Notable Quote of the Day

“I’d question a recurring theme of 2020 presidential campaign coverage: that the cash pile amassed by President Trump and the Republican National Committee is a major advantage. On the list of factors that will determine the outcome in November, I don’t think money will be in the top 10.

Former vice president Joe Biden and the Democrats finished the first quarter nearly $200 million behind the GOP, a deficit that the New York Times chalked up to ‘the advantage of incumbency and the ability to fund-raise for the past three years.’ The best that could be said for Biden’s April cash haul was that he managed not to fall much further behind.

But while money can be decisive in down-ballot races, where candidates are buying every bit of exposure and interest in their campaigns, there is little evidence that those dollars pick presidents. Consider Mike Bloomberg. The former New York mayor essentially fired greenbacks from confetti cannons in pursuit of the Democratic nomination. …

In the battle of Biden vs. Trump, money may be less important than ever. Biden’s task of defining and attacking Trump is already done; much of it, the president has done to himself. It’s difficult to imagine a voter in America who is not thoroughly familiar with the subject, and data suggest that most people settled on their conclusions some time ago and aren’t budging. Biden is less familiar but only by comparison to the most-watched person in the world. He will have plenty of money to do all the advertising he needs.”

    — David Von Drehle, The Washington Post

Election Updates

• Joe Biden will participate in a virtual roundtable on rural issues with U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) Wednesday morning and host a virtual rally in Milwaukee in the afternoon.

• Biden’s campaign hired Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the granddaughter of César Chávez and previously a co-political director on Kamala Harris’s campaign, as a senior advisor.

• Donald Trump held a closed-door lunch event with Senate Republicans on Tuesday. Afterward, Trump said, “We had a great meeting. All of the Republican senators were there. I think we made tremendous progress on a lot of different issues. ... We have a lot of very positive things happening, both in terms of the country, in terms of the election that’s coming up. We’re doing very well in every way.”

• The Trump Victory Finance Committee announced a new nine-team volunteer fundraising effort called the House Congressional Captains program. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, “This new volunteer fundraiser program … will help provide President Trump and the Republican Party the resources needed to defeat the Democrats' radical socialist agenda and win on Election Day.”

• Biden and Trump won Oregon’s presidential primaries on Tuesday.

Flashback: May 20, 2016

The National Rifle Association endorsed Trump. Trump said to the group, “Crooked Hillary is the most anti-gun, anti-Second Amendment candidate. … She wants to take your guns away from you, just remember that.”