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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - April 6, 2016
From Ballotpedia
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Wednesday's Leading Stories
- Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders were the big winners in Tuesday’s primary elections in Wisconsin. With 48 percent of the vote, Cruz picked up 33 delegates. Donald Trump, who finished with 35 percent of the vote, picked up three delegates, and John Kasich, who earned just 14 percent of the vote, did not earn any delegates. Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton 56 percent to 43 percent. Sanders picked up 43 delegates, and Clinton picked up 31. (Ballotpedia)
- On Tuesday, Donald Trump sent a two-page memo to The Washington Post explaining how he would force the Mexican government to pay for a border wall. According to the Post, Trump “would threaten to change a rule under the USA Patriot Act antiterrorism law to cut off a portion of the funds sent to Mexico through money transfers, commonly known as remittances. The threat would be withdrawn if Mexico made ‘a one-time payment of $5-10 billion’ to pay for the border wall.” Reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costas wrote that “the feasibility of Trump’s plan is unclear both legally and politically, and it would test the bounds of a president’s executive powers in seeking to pressure another country.” They added that Trump’s plan “could decimate the Mexican economy and set up an unprecedented showdown between the United States and a key regional ally.” (The Washington Post)
- President Barack Obama commented on Trump’s plan, saying "The notion that we are going to track every Western Union bit of money that's sent to Mexico -- you know, good luck with that.” (CNN)
Poll
- According to a Harper poll released on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders 55 percent to 33 percent in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary. (Harper)
- Donald Trump leads Ted Cruz in the race for the Republican nomination 40 percent to 35 percent, according to a McClatchy/Marist poll released on Wednesday. John Kasich follows with 20 percent support. On the Democratic side, Sanders leads Clinton 49 percent to 47 percent. (McClatchy/Marist)
- According to a Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday, Trump leads Cruz 39 percent to 30 percent among likely GOP voters in Pennsylvania. Kasich follows with 24 percent. On the Democratic side, Clinton leads Sanders 50 percent to 44 percent among likely Democratic voters in Pennsylvania. The poll also revealed that in potential general election matchups, Clinton and Sanders are leading Trump. Kasich is leading Clinton, and Cruz is tied with Clinton. Sanders is leading Cruz, and Kasich is leading Sanders. (Quinnipiac)
- Trump (42 percent) vs. Clinton (45 percent)
- Cruz (43 percent) vs. Clinton (43 percent)
- Kasich (51 percent) vs. Clinton (35 percent)
- Trump (40 percent) vs. Sanders (48 percent)
- Cruz (38 percent) vs. Sanders (46 percent)
- Kasich (46 percent) vs. Sanders (40 percent)
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- On Tuesday, during an interview by ABC’s "The View" Hillary Clinton was asked, “Do you believe you can be pro-life and a feminist?” She said, “Yes, I do, absolutely. I respect the opinions and beliefs of every woman. … The reason why being pro-choice is the right way to go is because it is a choice, and hopefully a choice that is rooted in the thoughtfulness and the care that women bring to this decision, so of course you can be a feminist and be pro-life.” Clinton also clarified a statement that she made on Sunday about an “unborn person” not having “constitutional rights.” She said, "Under our law, that is the case. I support Roe v. Wade because I think it is an important statement about the importance of a woman making this most difficult decision with consultation by whom she chooses, her doctor, her faith, her family, and under the law, and under certainly that decision, that is the way we structure it.” (The Hill)
- On Monday, when asked if he feels pressure to complete the investigation into Clinton’s private email server before the Democratic National Convention in July, FBI Director James Comey said, “No, and the only reason I hesitate is in any investigation of intense public interest, whether it involves a public figure, involves some horrific crime — San Bernardino is a great example — we feel a great sense of urgency to do it well and to do it promptly.” (The Hill)
Bernie Sanders
- After winning the Democratic primary in Wisconsin last night, Bernie Sanders addressed a group of supporters, saying, “Momentum is starting this campaign 11 months ago and the media determining that we were a ‘fringe’ candidacy, Do not tell Secretary Clinton — she’s getting a little nervous. But I believe we’ve got an excellent chance to win New York and a lot of delegates in that state.” (The New York Times)
- Some are questioning Sanders’ understanding of how he could break up the banks as president, while others have come to his defense after addressing the issue during an interview with the New York Daily News on Monday. When asked how he would break up the banks, he replied, “How you go about doing it is having legislation passed, or giving the authority to the secretary of Treasury to determine, under Dodd-Frank, that these banks are a danger to the economy over the problem of too-big-to-fail.”
- New York Times reporter Peter Eavis wrote, “Mr. Sanders does appear to get tangled up in some details and lacks clarity. Breaking up the banks would involve arcane and complex regulatory moves that can trip up any banking policy wonk, let alone a presidential candidate. But, taken as a whole, Mr. Sanders’s answers seem to make sense.” (The New York Times)
- Washington Post reporter, Jonathan Capehart criticized Sanders for not understanding how he could 1. legally and practically break up the banks, 2. not understanding the legal implications of breaking up a financial institution, and 3. not understanding how he could legally prosecute Wall Street executives for the financial collapse of 2008. Capehart wrote, “Considering this is the core of his campaign message, Sanders should know all of the points covered in 1, 2 and 3 inside and out. He should have been able to lecture his interrogators into a stupor with his detailed knowledge. Instead, Sanders sounded slightly better than a college student caught off-guard by a surprise test in his best class just before finals.” (The Washington Post)
- On Tuesday, Sanders' campaign released the ad, “Erica,” in New York. The ad features Erica Garner, the daughter Eric Garner, “a man who died after a police chokehold on Staten Island two years ago.” In the ad, Garner says, "I got to see my dad die on national TV. They don't know what they took from us. People are dying. We need a president that's going to talk about it. I believe Bernie Sanders is a protester. He's not scared to go up against the criminal justice system. He's not scared -- that's why I'm for Bernie." (CNN)
- On Tuesday, Jeff Weaver, Sanders' campaign manager, said that he thinks Hillary Clinton will be unable to secure the required number of delegates to win the Democratic nomination before the convention. He said, "If you look at the math, if you want to talk about math, the truth is is that it is very, very, very unlikely that either candidate, either Secretary Clinton or Sen. Sanders, will go into the convention with a majority needed of pledged delegates in order to win.” (CNN)
Republicans
- On Tuesday, President Barack Obama said “that campaign trail rhetoric from leading GOP candidates is damaging the U.S. in the eyes of foreign leaders. He said he receives questions ‘constantly’ from fellow officials about the ‘wackier suggestions that are being made’ in the race to secure the Republican nomination,” according to CNN. (CNN)
Ted Cruz
- Addressing a crowd of supporters after his win in last night’s primary in Wisconsin, Ted Cruz said, “Tonight is a turning point. It is a rallying cry. It is a call from the hardworking people of Wisconsin to the people of America. Tonight, Wisconsin has lit a candle guiding the way forward. … Either before Cleveland or at the convention in Cleveland, together we will win a majority of the delegates — and together, we will beat Hillary Clinton in November.” (The Dallas Morning News, The Washington Post)
- On Wednesday morning, Politico claimed that “Ted Cruz is moving closer than ever to the D.C. establishment.” In an effort to gain support of his colleagues on Capitol Hill, Cruz’s communications director Alice Stewart said, “We’re in a situation where we’re trying to galvanize Republicans behind us.” According to Politico, Stewart “declined to say whether Cruz still considered Senate leadership to be part of the ‘Washington cartel,’ but insisted that engaging fellow senators wouldn’t compromise his conservative record.” (Politico)
John Kasich
- Today, Governor John Kasich will deliver the annual State of the State address at the Peoples Bank Theatre in Marietta, Ohio. (Cincinnati.com)
- On Tuesday, some Democratic legislators from Ohio gathered to criticize Kasich ahead of his State of the State address. State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th, said, “We’ll hear Gov. Kasich’s speech, and it’ll be like a campaign speech, and he’s really gotten a free pass from the national media, but we, here in the Valley, know what the real state of the state is. … Since 2011, Ohio public schools tumbled from fifth in the nation to 23rd.” Legislators also complained about the economy, unemployment, and funding cuts under Kasich’s leadership. (The Youngstown Vindicator)
- Joe Andrews, the governor’s press secretary, countered Lepore-Hagan’s claim, explaining that Kasich has made education a priority and that “State support for K-12 public education is at record levels [of funding].”
Donald Trump
- After losing to Ted Cruz and finishing second in Wisconsin’s GOP primary last night, Donald Trump’s campaign released the following statement: “Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet; he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination.” (The Dallas Morning News)
- During an interview on Fox News on Tuesday, Trump discussed his plan to win the votes of women and criticized the media for distorting his comments about them. He said, “I have so many women that really want to have protection. [Women] are saying, ‘We like Donald Trump because we feel he’s going to be the strongest for the country in terms of protection, in terms of [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria], in terms of the border.’ They like me for that reason. That’s protecting women, but it’s also protecting everybody.” He also said, “I’m getting very bad press with women. I don’t get fair press with women. Nobody respects women more than me. I think we’re going to change it around. The press treats me horribly with almost every aspect of life.” (The Hill)
- On Tuesday, ‘’Politico’’ reported that the Trump campaign “ is increasingly falling into disarray” and “has been laying off field staff en masse around the country and has dismantled much of what existed of its organizations in general-election battlegrounds, including Florida and Ohio.” The report also claimed that his campaign is having difficulty accessing some of its campaign data since firing its data team leader Matt Braynard last month. (Politico)
- When asked about the “disarray” and “low morale,” Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said, “We have the most cohesive, loyal staff, the most loving staff I have ever had the privilege of working with on a campaign.” He added that the senior staff “have such an amazing relationship that the morale is the greatest ever.” He also explained why people have left or were fired from the campaign. He said, “Just like a real corporation, the people who are doing the best and want to continue on, they’re given that opportunity. Some people don’t want to move for family reasons or whatever it may be. And then, some people, based on performance have been not given the privilege of moving.”
- Trump also responded to the article on Twitter. He tweeted the following: “Wow, @Politico is in total disarray with almost everybody quitting. Good news -- bad, dishonest journalists!” (Twitter)
Third Party Candidates
Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
- During an interview with The New York Times on Tuesday, Gary Johnson discussed the race’s current frontrunners and the possibility of Trump attempting to run as a Libertarian if he doesn’t win the GOP nomination. Johnson said, “Given the fact that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, I think, are two of the most polarizing figures in American politics today, where is the third choice? I don’t know how you set the dinner table any more favorably for a Libertarian candidate.” When asked how Libertarians would respond to Trump or any “mainstream” Republican running as a Libertarian, Johnson replied, “I think they’d get their heads handed to them,” adding “it would be terrific from an attention standpoint.” (The New York Times)
- According to The New York Times, “Mr. Johnson considers himself a classic libertarian: progressive on social issues and fiscally conservative. He says that most Americans are libertarians without knowing it and that in a general election, his blend of positions could prove more appealing than people might realize. Hoping to have a better showing than four years ago, Mr. Johnson regularly asks voters to take an online quiz that shows his positions have mainstream appeal.”
- After a Monmouth University poll showed Johnson with 11 percent support in a hypothetical matchup against Clinton and Trump, Johnson was asked why he has not been able to get more media attention. Johnson replied, "It's a catch-22. They told me I need more media attention to get into the polls, yet to get more media attention I need to be in the polls.” During the same interview, Johnson also discussed immigration, auditing the Federal Reserve, and his tax policy. Referring to Trump’s plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, Johnson said the idea is "absolutely asinine. … They aren't taking jobs Americans want… If we build a wall, at one point we will dismantle the wall due to embarrassment.” Johnson did not propose eliminating the Federal Reserve, but he said, "I would love to see an audit of the Federal Reserve. It's a rigged game. It's not fair that you can't borrow money but others can.” Johnson also proposed using FairTax. He said, "I think if we eliminated the income tax, corporate tax and the Federal Reserve, tens of millions of jobs will be created. I see my life greatly simplified just paying one (consumption) tax." (Minot Daily News)
See also
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential debates (2015-2016)
- Important dates in the 2016 presidential race
- Polls and Straw polls
- 2016 presidential candidate ratings and scorecards
