June 18, 2020: Joe Biden launched a $15 million ad campaign in battleground states. The Lincoln Project released an ad questioning Donald Trump’s health.
“One might argue our digital age is immune to history’s lessons, or suggest that Biden’s low-key campaign is little match for his opponent’s ability to drive news cycles. Those still scarred by Hillary Clinton’s surprising defeat might additionally desire that Biden offer the bold agenda voters perceived her front-running campaign lacked. Bold stances invite critique, however. Bold stances also mean nothing until one takes power. The lesson offered by Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt is that quiet amid cacophony is what it takes to win the presidency during dire times. Avoiding hysteria or potentially divisive details of possible recovery plans will also enable maximum freedom of action once in office.”
– Jeffrey Engel, director of Southern Methodist University’s Center for Presidential History
Election Updates
Joe Biden is launching a $15 million ad campaign featuring digital, radio, and print ads in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina. In two different clips, Biden speaks about racial injustice and the middle class. The campaign includes $1 million in Spanish-language ads in Florida and Arizona.
Several Massachusetts Democrats, including former state party chair Phil Johnston and Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, have said they will not attend the Democratic National Convention due to concerns with the coronavirus pandemic. “In 40 years plus I’ve only missed two conventions, and there’s no way I’m going to go. Most people I talked to do not intend to go,” said Johnston.
The Trump Victory Finance Committee launched the Senate Captains program to encourage Republican senators to act as volunteer fundraisers for Donald Trump’s campaign.
Matt Borges, a former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, founded an anti-Trump group called Right Side PAC, which will target voters in battleground states. Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci is part of the group.
The Lincoln Projectreleased an ad questioning Trump’s physical health. A second ad from the group criticizes the upcoming rally in Tulsa.
Former national security adviser John Bolton said Trump prioritized his re-election over the national interest in The Room Where It Happened, a new book set to be published next week. Trump called Bolton a liar and said that “everybody in the White House hated John Bolton.” The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Bolton for breach of contract and is seeking to establish a constructive trust from Bolton’s book advance and royalties.
More than 50 Trumpcampaign surrogates will attend the Tulsa rally on Saturday, including Sens. Jim Inhofe, James Lankford, and Tom Cotton. Multiple camera crews will also be at the event, which Axios described as “a giant commercial for Trump's re-election campaign, an answer to protests outside the White House and a trial run for Republican National Convention events in Jacksonville this August.”
Apple announced it would not provide funding or support for the 2016 Republican National Convention. The company previously contributed money and tech supplies to both Democrats and Republicans in previous conventions.
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