Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - February 23, 2016
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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
- On Monday, Ted Cruz requested that his communications director Rick Tyler resign after he reposted a video of Marco Rubio commenting on how much guidance the Bible offers with the inaccurate subtitle: “not many answers [are in it].” Rubio actually said the Bible has “all the answers.” Cruz called Tyler’s action “a grave error in judgment,” but suggested “that Marco’s campaign believes it’s political [sic] advantageous to try to distract the topic from his own record.” (The New York Times)
- Rubio said the staffer’s actions showed Cruz’s campaign needed greater accountability. He said, “It's every single day, something comes out of the Cruz campaign that's deceptive and untrue, and in this case goes after my faith. So I understand, I guess one of their spokespersons apologized and I'll accept his apology, but this is a pattern now and I think we're now at a point where we start asking about accountability.” (CNN)
- In response to this story, Donald Trump tweeted on Monday afternoon, “Wow, Ted Cruz falsely suggested Marco Rubio mocked the Bible and was just forced to fire his Communications Director. More dirty tricks!” (Twitter)
- Tom Ridge (R), who previously served as the governor of Pennsylvania and director of homeland security, endorsed John Kasich on Monday. “I've known him for more than 30 years, since we came to Congress together, and I've always respected the way he successfully unites people of different views to enact conservative policies,” Ridge said. He joins Kasich’s campaign as a national co-chairman. (Politico)
- Marco Rubio received several major endorsements on Monday, including 1996 Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and sitting Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “Now that my good friend Jeb Bush is no longer running, I'm supporting Rubio,” said Dole. (CNN)
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- On Monday, former Health and Human Services Secretary and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) endorsed Hillary Clinton. “I just feel that she's the only person, frankly, in the field of candidates who has the experience and background that prepares her nationally and internationally to be the leader of the country," she said. (CBS News)
- Former U.S. Rep. and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) endorsed Clinton on Monday. “The basic American principle of equal treatment under law is in many ways still under attack. We need a leader who has stood up and spent time working on our behalf when it wasn't popular. She has used her life to fight for others and not just to make promises,” Mfume said in a statement. (The Baltimore Sun)
- The Republican National Committee released an ad on Monday focusing on alleged “racist undertones” in Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign against President Barack Obama and commentary on race in the U.S. (Politico)
Bernie Sanders
- While campaigning in Boston on Monday, Bernie Sanders said Hillary Clinton was beginning to adopt his rhetoric in her campaign. “I have to say that I am delighted that Secretary Clinton, month after month after month, seems to be adopting more and more of the positions that we have advocated. … In fact, I think I saw a TV ad and thought it was me. But it turned out it was Secretary Clinton’s picture in the end,” Sanders said. He added, “But the people of Massachusetts and the people of the United States need to know the difference between hastily adopted campaign rhetoric and the real record and long-held ideas of the candidates.” (The New York Times)
- According to the William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI), Sanders won the Latino vote in the Nevada caucuses based on Edison Entry Poll Survey results showing Sanders beating Clinton in that demographic, 53 percent to 45 percent. WCVI said it was statistically possible for Clinton to lose the Latino vote but win the state because of her large margin of victory among African-American voters. (William C. Velásquez Institute)
Republicans
Ben Carson
- Ben Carson wrote an op-ed for Fox News on Monday regarding his proposals to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and healthcare for veterans. The foundation of his platform is the reorganization of the VA and the implementation of Health Empowerment Accounts. (Fox News)
- In an interview with Politico published on Tuesday, Carson discussed race, racism and politics. He said that although he was “proud” when President Obama was elected in 2008, Carson believed he was “raised white.” Carson continued, “Many of his formative years were spent in Indonesia. So, for him to, you know, claim that, you know, he identifies with the experience of black Americans, I think, is a bit of a stretch.” (Politico)
Ted Cruz
- In an interview on Fox News on Monday, Ted Cruz said of the 12 million people residing in the U.S. illegally, “Yes, we should deport them. … That’s what [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] exists for. We have law enforcement that looks for people who are violating the laws, that apprehends them and deports them.” (The Dallas Morning News)
- U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) endorsed Cruz on Monday. “Ted and I know that Washington is broken. As president, he will be an unapologetic conservative, challenging the status quo and fighting for our conservative values. I trust Ted Cruz,” he said in a statement. (The Dallas Morning News)
John Kasich
- A video of John Kasich discussing his successful Ohio State Senate campaign in the 1970s went viral on Monday after he said he was elected because “many women... left their kitchens to go out and go door-to-door and to put yard signs up for me.” A woman voter in the audience quipped, "First off, I want to say – your comment earlier about the women came out the kitchen to support you? I'll come to support you, but I won't be coming out of the kitchen.” (CNN)
- Discussing his statement later on Monday afternoon, Kasich said, “I'll be a little bit more careful. But I'll continue to operate on a high wire without a net, and frankly, I'd like to see everybody who is running for president get out of the scripted role and start to be real and take questions." (CNN)
- Jai Chabria, a senior adviser to Kasich, announced on Monday that he was leaving the governor’s office to join the Republican Party of Ohio to assist with the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer. (Cleveland.com)
- The New York Times reported on Monday that John Kasich now has the support of billionaire investors Stanley Druckenmiller and Julian H. Robertson. (The New York Times)
Marco Rubio
- Rubio discussed the legality of prostitution in Nevada on Monday. He said, “I want to shrink the government, not grow it. Suffice it to say, I wish Nevada would make it illegal, but that's their decision to make. I don't agree with it. ... But I'm not calling for it to be a federal offense." (CNN)
- U.S. Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) endorsed Rubio on Monday. “It is time to focus on which Republican candidate can best unite our party, earn the support of independents and disaffected Democrats and win the election this fall,” he said in a statement. (Bloomberg)
- Conservative Solutions PAC, a super PAC backing Rubio, will begin airing ads in Texas on Tuesday as part of a $122,000 media buy. It also spent $50,000 on digital advertising in the state. (San Antonio Express-News)
Donald Trump
- Donald Trump expressed contempt for the gentle handling of a protester during a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Monday night. He said, “You know what I hate? There's a guy, totally disruptive, throwing punches. We're not allowed to punch back anymore. I love the old days. You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks. Ah, it's true.” (CNN)
- Questions about the neutrality of MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were raised after audio from a hot mic showed them bantering with Trump during last week’s televised town hall with the candidate. Brzezinski asked if she should avoid questions on deportation, to which Trump responded, “That's right, nothing too hard, Mika.” She defended her actions on Monday, saying the question was directed at her producer. (Gawker, The Huffington Post)
- Trump will not appear on a Fox News special program on Wednesday featuring interviews with each Republican presidential candidate conducted by Megyn Kelly. "The campaign has a previous engagement in Virginia and then New York, which could not be rescheduled. Given this was just proposed at the last minute it was not possible to change our plans in order to attend,” spokesperson Hope Hicks said. (CNN)
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
