Notable Quote of the Day

“‘Florida has become the familiar stomping grounds for candidate’s third cousins, spouses, and siblings,’ political strategist Screven Watson joked about this year’s election cycle so far. But he predicts that candidates will be forced to eat their political vegetables and spend more time in the Sunshine State in coming months.

‘When it becomes showtime, Florida is too important to blow off,’ said Watson, an unaffiliated Democrat. ‘Like the annual trip to the dentist, they will begrudgingly show up.’”

–  Screven Watson, Democratic political consultant

Democrats

• Michael Bennet will begin a weeklong tour of New Hampshire on Dec. 30.

• Joe Biden released the names of more than 200 donors who had raised $25,000 or more for his campaign. He will campaign in New Hampshire Dec. 29-30 and return to Iowa for a four-day trip from Jan. 2.-6. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (Calif.), the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD Pac, endorsed Biden. 

• Michael Bloomberg announced he will open a Texas headquarters in Houston and 16 field offices across the state. He also will relocate his national headquarters to Times Square. On Dec. 24, Bloomberg said his campaign had ended its relationship with a company that used prison labor to make calls for the campaign. Chris Myers, executive director of the California Democratic Party, will step down from that role to lead Bloomberg’s campaign in California.

• Cory Booker will spend the New Year holidays in Iowa with events on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 before campaigning in New Hampshire Jan. 2-3.

• Pete Buttigieg campaigned in Iowa Dec. 28-30. He will make a four-day visit to New Hampshire beginning Jan. 2. The campaign announced a fundraising contest for the lowest unique donation on Dec. 24.

• Julián Castro spent the holidays with his family in Texas.

• John Delaney will begin a monthlong tour of Iowa on Jan. 3.

• Tulsi Gabbard continues her campaign visit to New Hampshire through Jan. 1.

• Amy Klobuchar completed her tour of all 99 counties in Iowa on Dec. 27. She doubled her operation in Iowa and now has nearly 80 staffers across the state. She will campaign in New Hampshire Dec. 29-31.

• Deval Patrick campaigned in Chicago on Saturday. He did not qualify for the Michigan primary ballot after failing to collect the necessary number of valid signatures.

• Bernie Sanders will hold town halls and holiday events in Iowa Dec. 29 through Jan. 5.

• Tom Steyer is kicking off his five-day “People Over Profits” bus tour of Iowa on Jan 1. He will open his first campaign office in California in Fresno on Monday.

• Elizabeth Warren will host a town hall in New Hampshire on Jan. 2. The Warren campaign announced in an email to supporters on Dec. 27 that her campaign had raised $17 million in the fourth quarter so far, marking a 30 percent drop from the previous quarter.

• Marianne Williamson will continue to campaign in Iowa on Monday. She will speak at the Author Incubator in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 1. 

• Andrew Yang campaigned in South Carolina on Dec. 26-27. He participated in an interview on MSNBC on Dec. 27 after refusing to go on the network for weeks because he said it omitted him from parts of its coverage.

Republicans

• The Donald Trump campaign launched a website providing supporters with arguments defending Trump against liberal relatives during the holiday season.

Flashback: December 30, 2015

Marco Rubio missed the most votes of any senator—35 percent—followed by fellow 2016 presidential candidates Lindsey Graham, at 28 percent, and Ted Cruz, at 24 percent.