The Wall Street Journal - 14.09.2019 - 15.09.2019

A4| Saturday/Sunday, September 14 - 15, 2019 PWLC101112HTGKBFAM123456789OIXX ** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

In the debate, Mr. Castro

claimed Mr. Biden said contra-

dictory things about whether

his health-care plan, which

would establish a government-

run insurance option, would au-

tomatically enroll people.

“Are you forgetting already

what you said just two minutes

ago? I mean, I can’t believe that

you said two minutes ago that

those concerns Friday. Asked by

a reporter if he would release

his medical records to address

concerns about his age and

sharpness, Mr. Biden responded:

“What the hell concerns, man?

You wanna wrestle?”

He vowed to release his

medical records after his next

physical exam and “before

there’s a first vote.”

HOUSTON—The third Demo-

cratic presidential debate left

the candidates differing on

whether it is fair game to dis-

cuss former Vice President Joe

Biden’s fitness to be the party’s

presidential nominee next year.

Mr. Biden has maintained his

front-runner status in public

polling despite a series of ver-

bal missteps during the sum-

mer. Some Democrats have

warned that his misstatements

and gaffes could undermine Mr.

Biden’s case that he is the one

best placed to beat President

Trump. And at least one of his

lesser-known Democratic oppo-

nents, Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio,

recently said the 76-year-old

Mr. Biden is “declining.”

That sentiment seeped into

the Thursday’s debate when

Julián Castro, the former

Housing and Urban Develop-

ment secretary, took a shot at

Mr. Biden’s memory.

Mr. Biden brushed aside

POLITICS

WASHINGTON

WIRE

Dispatches from the

Nation’s Capital

Tech, D.C.

Struggle on

Protecting

Elections

U.S. national-security offi-

cials traveled to Silicon Valley

last week to forge deeper ties

with big tech companies in

hopes of better protecting the

2020 election from foreign in-

tervention. It didn’t go entirely

as planned.

At the meeting organized by

Facebook Inc. at its headquar-

ters in Menlo Park, Calif.,

Shelby Pierson—named over

the summer to lead the U.S. in-

telligence community’s new

election-threats group—deliv-

ered a blunt message to the as-

sembled executives: You need

to share more data with us

about your users.

The executives and other

U.S. officials in the room were

caught off guard by Ms. Pier-

son’s assertion, according to

people in attendance or briefed

on the conversation.

After a tense moment, an-

other official explained that

privacy law limited what so-

cial-media platforms could

hand over to spy agencies.

A Twitter Inc. executive

then offered a rebuke: The

Trump administration was fail-

ing to share enough informa-

tion with tech firms about elec-

tion threats, not the other way

around, the executive told the

room.

Publicly, the companies in

attendance—Facebook, Alpha-

bet Inc.’s Google and YouTube,

Twitter, and Microsoft Corp.—

said the daylong meeting was

constructive.

But privately, some tech

staffers and U.S. officials found

the exchange troubling, people

familiar with the meeting said,

adding that it was unusual to

see government officials con-

tradict one another so openly.

Some said they worried it

could undo some of the prog-

ress made to forge a more uni-

fied front against the scourge

of foreign disinformation since,

according to the U.S., Russia

unleashed bots and trolls on

social media during the 2016

election.

Moscow interfered in

“sweeping and systemic fash-

ion” in an effort to boost then-

candidate Donald Trump’s

chances, according to the find-

ings of former special counsel

Robert Mueller. Moscow has

denied election interference.

In a statement, a senior U.S.

intelligence official said the

meeting with Ms. Pierson, who

works under the Office of the

Director of National Intelli-

gence, was “collectively viewed

as a positive step” toward con-

tinued collaboration.

A Twitter spokeswoman de-

clined to comment.

Tech companies and various

federal agencies have taken

strides to increase collabora-

tion on addressing foreign in-

terference since the last presi-

dential election. Those

improvements paid off during

the midterms, when Facebook

and other platforms disman-

tled suspected foreign-backed

disinformation accounts based

on tips from the Federal Bu-

reau of Investigation.

But the progress hasn’t al-

ways been easy. The tech gi-

ants remain wary of appearing

too cooperative with security

agencies more than six years

after disclosures by former in-

telligence contractor Edward

Snowden showed how compa-

nies supported classified sur-

veillance programs.

The FBI, Department of

Homeland Security and intelli-

gence agencies, meanwhile,

have sought to cajole social-

media companies into more ac-

tively policing their networks

while sharing more informa-

tion about what they find, even

as regulatory agencies slap

businesses with record-setting

fines for privacy violations.

The Federal Trade Commis-

sion, the Justice Department

and state law-enforcement offi-

cials recently have launched

various antitrust probes into

Facebook and Alphabet.

Some people familiar with

the exchange last week involv-

ing Ms. Pierson said it reflected

a healthy friction between gov-

ernment and the private sector.

Before 2016, there was virtually

no dialogue about foreign elec-

tion interference on social me-

dia, these people said.

—Robert McMillan

contributed to this article.

BYDUSTINVOLZ

ANDDEEPASEETHARAMAN

Migrants wait for directions from border agents in AntelopeWells, N.M. Republicans say border security resonates with Hispanic voters.

ALICIA CALDWELL/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

the future, who has the best

view and who can best initiate

it, who can best complete it.”

Mr. Castro defended his

comments and said they

weren’t related to Mr. Biden’s

age or mental sharpness. “You

know, this is what the media

does,” he said. “This was not a

conversation about personali-

ties. This was a conversation

about health-care policy.”

After the debate several

candidates were asked about

Mr. Biden’s mental sharpness

and Mr. Castro’s remarks.

“I think that we are at a

tough point right now, because

there’s a lot of people con-

cerned about Joe Biden’s abil-

ity to carry the ball all the

way across the end line with-

out fumbling,” Sen. Cory

Booker (D., N.J.) said.

Another presidential con-

tender, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D.,

Minn.), said, “I just thought:

This is not cool,” she said.

—Ken Thomas

contributed to this article.

they had to buy in and now

you’re saying they don’t have

to buy in,” said Mr. Castro, who

is 44. “You’re forgetting that.”

Mr. Castro apparently was

mischaracterizing Mr. Biden’s

remarks, according to a tran-

script of the debate.

After the debate, Mr. Biden’s

campaign aides called Mr. Cas-

tro’s remark a “cheap shot.”

However, Mr. Biden told re-

porters Friday that he thought

the debate was generally a

clean fight.

“I don’t view it as anything.

I think he’s got his facts

wrong,” Mr. Biden said. Asked

if it was fair for his rivals to

note his age, he responded:

“Sure it is,” and added that he

enjoyed the vigorous debate

on health care. “What I saw

last night is fewer and fewer

personal attacks,” he said. “So

I think we’re getting closer

and closer to what I think ev-

erybody’s looking for in the

Democratic Party and the

country: What is our view of

BYJOSHUAJAMERSON

Rivals Split on Whether to Attack Biden’s Fitness

Trump Campaign Hopes to Snatch

New Mexico From Democrats’ Grasp

been an overreach,” said Repub-

lican state Rep. Rod Montoya.

“There is an opportunity here.”

Despite Mr. Trump’s charged

rhetoric about immigration,

which has drawn criticism from

Republicans in New Mexico, his

campaign argues his positions

resonate with Hispanic voters

who value border security and

want people to enter the coun-

try legally.

Campaign manager Brad

Parscale asserted in a confer-

ence call with reporters

Wednesday that the president’s

tough trade stance with China

is also resonating with Hispanic

voters, and that is among the

reasons driving the decision to

compete for the state.

A rally held in El Paso,

Texas, earlier this year drew a

number of Hispanics from New

Mexico, according to the cam-

paign, and helped convince

Mr. Trump he should engage

there.

His last rally in the state

drew a large crowd and was

met with a rowdy protest, in-

cluding clashes with police.

Strong fundraising has but-

tressed the Trump campaign’s

hopes of expanding its electoral

New Mexico will focus on the

economy.

In Albuquerque, aides say,

he will tout overall job gains

with a particular focus on His-

panics, who make up 40% of

the state’s electorate, and play

up his trade battles. The cam-

paign also thinks he can draw

a contrast with a progressive

policy shift New Mexico has

seen under a new Democratic

governor and the Democratic

gains in the Legislature. Law-

makers have pushed for more

abortion access, stricter gun

control and gender-neutral

bathrooms.

Republicans hope to capi-

talize on Democrats’ pursuit of

environmental policies that

could hurt the state’s oil-and-

gas industry. In March, Gov.

Michelle Lujan Grisham signed

into law landmark energy leg-

islation mandating emission-

free electricity by 2045. Sev-

eral leading Democratic

presidential candidates have

outlined their own proposals,

including bans on fracking,

which has been a boon to New

Mexico’s economy.

“New Mexico has a long lib-

eral perspective, but there has

to win,” said Rick Gorka, a

spokesman for the Republican

National Committee. The cam-

paign is preparing to an-

nounce staff hiring for New

Mexico and will invest in voter

registration efforts, neither of

which were done in 2016.

Other states the campaign

is eyeing as pickups, including

Minnesota, New Hampshire

and Nevada, were closer in

2016 than New Mexico, caus-

ing some skepticism even

among Republicans. The state

hasn’t favored a Republican

for president since 2004. Fol-

lowing Mr. Trump’s election,

Democrats have taken back the

governor’s mansion, increased

a hold on the Legislature and

now control all three congres-

sional seats.

“We take nothing for

granted, but the fact that the

Trump campaign says their

path forward lies through New

Mexico is an indication they

don’t have a realistic argument

about a path to 270 electoral

votes,” said David Bergstein, a

spokesman for the Democratic

National Committee.

As will be the case nation-

ally, Mr. Trump’s argument in

Just after securing the GOP

presidential nomination in

May 2016, Donald Trump

landed in New Mexico and de-

clared to a rally crowd, “We’re

going to win this state.” Six

months later, Hillary Clinton

beat him there by 8 percent-

age points.

But even as Democrats have

increased power in New Mex-

ico, President

Trump is con-

vinced he can

compete. On

Monday, he re-

turns to the state for the first

time since taking office to hold

a re-election rally near Albu-

querque.

New Mexico is among a

handful of states Mr. Trump’s

well-financed campaign con-

tends he can take from Demo-

crats in 2020. The bravado

comes amid continued Repub-

lican worries over Mr. Trump

holding on to Pennsylvania,

Wisconsin and Michigan,

states that were essential to

his 2016 victory.

“We go into states with the

assumption that we’re going

BYALEXLEARY

map. Through the second quar-

ter of this year, $105 million

has been raised between the

campaign and the RNC, beating

President Barack Obama’s re-

election fundraising during the

same period eight years ago.

Roughly $100 million re-

mains in the bank, and Mr.

Trump is continuing a rapid

fundraising schedule. After

New Mexico, he will travel to

California for four events over

two days.

“President Trump won a

very, very narrow electoral

victory in 2016, so it’s natural

to try to spread the field going

into 2020,” said Michael Steel,

a former top Republican House

aide who isn’t involved in the

campaign. “It’s impossible to

know if it’s realistic until we

know his opponent, but given

his campaign’s vast resources,

there’s no reason not to try.”

Bernalillo, Sandoval and

Santa Fe counties made up

51% of all votes in the state.

Santa Fe

Albuquerque

Las Cruces

+

pct. pts.

+

pct. pts.

Even

County Clinton

went

for:

Trump

<>

StateofMind

New Mexico has voted for a

Republican presidential

candidate only once since 1992.

All three U.S. House seats went

Democratic this past election.

2016N.M.presidentialresults

2018Houseresults

*Gary Johnson ran as a member of the

Libertarian Party

Source: New Mexico Secretary of State

BRIAN McGILL/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Clinton

Trump

Johnson*

43%

4

9

59%

5

3

33%

49

3

Democrat RepublicanDist.





3

NEW MEXICO

dential candidate Julián Castro.

CLIMATE ACTIVISTS plot their

ground game in early Democratic

presidential primary states. The

Sunrise Movement builds on its

success getting presidential

hopefuls to commit to shunning

fossil-fuel company donations by

opening field offices this week in

Iowa and New Hampshire, the

two earliest state contests.

Nineteen staffers between the

two will focus on registering the

young through college and high-

school outreach and a door-to-

door campaign.

The group is weighing

whether to endorse a candidate

before the primaries. They urge

candidates to support an even-

tual ban on fracking.

COLORADO REPUBLICANS get

whiplash from Trump plans for

Peterson Air Force Base outside

Colorado Springs. The vulnerable

Sen. Cory Gardner defends the

administration’s decision to di-

vert $8 million of Peterson’s con-

struction funds to pay for a bor-

der wall and takes heat from

local media and state Democrats.

Area GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn

promises to work to get military

construction projects backfilled

quickly—and attends a celebra-

tion at Peterson to inaugurate

the U.S. Space Command, a fa-

vorite Trump initiative, which will

initially be located at the base.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ campaign

arm seeks to turn the page after

internal turmoil over a lack of di-

versity in top ranks by hiring a

new executive director, veteran

strategist Lucinda Guinn.

There is more to come, Rep.

Cheri Bustos, the group’s chair-

woman, told the Journal. It has

formed a committee focused on

“building pipelines of talent” and

“strengthening our relationships

with minority-owned vendors

and consultants.” Bustos says

she took pains to make the se-

lection process more “open and

inclusive.”

ANTITRUST OVERLOAD: For-

mer Federal Trade Commission

Chairman William Kovacic says

that attempting to unwind ac-

quisitions that boosted Google,

Facebook and others that are

now in the antitrust crosshairs

would seriously strain govern-

ment antitrust lawyers. But the

probes go on: The Justice De-

partment is scrutinizing online

platforms and subpoenas

Google. The FTC asks rival com-

panies and vendors questions

about Facebook and Amazon,

while its Republican and Demo-

cratic commissioners spar over

appropriate punishments for

tech offenses. Oh, and state at-

torneys general subpoena

Google.

HOW DOES THE TRADE WAR

PLAY IN RURAL AMERICA? It

depends on your politics. About

60% of Republicans in rural ZIP

Codes say it is harmful but nec-

essary. Only 7% of rural Demo-

crats agree, with 83% of them

saying the dispute is harmful

and should be stopped. The sur-

vey was conducted by Change

Research for the American Fed-

eration of Teachers and One

Country, a group led by former

Democratic North Dakota Sen.

Heidi Heitkamp.

MINOR MEMOS: Alabama Demo-

cratic Sen. Doug Jones chides

Trump for picking a fight with me-

teorologists over hurricane fore-

casts: “Local weather forecasters

are second only to the Alabama

football coach in terms of their re-

spect.” ... Most patrons at a BBQ

restaurant in Fayetteville, N.C.,

wiped their hands before meeting

Mike Pence. One little boy didn’t.

Pence smiled and said, “Gimme

that grease!” ... Antiwar protesters

serenade John Bolton outside the

White House with parody songs

celebrating his ouster.

Blair, as a potential deputy to Bol-

ton’s successor. Ambassador to

Germany Ric Grenell is also under

consideration for the top job.

Grenell has a close relation-

ship with Trump, but that has

sometimes rubbed Secretary of

State Mike Pompeo the wrong

way. Pompeo’s relationship with

Grenell is said to be not good—

possibly hurting his chances.

BOTH PARTIES converge on

Texas to harness Latino turnout.

Sen. Ted Cruz tells reporters he

is worried Republicans could lose

Texas in 2020, predicting a “re-

cord-shattering Democratic turn-

out.” Trump’s campaign launched

its “Vamos to Victory” Latino

outreach plan in Houston on

Thursday ahead of the Demo-

cratic debate.

Still, Rep. Joaquin Castro tells

The Wall Street Journal that

much of the Democratic turnout

work will fall to nonparty orga-

nizers, given limited party and

campaign resources. But a La-

tino candidate on the presiden-

tial ticket would “inspire Latinos

to come out and vote in a way

we haven’t seen in American

politics,” like what Barack

Obama’s candidacy did for Afri-

can-American turnout, he says.

Whom might he have in mind?

Maybe his twin brother, presi-

TRUMP TALKS TO POSSIBLE

BOLTON SUCCESSORS. Robert

O’Brien, the U.S. envoy for hos-

tage affairs, met with Trump,

and the president “likes the look

of him,” says one official, a key

condition for many Trump ap-

pointments.

But it isn’t over yet. Others in

the running for national security

adviser: Iran envoy Brian Hook,

North Korea envoy Stephen Bie-

gun and Keith Kellogg, a retired

three-star Army general. Acting

chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is

said to be pushing his own na-

tional security adviser, Robert

BYGABRIELT.RUBIN

ELECTION

22

Former Vice President Joe Biden visited with students at Texas

Southern University Student Life Center, in Houston, on Friday.

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES