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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - December 29, 2015
From Ballotpedia
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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential Briefing was sponsored by the Leadership Project for America. | ||||
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Tuesday's Leading Stories
- Forbes reported on Monday night that a database appearing to include records for every registered voter in the U.S. is publicly available online. The database offers voters’ “home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, party affiliations, and logs of whether or not they had voted in primary or general elections” dating back to 2000. NationBuilder, which provides digital services to campaigns, may be the source of the “misconfiguration” allowing the database to be viewed. Jim Gilliam, the CEO of NationBuilder, said, “From what we’ve seen, the voter information included is already publicly available from each state government so no new or private information was released in this database.” (Forbes)
- Joseph McQuaid, the publisher of The New Hampshire Union Leader, wrote an editorial on Sunday night comparing Trump to Biff, the antagonist from the Back to the Future movies. In response, Trump called McQuaid a “lowlife” who asked him for several favors. “I never thought he’d stoop to these levels where he’d do an editorial after everything he asked me to do,” said Trump. He added that he believed McQuaid was Chris Christie’s “puppet.” (The New York Times, The New Hampshire Union Leader)
- Poll: In a poll released by Rasmussen Reports on Monday, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are nearly tied in a hypothetical general election matchup, with 36 percent and 37 percent, respectively. (Rasmussen Reports)
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- For the fourteenth year in a row, Hillary Clinton was named the “most admired woman” in the U.S. on Monday, according to a poll from Gallup. (Gallup)
- After Donald Trump accused former President Bill Clinton of having a “terrible record of women abuse,” Clinton spokeswoman Christina Reynolds released the following statement: “Though Donald Trump has pushed around nearly all of his fellow Republicans, Hillary Clinton won't be bullied or distracted by attacks he throws at her and former President Clinton. But when his insults are directed at women, immigrants, Asian-Americans, Muslims, the disabled, or hard working Americans looking to raise their wages - Hillary Clinton will stand up to him, as she has from the beginning. Donald Trump's words are demeaning, his policies are just as destructive.” (NBC News)
Martin O’Malley
- In spite of snowstorms that have hindered some candidates’ efforts to campaign in Iowa this week, Martin O’Malley held events in the state on Sunday and Monday. He described his “modern way of leadership” as an “asset” he brings to public office, and said his first action as president would be to “sign an executive order that declares this movement to a 100 percent clean electric energy grid by 2050 a national security and a national economic priority." (The Des Moines Register)
- O’Malley said in an interview Tuesday morning that he had tried to convince Bernie Sanders to participate in a debate not sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. “Sen. Sanders didn’t want to do more debates either. He kind of liked where it is,” O’Malley said. (Bloomberg)
Bernie Sanders
- Bernie Sanders released a series of four ads highlighting income inequality, the “rigged economy” and healthcare in the U.S. They will air in early voting states beginning Tuesday. (Politico)
- In response to Donald Trump calling him a “wacko” on Monday night, Sanders said, “Being called wacko by a pathological liar like Mr. Trump makes me think he is getting nervous that the American people are catching on to his pathetic policies, which include giving hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to billionaires like himself while refusing to raise the $7.25 an hour minimum wage.” (The Washington Post)
- Sanders said in an interview on Monday night that a federal investigation should “take a look” at the failure to indict two Cleveland police officers in the shooting death of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy, last year. He added that “as a nation, we have got to recognize that lethal force should be the last response, not the first response — and we’re seeing too much, I think, [shootings] in this country.” (Raw Story)
Republicans
Jeb Bush
- During a campaign event in Florida on Monday, Jeb Bush challenged Donald Trump to a one-on-one debate. “Donald, I’ll take you on one-on-one in a debate, any time, any place. You name it and I’ll do it,” he said. (The Huffington Post)
- The super PAC Right to Rise has launched a campaign encouraging donors to mail hand-written letters to undecided voters in New Hampshire explaining why they support Bush. It’s a personal touch to complement the $10 million ad buy the group made in the state for January. (The New York Times)
- Fox News ran a one-minute ad from Right to Rise on Sunday showing Bush mock Donald Trump’s foreign policy knowledge and state he will “not be able to insult [his] way to the presidency.” The final frame of the ad reads, “Jeb. Tough. Experienced. Tested.” (Observer.com)
Ben Carson
- In an extended interview with The Washington Post released on Monday, Ben Carson discussed the “brutal” aspects of campaigning and attributed his decline in the polls to the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino. “Somehow the narrative has been projected that if you’re soft-spoken and mild-mannered, there is no way you can deal with terrorism, with national security, that you’re not a strong person. That’s the narrative that is out there. Is that true? I’m not sure it is,” Carson said. He added that although the U.S. has a “very race-sensitive society,” he did not believe it was “much of a factor” in how voters received him. (The Washington Post)
- Carson released his seven-point plan to protect the U.S. from the Islamic State on Monday. Carson’s recommendations include declaring war on the Islamic State; establishing a military coalition that includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan; recruiting and training Sunni men from Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan; and forming an “emergency inter-agency task force” to evaluate visa and immigration policies. He also said that the U.S. should “fully investigate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and a supporter of terrorism.” (Business Insider)
- When asked on Monday if he thought former President Bill Clinton was problematic, Carson said, “As a pediatric neurosurgeon, I deal with a lot of children, and I see them becoming coarser and wanting to know what certain things are that they're hearing about on television -- things that they would've never known about as kids before. And a certain innocence disappears from our society. I'm sorry to see that happen, and I'm sorry that it was because one of our presidents." (CBS News)
Chris Christie
- The super PAC America Leads released an ad on Monday that will air in New Hampshire and Boston as part of a $6.9 million ad campaign over the next ten days. In the ad, Christie says that “Hillary Clinton will be a third term of Barack Obama.” It then positions Christie as “tested” on foreign policy and counterterrorism. (CBS News)
- According to Asbury Park Press, no candidate has spent more time than Christie in New Hampshire. He has logged 33 visits over 61 days since 2013. “Christie isn’t running for governor of New Hampshire, though it would seem like that. He needs an extremely strong showing there, even if he’s second to Trump, to catapult himself into the next month of primaries where he has to start winning. New Hampshire can provide that springboard,” said Ben Dworkin, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University. (Asbury Park Press)
Ted Cruz
- Ted Cruz met with 300 Christian leaders and donors at a Texas ranch on Monday. This event “is the latest sign that conservative evangelical leaders may be coalescing behind Cruz. He has already announced the backing of Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson,” according to the Associated Press. (Associated Press)
Carly Fiorina
- On Monday, Carly Fiorina criticized Hillary Clinton for accusing other presidential candidates of sexism. "Hillary Clinton, first of all, calls everybody a sexist and that's not fair game. She called Bernie Sanders a sexist because he criticized her. She's going to play that card, we need to be realistic, and of course she's going to talk about the Republican war on women, which doesn't exist." Fiorina added that her own campaign would be based on her competence, saying, “I'm going to ask for [voters’] support because I'm the most qualified candidate to beat Hillary Clinton and to do the job." (CNN)
Mike Huckabee
- Weighing in on the emerging feud between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee said on Monday, “I honestly don’t think this is going to hurt Donald Trump. Every time that somebody tries to attack him, it comes and backfires on them." He added that he would bet on Trump winning over the Clintons. (The Hill)
- After suggesting that Ted Cruz was “inconsistent” on the issue of same-sex marriage, Huckabee posted to his Facebook on Monday, “I could have shut up about life and marriage. Big money donors wanted me to shut up, but I didn't. I lost their support but I didn’t lose my soul. I don't wake up each morning and wonder which Mike Huckabee I am going to be. I don't have two sets of views depending on who I am speaking to. I am staunchly pro-life and pro-marriage. As President, I am not going to leave these issues up to the states. I am going to fight for federal laws to end abortion and protect traditional marriage.” (CNN, Facebook)
John Kasich
- After it was announced on Monday that a grand jury did not indict two Cleveland police officer for the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, John Kasich issued a statement urging residents “to turn frustration into progress.” He said, “Tamir Rice’s death was a heartbreaking tragedy and I understand how this decision will leave many people asking themselves if justice was served. We all lose, however, if we give in to anger and frustration and let it divide us. We have made progress to improve the way communities and police work together in our state, and we’re beginning to see a path to positive change so everyone shares in the safety and success they deserve.” (Politico)
- Over the weekend, The New Hampshire Union Leader profiled the data mining strategy used by Kasich’s campaign and New Day for America in New Hampshire. An extensive ground campaign is combined with analytics provided by companies like Applecart, which offer a “snapshot of a person's network with the goal of targeting messages.” Grant Shaffer of New Day for America said, “Pound for pound, I don't think anyone can compete with us.” (The New Hampshire Union Leader)
Rand Paul
- In a radio interview on Monday, Rand Paul reiterated his opposition to Fox Business News narrowing the number of candidates who will participate in the next Republican primetime debate. Paul said that “the real question should be, are they gonna relegate Jeb Bush to a second-tier debate? Are we gonna take somebody who’s raised 100 million dollars, has organizations in 50 states, and put them in the second tier? What that does right before an election is tells all the voters that why bother voting for Bush or why bother voting for somebody in the second tier?” (BuzzFeed)
- On Monday, Paul released an audio message from his father, former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), calling on his supporters to donate to Paul’s presidential campaign before the end of the year. “You are part of the best grassroots organization out there. You’re his secret weapon. So please dig deep today and throughout the end-of-the-year money bomb to help Rand fully fund these grassroots operations,” the elder Paul said. (The Hill)
- In an interview on CNN on Monday night, Paul said that former President Bill Clinton “seemed to be a great abuser of women in the workplace” and that Hillary Clinton may have to address that issue if she is going to present herself as a champion for workplace equality. “The other problem she’s going to have is, she’s taken donations from some countries that have some of the worst rights records with regard to women, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, they stone women to death in these countries. They whip women who have been raped for being raped. I mean, she’s got to explain why she takes money from these groups and why she hasn’t returned it,” Paul continued. (Breitbart)
Marco Rubio
- U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who has not yet endorsed a presidential candidate, said he believed Marco Rubio “probably has the best shot of beating” Hillary Clinton in the general election. (The Washington Examiner)
Donald Trump
- Donald Trump signed an agreement with the Republican National Committee (RNC) to gain access to the party’s voter data sets, Politico reported on Monday night. The RNC, in return, the RNC will receive voter information collected by Trump’s campaign, “many of whom are not traditional Republicans.” Although this list-sharing agreement resembles those used by other campaigns, it is notable because it suggests Trump is investing in the infrastructure necessary to mobilize voters. (Politico)
- Fox News reported on Monday that Trump’s campaign may be preparing a $2 million per week “major ad blitz” in early voting states. Although the ads are expected to focus on policy issues, one campaign adviser said, “If you attack Trump, he will attack you 10 times as hard. We will not allow any attack to go unanswered.” (Fox News)
- Tying with the Pope, Trump was named the second “most admired man” in the U.S. on Monday, according to a poll from Gallup. (Gallup)
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
