Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - April 8, 2016
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Friday's Leading Stories
- Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) announced on Thursday that he planned to vote for Donald Trump in the New York state primary, but would not formally endorse him. “He’s my friend, and I think of the candidates, of the choices that I have, he’s the best choice for president. He’s a better choice than Cruz and a more realistic choice than Kasich,” Giuliani said. He added that he would have more power as a delegate at the Republican National Convention if he had not yet endorsed a candidate. (The New York Times)
Polls
- The Field Poll released a survey of California voters on Thursday finding Donald Trump ahead of Ted Cruz by seven points, 39 percent to 32 percent. “The poll finds Trump holding the lead among likely GOP primary voters in two regions – the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, and those living in the nine-county Southern California region outside of Los Angeles County. Cruz is preferred over Trump among voters in Los Angeles County and those living in the state's vast, but sparsely populated interior that includes the Central Valley and the Sierra mountain region,” the pollsters noted. (The Field Poll)
- In a McClatchy/Marist poll released on Thursday, Bernie Sanders significantly outperforms Hillary Clinton in general election matchups with Republicans:
- Clinton (47 percent) vs. Cruz (47 percent);
- Clinton (50 percent) vs. Trump (41 percent);
- Kasich (51 percent) vs. Clinton (42 percent);
- Sanders (53 percent) vs. Cruz (41 percent);
- Sanders (52 percent) vs. Kasich (41 percent);
- Sanders (57 percent) vs. Trump (37 percent). (Marist)
Democrats
- President Barack Obama held three fundraisers for the Democratic Party in the first quarter of the year; he will hold four more by the end of the week. “In his remarks to donors this year, Obama has sought to drum up excitement for the still-to-be-named Democratic nominee, a challenging proposition given the significant differences between Clinton and Sanders. But he's also attempted to tamp down on fears among donors that the race is growing unwieldy,” CNN reported. (CNN)
Hillary Clinton
- While acting as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia on Thursday, former President Bill Clinton engaged with protesters for ten minutes regarding the high incarceration rates of black Americans following his 1994 crime bill. He defended Hillary Clinton’s description of gang members as “super-predators,” saying, "I don't know how you would characterize the gang leaders who got 13-year-old kids hopped on crack and sent them out on the street to murder other African-American children. Maybe you thought they were good citizens. She didn't." He added, “You are defending the people who kill the lives you say matter.” (Reuters)
- Clinton briefly engaged in retail-style politics on Thursday when she rode the subway in the Bronx with Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in what may have been a slight jab at Bernie Sanders who incorrectly said that tokens were still used to pay fare. She also addressed Sanders’ claim that she was unqualified to be president, saying, “It's kind of a silly thing to say, but I'm going to trust the voters of New York who know me, who have voted for me three times. Twice for Senate.” She continued, “Look, I don't know why he’s saying that. But I will take Bernie Sanders over Donald Trump or Ted Cruz any time. So let's keep our eye on what's really at stake in this election.” (The Washington Post, ABC News)
Bernie Sanders
- Bernie Sanders said on Thursday that he stood with union members who were negotiating with Verizon over pay, healthcare, and keeping jobs in the U.S. “Verizon wants to take American jobs – call center jobs – out of this country and bring them abroad where people will be paid pennies an hour. That is unacceptable,” said Sanders, who connected the dispute to the devastation unfettered free trade has brought to” Pennsylvania. (Bernie Sanders for President)
- On Friday, Sanders announced that he would visit Vatican City four days before the New York state primary. “Pope Francis has made clear that we must overcome ‘the globalization of indifference’ in order to reduce economic inequalities, stop financial corruption and protect the natural environment. That is our challenge in the United States and in the world,” Sanders said in a press release. (CNN)
Republicans
Ted Cruz
- Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe said on Thursday that Donald Trump should leave the presidential race if he does not win his home state of New York. “If he doesn’t get over 50 percent, he should probably consider dropping out, like everyone else has when they don’t win their home state in a dramatic fashion,” Roe said. (Politico)
- At an event for the pro-Israel Christian organization Proclaiming Justice to the Nations on Wednesday, Cruz’s father, Rafael Cruz, said that his son would not “fund the United Nations until they stop supporting [Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions] and anti-Semitism” if elected president. (The Christian Post)
- Politico reported on Thursday that Keet Lewis, a bundler for Cruz, may have broken federal election law by soliciting unlimited donations. In a recording Politico obtained, Lewis said, “If you hit your max then we have a table for you that is the unlimited table. It can take corporate dollars, it can take partnership dollars, and that’s the super PAC, Stand for Truth, so pick up some of that information." (Politico)
- Asked about the backlash he has received for criticizing “New York values,” including a New York Daily News cover encouraging him to take the “FU train,” Cruz said, “Everyone in New York and outside of New York knows exactly what I meant by that. And it is the liberal values of Democratic politicians who have been hammering the people of New York for decades.” (CNN, New York Daily News)
John Kasich
- John Kasich released an ad on Thursday in New York City markets highlighting Ted Cruz’s criticism of “New York values.” As classic images of the city play, a narrator says, “Ted Cruz divides to get a vote. John Kasich unites to get things done. Kasich delivered on his word and turned his state around with grit and determination, something New Yorkers should appreciate.” (The New York Times)
Donald Trump
- Seven out of ten American voters view Donald Trump unfavorably, according to a new AP-GfK poll released on Thursday. The Associated Press reported, “It's an opinion shared by majorities of men and women; young and old; conservatives, moderates and liberals; and whites, Hispanics and blacks — a devastatingly broad indictment of the billionaire businessman, Even in the South, a region where Trump has won GOP primaries decisively, close to 70 percent view him unfavorably. And among whites without a college education, one of Trump's most loyal voting blocs, 55 percent have a negative opinion.” (Associated Press, AP-GfK Poll)
- Trump revised his schedule in the coming days, including canceling a press conference on Friday and trip to Colorado on Saturday, to instead focus on campaign events in New York. (The Washington Post)
- Trump surrogate Ben Carson was asked to explain on Thursday what he meant when he said that there were “better” potential presidents than Trump and if he was referring to someone specifically. Carson responded, “I don't think that that's a useful place to go. But it's an obvious statement, just like I would say, if you drop a brick off of a building, it's going to fall. Obviously, there's always going to be someone who's better at virtually anything." (The Washington Post)
- Approximately $2.4 million of the estimated $6 million raised for veterans’ charities at a Trump event in January has been distributed, according to a survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal. (The Wall Street Journal)
Third Party Candidates
Jill Stein (Green Party)
- Jill Stein will join fellow Green Party presidential candidates Darryl Cherney, William Kreml, Kent Mesplay, and Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry, at a debate on Saturday afternoon hosted by the Green Party of New Mexico and Students Organizing Actions for Peace. (Green Party Watch)
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
