Notable Quote of the Day

“The truth of Obama’s silence on the 2020 primary is that it’s not just about his obvious wish to stay out of the spotlight, but it also reflects a choreographed strategy. With the race looking more and more likely to grow bitter and messy, and maybe even wind up in a contested convention, the former president and those around him are increasingly sure he will need to play a prominent role in bringing the party back together and calming its tensions later this summer, including perhaps in Milwaukee, where the party’s meeting is scheduled to be held in July. So he is committed to not allowing his personal thoughts to dribble out in the meantime, directly or via leaks, conscious of how any sense that he’s taking sides in intraparty disputes could rock the primary in the short run and potentially undermine his ability to play this larger role in the months ahead.”

– Gabriel Debendetti, New York Magazine

Democrats

• The Bernie Sanders campaign is planning to request a partial recount of the Iowa caucus results on Wednesday after a recanvass showed Sanders and Pete Buttigieg were separated in the state delegate equivalent count by a margin of .004 percentage points. In the recanvass, party officials audited the overall numbers reported on caucus math worksheets for a select number of precincts. In a recount, party officials would audit the individual preference cards submitted by each caucusgoer.

• Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren are debating in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. NBC News and MSNBC are hosting the event with Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, Hallie Jackson, Vanessa Hauc, and Jon Ralston as moderators.

• Bloomberg said on Tuesday that he would sell his financial data and media company, Bloomberg LP, if elected president.

• Tulsi Gabbard is holding a town hall in Colorado Springs on Wednesday.

• Klobuchar campaigned in Las Vegas on Tuesday, holding a GOTC event and attending an event hosted by the Culinary Union.

• Sanders opened five new field offices in Michigan in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Detroit, Flint, and Grand Rapids. His campaign is also opening a new headquarters in Utah on Wednesday.

• Tom Steyer is meeting with precinct captains in Nevada on Wednesday. 

Republicans

• Donald Trump granted seven pardons and four commutations on Tuesday, including former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik. He is holding a rally in Arizona on Wednesday night.

Flashback: February 19, 2016

The State Department released 1,100 additional pages of Hillary Clinton’s emails from her time as secretary of state.