Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, December 19, 2019

On Debate Stage Steyer Shows America He Can Beat Donald Trump on Economy and Lead on Climate 

(LOS ANGELES, December 19, 2019) –– Tonight, presidential candidate for the Democratic nomination Tom Steyer took the debate stage for the third time, emphasizing the need for real structural reform to solve our climate crisis, to make our economy more fair and more just, and defeat Donald Trump. 

Tonight, Steyer said that the 2020 presidential election will come down to the economy. “We shouldn’t tear each other down,” Steyer said. “We need to actually go after this corrupt president and beat him on the economy – where he thinks he's king and where, in fact, he's a fraud and a failure.”

Steyer reiterated that his track record and experience as a successful, self-made businessman, makes him the Democrat most equipped to not only beat Donald Trump, but also overwrite the Republican lie that economic growth comes at the cost of economic justice. “I don’t consider it a success if I do really well and no one else in America does well,” said Steyer. “I know that long-term, fair, growth depends on a just economy with shared prosperity… And I know how to build that prosperity.” 

On climate, Steyer differentiated himself from other Democratic candidates. “I'm the only person here who will say unequivocally [climate] is my number one priority,” said Steyer. “I know we have to deal with it from the standpoint of environmental justice… Our biggest crisis is our biggest opportunity. We can do this and create millions of middle-class union jobs across the United States of America,” build a just economy, protect low-income communities, fossil fuel workers and communities of color.   

Steyer also called on Mayor Pete Buttigieg to make climate a higher priority, because “the people in his generation understand that the [climate] crisis is something that we have to act on right now… that this is the greatest opportunity to rebuild America,” and that it’s time to deliver real American leadership in solving our climate crisis. 

We can’t get universal health care, comprehensive climate policies, or a fair and just economic system without bold, structural changes to our system. Tonight, Steyer called on the need for Congressional term limits – because in order to fix our broken system, we need new people in charge, with new ideas.  

Steyer concluded by highlighting the need for teamwork –– to pass progressive policies, to solve our climate crisis, and to beat Donald Trump in 2020: “The question is how are we, together, going to beat this corrupt and criminal President. How are we going to stand up for the people of the United States.” 

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Friends of Andrew Yang
December 19, 2019

ANDREW YANG WINS SIXTH DEMOCRATIC DEBATE

“I guarantee if we had a Freedom Dividend of a thousand dollars a month, I would not be the only candidate of color on the stage tonight.” - Andrew Yang

LOS ANGELES —Tonight, on the Democratic debate stage, Andrew Yangproved that he’s the only presidential candidate focused on rewriting the rules of the 21st century economy for all Americans—middle-class workers, communities of color, immigrants, women, and Americans with disabilities. 

While other candidates were fixated on the impeachment of Donald Trump, Andrew Yang was laser-focused on the problems that got Trump elected in the first place, one being the displacement of middle class workers across the United States due to automation. 

As the only person of color on the debate stage, Andrew Yang emphasized how the Freedom Dividend would bolster the power of communities of color to elect representatives, noting the wealth disparities of Black and Latino households compared to white households.

“The question is, why am I the lone candidate of color on this stage?  Fewer than five percent of Americans donate to political campaigns. You know what you need to donate to political campaigns? Disposable income. The way we fix this is we take Martin Luther King’s message of a guaranteed minimum income, a Freedom Dividend of a $1,000 a month for all Americans.”

When the conversation shifted to women in politics, Andrew Yang homed in on the value of publicly funded elections and his proposal to put Democracy Dollars in the hands of every American, which would increase the number of women in elected office.

Pledging to work with Congress to implement a permanent, legislative fix for DREAMers during his first 100 days in office, Andrew Yang said, “I would make it a top priority, I’m the son of immigrants myself. The fact is almost half of Fortune 500 companies were started by an immigrant or children of immigrants. Immigrants make our economy stronger and more dynamic.”

When the debate discussion shifted to social programs for individuals with disabilities, Andrew Yang spoke from his personal perspective as the parent of a special needs child. He underscored how the Freedom Dividend will empower individuals with disabilities to better participate in our economy and noted the intrinsic value of all Americans and human beings.

Andrew Yang’s honest moments and a perspective that reflects an understanding of the problems facing most Americans led to a break-out debate performance that was the strongest of all the candidates on stage.

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Cory 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2019

WHAT DEMS MISSED TONIGHT: A Discussion of Urgent Issues That Cory Booker Has Led Boldly On 

Newark, NJ — Throughout his campaign for president, Cory Booker has advanced a bold agenda that will expand opportunity and extend justice to every American -- including those who are being forgotten by Trump and left out of the conversation in this primary.

This stage was missing Cory’s leadership on issues that weren’t a focus of the debate:
Cory fundamentally changed the 2020 debate on gun violence, releasing the most sweeping gun violence prevention plan ever advanced by a presidential candidate. A number of presidential candidates have embraced his proposal for federal gun licensing.
 
Cory has proposed that on day one, he will begin a historic clemency process for an estimated 17,000-plus nonviolent drug offenders serving unjust and excessive sentences.
 
Cory has set a high bar (and pushed other candidates) on marijuana policy — not just demanding legalization, but expunging records and reinvesting in Black and Brown communities that for decades have been ravaged by the War on Drugs.
 
Cory has unabashedly run his campaign focused on issues of criminal justice reform and restorative justice, calling on other presidential candidates to openly acknowledge the failure of the 1994 Crime Bill and the “tough on crime” policies of the 1980s and 1990s.
 
Cory has gone beyond fighting to protect Roe v. Wade; he’s pledged to use every available power of the presidency to secure reproductive rights, including creating a White House Office on Reproductive Freedom. He has called on others to join the fight; as he wrote in an open letter in GQ, it’s on men “to listen, to speak out, and to take action. Not because women are our mothers, sisters, wives or friends — but because women are people. And all people deserve to control their own bodies.”
Cory 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2019

Newark, NJ — On CNN this morning, Cory Booker weighed in on what he heard from voters in Iowa about the issues that weren’t a focus of the debate.

Booker said, “I didn't watch the debate, I was actually making calls to Iowa voters last night and heard a lot of frustration from folks that there was more talk about wine caves than there were about gun violence or reproductive rights. We really got to be careful as a party about tearing each other down at a time where we see what's going on in Washington and we need to unite, frankly, bring our party together so we can bring a real fight to beat Donald Trump and push McConnell back to the back benches.”

Watch the full interview below: 

Additionally, in a focus group of Iowa caucus goers that aired on CNN after the debate, three participants said they would still caucus for Cory because he is, “kind, intelligent and he wants to unite the country.”
 

Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.