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We'll know a lot more about the Democratic primary in about 36 hours.
Six states will be headed to the polls tomorrow. The one to watch is Michigan ... and its 125 delegates up for grabs. Bernie Sanders won the state in an upset in 2016, and he hopes to repeat the win again in 2020.
As of today, there have been 1,397 Democratic delegates awarded -- and it takes 1,991 to win the nomination. Joe Biden holds a lead of just under 100 delegates on Sanders. If he can open up that lead tomorrow, he'll be a much stronger candidate through the remaining primary elections this spring.
Only time will tell. We can't wait to be back on Wednesday to discuss the news with you. And now, here are the stories you'll want to read as you start your week.
![]() It's a long way 'til the convention, and the establishment vs. Sanders campaign is just heating up. "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) on Sunday claimed former Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) and Pete Buttigieg were ousted by the party establishment to boost Joe Biden in the Super Tuesday primaries." [Read the full story from the Washington Free Beacon.] Bernie Sanders did not mince words in his interview on one of the "Sunday shows," a common term for the news-focused discussion shows that air on -- you guessed it! -- Sunday mornings.
As the Washington Free Beacon reported, Sanders said: "One of the things that I was kind of not surprised by is the power of the establishment to force Amy Klobuchar, who worked so hard, Pete Buttigieg, who you know really worked extremely hard as well, out of the race."
Sanders made similar claims about the Democratic "establishment" opposition to him in his 2016 primary against Hillary Clinton. This time, the stakes are higher as he may be just close enough to deny Joe Biden a victory at the Democratic convention on the first ballot. (We'll know much more tomorrow night.)
If that happens, it's highly likely the Democratic super-delegates -- who vote for the first time on the second ballot at the convention -- will deliver the victory for Biden. But the cost to party unity, particularly given the intensity of Sanders' supporters, may be high.
Couldn't have said it better ourselves: "in the face of uncertainty," this is some welcome news. "In the face of uncertainty because of the coronavirus, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shattered expert predictions Friday, reporting that the economy added 273,000 jobs in February. The unemployment rate is back to the lowest rate since 1969, and Americans continue to see more money in their paychecks." [Read the full story from The Daily Signal.] In the midst of today's headlines about the stock market, The Daily Signal has some heartening news from the jobs report on Friday. The U.S. economy added more than 270,000 jobs in February, and unemployment is at its lowest level since 1969.
It's likely that we will see more action on a coronavirus response from the Trump Administration this week.
We'll continue to share the most pertinent political updates with you ... but we will all always remember that this is an issue of health and safety, not partisan politics, and health and safety remain the most important priorities.
In a plot twist we all saw coming, the Democratic National Committee interferes in its own primary. Again. "After it became clear Gabbard had officially earned a delegate Tuesday night, however, DNC Communications Director Xochitl Hinojosa announced that the Democratic Party would move the goal posts for debate participation, even as the party changed the rules for the Nevada debate to pave the way for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to participate by removing the donor requirement." [Read the full story from The Federalist.] First the Democratic National Committee (DNC) made rules for its primary debates to help get Michael Bloomberg on the stage. Now the rules are different in order to keep Tulsi Gabbard (yes, she's still running!) off of it.
The DNC's official word is that this is a naturally evolving process given the number of delegates awarded thus far ... but you'd be hard-pressed to find a campaign strategist who would agree with that.
Instead, the move is widely seen as a way to condense the primary to Joe Biden vs Bernie Sanders -- and some Sanders supporters have pushed their claim even further and said changes to the debate format (townhall-style with audience questions) are designed specifically to protect Biden.
Another conservative hero in the White House: Mark Meadows is now Chief of Staff. "'Meadows, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, was a co-founder in 2015 of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of a few dozen conservative lawmakers who had a notable impact on policy when Republicans controlled the House. In 2016, Meadows became the second chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, succeeding Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio." [Read the full story from The Daily Signal.] You may have missed it just before the weekend, but President Trump announced his new Chief of Staff -- and he's a real hero of conservatives. Mark Meadows, most recently a Member of Congress, will take on the role.
Meadows helped to start the House Freedom Caucus, an important group of free-market, limited-government conservatives in the U.S. House, and has been a leader on conservative policy since his first election to Congress.
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