Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - August 3, 2015
From Ballotpedia
|
Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential Briefing was sponsored by the Leadership Project for America. | ||||
|
Monday's Leading Stories
- Fourteen Republican presidential candidates are participating in the Voters First Forum on Monday night. According to Mike Dennehy, an advisor to Rick Perry, the forum “is a true opportunity for voters to get the first good look at all the Republican candidates for president rather than only seeing some of them in the debate later this week where participants are chosen by the media.” Hosted by three major newspapers from New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa, the forum will feature all major Republican candidates except for Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore and Donald Trump. (The Washington Times, The New York Times)
- Poll: According to a new poll from Gravis Marketing, 30.8 percent of Republicans support Donald Trump. Jeb Bush trails far behind with 13.3 percent. In the Democratic primary, 54.9 percent of respondents support Hillary Clinton. (Independent Journal Review)
- Poll: A new McClatchy-Marist poll places Hillary Clinton atop all presidential candidates in terms of favorability. She leads with a 72 percent favorable rating, followed by Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio at 51 percent and 49 percent, respectively. Donald Trump and Chris Christie have the highest unfavorable ratings at 49 percent and 44 percent. (McClatchyDC, Miami Herald)
- Poll: Donald Trump leads the Republican field at 19 percent in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll released on Sunday. Scott Walker, Jeb Bush and Ben Carson are the only other candidates to receive double-digit support with 15 percent, 14 percent and 10 percent, respectively. (NBC News)
Democrats
Joe Biden
- Although The New York Times and Slate have reported Joe Biden may delay making a decision on a possible presidential run until early September, an aide to Biden has been contacting potential staff members in the case he does launch a campaign. (The New York Times, Slate)
- Josh Alcorn, a former advisor to the late Beau Biden, has joined the Draft Biden super PAC. He previously worked with Biden during his 2008 presidential campaign. (CNN)
Hillary Clinton
- Hillary Clinton’s campaign has purchased $1 million of airtime in Iowa and New Hampshire over the next five weeks. The first two videos highlight the influence of Clinton’s mother and Clinton’s early legal career. (The Los Angeles Times)
- Since 2007, the Clintons have earned $141 million with the largest portion of their income coming from paid speeches. (Vox)
Martin O’Malley
- Martin O’Malley became the first Democratic presidential candidate to campaign in Puerto Rico on Saturday. "Right now, the people of Puerto Rico ... are being treated very unjustly by forces on the mainland, forces on Wall Street and the intransigence of this Republican Congress in taking action to restore simple bankruptcy protections," he said. While O’Malley did not comment on the question of Puerto Rican statehood, the Associated Press reported that “he would fight for equal treatment for the territory, which he noted receives lower Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates compared with the mainland.” (ABC News)
Bernie Sanders
- Bernie Sanders commented on a possible Joe Biden run on Sunday, saying, “I've known Joe Biden for many years, and I'm very fond of Joe. But I think the American people ... want to go beyond conventional establishment politics.” (The Washington Post)
- Friends of the Earth, an international environmental grassroots network, endorsed Sanders on Saturday. (National Journal)
- The Washington Post reported that Sanders has modified his stump speech to incorporate more messaging on racial inequality and police reform. (The Washington Post)
Jim Webb
- Joe Lieberman, a former U.S. senator from Connecticut, wrote an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch applauding Jim Webb for acknowledging and practicing bipartisanship. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Republicans
Jeb Bush
- Jeb Bush has shrugged off suggestions that his $120 million fundraising take might be too much. “I don’t know. But I think you might as well frontload it if you can. This is a long haul. Are we supposed to just warm up and work your way into it? Am I missing something here?” Bush said in response to a question about whether there should be a limit. Although Bush can no longer work with any PAC supporting him, several of his former top advisors are now managing the finances at some of these outside groups. (TIME)
- Speaking at a candidate summit hosted by the Koch brothers, Bush firmly stated he would not raise taxes, relying instead on increasing the gross domestic product by 4 percent per year to produce revenue. “Now, since we’ve raised taxes, what we need to be doing is entitlement reform, curbing the growth of spending [and] creating a high growth scenario,” he said. (The Washington Post)
- Bush released his immigration platform on his campaign website today. To address border security issues, Bush called for “creating more forward-operating bases” closer to the border, using advanced counter-surveillance technology and improving border infrastructure with road construction and maintenance. For interior enforcement, Bush recommended requiring electronic verification of employment eligibility, adequately tracking and deporting immigrants overstaying their visas, and withholding federal funding for sanctuary cities. (Jeb Bush for President)
Ben Carson
- In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Ben Carson called the rhetoric around the “Black Lives Matter” movement “political correctness going amuck.” When host Chuck Todd suggested the movement springs from blacks being disproportionately targeted and abused by police, Caron said, “I think we need to look at the whole picture. One of the things that I always like to point out to people is how about we just remove the police for 24 hours. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue? And the vast majority of police are very good people. Are there bad apples? Of course.” (MSNBC, The Huffington Post)
- Answering a viewer question on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Carson declined to say whether the Bible has authority over the Constitution. “I think probably what you have to do is ask a very specific question about a specific passage of the Bible and a specific portion of the Constitution. I don't think you can answer that question other than out of very specific context,” Carson said. (Newsmax)
Chris Christie
- Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday, Chris Christie said the Federation of Teachers is “the single most destructive force in public education in America.” Christie’s statement was prompted by Tapper’s question, “At the national level, who deserves a punch in the face?” (CNN, New York Post)
- Speaking in Iowa over the weekend, Christie commented on the current state of the Democratic Party. “The fact is the Democratic Party has a problem; their problem is Elizabeth Warren is taking over that party. That's who is taking it over and they are all running to be just like Elizabeth Warren. I heard Hillary's announcement speech in New York City, I thought to myself, 'Man, I didn't know Elizabeth Warren was running. I thought she said she wasn't.' Hillary will try to convince you come the general election that she's a centrist Democrat. That's what she's going to try to convince you. That's the same thing Barack Obama tried to convince everybody too, isn't it? And he doesn't look like much of a centrist to me,” Christie said. (Washington Examiner)
- Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan is hosting a fundraiser for Christie at the end of August. (NJ.com)
Ted Cruz
- Ted Cruz accused government researchers on Sunday of “cooking the books” to make it appear that global warming is a real phenomena. “If you look at satellite data for the last 18 years, there’s been zero recorded warming. The satellite says it ain’t happening,” Cruz said. (TIME)
- In an interview with WND, Cruz said, “The Obama administration has demonstrated a massive hostility to religious liberty.” Cruz added, “One of the saddest things in the wake of that activist, illegitimate decision purporting to strike down the marriage laws of all 50 states was just how many Republicans, including how many Republican candidates for president, ran for the hills.” (WND)
Carly Fiorina
- Carly Fiorina has hired Terry Neese as the national finance chair of her campaign. Neese has previously served in positions appointed by George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. (The Oklahoman, Washington Examiner)
Jim Gilmore
- Jim Gilmore appeared on FOX News Radio’s “A Few Moments With…” on Monday to introduce himself to voters, describing his experience and policy vision. (FOX News Radio)
- Gilmore criticized the Republican National Committee’s handling of the first GOP debate on Thursday. “This limitation by the RNC is improper. It's not their job and not their role. They shouldn't be doing that. The decision of who's going to be president of the United States doesn't belong with the Washington establishment, the news media, and certainly not with the RNC,” said Gilmore. He previously served as the chairman of the RNC. (Washington Examiner)
Lindsey Graham
- According to The Washington Post, “Graham’s military record...shows that the Air Force afforded him special treatment as a lawmaker, granting him the privileges of rank with few expectations in return.” For example, he was promoted to colonel without having taken the required advanced courses at Air War College. Graham defended his record, saying, “I think Colonel Graham did a pretty good job, quite frankly, given the constraints of my day job, my ability in terms of time. I’ll let people who served with me say whether or not I helped. I think I did.” (The Washington Post)
Mike Huckabee
- Mike Huckabee did not deny that he would use federal forces to stop abortions. When asked if he would send the FBI or the National Guard to shut down abortion clinics, Huckabee answered, “We’ll see if I get to be president.” (The Huffington Post)
John Kasich
- According to a personal financial disclosure report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday, John Kasich and his family have a net worth between $9 million and $22 million. (ABC News)
Bobby Jindal
- Gary Chouest, the president of Edison Chouest Offshore, was the largest contributor to Bobby Jindal’s super PAC, Believe Again, with a $1 million donation. (The Times-Picayune)
- In an interview with Boston Herald Radio, Jindal promoted his “Partners in Crime” platform to make local elected leaders liable when undocumented immigrants commit crimes in sanctuary cities. “If you’re going to flaunt federal law, there should be a consequence,” Jindal said. (Boston Herald Radio)
Rand Paul
- In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Rand Paul distinguished between the fight over women’s health services and the funding of Planned Parenthood. "I think we can have disputes, you know, over abortion. Our country is divided. Some people are pro-choice, some are pro-life. I think a lot of people are upset by these videos. . . . If you look at this, we have 9,000 community health centers that do everything that Planned Parenthood does, but they don’t get into abortions. It would be much less emotional for everyone if we just funded community health centers and didn't fund Planned Parenthood,” Paul said. He added, “I support any legislation that will defund Planned Parenthood. But I don't think you start out with your objective to shut down government.” (The Washington Post, CNN)
Rick Perry
- Rick Perry again attacked Donald Trump on Sunday, questioning Trump’s ability to manage national security. “Donald Trump wants to be the commander-in-chief of the United States and he doesn’t know it’s the federal government’s job to secure the border. Those issues that he has talked about, we have talked about for a long time,” Perry said. He also added that while he expects to make the main debate stage on Thursday, it’s not catastrophic if he doesn’t. He explained, “As a lot of people recognize, this is not a one-shot pony here. How you do in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina is going to have a lot more to do with who’s going to be the nominee than if someone makes a debate presentation.” (The Dallas Morning News)
Marco Rubio
- The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll has Marco Rubio down to 5 percent from a 14 percent showing in June. (Business Insider)
- Speaking at a retreat of wealthy Republican donors in Orange County organized by the Koch brothers, Rubio said Iran will have the capacity to attack California with a nuclear weapon in less than ten years. “Iran will be not just a nuclear weapon power, but will have the capability to deliver that weapon to the continental United States in less than a decade. I don’t think any of us wants to live in a country where a radical Shiite cleric in Tehran can have a nuclear weapon and an ICBM that can hit where we are sitting right now,” Rubio said. (TIME)
- Rubio also discussed issues ranging from evolution to police brutality against blacks. Rubio said, “I believe God created the universe and all life that’s on it. I believe science gives us scientific insight into how it happened.” He also noted, “I personally know people who have told me they have been stopped in any given year 10 to 12 times and they believe they are being targeted because of their race. That is deeply concerning. I don't know if there is any law we can pass in Congress to change that, but I do think it's incumbent upon local communities to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the community they are there to serve and protect." (Tampa Bay Times)
- Rubio criticized the Obama administration’s new mandate to reduce power-plant carbon emissions. Explaining his position, Rubio said, “Tomorrow there will be a new carbon rule issued by the EPA. And here’s the practical impact of that new carbon rule: It will make utilities, it will make the cost of electricity higher for millions of Americans. So if there is some billionaire somewhere who is a pro-environmental cap and trade person, yeah, they can probably afford for their electric bill to go up a couple hundred dollars. But if you’re a single mom in Tampa, Florida, and your electric bill goes up by $30 a month, that is catastrophic. And that’s what these policies will do. And they will do nothing to address the underlying issues that they’re talking about.” (Politico, The Huffington Post)
Rick Santorum
- Rick Santorum, who is unlikely to make the main Republican debate on Thursday, said, “National polls mean nothing. It's just an arbitrary figure, and unfortunately, the national networks and the RNC have gone along with this irrelevant measure of legitimacy of candidacy." He noted, “I was at 1 percent in the national polls four years ago and ended up winning 11 states, four million votes, won the Iowa caucus.” (Newsmax, ABC News)
Donald Trump
- Donald Trump called the number of unarmed black men being killed by police officers “a massive crisis,” but added, “[A]t the same time, we have to give power back to the police because we have to have law and order. Hundreds of killings are in Baltimore. Hundreds of killings are in Chicago. And New York is not doing so great in terms of that front. We have to give strength and power back to the police. And you're always going to have mistakes made. And you're always going to have bad apples. But you can't let that stop the fact that police have to regain some control of this tremendous crime wave and killing wave that's happening in this country." (Talking Points Memo)
- According to Reuters, Trump’s companies applied for temporary visas for at least 1,100 foreign workers since 2000. (Reuters)
- Trump said he would “like to discuss the issues” at Thursday’s debate, and rejected the idea that he would attack his competitors out-of-turn. "I don't think I'm going to be throwing punches. I'm not looking to attack them,” Trump said on Sunday before explaining his critical comments in the past were made as a “counterpunch.” (The Washington Post)
Scott Walker
- Scott Walker discussed potential cabinet picks on Saturday, saying, “There’s a great team of people I’d take from this field of candidates. We could plug them right into the next administration.” Walker highlighted Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson, in particular. (The Washington Post)
- According to two investigators, when Scott Walker served as the Milwaukee County executive, his office “was uncooperative and obstructed the District Attorney's Office's efforts to obtain documentation of the County's receipt and disbursement of donations from Operation Freedom” resulting in a “John Doe” investigation. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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
