Hillary Clinton Says ‘Many People’ Urging a Run: Campaign Update

(Bloomberg) -- Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that she is being urged by “many, many, many people” to enter the 2020 presidential race and wouldn’t rule out a third White House bid, though she has no plans for a run.

“I, as I say, never, never, never say never,” Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee, told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I will certainly tell you, I’m under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it.”

“But,” she added, “as of this moment, sitting here in this studio talking to you, that is absolutely not in my plans.”

The former secretary of State’s comments, made during a book tour stop in London, come as some politically moderate candidates -- including Michael Bloomberg and Deval Patrick, a former governor of Massachusetts -- consider late entrances into the race.

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

Sanders Gets Endorsement From Nurses Union (4:34 p.m.)

National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, says it will endorse Bernie Sanders at a California event on Friday.

The 150,000-member union cites his support for Medicare for All, veterans health care and in boosting the labor movement. The union endorsed Sanders in his 2016 Democratic primary bid against eventual nominee Hillary Clinton, and the early endorsement in the 2020 race is a win for him amid a crowded field that includes fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren.

“For nurses, our solidarity is a matter of life or death for our patients, said Jean Ross, president of the union. “We need a president who makes it easier for us to stand together and hold our employers accountable for putting people above profits.”

Sanders will appear with the group at a news conference in Oakland Friday, as part of a Golden State campaign swing that includes stops in Fresno, Long Beach and East Los Angeles. -- Laura Litvan

Buttigieg Pushes Ahead in Iowa Poll (1:30 p.m.)

Pete Buttigieg is pushing into the lead in Iowa, according to a Monmouth University poll released Tuesday.

The South Bend, Indiana, mayor has 22%, up 14 percentage points from August in the early nominating state. He is followed by Joe Biden with 19% and Elizabeth Warren with 18%. All are within within the margin of error of 4.6 percentage points. Bernie Sanders follows with 13%.

Biden has lost 7 percentage points since the August poll, while Sanders gained 5 points and Warren lost 2 points.

Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said Buttigieg had gains across all political ideologies, age ranges and education levels and has the best favorability rating in the field with 73% favorable and 10% unfavorable. “Buttigieg is emerging as a top pick for a wide variety of Iowa Democrats,” Murray said. “He is doing well with voters regardless of education or ideology.”

The race remains fluid, however, with just 28% of likely caucus goers polled saying they were “firmly decided” on their candidate choice. The poll of 451 likely Iowa Democratic caucus goers was conducted from Nov. 7 to 11. -- Emma Kinery

Sanford Drops GOP Primary Challenge to Trump (12:37 P.M.)

Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina governor and congressman who was mounting an improbable Republican primary challenge to President Donald Trump, is dropping out of the race less than two months after getting in.

Sanford said impeachment efforts to remove Trump from office made it impossible for him to break through with his message of reducing the national debt and restoring civility to politics.

“You’ve got to be a realist, and what I did not anticipate is an impeachment,” he said in a press conference in Concord, New Hampshire Tuesday, according to the Charleston Post and Courier.

Sanford’s support in the RealClearPolitics polling average was at 1.8%. His departure leaves two other primary challengers to Trump: Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld and former Illinois Representative Joe Walsh. -- Gregory Korte

Bloomberg Files Paperwork for Arkansas Primary (11:26 a.m.)

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg filed paperwork Tuesday to run in Arkansas’ March 3 Democratic primary, taking another step toward a potential 2020 presidential bid, though he hasn’t announced a formal decision to enter the race.

Bloomberg submitted documents ahead of a noon filing deadline to appear on the ballot, according to the Arkansas secretary of state’s office. He also filed paperwork last week for the Democratic primary in Alabama.

Speaking in Little Rock, Bloomberg wouldn’t specify when he would make a decision on a run, saying only that he was “getting closer.” He said he has become “more and more upset” about the direction of the country. If he becomes a candidate he said he will “explain to people what I think is wrong with this country, and how I would fix it.”

Bloomberg, 77, indicated last week that he is once again considering a presidential run, with an adviser saying he is concerned that the current field of Democratic candidates will not be able to defeat President Donald Trump. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.

“If Mike runs, he’s going to run a 50-state campaign, and he’s going to go to states that Democratic candidates don’t often visit,” spokesman Jason Schechter said. “That starts today in Little Rock.”

Other states have upcoming filing deadlines for 2020 nominating contests, including New Hampshire on Friday. Bloomberg adviser Howard Wolfson has indicated that if Bloomberg runs, he wouldn’t focus on the first four nominating contests where other candidates have been campaigning for months but would wage a national effort by targeting the states voting on Super Tuesday and beyond. -- Mark Niquette

Trump to Address Super-PAC Donors (10:02 a.m.)

President Donald Trump on Tuesday plans to address a subset of donors to the America First Action super political action committee in New York City.

“It’s with 400 Orthodox Jews, and we will raise $4 million,” said America First spokeswoman Kelly Sadler wrote in an email.

It’s unusual for a president to appear at a super-PAC fundraiser -- especially Trump -- who shunned the groups during his 2016 campaign. But the president and campaign have embraced the committees, which can raise unlimited funds, for his 2020 re-election bid.

Federal candidates are not allowed to explicitly ask a donor to contribute more than $5,000 to a super-PAC, according to Federal Election Commission rules. A disclaimer sign outside the fundraiser site said that “featured speakers are appearing at this event only as a special guest and are not asking for funds or donations.” -- Jordan Fabian

Sanders Is Top Choice of Progressive Group (5:00 a.m.)

Bernie Sanders continues to lead as the preferred Democratic presidential choice of members of the influential grassroots progressive group Democracy for America, while Kamala Harris has fallen off a list of the top five choices in the organization’s latest straw poll.

Sanders had support of 35.17% of those surveyed by the group, a political action committee with more than 1 million members. Elizabeth Warren, the other leading progressive in the race, had 27.69%. Joe Biden, the front-runner in national polls, had 12.08%. Pete Buttigieg had 7.26%, and Amy Klobuchar was picked by 3.72% of those surveyed.

Democracy for America’s latest “Pulse Poll” began after the Oct. 15 Democratic presidential debate and ended Nov. 5.

“Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have consistently been the top two candidates with our members since our April poll,” said DFA Chairman Charles Chamberlain. “Between Sanders’ rock-solid support and Warren’s consistent ascent, these latest results make clear that no other candidate is a real threat to their dominance with the Democratic Party’s progressive base.”

The poll is the group’s fourth of the Democratic presidential contest, and Sanders was also the top choice in the previous surveys. The group endorsed Sanders in 2016. -- Laura Litvan

COMING UP

The major Democratic candidates -- including Biden, Warren, Sanders and Buttigieg -- are scheduled to appear Nov. 17 at the Nevada Democratic Party’s First in the West dinner, a major event that previously has drawn thousands to hear from presidential hopefuls.

Ten candidates have qualified for the fifth Democratic debate, on Nov. 20 in Atlanta: Biden, Warren, Sanders, Buttigieg, Harris, Klobuchar, Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard, Cory Booker and Tom Steyer.

--With assistance from Jordan Fabian, Laura Litvan, Mark Niquette, Gregory Korte and Emma Kinery.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Epstein in Washington at jepstein32@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max Berley, John Harney

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