The Note: Narrower Democratic field could point toward longer primary race

The TAKE with Rick Klein

The 2020 field is narrowing. But the paths to the Democratic nomination look more winding than ever.

Neither the exit of Julian Castro nor the exit of the campaign staff of Marianne Williamson leaves vast numbers of voters up for grabs. But fewer long-shot bids are worth supporting with just one month to go until Iowa.

Some figures tell intriguing stories from there. Sen. Bernie Sanders outpaced the field with a staggering $34.5 million raised last quarter, while former Mayor Pete Buttigieg's $24.7 million leaves him ending the year ahead of former Vice President Joe Biden in the money race -- $22.7 million in the fourth quarter.

Those three and, most likely, Sen. Elizabeth Warren have the resources to withstand early losses, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar and a few others hope for an Iowa breakthrough. Tom Steyer has his own resources to sustain him, while Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Andrew Yang have devoted followings who might stick with them through even bitter endings.

Then there's former Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- a wild card -- sitting out the early states, yet already setting spending records.

With 15% of the vote needed in contests to win delegates, a smaller field of candidates could make the race last longer -- even if there are more dropouts over the next month.

The RUNDOWN with Kendall Karson

In their dueling campaigns to claim the White House, both President Donald Trump and Biden -- two figures with little in common but in arguably the most politically precarious positions as it relates to impeachment -- are using the ongoing saga as a fundraising boon.

On Thursday, both Trump and Biden touted raking in their best fundraising hauls to date this campaign season -- a staggering $46 million for the incumbent president, advancing his financial edge over his eventual Democratic rival, and $22.7 million for the former vice president, who outpaced his totals from the previous two quarters.

The record-setting hauls come as each attempts to turn impeachment into a political cudgel on the other's campaign, but instead, both Trump's and Biden's teams boasted an uptick in fundraising, in large part due to impeachment's galvanizing effect on their supporters.

Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale called the impeachment process a "sham" and a "frenzy" before adding, "the president's campaign only got bigger and stronger." Biden's campaign manager, Greg Schultz, also credited impeachment for the fundraising boost, saying that "during impeachment our average digital revenue per day more than doubled."

As the first impeachment process to play out during a presidential race ramps up, the Senate returns to Washington on Friday for the first full session of the new year. It is expected to move forward on a trial only weeks shy of February's early voting, bringing more potential pitfalls and benefits into the contest for both sides.

The TIP with Christopher Donato and Adam Kelsey

Among the first Democratic presidential candidates to respond to the U.S. airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He told ABC News late Thursday that Soleimani is "someone who (had) American blood on his hands," but criticized Trump, saying that under the president's leadership "Iran has become more influential in that region and, frankly, making it less safe and more dangerous."

Booker said it must now be asked whether the action met "the bar for authorization of military force," and added that he did not "have confidence that this president's Middle East policy has been part of a larger strategic plan for our safety and security."

That stance was echoed by several other candidates. Biden said in a statement that Trump “tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox” and added that he owes Americans an explanation of the strategy and plan to keep everyone safe. Sanders called it a “dangerous escalation” that brings us “closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East.” Warren tweeted that this “reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict.”

While the Democratic reactions were generally unified, the airstrike arrived at a moment when the primary race is becoming increasingly contentious. And though it largely took a backseat to domestic issues and the focus on Trump in 2019, if Thursday night is any indication then foreign policy is likely to dominate the debate as 2020 campaigning begins in earnest.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. Friday morning's episode features ABC News' Maggie Rulli, who brings us the latest from Australia as deadly wildfires continue to rage. Then, Perry Bacon from our partners at FiveThirtyEight tries to make sense of why Julian Castro never found a dedicated voting bloc as he suspends his presidential campaign. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

ONE MORE THING

Democrats on Thursday quickly seized on freshly leaked emails in which a White House budget official told the Pentagon last August that it would keep its freeze in U.S. assistance to Ukraine at the “clear direction from POTUS,” despite repeated warnings by the Defense Department that the move could violate the law. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer insisted that the new evidence bolsters his case that the White House should fork over witnesses in the upcoming Senate impeachment trial.

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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in politics. Please check back Monday for the latest.