The coronavirus campaign has officially begun

News of the first U.S. coronavirus deaths this weekend upended the 2020 presidential election, drawing attention from every Democratic candidate even as they campaigned ahead of tomorrow’s “Super Tuesday” contests. Democrats, predictably, have slammed President Trump’s attempts to cut CDC funding, and the presidential candidates escalated their criticism over the weekend. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who has spent over $410 million on campaign ads, cut a three-minute commercial touting New York City’s response to disease outbreaks during his time as mayor. Former vice president Joe Biden argued the White House “didn’t even begin to prepare the testing kits.” And frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called Trump “pathetic” for campaigning instead of focusing on the outbreak.

Trump has called Democrats’ criticism of his coronavirus response a “new hoax,” while his allies see the global markets’ crashing from the crisis as a threat to his reelection chances.