firewall"

Nervous Republicans focus energy on protecting Senate “firewall”-thehill: The GOP majority in the Senate is shaping up as a firewall for Republicans who are worried that President Trump might falter and lose the White House next year. Republicans see winning back the House majority as a tough climb in 2020, and head-to-head matchups between Trump and various Democratic presidential contenders show the president behind his potential challengers.

Moulton drops out of presidential race after struggling to gain traction

Moulton drops out of presidential race after struggling togain traction-thehill: Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) announced Friday he will drop out of the 2020 presidential contest, making him the third candidate in a little more than a week to exit the Democratic primary. "Today, I want to use this opportunity, with all of you here, to announce that I am ending my campaign for president," Moulton is expected to say later in the day at the Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting in San Francisco.

Weld “thrilled” more Republicans are challenging Trump

Weld “thrilled” more Republicans are challenging Trump-thehill: Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, the first Republican to mount a primary campaign against President Trump, said on Sunday that he's "thrilled" more Republicans are joining the 2020 race. Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) announced his presidential campaign Sunday, and former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) has been mulling a potential White House bid.

Hickenlooper announces Senate bid

Hickenlooper announces Senate bid-thehill: Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), who last week ended his 2020 presidential campaign, announced on Thursday that he will seek a seat in the U.S. Senate. “I’m not done fighting for the people of Colorado,” he said in a video attacking Washington over preexisting conditions, prescription prices and the opening of public land to developers.

Inslee drops out of 2020 presidential race

Inslee drops out of 2020 presidential race-thehill: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday. Inslee told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow during an interview that he would withdraw from the race because it had "become clear" to him that he had no path to the nomination.

Soft levels of support mark this year's Democratic primary

Soft levels of support mark this year's Democratic primary-thehill: Pollsters say one of the most striking characteristics of this cycle’s Democratic presidential primary is the relatively soft support for top-tier candidates, even after an intense focus on the race by the national media. This almost certainly reflects the party’s desperation to find a candidate who can defeat President Trump after its faithful were shocked by Democrat Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016.

Nancy Pelosi warns cuts in foreign aid could jeopardize budget deal

Nancy Pelosi warns cuts in foreign aid could jeopardize budget deal-politico: Speaker Nancy Pelosi is warning the Trump administration that a White House proposal to cut billions of dollars in foreign aid could imperil a recent two-year budget agreement. Before leaving for the August recess, Congress passed a massive budget deal that suspended the debt ceiling through July 2021 and decreased the likelihood of a government shutdown. But the White House more recently has been eyeing a so-called rescissions package, which would impose more than $4 billion in cuts to the United States Agency for International Development and the State Department.

Hickenlooper ends presidential bid

Hickenlooper ends presidential bid-thehill: Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary on Thursday, fueling speculation that he will launch a Senate bid in his home state. He becomes the second major candidate after Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) to drop out of the crowded primary field, leaving 23 still vying for the nomination.

2020 Democrats fight to claim Obama's mantle on health care

2020 Democrats fight to claim Obama's mantle on health care-thehill: Democratic presidential candidates are vying for former President Obama's mantle on healthcare, arguing that he would support their stance in the raging debate over Medicare for All. Obama remains enormously popular among Democrats, and his backing in the party's divisive health care debate would be a boost for a candidate.

Large employers question "Medicare for All" plans, survey shows

Large employers question a "Medicare for All" plans, survey shows-rollcall: Most large employers say a “Medicare for All” system would lower the number of uninsured people in the United States, but they are concerned it could increase health care costs and taxes while stifling innovation and quality, a new survey shows. The concerns come as health industry groups seek to block momentum for plans from Democratic presidential candidates and lawmakers to expand Medicare through a single-payer program or to allow people under age 65 to enroll in the program.

Recession warnings pose 2020 threat to Trump

Recession warnings pose 2020 threat to Trump-thehill: Fears that a recession could hit the U.S. next year are growing on Wall Street, creating a potential headache for President Trump as he seeks to highlight the economy in his bid for a second term. Economists at Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Moody’s Analytics in the past few days all raised concerns that a recession between now and next year’s elections is becoming more likely. And they all pointed the finger of blame at Trump’s trade policy.

Health care fight among 2020 Democrats shifts to taxes

Health care fight among 2020 Democrats shifts to taxes-thehill: Taxes are playing a leading role in the health care debate that’s dividing the field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Centrist candidates are criticizing their opponents on the left who support the single-payer proposal known as “Medicare for All” by arguing that it is too expensive and would require tax hikes for the middle class. Progressives counter that Americans will be better off overall under their plan because the amount households spend on health care will go down, even if their taxes go up.

Medicare for All complicates Democrats' pitch to retake Senate

'Medicare for All' complicates Democrats' pitch to retake Senate-thehill: The divide over health care among Democratic presidential candidates is raising fears the party might turn an issue that was a key winner in the House midterms into a liability in next year's Senate races. Democratic Senate candidates have been planning to borrow heavily from the playbook used by House Democrats in 2018, when the party won back the chamber in large part because of a pledge to protect ObamaCare against Republican attempts to kill the 2010 law.

Budget deal sparks scramble to prevent shutdown

Budget deal sparks scramble to prevent shutdown-thehill: Congress and President Trump struck a two-year budget deal, but now comes the hard part, actually funding the government. With both the House and Senate out of town for the August recess, lawmakers will face a chaotic September. They’ll have three weeks to prevent a second shutdown in a year that is set to start Oct. 1 without congressional action.

Hurd retirement leaves GOP gloomy on 2020

Hurd retirement leaves GOP gloomy on 2020-thehill: Republicans are growing more pessimistic about their odds of taking back the House majority after the surprise news Thursday that Rep. Will Hurd (Texas), the only African American GOP lawmaker in the House, is retiring. Hurd is the sixth House Republican and the third from the critical state of Texas to announce his departure, dampening GOP hopes for 2020.

Five takeaways from Democratic debate brawl

Five takeaways from Democratic debate brawl-thehill: Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) were center stage in Detroit on the second night of the Democratic presidential primary debates, and it got ugly in a hurry.

Republicans rattled after surge of retirements

Republicans rattled after surge of retirements-politico: The House GOP has been smacked by a wave of retirements over the past few weeks, but some Republicans fear the worst is yet to come. With the GOP relegated to the minority for the first time in eight years, a mix of veteran and vulnerable members have decided to call it quits instead of sticking around to see whether the party wins back power in 2020.

GOP Rep. Mike Conaway won't seek reelection in 2020

GOP Rep. Mike Conaway won't seek reelection in2020-politico: Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas will not seek reelection in 2020, according to multiple GOP sources, becoming the fifth Republican to announce their retirement over the past two weeks. Conaway, a veteran lawmaker who represents a ruby red district, has a news conference scheduled for Wednesday in Midland, but did not specify a topic. Republican sources, however, are expecting him to say he’s retiring. His office declined to comment.