WASHINGTON, D.C. - Just over half of Republicans — 51 percent — said in a new Hill-HarrisX poll that the federal deficit is a problem that the government needs to deal with immediately.

The poll showed strong support across party lines, with 50 percent of Democratic voters saying that the government should make the the growing federal debt a top priority, while 58 percent of independents said the same.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his allies are embracing a fight with the media and Twitter that has struck a nerve among Republicans.

Taking fierce criticism over election security, a series of campaign imbroglios and the GOP leader’s response to two mass shootings, the normally tightlipped McConnell and his team have repeatedly punched back at what they view as unfair coverage and leaned into a fight with the social media giant.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic leaders on Wednesday scolded Democrats for publicly taking shots at each other and pleaded for unity as they head into key debates in the coming weeks.

“You got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it. But do not tweet about our members and expect us to think that that is just ok,” Pelosi told Democrats in a closed-door caucus meeting on Wednesday, according to a source in the room.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) brushed off a question about an NBC News report that his great-great-grandfathers owned slaves, saying it puts him in the same camp as former President Barack Obama.

McConnell appeared to smile as a reporter asked him during a weekly press conference if he knew that his family once owned slaves, and if it changed his position on reparations for African Americans.

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MADISON - The following is a statement from Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler on the decision by the conservative majority of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court to uphold laws passed by the Republican legislature in December to undercut the incoming Democratic administration:

“Republicans hijacked Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, rigged the legislature, and then, the moment Democrats won control of the executive branch, used the other two branches to kneecap the Governor and Attorney General. Today’s ruling is a continuation of the GOP’s decade-long crusade to undermine the voice of the people and establish minority rule.

“This hyper-partisan ruling is a reminder that in 2020 and the years to come, Democrats will be fighting for democracy itself.

State Democrats call out Trump's broken promises as the President officially kicks off re-election bid in Florida Tuesday.

MADISON - Ahead of President Trump’s re-election kick off rally in Orlando, Florida, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin held a press call Monday to make the case that Wisconsin voters will hold Trump accountable in 2020 for his failures and broken promises on health care and the economy.

The following are excerpts from Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler’s remarks:

“When he was running for president, Trump promised health care for everybody…But once he was in, his number one legislative priority was to slash health care and rip up Medicaid in order to hand a massive tax break to special interests and the wealthy.”

“President Trump told Wisconsinites in 2016 that he would ‘substantially’ lower their taxes. In reality, Trump’s tax bill will actually increase taxes for lower and middle-income Wisconsinites by 2027… The rich got richer, and Trump left the middle class out in the cold.”

“Despite Trump’s repeated promises to bring jobs back to Wisconsin, Trump’s tax bill has failed to stop layoffs. It’s even encouraged outsourcing. It’s done the opposite of what Trump promised—but it’s done exactly what Trump wanted, which is to benefit people like himself at the expense of everyone else.”

“Trump ran on big promises in 2016. When he launches his campaign tomorrow, he’ll have to answer for why he’s broken them…

“This time around, when the president makes promises, Wisconsin voters will know the Trump’s word is worthless—and they’ll hold him accountable for what he’s done to our state.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Trump will launch his reelection bid on Tuesday with a huge rally in Florida — but he faces an arduous climb to a second term.

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MADISON - President Donald Trump will officially kick off his re-election campaign Tuesday in Orlando, Florida where he will undoubtedly lie about his long record of broken promises. In Wisconsin, Trump’s attempts to “make America great” have raised taxes on the working class while enriching himself and wealthy corporations, fueled a crisis in Wisconsin’s dairy industry, and jeopardized health care access for millions of Wisconsinites.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler will offer a response to Trump’s announcement on a press call TOMORROW and make the case that Wisconsin voters will reject a second term for President Trump.

WHO: Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler

WHEN: Monday, June 17 at 10:30 AM CT

WAUKESHA, WI - Today, the DNC announced that twenty candidates have been invited to participate in the first Democratic presidential primary debate. Each candidate was invited based on the qualification criteria agreed to by the DNC and NBC News, announced publicly in February.

The first debate will take place over two back-to-back nights at 9 p.m. ET on June 26 and 27, 2019, in Miami, Florida. The debate will be broadcast in prime time on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo, and will be streamed online for free on a variety of digital and social platforms.

The following candidates have been invited to participate in the first primary debate:

Sen. Michael Bennet

Vice President Joe Biden*

Sen. Cory Booker*

Mayor Pete Buttigieg*

Sec. Julian Castro*

Mayor Bill de Blasio

Rep. John Delaney

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard*

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand*

Sen. Kamala Harris*

Gov. John Hickenlooper

Gov. Jay Inslee*

Sen. Amy Klobuchar*

Rep. Beto O’Rourke*

Rep. Tim Ryan

Sen. Bernie Sanders*

Rep. Eric Swalwell

Sen. Elizabeth Warren*

Ms. Marianne Williamson*

Mr. Andrew Yang*

* Candidates marked by an asterisk qualified through both polling and grassroots fundraising thresholds. The remaining candidates qualified through polling only.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden traded blows on Tuesday as the men held events simultaneously in Iowa, previewing what could be a fierce 2020 battle in the months to come.

In Biden's first major speeches to prospective voters in Iowa, the former vice president took direct aim at Trump, uttering the president's name numerous times and painting him as an “existential threat” to the country's well-being.

“President Trump is in Iowa today,” Biden told a crowd in Ottumwa, Iowa. “And I hope his presence here will be a clarifying event.”

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