Running A Campaign In Midst Of Coronavirus: Concerns About Rallies, Economic Tumult And Candidates’ Health

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Threatens To Pose An Unprecedented Challenge To The 2020 Elections
When asked what kept him up at night, Ben Wikler, who is responsible for delivering a must-win state in November as chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, used to answer, “unknown unknowns.” He no longer has to wonder what such a risk might look like. Presidential campaigns, parties and state election officials are scrambling to heed health warnings while safeguarding the democratic process against a growing coronavirus epidemic whose scope is difficult to predict. (Stanley-Becker and Viebeck, 3/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Precautions Hit Presidential Campaign Plans
The high-contact tradition of presidential campaigning, including crowded rallies and rope-line handshakes, is being tested as fears of the coronavirus have triggered event cancellations and the outbreak threatens to fundamentally alter the nature of this year’s race. The search for a balance between campaigning and the protection of voters and candidates comes as the one Republican and two Democrats in contention for the job are all in their 70s, part of the demographic considered at greatest risk to suffer complications. (McCormick and Lucey, 3/9)

Los Angeles Times: Biden, Sanders Sprint To The Finish In Michigan Primary
It was far from politics as usual at the candidates’ events in Michigan. Supporters of Biden received squirts of germ-killing hand sanitizer as they entered a school gymnasium in Detroit for a rally Monday night. Earlier in the day at the city’s airport, Sanders joined medical experts for a town hall that served as a coronavirus discussion. (Beason, 3/9)

Detroit Free Press: Sanders Says He'd Make Coronavirus Vaccine Free, Blasts Trump's Response
On the eve of Michigan's primary election, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders halted his campaign to host a public health roundtable at the Westin Hotel at Detroit Metro Airport, focusing primarily on the global coronavirus outbreak, which ballooned Monday afternoon to 605 cases and 22 deaths in the U.S. Calling President Donald Trump's response to the COVID-19 outbreak "vulgar" and "obscene," Sanders pitched his Medicare for All proposal, saying whether you're poor or rich shouldn't matter when it comes to treatment and access to an eventual vaccine. (Shamus, 3/9)

ABC News: Election Officials Prepare For Challenge Of Coronavirus Ahead Of Tuesday's Primaries 
One week after Super Tuesday, voters in six additional states will head to the polls amid the coronavirus crisis that has now reached 36 states and the District of Columbia. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, election officials are closely monitoring the virus as the federal government shifts from a containment strategy into a mitigation phase. (Barr and Cannon, 3/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Opens Economic Front In Presidential Campaign Battle
Facing low unemployment rates and a rising stock market, Democrats have struggled to make the case that President Trump’s economy is leaving too many Americans behind. The coronavirus may have changed that. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator, questioned the president’s response to the outbreak Monday as financial markets plunged, arguing that Americans lack confidence that Mr. Trump could steer the U.S. through a crisis and that their anxiety about medical costs could make the outbreak worse. (Thomas and Corse, 3/9)

NBC News: Trump's Minimized View Of The Coronavirus Crisis Puts His Re-Election At Risk
President Donald Trump seems to be experiencing a different coronavirus crisis than the rest of the country. And his personal vision of it could spell a significant danger to his re-election campaign. For many people, including most of the rest of the government, there's growing fear about the epidemic as it continues to spread into more states. (Allen, 3/9)