Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is quietly pushing to change an Oregon law that would prevent him for running for president and reelection to the Senate at the same time, the Willamette Week reports.
Merkley Hires Staff In Iowa and New Hampshire
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who has made a number of recent trips to early presidential primary and caucus states, is hiring staff in Iowa and New Hampshire to help candidates running in this year’s midterm election, NBC News reports.
Merkley Backs Candidates In the Early States
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) “is endorsing and cutting checks to a slate of candidates in early-voting states who could help him wage a long-shot bid for president in 2020,” Politico reports.
“Merkley’s Blue Wave Project PAC on Tuesday will issue its first wave of endorsements: Of the seven candidates he’s backing, two are congressional candidates in Iowa and one in Nevada. The next set of endorsements is expected to deliberately include candidates in New Hampshire.”
Senator Says ‘Something Close’ to Pee Tape Exists
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) told BuzzFeed News that “something close” to the long-rumored “pee tape” exists, saying he thinks “it’s likely” that Vladimir Putin has something on President Trump.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m exploring the possibility.”
— Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), quoted by the New Yorker, on running for president in 2020.
Merkley Sees Opening on Left for Presidential Bid
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) “is quietly making clear to liberal advocacy groups that he’s available for a 2020 bid, even as the Democratic field of potential White House hopefuls fills with better-known progressives,” The Hill reports.
Merkley Endorses Sanders for President
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders in a New York Times op-ed:
“Hillary Clinton has a remarkable record. She would be a strong and capable president. But Bernie Sanders is boldly and fiercely addressing the biggest challenges facing our country…. It has been noted that Bernie has an uphill battle ahead of him to win the Democratic nomination. But his leadership on these issues and his willingness to fearlessly stand up to the powers that be have galvanized a grass-roots movement. People know that we don’t just need better policies, we need a wholesale rethinking of how our economy and our politics work, and for whom they work.”
