THE TOPLINES

THE GOVERNORS’ RACES — Democratic governors had a banner cycle in the midterms, flipping seven states and bringing their total to 23 governorships across the country. But the party started 2019 looking at a map of three deep-red states. The DGA’s new Executive Director Noam Lee talked to Campaign Pro’s Daniel Strauss and mefor an extended Pro Q&A on what lessons the parties learned last cycle and how the group will handle a presidential year.

Lee told us he didn’t expect the presidential race to factor too much into gubernatorial battles: “Frankly, governors’ races are fought on different turf and they are fought on the issues that matter in that particular state.” But messaging could run parallel to presidential campaigns, with Lee expecting gubernatorial candidates to talk about health care and gerrymandering.

The DGA is also watching several top races. Lee identified defending North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper as “the top priority of ours in 2020” (it was the RGA’s top target, too). The group will also focus on defending Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2019, and sees pickup opportunities in Vermont and New Hampshire.

IN THE TRENCHES

NC-09, CONTINUED — After a long wait, the North Carolina elections board held a hearing on fraud allegations in the election between Harris and Democrat Dan McCready. “An official for the state board, Kim Westbrook Strach, presented evidence implicating a political operative hired by Republican Mark Harris' consulting firm, Leslie McCrae Dowless, in an effort to illegally collect and manipulate absentee ballots and falsify witness certifications in the 9th District election,” Campaign Pro’s Laura Barrón-López reported. “Lisa Britt, who worked for Dowless, admitted to marking votes on other people’s blank ballots that were collected. Britt added that Dowless regularly spoke to Andy Yates, head of the Red Dome consulting firm used by Harris.” The evidentiary hearing continues Tuesday and could stretch into Wednesday.

PRESIDENTIAL BIG BOARD — Sanders kicked off his presidential campaign Tuesday, launching the independent senator's second bid for the Democratic nomination. "We're gonna win," he told CBS News' John Dickerson. "We are gonna also launch what I think is unprecedented in modern American history and that is a grassroots movement." His announcement video touched on everything from Medicare for All to campaign finance reform to fighting for increased wages. POLITICO's Holly Otterbein has more on the launch.

— O’Rourke has been in talks with strategists about a possible campaign, POLITICO’s David Siders reported. “One of the strategists described those conversations as moving to ‘an operational level’ after weeks of discussing 2020 in more theoretical terms.” O’Rourke was also in Wisconsin this weekend, per WPR’s Corri Hess.

— California Sen. Kamala Harris is moving to lock up her home state by lining up endorsements, courting donors and laying out a roadmap to secure delegates, POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago reported. Harris also picked up endorsements from Gov. Gavin Newsom and labor and civil rights leader Dolores Huerta late last week.

— Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leaning on leaders of causes that he has backed in the past for support as he considers a run, POLITICO’s Marc Caputoreported.

ON THE SIDELINES — Former President Barack Obama has talked with many potential 2020 candidates, but don’t expect him or former first lady Michelle Obama to formally weigh in. The New York Times’ Alex Burns reported that the pair has no plans to get involved in the primary.

GOING VIRAL — A way for Democratic hopefuls to raise a boatload of cash? Going viral. “Viral video outlets, including NowThis, are poised to play a key role in shaping the Democratic presidential primary, introducing 2020 candidates to their massive social followings and turning contenders into trends,” POLITICO’s Elena Schneider reported. “And the massive field of presidential campaigns ... is preparing to capitalize on these moments, making digital staffers early and senior-level hires and having them trail their candidates with videographers and pitch footage to these outlets.”

THE CENSUS QUESTION — The Supreme Court announced Friday that it will take up an appeal to a lower court’s decision to ax a question on citizenship from the 2020 census. The court will hear arguments in April. I wrote in January what this battle means for House apportionment, and The New York Times’ Adam Liptak has more on the case.

POLLS POLLS POLLS — A new Des Moines Register poll in Iowa suggests that proposed changes to the Democratic caucuses to allow tele-caucusing could change the electorate. “Eight percent [of Iowans] initially said they were unlikely to caucus for Democrats in person, but also say they would definitely or probably participate if they had the option to do so remotely,” DMR’s Brianne Pfannenstiel wrote. The poll also found that those telecaucusing would likely be younger, less educated and poorer than the usual caucus-goers (803 adults, Feb. 10-13).

— Could polling methodology make former Vice President Joe Biden look like a bigger frontrunner than he actually is? POLITICO’s Steve Shepard dug in, writing that how polls present an undecided option changes the level of Biden’s support.

THE LATEST IN VIRGINIA — Gov. Ralph Northam still has backing from state powerbrokers and the influential alumni of the Virginia Military Institute, which could help him hang on despite the racist photo in his yearbook. “That support is a major reason that Northam has clung to office when most of the political world has called for his head, leaving Richmond locked in a limbo of dysfunction that shows no sign of changing soon,” The Washington Post’s Gregory Schneider reported. “There is no precedent for handling a situation like this, and political and procedural forces are propping up the status quo.”

— Meredith Watson, the woman who accused Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of raping her when both were students at Duke University (which he denies), called on Fairfax to testify in public and said she is willing to do so, in a Washington Post op-ed.

CONVENTION SPOTTING — Houston is pushing hard to get the Democratic convention. Two city entities approved millions of dollars in grants, matching funds and a line of credit if the convention ends up in the city, KTRK’s Ted Oberg reported.

— But is Milwaukee still in the running? DNC members spoke positively of hosting the convention in a Midwestern city, but concerns abound about the city’s capacity to host the event, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Craig Gilbert reported.

CASH DASH — Another early sign that the cash spigot isn’t turning off forDemocratic races downballot: Carolyn Bourdeaux, who is running again in GA-07 after a narrow loss in the midterms, announced she raised $100,000 from Feb. 7 (when she said she’d run again) to Feb. 14.

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About The Author : Zach Montellaro

Zach Montellaro is a campaign reporter and the author of the Morning Score. Before joining the campaign team he was the producer for POLITICO Playbook and co-authored the Playbook Power Briefing. He also previously worked at National Journal on the Hotline team.

Zach is an alumnus of The George Washington University. He’s also a native New Yorker and is perpetually disappointed by the New York Mets.