Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - February 10, 2016
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Wednesday's Leading Stories
- Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire Democratic primary last night with 60.7 percent of the vote. In his analysis of Sanders’ win, Ballotpedia Senior Writer James A. Barnes explained, “Younger voters and campus towns fueled his large margin over Clinton, but his victory extended into working class communities—ones that had been a bulwark of Clinton’s candidacy in New Hampshire and other primaries eight years ago when she battled Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.” Hillary Clinton finished with 39.3 percent of the vote. (Ballotpedia)
- Donald Trump won last night’s New Hampshire Republican primary with 35.8 percent of the vote. According to The Washington Post, “The margin of Trump’s win was the largest in a New Hampshire Republican primary since 2000, when John McCain defeated George W. Bush by 49 percent to 30 percent.” In his victory speech, Trump said, “We are going to make our country so strong. We are going to start winning again. . . . We don’t win with anything. We are going to start winning again, and we are going to win so much, you are going to be so happy.” John Kasich finished second with 16.2 percent of the vote. Ted Cruz finished third (11.7%). Jeb Bush finished fourth (11.3%). Marco Rubio finished fifth (10.7%). Chris Christie finished sixth (7.7%). Carly Fiorina finished seventh (4.2%), and Ben Carson finished eighth (2.3%). (The Washington Post, Ballotpedia)
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- In her concession speech last night, Hillary Clinton said, “Now we take this campaign to the entire country. We are going to fight for every vote in every state. … People have every right to be angry. But they are also hungry. They are hungry for solutions." She also said that she would work to rein in Wall Street, and, in a swipe at Sanders, said, "But I know how to do it." (CNN)
- On Tuesday, Judge Rudolph Contreras said the State Department is taking an “unreasonably long” time to release the final batch of Clinton’s emails, which are “already more than a week overdue,” according to The Washington Times. Contreras “said he will order at least some emails to be released by Feb. 18.” He also said, “To state the obvious, these documents have a lot of interest and the timing is important.” (The Washington Times)
- Priorities USA, a super-PAC supporting Hillary Clinton, will partner with Fuse Advertising. Fuse is “an African-American strategic media firm” that “coordinated President Obama's media outreach to the black community during 2008 and 2012 campaigns,” according to The Hill. Fuse CEO Clifford Franklin said in a statement, "Just as we were proud to help elect President Obama in 2008 and 2012, we’re very excited to be joining Priorities USA where we will once more make history and help elect Hillary Clinton President of the United States. Hillary is the only candidate strong enough to take on the Republicans in November and will stand strong for middle-class Americans, and particularly African-Americans against Republican efforts to attack voting rights, make education more expensive, and give massive tax breaks to the super-wealthy." (The Hill)
- On Tuesday, in anticipation of a win by Sanders in New Hampshire, Clinton’s congressional supporters started preparing to put pressure on Sanders in the coming weeks. According to CNN, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) “and other Clinton congressional surrogates have a long list of Sanders' controversial but overlooked policy items they plan to highlight in the weeks ahead to demonstrate the self-described democratic socialist's record is too liberal to win the White House.” (CNN)
- Feinstein said, "I think when someone starts to look into Bernie Sanders' record, sure, things change. I think that hasn't happened. … Look at the seven taxes he would raise to do single payer (health coverage). There are a lot of technical things that show a person's record that just haven't come out yet and I think later on there is room for that."
- Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said, "Regardless of what happens in New Hampshire, I think the way that Secretary Clinton has organized her campaign, her talent, her message, that the nominating process and the close proximity of primaries coming up from now until June, give her the momentum she needs to get the nomination.”
- Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, "Hillary is going to be our nominee."
Bernie Sanders
- In his victory speech last night, Bernie Sanders said, "Tonight, we have sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California." He then warned his supporters that the race would get even more tense. He said, "They are throwing everything at me except the kitchen sink and I have the feeling that the kitchen sink is coming pretty soon as well.” (CNN)
- On Wednesday, Sanders will have breakfast in Harlem with Rev. Al Sharpton. (The Washington Post)
- According to Politico, “Online donors gave more than $550,000 to Democratic groups in about an hour between 8:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., according to the counter on the front page of ActBlue's website. That includes nearly a quarter-million dollars that flowed through ActBlue during Sanders' victory speech.” However, it is unclear how much of the money raised went directly to Sanders. (Politico)
Republicans
- On Tuesday, CBS News released the criteria for the next Republican presidential debate on February 13 in Greenville, South Carolina. “In order to qualify for this debate, candidates will have to meet one of the following criteria: (CBS News)
- 1) Place among the top five candidates ranked according to the popular vote in the New Hampshire Republican primary on Feb. 9, 2016;
- 2) have placed among the top three candidates ranked according to the popular vote in the Iowa Republican caucuses on Feb. 2, 2016;
- 3) place among the top five candidates in an average of national and South Carolina Republican presidential polls conducted over a four-week period starting on Jan. 15, 2016 and recognized by CBS News; and receive a minimum of 3 percent in the Iowa, New Hampshire results or the South Carolina or national polls. To be included, polls must be conducted and released to the public before 12 p.m. ET on Feb. 12, 2016.”
Jeb Bush
- George W. Bush is expected to campaign with Jeb Bush in South Carolina ahead of the primary election in the state, according to The Washington Post. George is also featured in a radio ad that will begin airing in South Carolina. In the ad, George says, “There’s no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush will be a great commander-in-chief for our military. Jeb has dealt with crises as the governor of Florida, and he did so with steadiness, and a calmness necessary in a good leader. He respects the military – he honors their families. He can make the tough decision to keep Americans safe and our country free. And in a time of crisis, he will be a steady hand.” (The Washington Post)
- During an interview on Wednesday, Bush criticized Donald Trump for not being a true conservative and warned that if he is the nominee, he will be bad for the GOP. Bush said, "I think the field will whittle down eventually. I'm a patient person. I wish it all happened overnight, that's kind of the obsession of the pundits want that to happen but it'll happen. And when it does, I'm the one candidate that has taken on Donald Trump that does not believe he's a conservative. … He's been insulting me all the way through. That's one consistency he's had. He hasn't been so consistent on health care, on taxes, on spending, on the second amendment or anything else." He added that Trump "would be a disaster for the Republican party,” and if he wins the nomination it "would mean landslide defeats for a lot of really good people that are serving right now." (CBS News)
Ben Carson
- In a statement on Tuesday, Ben Carson’s campaign team announced that the retired neurosurgeon would leave New Hampshire before the polls closed to head to South Carolina. The statement said, “During such a crucial campaign for America’s future, it’s sad to see the press more pre-occupied with dissecting the minutia of his schedule than reporting on his proposals to reinvigorate the country. As he continues on to South Carolina and beyond, he will do so with a renewed energy from the faith and support of the many great individuals he met across New Hampshire.” (Time)
- After it was announced that Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary, Carson said in a statement, “As we now move on to South Carolina, Nevada and the Super Tuesday states, I will continue to stand for integrity, accountability and honest leadership.” (Politico)
- During an interview on Fox News on Tuesday, Carson said that he would consider being Trump’s vice president. He said, "I certainly would sit down and discuss it with him.” He added, "I would have to have major philosophical alignment with whoever it was. I would have to have guarantees that I could do some substantial things. … Rather than get into that, let's say as long as there is significant philosophical alignment, I wouldn't have any problem.” (The Hill)
Chris Christie
- After half of the votes were counted in the New Hampshire Republican primary last night and Chris Christie found himself in sixth place, he said in a speech, "We are going to go home to New Jersey tomorrow, and we are going to take a deep breath, see what the final results are tonight, because that matters. We will make our next step forward based on the complete results in New Hampshire.” (The Hill)
- On Tuesday, Christie questioned the Kasich campaign’s claim that they held 106 town hall meeting in New Hampshire. Christie said, “If Kasich went out and spoke to these people, they counted it. If he went to a restaurant and shook hands and took a question? Town hall. So, you know, we let John feel the way he feels, but we spent more days here. We did more events here. This is day 72 here.” Christie also criticized Kasich’s campaign adviser, John Weaver, saying, “Listen, it’s a Weaver operation, so there’s nothing accurate about the numbers. Don’t look at the man behind the curtain.” (Yahoo News)
- Weaver tweeted the following response on Twitter: “Maybe he might regret all that strategic brilliance that took him to Iowa & away from NH. #eyeofftheball.”
- Kasich spokesman Chris Schrimpf said that “a candidate attacking a staff member who he has never met says a lot more about that candidate that it does anything else.”
Ted Cruz
- After finishing third in last night’s primary, Ted Cruz said to his supporters, “The real winner is the conservative grass-roots, who propelled us to an outright victory in Iowa and a far stronger result in New Hampshire than any would have predicted. Now we go on to South Carolina. … That was the result all of us were told was impossible. Together we have done what the pundits and the media said could not be done — and what the Washington establishment hoped would not be done. Washington liberals may find South Carolina far less hospitable environs.” (The Boston Herald)
- During an interview on "The Wilkow Majority” on Tuesday, Cruz discussed the future of the U.S. Supreme Court. He said, "We are one justice away from the Supreme Court ordering ten commandments monuments taken down at courthouses and city halls throughout this country. We are not far away from them ordering the chisels to come out to take off the crosses and the Stars of Davids on the tombstones of our fallen soldiers. … We are one justice away from the Supreme Court striking down every restriction on abortion and mandating unlimited abortion-on-demand up until the moment of birth, partial birth with taxpayer funding and no notification." According to The Hill, “He also said a liberal majority of justices would order ‘veterans’ memorials to be torn down over this country,’ give up America's national ‘sovereignty to the United Nations and the World Court,’ and nix the Second Amendment right to bear arms, as well as push a liberal agenda on abortion.” (The Hill)
- On Tuesday, Cruz responded to Donald Trump’s use of a vulgar insult to describe the Texas senator by saying, “Look, Donald doesn’t handle losing very well. And his typical response is to engage in insults, and usually the insults are pretty crude and profane. I think the people of New Hampshire deserve better than someone just throwing mud and insulting the other candidates. … There is a reason Donald Trump engages in profane insults, because he cannot defend his own record. Donald Trump wants to expand Obamacare. And a vote for Donald Trump is a vote for Obamacare…. Donald doesn’t want to debate that and he doesn’t like the fact that he lost in Iowa so he’s chosen to go down the road of insults.” (The Dallas Morning News)
Carly Fiorina
- Despite a poor finish in New Hampshire yesterday, Carly Fiorina said that she will continue her campaign. When Politico asked Fiorina's deputy campaign manager Sarah Isgur Flores if Fiorina would stay in the race, Flores emailed back, "We sent link to public calendar earlier today. Same plan.” Fiorina will appear in South Carolina this weekend and then head to Nevada. (Politico)
Jim Gilmore
- While campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Jim Gilmore said, "My goal here is to tell the people of New Hampshire and tell others they don't have to be told who to vote for by the (Republican National Committee) or by the networks or by the establishment media. They can decide for themselves." Gilmore, an Army veteran, also argued that he would be better than any of the other candidates at handling national security issues. He said, "I think I'm going to appeal to people who are thoughtful about the national security issues, because the other candidates just aren't qualified, just don't have any background in it at all. We're getting ready to put somebody as commander-in-chief who never served in the military and has no background in foreign policy." (Mass Live)
- During an interview with PBS on Tuesday, Gilmore discussed his surprise that voters are attracted to Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders’ campaigns. He said, “I would’ve thought that the positions Trump is taking to scapegoat people on the basis of their ethnicity, race and religion would put a stop [to his candidacy]. It has not.” He added, “I can’t imagine why Bernie Sanders would be competitive at all, but there’s a lot of anger in the country today. [Sanders] understands the anger and is directing it at a fictitious robber baron class that doesn’t really exist.” (PBS)
John Kasich
- After finishing second in the primary election last night, John Kasich said, "I'm gratified by it for sure. I think it's fantastic.” He credited his positive message for the second place finish, and said that he expected his opponents to increase their attacks as the race continues in South Carolina. He said, “I know we can't just go through this like falling off the turnip truck and saying that everything is just going to be positive, because I'm going to have to respond to some of this stuff. But I'm starting to really think we're on to something." (NBC News)
- On Tuesday, volunteers for Kasich called voters to persuade them to vote for the Ohio governor and not to vote for Jeb Bush. A script obtained by ABC News directed volunteers to say that Bush, "is trying to keep the family business up and running. … John Kasich is running for President to balance the federal budget and restore American strength in the world. … Jeb Bush has used his special interest Super PAC to run a negative campaign and drag this campaign into the mud. Rather than have a debate about the issues, Jeb Bush wants more political games. We hope you will consider John Kasich on February 9th.” When asked about the negative script, Kasich said, "Come one -- that's like a little pat on the hand compared to the anvils they've been dropping on my head for the past two weeks. And it's a little disappointing, because, you know, you would like to think people could get elected by saying what they're for, rather than trying to trash somebody else. But that's the name of the game today, and we're trying to reverse that.” (ABC News)
Marco Rubio
- After finishing fifth in last night’s primary, Marco Rubio said to his supporters, "I'm disappointed with tonight. But I want you to understand something: Our disappointment tonight is not on you. It's on me. It's on me. I did not do well on Saturday night. So listen to this: That will never happen again! That will never happen again.” (Business Insider)
Donald Trump
- On Wednesday morning, Donald Trump discussed his win in New Hampshire with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. Trump said, “Whatever rally, you know, many, many people would show up -- many more than we ever anticipated. It’s a great place – New Hampshire – you know I love the people and they were reflective of it. It was a great evening.” He also said that as other candidates drop out of the race, he expects to get “a lot” of their voters. (ABC News)
- During an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump criticized Senator John McCain’s handling of the problems with the Department of Veterans Affairs and his stance on waterboarding. He said, "John McCain is a nice man. I like John McCain. But he has not been effective in taking care of the Veterans Administration. The veterans are absolutely in a bad way, they're being treated worse in many cases than illegal immigrants that come over our borders.” On the issue of waterboarding, which McCain opposes and has criticized some of the presidential candidates for stating that they would utilize the technique, Trump said, "As far as John McCain is concerned, when you say we can't waterboard but they can chop off the heads of Christians and they can chop off the heads of everybody in the Middle East as far as they want, I think that's pretty bad. So I said I'm totally in favor of waterboarding. Waterboarding is peanuts compared to chopping off heads." (CNN)
Third Party Candidates
Jill Stein (Green Party)
- On Monday, California’s secretary of state released a list of presidential candidates who will be on the state’s presidential primary ballots. According to Ballot Access News, the secretary deleted Jill Stein’s name from the Peace & Freedom party list, “even though she wanted to be on that ballot.” Ballot Access’ Richard Winger wrote, “It may be that the Secretary of State removed her from the PFP ballot because he decided it is improper for anyone to be listed in the presidential primary of two different ballots. However, there is no law saying presidential candidates cannot be listed in two different presidential primary ballots. Or, maybe the Secretary of State deleted her because the news coverage of her campaign doesn’t talk about her seeking the nomination of any party except the Green Party.” (Ballot Access 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
