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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - February 4, 2016
From Ballotpedia
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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential Briefing was sponsored by the Leadership Project for America. | ||||
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Thursday's Leading Stories
- Rand Paul suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday. He said in a statement, "It's been an incredible honor to run a principled campaign for the White House. Today, I will end where I began, ready and willing to fight for the cause of Liberty." Paul will return his focus to Kentucky where he defends his U.S. Senate seat in November. (The Washington Post)
- Rick Santorum also announced on Wednesday that he was leaving the presidential race. During an appearance on Fox News, he endorsed Marco Rubio. “He is the new generation and someone that can bring this country together," Santorum said. (NBC News)
- Bernie Sanders confirmed on Wednesday that he would participate in Thursday night’s Democratic debate on MSNBC with moderators Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow. It is the first of four newly sanctioned Democratic primary debates. The second is scheduled for March 6 in Flint, Michigan. (NBC News)
Polls
- In UMass Lowell/7 News’ daily tracking polls of New Hampshire voters released on Thursday, Donald Trump maintains his more than 20-point lead over the Republican field with 36 percent support. Marco Rubio has risen to second place with 15 percent, topping Ted Cruz by 1 percent. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton, 58 percent to 36 percent. (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence praised Hillary Clinton’s commitment to gun reform on Wednesday. President Dan Gross said, “Hillary Clinton is not only a long-time champion of the life-saving Brady law, she has made gun violence prevention a centerpiece of her campaign.” He added, “Bernie Sanders didn’t even mention the epidemic of gun violence last night, perhaps because – after voting against the Brady Bill five times and for PLCAA [Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act] twice – he has been on the wrong side of this issue for so long.” (The Guardian)
- Clinton said on Wednesday that she and Donald Trump “were not friends.” She continued, "We knew each other, obviously, in New York. I knew a lot of people." (CNN)
- Clinton announced endorsements from eight prominent immigration activists on Wednesday. "Less than a month after Hillary announced her candidacy for president, her campaign reached out to us and said that she wanted to hear directly from DREAMers about our lives and experiences," Astrid Silva, the organizing director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said in a statement. “Although it was tempting to fall for what basically amounted to an immigration activist's wish list, we owed it to our families to support a realistic and achievable approach to fixing our immigration system,” Silva continued without directly mentioning Bernie Sanders. (Latin Post)
- During a town hall hosted by CNN on Wednesday night, moderator Anderson Cooper asked Clinton if she had to be paid $675,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs. Clinton responded, “I don’t know, that’s what they offered.” She added, “They're not giving me very much money now, I can tell you that much. Fine with me.” She also received a question from an audience member regarding her position on assisted suicide. Clinton discussed the ethics and concerns of end-of-life treatment and said she would review the Netherlands’ approach as a case study. (CNN)
Bernie Sanders
- CBS News reported on Wednesday that Bernie Sanders qualified for protection from the U.S. Secret Service. Sanders joins Ben Carson, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in receiving this security detail. (CBS News)
- Sanders said on Wednesday that Clinton was part of "establishment politics and establishment economics.” He continued, “That is a very significant difference. Our campaign is funded by the people. To a significant degree, her campaign is funded by Wall Street and big money interests." (CNN)
- The former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Richard Harpootlian, endorsed Sanders on Wednesday. “It's like 2007, when I met Barack Obama fully intending to support Hillary Clinton. And after a half hour with him he convinced me, not convinced me so much as I saw a passion in him,” said Harpootlian, who previously tried to draft Vice President Joe Biden to enter the race. (CNN)
- In the 24 hours following the Iowa caucus, Sanders’ campaign announced it had raised $3 million from small donors. The average contribution was $27. (U.S. News & World Report)
- Sanders said on Wednesday night that he hopes Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination. “Frankly, I'm prejudiced: I want Trump to win the Republican nomination. I would love the opportunity to run against him. I think we'd win,” Sanders said. He joked, "Trump is a scientist, a well-known scientist. And he has concluded, after years of studying the issue, that climate change is a hoax brought to you by the Chinese. Now that shocked me, Anderson, because I thought he'd say the Mexicans or the Muslims.” (Business Insider)
Republicans
- CNN reported on Wednesday that several Republican candidates have reached out to 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney to try to secure his endorsement prior to the New Hampshire primary next week. Romney, however, has previously said he intends to stay neutral this early in the presidential race. (CNN)
- Former President Jimmy Carter said on Wednesday that he preferred Donald Trump over Ted Cruz. He said, "I think I would choose Trump, which may surprise some of you, but the reason is Trump has proven already that he's completely malleable. I don't think he has any fixed opinions that he would really go to the White House and fight for." He continued, “Ted Cruz is not malleable. He has far right-wing policies, in my opinion, that would be pursued aggressively if and when he would become president.” (CBS News)
Jeb Bush
- On Wednesday, Jeb Bush released a new ad in New Hampshire called “Backbone.” Bush says in the video, “New Hampshire is a place where you test candidates. The question is, what kind of president do you want? Do you want a president that has a backbone? You want a president that will actually stand on principle and fight for what he believes in? Or do you want a president that's all about them, where their ambition drives everything?” Bush’s campaign has budgeted $4.5 million for ads in the state. The pro-Bush Right to Rise super PAC also intends to spend a total of $20 million in New Hampshire. (The Washington Post)
- The Huffington Post reported on Tuesday that Bush spent $2,800 per vote in Iowa. This is 18 times more than what was spent by Iowa caucus winner Ted Cruz. (The Huffington Post)
- Discussing Donald Trump’s second place finish in the Iowa caucus on Wednesday, Bush said, “Well, what I first make of it is that Donald Trump lost. And he'd better get used to it, because it may happen more often than once. He lost. He talks about how he's going to win everything. He didn't win this one. And Ted Cruz gets credit for winning the Iowa Caucuses. But now the reset button has been pushed. We're in New Hampshire now. And look, I just think it's more important to focus on what - what people in the Granite State care about right now.” (CNN)
Ben Carson
- During an impromptu press conference where he was scheduled to talk about Ted Cruz’s “dirty tricks” in Iowa, Ben Carson said, “I make no bones about the fact that I am a person of faith. I believe what it says in Matthew 7:20, that 'By their fruits, you will know them.’ I hope you will judge all the other people who are running for this position by the same standards,” Carson said. He added, “When I discovered there were things in my campaign that I couldn't agree with after really doing an investigation, I made changes. I think that is what a good leader does.” (The Washington Post)
Chris Christie
- New Hampshire Speaker of the House Shawn N. Jasper (R) endorsed Chris Christie on Wednesday. “After meeting nearly every Republican candidate for President, I am proudly endorsing Chris Christie in order to restore leadership and respect to the Oval Office. Chris Christie is the tough executive we need because the problems our nation faces are too great to hand over to an inexperienced caretaker,” Jasper said in a statement. (Politico)
- Christie said in a press conference on Wednesday, “Really, this New Hampshire primary is now down to a choice between me and Marco Rubio, and everybody knows it.” He described himself as an “impediment to the next round” for Rubio and noted that “people in New Jersey learned a long time ago: It’s tough to come through me.” (The New York Times)
- Christie also said on Wednesday that Rubio would struggle in a general election against Hillary Clinton. He asked, “We are going to nominate someone from the place with a 13 percent approval rate and then run against Hillary Clinton? She will clean our clock. She will take every vote Rubio missed and she will feed it to him for lunch. ... What are we doing here? Let's be smart." (The Hill)
- During a campaign event in New Hampshire on Wednesday, Christie said that Clinton should be afraid to challenge him in a general election because he would “beat her rear end.” He said, "You know the last person she wants to see on that stage in September? You're looking at him. Man, she sees a federal prosecutor on the stage, I'll beat her rear end on that stage. And you know what, after I do, she'll be relieved because she'll just be worried I was going to serve her with a subpoena." (CNN)
Ted Cruz
- In response to Donald Trump’s onslaught of attacks against him on Twitter, Ted Cruz said on Wednesday that Donald Trump was “losing it.” He continued, “We need someone with judgment and the temperament to keep this country safe. I don't know anyone who would be comfortable with someone who behaves this way having his finger on the button. We're likely to wake up one day and Donald, if he were president, would have nuked Denmark." (CBS News)
- The Huffington Post published the letter written by Cruz staffer Spence Rogers encouraging Iowa voters to caucus for Cruz because Ben Carson was planning to suspend his campaign. Cruz announced on Wednesday he would not take action against him. ”I don't make it a practice of disciplining people for passing on public news reports,” Cruz said. (The Huffington Post, The Hill)
- The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Cruz may benefit the most from Rand Paul’s departure from the presidential race. Cruz has consistently appealed to the liberty movement in New Hampshire, mentioning his support for auditing the Federal Reserve and “lifelong commitment” to defending the Constitution. “"Let me say to you and everyone with Rand in the liberty movement: I very much hope I can earn your support. I am asking for your support," Cruz recently said on the campaign trail. (The Washington Post)
Carly Fiorina
- In a conference call with donors on Wednesday, Carly Fiorina compared her performance in the Iowa caucus to Jeb Bush’s. She said, “I want to review where we are coming out of Iowa. We are tied with Jeb Bush in delegate count. Jeb Bush spent tens of millions of dollars in Iowa.” She affirmed, “We are in this for the long haul, folks.” (International Business Times)
- Fiorina submitted a letter to the Republican National Committee on Wednesday calling for the organization to allow all remaining Republican presidential candidates to participate in Saturday’s debate. “It’s hard to justify a single candidate, the only woman, being excluded,” she later told The Hill. (The Hill, CBS News)
Jim Gilmore
- Jim Gilmore celebrated the winnowing of the Republican field this week by tweeting, “Started out as 1 of 17 GOP Candidates, now with Rand Paul & Rick Santorum out, 1 or [sic] 9. #StillStanding.” (The Hill)
John Kasich
- On Wednesday, John Kasich dismissed claims that he was neither conservative nor religious. He said, “This notion that I’m not conservative is the most absurd thing, because even the New York Times says I’m not a moderate. I don’t know why I can’t win conservative votes. I don’t know why I wouldn’t be able to win evangelicals. I don’t go out and try to win a vote using God. I think that cheapens God. But people know I’m a man of faith.” (The Wall Street Journal)
- Kasich again hinted on Wednesday that if he did not perform well in New Hampshire, he would leave the presidential race. He said, “If we don’t do well, we’re not going to be dragging around like some band of minstrels who beg people to come to our show.” (Talking Points Memo)
- Mike Biundo, a former senior adviser to Rand Paul’s presidential campaign, has joined Kasich’s team as a national adviser. (The Washington Post)
Marco Rubio
- According to FiveThirtyEight’s endorsement tracking system, which gives different weights to endorsements made by governors, U.S. senators and U.S. representatives, Marco Rubio now leads the Republican field with the most endorsement points. (FiveThirtyEight)
- U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) endorsed Rubio on Wednesday. “He's got a very uplifting and optimistic — contagiously optimistic — ability to communicate with people and to unite not just the Republican party but the American people," Toomey said. (PennLive.com)
- Rubio also received an endorsement from U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, on Wednesday. Salmon said, “More than any other candidate, Marco Rubio has the right ideas to take on the threats we face around the world. As a member of the Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees, he has seen firsthand the importance of identifying our enemies and standing by our friends, and he knows what it takes to win the war against ISIS.” (The Arizona Republic)
- Rubio criticized President Barack Obama for speaking at a mosque in Baltimore on Wednesday. "I'm tired of being divided against each other for political reasons like this president's done. Always pitting people against each other. Always! Look at today: He gave a speech at a mosque. Oh, you know, basically implying that America is discriminating against Muslims,” Rubio said. He continued, “Of course there's discrimination in America, of every kind. But the bigger issue is radical Islam. And by the way, radical Islam poses a threat to Muslims themselves. They argue that. They'll tell you that. But again, it's this constant pitting people against each other. I can't stand that. It's hurting our country badly." (The Huffington Post)
Donald Trump
- On Wednesday morning, Donald Trump posted several tweets accusing Ted Cruz of stealing the Iowa caucus. When asked on Boston Herald Radio if he would sue Cruz during an interview, Trump said, “I probably will; what he did is unthinkable. He said the man has left the race and he said it during the caucus. And then when the clarification was put out by Ben Carson saying it’s untrue, they got the statement and they didn’t put it out.” (BuzzFeed, CNN)
- While campaigning in Arkansas on Wednesday night, Trump said he believed he won the Iowa caucus. “Actually, I think I came in first,” he said, adding that he thought he would “do great in New Hampshire.” (The New York Times)
- It was announced on Wednesday that Trump had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his “vigorous peace through strength ideology.” CNBC noted, “Thousands of people are eligible to submit nominations for the prize and the Norwegian Nobel committee typically receives more than 200 nominations annually. Last year there were 273 nominees.” (CNBC)
Third Party Candidates
Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
- Commenting on Rand Paul’s departure from the presidential race on Wednesday, Gary Johnson wrote on his blog, “Rand Paul is the latest to find that there is no room for the Liberty Movement in today’s Republican nominating process. I’ve been there. With his departure from the presidential race, there is no voice remaining to challenge failed military interventions, mass surveillance of Americans by their government, or real cuts in the size and cost of government.” (Independent Journal Review)
Jill Stein (Green Party)
- Bill Kreml, a Green Party presidential candidate, said on Wednesday that Stein will “probably” be his party’s nominee. He wrote on Facebook, “In November, there will be other choices beyond the usual Republican/Democrat duopoly. There will be a Green candidate, probably Jill Stein, who opposes our wars with their massive killing of civilians, the gathering inequality, the non-prosecution of rich wrong doers…and the selling out of our country to foreign country lobbies, whose constituencies not only have divided loyalties, but often dual citizenship. The Green Party awaits you in the fall.” (Green Party Watch)
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
