presidential election
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The Lonely Case for Joe Biden
Joe Biden has been, in order, a dangerous young politician, a disappointing older politician, a laughable Democratic presidential candidate, a middling vice president, an uninspired Democratic presidential candidate, and now an uninspiring Democratic nominee. The most charitable encapsulation of him is that he’s merely a benevolent anachronism in over his head—an innocuous relic yet to…
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Elizabeth Warren Has a Plan to Make Voting Easier and Safer This November—If You're Into That Kind of Thing
It’s hard to remember in the midst of, well, literally everything happening in the world right now, but we are just seven months away from a general election where we will either pick a new president or stay the same disastrous course. There are quite a few reasons to feel some dread about that, including…
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Bernie Sanders' Path to Victory Looks Mighty Slim
DETROIT—Bernie got his ass kicked and it’s not looking any better moving forward. There really is no better way to slice or dice. it. Super Tuesday II was supposed to be the day Sanders closed his delegate gap with Joe Biden, but it only widened—in the former VP’s favor. Outside of winning North Dakota, Sanders…
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Elizabeth Warren Supporters Worry About Sexism as South Carolina Primary Nears
CHARLESTON, S.C.—Standing at the head of a long line of people snaking around the Charleston Music Hall waiting to see U.S. presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren and musician John Legend on Wednesday is a mother of three who found it more financially prudent to be a stay-at-home mother than to work her full-time job in the…
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Barbara Smith, Who Helped Coin the Term 'Identity Politics,' Endorses Bernie Sanders
DES MOINES, IOWA—Barbara Smith, founding member of the black feminist Combahee River Collective that coined the term “identity politics,” has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president, The Root has learned. In an exclusive interview, Smith, who endorsed Sanders in 2016, said her reasons for endorsing him again were clear. “Of all of the people who…
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Hundreds of Thousands of Voters Purged From Rolls in Wisconsin; Issues Crop Up in Ohio and Georgia
A Wisconsin judge ordered the state’s Elections Commission to strike more than 200,000 voters from its rolls after they did not respond to a mailer asking them to verify their address within 30 days. The decision may force the crucial swing state to throw out hundreds of thousands of registrations before the 2020 election (the…
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Kamala Harris Wasn't Allowed to Fail Up Like a White Boy
A lot led to Kamala Harris’ campaign collapsing before the first ballot was cast in the Iowa caucuses. But what arguably doomed her chances was her struggle to disprove she was not the lock ’em up prosecutor many critics accused her of being. Much will be written and researched about Harris’ campaign—especially how black women…
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Presidential Hopefuls Julián Castro and Cory Booker Express Anger, Concern Over Kamala Harris’ Ending Her Campaign
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro didn’t mince words when asked about his feelings on the abrupt ending of California Sen. Kamala Harris’ bid for president. “To me, they held her to a different standard, a double standard, to other campaigns. And I don’t know if it impacted her decision to withdraw from…
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Julián Castro Explains Why Ending Police Brutality Is Central to His Campaign
“To black and brown communities out there that deal with the impact of excessive force by police: I would say that we see you, we hear you.” —Julián Castro text As the 2020 presidential race continues to unfold, there are certain things I have come to expect from particular candidates during the Democratic debates. When…
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Uber Driver, The Equalizer, a Home Depot Manager and More Things Joe Biden Should Be Instead of President
Joe Biden has settled into the BarcaLounger and Burn Notice phase of his life. Which is fine! My dad is there too, and in a slightly less-imperfect world, they’d be going on adventures to the mall and linen-soaked jazz cruises together. Instead, Joe Biden is running for president of the United States. And, well, here’s…