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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - December 30, 2015
From Ballotpedia
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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential Briefing was sponsored by the Leadership Project for America. | ||||
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Wednesday's Leading Stories
- On Tuesday night, George Pataki suspended his presidential campaign. He said, “While tonight is the end of my journey for the White House as I suspend my campaign for president, I am confident we can elect the right person. Someone who will bring us together and who understands that politicians, including the president, must be the people's servant and not their master. I know the best of America is still ahead of us." (CNN)
- On Tuesday, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) officially endorsed Marco Rubio. In a statement, Gowdy said, “Marco is a rock solid conservative and a leader we can trust. He is someone we can count on in Washington to stand true to his word. And I know from experience: that is hard to find in Washington.” On Tuesday, Gowdy also joked about Rubio to a crowd in Iowa, saying, "You want to know whether Marco is a fiscal conservative? Do what I did two weeks ago: Do a gift exchange with him over Christmas. The wrapping paper cost more than the tie. It was a 'Rubio for Senate' tie from 2010 that he gave me. So make no mistake, he is a fiscal conservative." (Politico, NBC News)
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton’s campaign began airing an unannounced ad in Iowa and New Hampshire that focuses on “economic fairness,” according to The New York Times. The narrator in the ad says, “On average, it takes three hundred Americans working for a solid year to make as much money as one top CEO. It’s called the wage gap. And the Republicans will make it worse by lowering taxes for those at the top and letting corporations write their own rules.” (New York Times)
- During a campaign event in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Clinton “said she wants to spend $2 billion on treating and preventing Alzheimer's disease,” according to WHDH 7 News. (WHDH 7 News)
- Clinton’s attempt to connect with black voters by changing her logo for Kwanzaa has been criticized on Twitter as “pandering at its worst,” according to The Daily Beast. The Washington Examiner also reported that “Various Twitter users mocked the candidate by creating their own Clinton logos appropriating black culture, some reading ‘Grillary’ or with Clinton rapping on top of the ‘H,’ as the hashtag #NewHillaryLogo began trending.” (The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner)
Martin O’Malley
- During an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe” on Tuesday, Martin O'Malley criticized the Democratic National Committee and party leader Debbie Wassermann Schultz for scheduling debates “so they would be hidden ‘behind football games and 'Frosty the Snowman'” to protect Hillary Clinton, according to CNN. He said, "The party leaders -- or I should say the party leader -- Debbie Wassermann Schultz is doing a terrible disservice to the public ... we are the Democratic Party, not the undemocratic party. I believe people understand that just as their economy is rigged, so, too, sometimes can be their politics.” (CNN)
- During the same interview, O’Malley discussed a campaign event that occurred during a winter storm in Iowa on Monday. He said, "The very last event of the night, we actually had a whopping total of one person show up, but by God, he was glad to see me. So we spent the time with him.” (Politico)
Bernie Sanders
- At a campaign event on Monday in Iowa, Bernie Sanders discussed wasteful government spending. He said, "What it does mean is taking a hard look at an agency which recieves [sic] $600 billion per year where there is an immense amount of waste and fraud. We have massive cost overruns with defense contractors, we've got deployment after deployment for our soldiers, and we've got military families on food stamps." (Real Clear Politics)
- Sanders’ supporters have launched the social media campaign “#SandersOnAPlane” to highlight Sanders' preference for flying coach on commercial airlines. One popular image in circulation notes that Sanders is even “willing to sit in the middle seat.” (CNN)
Republicans
- Carly Fiorina, John Kasich and Jim Gilmore will speak to members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in coming weeks. Fiorina and Gilmore will speak to members on January 7, and Kasich will speak to members on January 20. (CNN)
Jeb Bush
- Right to Rise USA, a super PAC supporting Jeb Bush, is spending $1.4 million on the 30-second ad “Briefing,” which will air in Iowa during the next two weeks. The ad criticizes Marco Rubio for “missing Senate votes and national security briefings,” according to CNN. (CNN)
- Right to Rise also announced on Tuesday that the PAC will release the ad “Three Governors” in New Hampshire. The ad compares the records of Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich and highlights Bush’s handling of nine hurricanes and his opposition to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. (CNN)
Ben Carson
- On Tuesday, Ben Carson told Fox Business Network’s Neil Cavuto that his campaign is still receiving generous donations from individual citizens rather than special interest groups. He said, “We have some very good supporters who actually aren’t influenced by the media. Recognize that the pundits and the media have been wrong about me from the beginning. Everything they’ve said has always been wrong consistently at least. The people are the ones who have funded this. I don’t accept donations from billionaires who want to influence me or from special interest groups. I don’t believe in those things. I think that’s one of the real reasons that nothing that comes out of Washington, D.C. makes any sense, because it’s attached to some special interest group.” Carson also told Cavuto that although Donald Trump has made similar claims about his campaign, “he’s one of the people who bought and paid for people, and that’s kind of hypocritical for him to say that.” (Fox Business)
- According to the New York Daily News, a Barnes and Noble in Miami put Carson’s book “A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties” and Trump’s book on a shelf labeled “books that make you laugh.” When asked to respond during an interview on Tuesday on “Fox & Friends,” Carson said, "But you know, there are a lot of people, particularly on the other side, who really have a very different philosophy of America. And people like me are a real threat to them, and people like Donald Trump are a real threat to them. But you know, the American people are a lot smarter than these people think. They’re not going to be manipulated as easy as they think they are." (New York Daily News)
Chris Christie
- On Tuesday, when Chris Christie was asked by a voter to respond to Donald Trump’s most recent insults, Christie said, "Donald, obviously -- something happened in the last three or four days that made Donald lose his Christmas spirit. I said to the press earlier, all I have to say to Donald Trump is, 'Happy new year, and I'll see you in New Hampshire. .. This is not a game where you're puffing out your chest and who can be the biggest toughest guy in public. It's about who can run the country. And I believe the people of Iowa, like you, and folks in New Hampshire will make that decision based on what they think is best for the country. So you know, I'm not going to get in tit-for-tat for him. I'm bigger and better than that, I'm not going to do it." (CBS News)
- During a campaign event on Tuesday, Christie criticized Marco Rubio for skipping the vote on a recent spending bill. Christie said, "He has [a vote] and didn't go. Only in Washington could you have the guts to say I'm against something that you have a vote to vote 'no' on and then just not go and then put out a press release after it gets passed to say, 'This is why I was opposed to it.' Well, dude, show up to work and vote no, right? Just show up to work and vote no, and if you don't want to, then quit." (CBS News)
- During a campaign stop in Iowa City on Tuesday morning, Christie criticized President Obama’s attempt to fight terrorism, saying, "He's never understood how to fight terrorism." He also criticized Obama for not keeping Americans safe. He said, “If a center for the developmentally disabled in San Bernardino, Calif. has now become a target for ISIS terrorists, then that means every place in America is now a target." (ABC-KCRG 9)
Ted Cruz
- On Monday, conservative blogger Shane Vander Hart endorsed Ted Cruz. Vander Hart previously endorsed Bobby Jindal, who suspended his campaign in November. Vander Hart said, "As we're getting close to the caucus, Cruz has probably the best ground game going. And I'm concerned about Donald Trump - I think [Cruz] is the one that can derail his campaign. … It's an endorsement for Cruz, but I also want someone who can beat Trump as well." (NBC News)
Carly Fiorina
- On Tuesday, Carly Fiorina discussed the difficulty her campaign has faced in getting voters to see her as a presidential candidate and not a vice presidential candidate. She said, "All these people who are caucusing for me aren't caucusing for me because they want me to be veep. They're caucusing for me because they want me to be president." Stephen DeMaura, executive director of Carly For America, also discussed the difficulty, saying, "It's definitely a hurdle that people still see her that way.” (Cleveland.com)
Mike Huckabee
- On Tuesday, Mike Huckabee said that how he finishes in Iowa will determine whether he stays in the presidential race. He said, "If we can't come within striking distance of the victory or win it, then I think we recognize that it's going to be hard to take that on to the other states. … If you're a distant third, then maybe there's not a way to go on. I think you have a good, hard look at it after Iowa." (Cleveland.com)
John Kasich
- On Tuesday, John Kasich discussed the reaction to a grand jury's decision released on Monday to not indict police officers in the shooting death of Tamir Rice in Cleveland last year. He said, "The message (to protesters) is that you need to be heard. I mean, protesting is an American way of life. We just want to make sure that protests don't slip into something that sets everybody back. There are people who probably will try to go into Cleveland who don't live in Cleveland. I hope that they're not there to cause trouble. We're working with local law enforcement and doing everything we can, including working with community leaders, to try to get beyond this." When asked whether it is appropriate for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the issue, Kasich said, "Sure. It's fine for everybody to take a look at this. Clearly when you lose a 12-year-old, I mean what more can you say about how tragic it is? Imagine how the family feels, the friends of the family. It's as tough a time as you could ever have in life. Our hearts go out to all of them. And we're going to keep working to try to improve this overall system." (CNN)
Rand Paul
- On Tuesday, Rand Paul conducted free cataract surgeries for patients in Paducah, Kentucky. He said, "There is nothing more rewarding than using my skills as an ophthalmologist to give back to the community, and I believe I have an obligation as a surgeon to help those in need.” (WBKO)
Marco Rubio
- On Tuesday, Conservative Solutions, a group supporting Marco Rubio, released the ad “Jeb Bush on Marco Rubio.” The ad highlights the nice things that Bush has said about Rubio in the past. (CNN)
- After his attendance and voting record was attacked by Chris Christie and Right to Rise USA, the super PAC backing Jeb Bush, Rubio responded by calling Christie "a little desperate.” He added, "You know, Chris has been missing in New Jersey for half the time, but candidates, I think as we get down the stretch here, some of them get a little desperate and a little nasty in their attacks. That's fine. We're going to continue to campaign on what I'm going to do when I'm president." Rubio also said “Briefing,” the ad released by Right to Rise, "isn't accurate." He added, "I mean obviously we've seen that as we get closer to election day, and millions and millions of dollars of spending have not changed his fortunes, he's [Jeb’s] become increasingly negative in his attacks. This is not new. … Someone's convinced him that attacking me is going to help him win." (CBS News)
Rick Santorum
- On Monday, Rick Santorum criticized Ted Cruz and Donald Trump for not being “particularly strong social conservatives.” He said, “Donald Trump has never been a social conservative up until the last few months, and Ted Cruz takes the position, very much a 10th Amendment, states rights, which is, you know, very much Rand Paul, Ron Paul position. They’re being sold, Ted Cruz says, ‘Oh, I’m this social conservative.’ It’s basically that he’s not the social conservative that he’s portraying himself to be and is the answer is he’s not. ...If people want to do drugs in Colorado, it’s fine with him. If people want have different kind of marriages, it’s fine with him. He doesn’t agree with it. If you want to have an abortion, it’s fine with him, he doesn’t agree with it, but he’s not gonna fight it. That’s not what people are looking for. They’re looking for someone who has a very clear vision of what’s right and what’s wrong and be able to lay that vision out for the American people.” (BuzzFeed)
- On Tuesday night in Waukee, Iowa, Santorum commented on his chances in the Iowa primary. He said, “I’m counting on Iowa to do what they did four years ago. And that is lead, not follow. That is, don’t settle for a candidate that somebody says can win because they’re high in the polls or they have a lot of money or endorsements or whatever. Do what you think is right for the country.” (Des Moines Register)
Donald Trump
- On Tuesday, in response to a question about whether reporters and other candidates would be able to talk about his past personal “indiscretions,” Donald Trump said, "Yes, they would be." Trump also commented on his most recent feud with the Clintons, saying, "Frankly, Hillary brought up the whole thing with ‘sexist,’ and all I did was reverse it on her because she's got a major problem, happens to be right in her house. So, if she wants to do that, we're going to go right after the president, the ex-president. We'll see how it all comes out, and I feel very confident that it'll come out very well for us." (CNN)
- On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that he will begin spending money on advertizing in January. He said, "When I see a 40, and I see a 12 or a 13 in second, I see no reason to spend. But I feel I should spend. And honestly, I don't want to take any chances. Starting around January 4 we're spending a lot of money. The press is hearing this for the first time, they're probably gonna go crazy." (CNN)
- On Tuesday, BuzzFeed reported that in 2008 Trump wrote in a blog post that Hillary Clinton would make a good president or vice president. The post read: “Hillary Clinton said she’d consider naming Barack Obama as her vice-president when she gets the nomination, but she’s nowhere near a shoo-in. For his part, Obama said he’s just focused on winning the nomination, although at least one member of his team said Clinton would make a good vice-president. (I know Hillary and I think she’d make a great president or vice-president.)” (BuzzFeed, The Hill)
Third Party Candidates
Green Party
- On Tuesday, the Green Party of America announced that the Green Party of California and the Presidential Campaign Support Committee of the Green Party of the United States will host the first 2016 Green Presidential Candidates Forum in San Diego, California, on January 23, 2016, at the Grassroots Oasis activist space. Jill Stein, Darryl Cherney, William Kreml and Kent Mesplay will appear at the forum. (Green Party of the United States)
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
