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Welcome to the Thursday, April 9, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Sanders suspends presidential campaign, Biden becomes presumptive Democratic nominee
- Coronavirus update: Looking again at where state and local courts are closed due to coronavirus
- Join our 2020 Candidates Facebook group
Updates on stories related to the coronavirus outbreak are current through Wednesday afternoon. Click here for the latest news.
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Sanders suspends presidential campaign, Biden becomes presumptive Democratic nominee
Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday. He said in a video statement to supporters, “I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth. We are now some 300 delegates behind Vice President Biden and the path toward victory is virtually impossible.”
Joe Biden has won an estimated 1,217 Democratic pledged delegates to Sanders’ 914. As of early April 2016, Hillary Clinton had won 1,299 pledged delegates to Sanders’ 1,091. At that time, 2,377 pledged delegates had been allocated. Sanders did not formally drop out of the race, but he effectively ended his campaign when he endorsed Clinton in July 2016. To date, 2,302 pledged delegates have been allocated in 2020.
With a plurality of pledged delegates, Biden has become the presumptive Democratic nominee. To officially win the nomination, a candidate needs to secure 1,991 pledged delegates.
Sanders said, “I congratulate Joe Biden, a very decent man, who I will work with to move our progressive ideas forward. On a practical note, let me also say this, I will stay on the ballot in all remaining states and continue to gather delegates.”
Through these delegates, Sanders said he would “exert significant influence” over the party platform at the Democratic National Convention.
Originally scheduled to take place in July, the convention has been rescheduled to be held the week of August 17 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The event was pushed back from July in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Coronavirus update: Looking again at where state and local courts are closed due to coronavirus
Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage on how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. Our coverage includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and the effects those responses are having on campaigns and elections.
Yesterday, the United States Federal Courts announced that federal judges nationwide have moved court operations virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.This is the latest in a series of changes that courts at all levels have enacted in response to the pandemic.
As of April 8, a majority of states have suspended in-person proceedings and jury trials. With a number of these orders set to end in late March or early April, some courts are beginning to extend their original dates to ones further in the future or until further notice.
For example, following an original end date of April 10, the Idaho Supreme Court issued an order on March 24 extending the suspension of civil and criminal trials through April 30. Supreme Courts in New Jersey, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wyoming have all issued amended orders with dates in the future.
Some courts are leaving their timelines for resuming regular operation less concrete. Courts in South Carolina and Kansas ordered that in-person proceedings and jury trials be suspended until further notice, leaving the date for restarting normal court operations open.
A few states have completely closed courthouses. On April 6, Connecticut’s Judicial Branch announced that all courthouses would close on April 7, and beginning April 14, they will remain closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays until further notice. The Delaware Supreme Court ordered all court facilities closed to the public until April 15.
Here are some other notable coronavirus-related updates since Wednesday's Brew:
- Two states postponed forthcoming statewide primaries.
- New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) issued an executive order postponing the statewide primary election from June 2 to July 7.
- Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) postponed the statewide primary from June 9 to June 23. Northam is also requesting that the Virginia General Assembly postpone all general and special elections originally scheduled for May to November 3.
- New York Gov. Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) suspended absentee voting eligibility requirements for the June 23 primary, thus allowing all voters to cast ballots by mail
- Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) ordered all people traveling to Arizona from areas of the country with widespread COVID-19 cases to self-quarantine for 14 days. The order specifically mentions Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey as areas with significant community spread. The order goes into effect on April 9 and remains in effect until the expiration of Arizona's stay-at-home order.
- The United States Courts announced that federal judges nationwide will conduct court operations virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Facebook for candidates
We were so excited about the attendance at our candidate discussion last week by a highly engaged and supportive group. We are launching a private Facebook group just for candidates. If you are running for office, no matter your party affiliation or the level of office you are seeking, you are welcome to join.
We think Ballotpedia is uniquely positioned to help facilitate discussions like this. We publish articles to be helpful to both voters and candidates, and a great relationship with candidates also means higher quality information on Ballotpedia for voters.
In this space, candidates will be invited to share experiences, successes, and challenges. It will be a place to discuss the reality of campaigning in 2020. The group will be moderated by Ballotpedia staff to prompt discussion, answer election questions, and grow a friendly community.
Click the link below and send us a request to join. If you’re not a candidate, feel free to pass this resource along to anyone you know running in 2020.
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The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Donations to the Lucy Burns Institute or Ballotpedia do not support any candidates or campaigns.
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