DNC Hires Hawkfish Digital Services Firm: Campaign Update

(Bloomberg) -- The Democratic National Committee signed a small data contract with the digital firm Hawkfish LLC, a person familiar with the agreement said Friday.

Michael Bloomberg is an investor in Hawkfish and used it in his Democratic presidential campaign.

The DNC declined to comment on the contract. Hawkfish declined to comment.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign considered hiring the firm to provide data services but ultimately decided to build an in-house digital operation.

When Bloomberg ended his campaign in March, he donated the $18 million left in his campaign account to the DNC.

Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.

More Americans Are Unhappy With Trump Policies (3:21 p.m.)

More people are displeased with government economic policies than at any point since President Donald Trump’s election.

The University of Michigan’s June consumer confidence survey released Friday showed that 39% disapprove of government policies -- the highest level of disapproval since 41% in October 2016. Since 1980, the party in control of the White House has lost every time the number is 40% or higher.

Richard Curtin, the director of the Michigan survey, said $2.2 trillion in stimulus hasn’t worked because many consumers are still worried about the coronavirus, so they’ve used their tax credit payments to pay down debt and increase their savings rather than spend it to boost the economy.

“I think we’re still in a situation where the most productive economic policy would provide relief for these hardships rather than provide stimulus for growth in the economy as a whole,” he said. “And so I think this is a crucial time where the fiscal policy is necessary and it should be adopted in short order and especially before we get involved in presidential politics.”

Karen Bass Says Health Care Is Top Issue (3:15 p.m.)

Representative Karen Bass of California, a potential running mate of Democratic nominee Joe Biden, said the coronavirus pandemic has turned defending the Affordable Care Act into the top issue in November’s election.

On a conference call with members of the Congressional Black Caucus organized by the Biden campaign Friday, Bass harshly criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his attempts to roll back the health care law, saying the two are tightly connected.

“Because of the pandemic, health care is the No. 1 issue” in the election, Bass said. “To me, protecting what remains of the Affordable Care Act and planning to strengthen it has got to be the highest priority for us.”

The first physician assistant elected to Congress, Bass emerged as a new name among Biden’s potential running mates this week. Biden has vowed to pick a woman and is facing calls to choose a woman of color. Bass is African-American.

The Biden campaign is pushing back hard against Trump’s attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act. On Thursday, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to act against the law in a legal filing, which Biden called “cruel” and “heartless.” -- Ryan Teague Beckwith

Trump Losing Battle for the Suburbs, Poll Finds (12:53 p.m.)

Recent polls show President Donald Trump losing ground to Joe Biden across a wide range of demographic groups, but his standing with suburban voters is particularly sobering for his re-election chances.

Biden leads Trump 60% to 35% in suburban areas, according to an NPR/PBS/Marist poll released Friday. Trump won those areas in 2016, 49% to 45% for Democrat Hillary Clinton, as he made inroads in working-class suburbs that formerly supported Democrats. But the 2018 midterm elections brought a new wave of Democratic members of Congress, predominately from suburban swing districts.

Suburban women are particularly problematic for Trump. Women from suburbs and small cities support Biden 64% to 35%. Men from the same places support Biden 48% to 44%.

Overall, the NPR poll shows Biden leading 52% to 44%. The telephone survey of 1,515 registered voters was conducted Monday through Thursday and has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. -- Gregory Korte

Coming Up:

Joe Biden will attend a virtual town hall on Asian-American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander issues on Saturday.

The Democratic nominee will attend a fundraiser with Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth on July 7.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for the week beginning Aug. 17 in Milwaukee, while the Republicans are slated to meet a week later with events in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida.

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