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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Yang, who created buzz with freedom dividend, ends 2020 bid

By SARA BURNETT | February 11, 2020

Democrat Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur who created buzz for his presidential campaign by talking about his love of math and championing a universal basic income that would give every American adult $1,000 per month, suspended his 2020 bid on Tuesday.“I...

How crucial is New Hampshire win? It depends on whom you ask

By WILL WEISSERT, KATHLEEN RONAYNE, and BILL BARROW | February 10, 2020

ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — In the waning hours before New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary voting begins, Democratic presidential candidates took varied approaches to the expectations game Monday as they look to advance deeper into what could be...

Buttigieg on defense as rivals aim to blunt his momentum

By THOMAS BEAUMONT | February 10, 2020

DOVER, N.H. (AP) — Pete Buttigieg spent Sunday on defense as his Democratic presidential rivals attacked him on everything from his struggle to connect with black voters to accepting campaign contributions from large donors in an effort to blunt any momentum heading into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who essentially tied with Buttigieg in last week's Iowa caucuses, blasted the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, for taking contributions from the very wealthy, suggesting Buttigieg won't stand up to “Wall Street tycoons” or “the corporate elite.” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren voiced similar criticism, telling ABC's “This Week" that “the coalition of billionaires is not exactly what's going to carry us over the top." Former Vice President Joe Biden told the same program that Buttigieg hasn't been able to “unify the black community."

The volley of criticism was fresh evidence that Buttigieg, who was virtually unknown in national politics a year ago, has become an early front-runner in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. The developments usher in a new phase of the campaign that will test how Buttigieg responds to the pressure, especially as the contest moves to more racially diverse states where he has struggled to gain traction.

Buttigieg hit back at Biden, who on Saturday lamented comparisons between the former mayor and former President Barack Obama.

“Oh, come on, man," Biden told reporters. “This guy's not a Barack Obama."

“Well, he's right, I'm not," Buttigieg responded on CNN's “State of the Union." “And neither is he. Neither is any of us running for president.”

He later offered an oblique critique of Sanders' combative call for revolution.

“Let's remember we're facing the most divisive president of our time, which is why we can't risk dividing Americans further,” Buttigieg told more than 1,800 people at an event in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Later in Dover, he declared himself the candidate on the rise. “We are the campaign with the strongest momentum in the state of New Hampshire, thanks to you,” he told a crowd of several hundred.

While responding to some of the attacks, Buttigieg didn't escalate any feuds on Sunday. That could help him maintain the energy of his optimistic Iowa campaign in which he portrayed himself as above the Washington fray.

“Part of the reason why he’s doing well is he’s got a pretty sunny and upbeat presentation,” said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Obama. “Tactically, I think it’s smart to handle it the way he’s handling it. We still don’t know what the impact any of this will have.”

But in a sign of potential hurdles ahead for Buttigieg, even voters in an overwhelmingly white state like New Hampshire said they wanted to see evidence that he could build relationships with people of color. Kim Holman of Brookline, New Hampshire, said she was undecided but leaning toward Buttigieg's "energy and passion." Yet his struggle so far especially with black voters weighs on her decision.

"It’s definitely a concern. New Hampshire is a super-white state," the 52-year-old personal trainer said. "I’m hoping he resonates more with people of color.”

Buttigieg's standing has posed a challenge to Sanders. The two contenders represent opposite ideological wings of the party, yet Sanders is under pressure to show that he can unify Democrats if he is the nominee. With that in mind, the progressive Vermont senator has sought to qualify his criticisms of Buttigieg.

When a Sanders supporter in Plymouth laughed at the mention of Buttigieg, Sanders interjected, “We're not here to denigrate Pete."

But Sanders nonetheless proceeded to blast Buttigieg's ties to large donors. And one of his most prominent surrogates, former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, ripped into both Buttigieg and billionaire former Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a separate event later Sunday.

She slammed Buttigieg for fundraising with billionaires in a wine cave featuring a Swarovsky crystal chandelier. And she laid into Bloomberg for skipping the early voting states and running a campaign funded by hundreds of millions of dollars of his personal fortune.

“Whose side are you on?” she repeatedly asked the crowd to cheers.

There were other awkward moments Sunday during the final stretch of the New Hampshire campaign. During a rally in the state capital of Concord, Warren declared, “It's up to you, Massachusetts."

During an event in Hampton, a woman asked Biden to explain his underperformance in Iowa. He said it was a good question, then asked her if she'd been to a caucus. When she said she had, Biden responded, “No, you haven't" and proceeded to call her “a lying, dog-faced pony soldier." The audience laughed during the exchange.

The chaos from the Iowa caucuses lingered over the New Hampshire contest. Problems with an app led to delays in results and prompted questions about the accuracy of the vote count. Nearly a week after the caucuses, The Associated Press hasn't declared a result.

In an interview on CNN's “State of the Union" on Sunday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said he was “mad as hell" about the situation.

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Associated Press writer Kathleen Ronayne in Plymouth, N.H., contributed to this report.

The Latest: Warren says she’s best positioned to beat Trump

February 9, 2020

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The Latest on the 2020 Democratic presidential race and Tuesday's primary in New Hampshire (all times local):6:45 p.m.Elizabeth Warren is tweaking her standard campaign speech, saying that she’s in the best position to win...

Front-runners Buttigieg and Sanders beat back debate attacks

By STEVE PEOPLES, KATHLEEN RONAYNE, and HUNTER WOODALL | February 8, 2020

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Democratic presidential front-runners Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg beat back a barrage of attacks during a debate as rivals raised persistent questions about their ideology and experience, hoping to sow doubts about their...

The Latest: Bloomberg isn’t at debate, but he’s name-dropped

February 7, 2020

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The Latest on the 2020 Democratic presidential debate and the upcoming primary in New Hampshire (all times local):10:15 p.m.Billionaire Michael Bloomberg didn’t qualify for the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire...

Biden shuffles campaign leadership after 4th-place finish

By BILL BARROW | February 7, 2020

Joe Biden is reorganizing his top presidential campaign leadership after a fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, elevating Anita Dunn to a role that effectively puts her in charge of his third White House bid.Two people with knowledge of the decision...

To win New Hampshire, Warren has to go through Sanders

By WILL WEISSERT | February 7, 2020

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Elizabeth Warren's path to victory may have to go through fellow progressive Bernie Sanders. And after Sanders' strong showing in Iowa, that path became far more difficult heading into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.The challenge...

Messy Iowa caucuses leave cash-poor candidates scrambling

By BRIAN SLODYSKO and WILL WEISSERT | February 7, 2020

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The Iowa caucuses weren't just a colossal political mess. They were a massive money drain for Democratic presidential contenders who poured millions of dollars into a contest so marred by technical glitches that its ultimate...

Auditor: More than $4M stolen from Mississippi welfare funds

By JEFF AMY and EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS | February 6, 2020

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's state auditor said Thursday that investigators believe at least $4 million in federal welfare money was stolen by the former head of the state welfare agency and others in the nation's poorest state.At least $48,000...

Audit: Missouri Sen. Hawley used state vehicle for politics

By SUMMER BALLENTINE | February 6, 2020

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley made campaign stops while traveling in a state vehicle during his time as Missouri's attorney general, an audit released Thursday found.The review by the office of state Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat...

Black lawmakers demand Biden disavow surrogate’s comments

By MEG KINNARD | February 5, 2020

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Black lawmakers in South Carolina are calling on former Vice President Joe Biden to disavow statements from a longtime friend and campaign surrogate that they say are racist.About half of the 45-member Legislative Black Caucus...