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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - July 13, 2016
From Ballotpedia
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Wednesday's Leading Stories
- Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton during a campaign rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Tuesday. He said, “Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process, and I congratulate her for that. She will be the Democratic nominee for president and I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States.” In a speech covering a wide range of policy issues, Sanders contrasted Clinton with Donald Trump. “This campaign is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face. And there is no doubt in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that,” he said. (The Hill)
- After thanking Sanders for his endorsement, Clinton told Sanders supporters, “You will always have a seat at the table when I am in the White House.” (The New York Times)
- Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser to Donald Trump, commented on the endorsement, saying that Sanders was “now officially part of a rigged system.” Trump also took to Twitter to appeal to Sanders supporters, writing, “Bernie Sanders endorsing Crooked Hillary Clinton is like Occupy Wall Street endorsing Goldman Sachs.” (Donald Trump for President, USA Today)
- Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein released several tweets questioning Sanders’ support for Clinton. “It sounds like the only good thing Bernie can say about Hillary is that she's not Donald. That's what most of her supporters like about her,” Stein wrote in one. (CNN)
- Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson released a video message on Facebook, saying, "If you're still 'feeling the Bern' — and feeling burned, because the Clinton machine rolled over your ideals — there is another option. The Libertarian Party nominee will be on the ballot in all 50 states. ... Don't let your voice go unheard. We can still fight for a future to believe in." (The Hill)
- In its meeting on Tuesday, the Republican Platform Committee approved the construction of a border wall that would span “the entirety of the Southern Border and must be sufficient to stop both vehicular and pedestrian traffic,” added the text of the Hyde Amendment, stated support for religious freedom laws and “traditional marriage,” and rejected requiring women to register for the draft. (The Washington Post)
Polls
- Quinnipiac University released three battleground state polls on Wednesday which found Donald Trump tied with or narrowly ahead of Hillary Clinton in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. (Quinnipiac University)
- Florida: Trump (42 percent) vs. Clinton (39 percent);
- Ohio: Trump (41 percent) vs. Clinton (41 percent);
- Pennsylvania: Trump (43 percent) vs. Clinton (41 percent).
- In a Monmouth University poll of Iowa voters released on Tuesday, Trump led Clinton, 44 percent to 42 percent. Johnson earned 6 percent support and Stein 1 percent. (Monmouth University)
- Clinton leads Trump nationally with 40 percent in an Economist/YouGov poll released on Wednesday. Trump follows with 37 percent, Johnson 5, and Stein 2. (YouGov)
Democrats
- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was invited to speak on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, leading some to believe that she is no longer a candidate for vice president. (The New York Times)
Hillary Clinton
- U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch testified before the House Judiciary Committee about her decision not to pursue charges against Hillary Clinton for her private email server use while secretary of state. She frequently declined to answer questions, saying that it would be “inappropriate for [her] to comment further on the underlying facts of the investigation or the legal basis for the team’s recommendation.” Instead, she referred the committee members to the testimony of FBI Director James Comey. “He’s chosen to provide detailed statements, and I would refer you to those statements. I as Attorney General am not able to provide any further comment on the facts or the substance of the investigation,” Lynch said. (The Washington Post)
- The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the Clinton campaign was vetting retired four-star Navy Admiral James G. Stavridis. He previously served as the supreme allied commander at NATO and is currently the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. (The New York Times)
- Clinton is scheduled to meet with Senate Democrats on Thursday. “The visit will be a show of party unity after caucus member Bernie Sanders of Vermont annoyed many Democrats with his drawn-out campaign against Clinton, although Sanders’s endorsement of Clinton on Tuesday may allay some of those concerns,” Politico reported. (Politico)
- Following a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague finding that China has no legal basis for claiming rights to certain parts of the South China Sea, Clinton released the following statement: “It is important that all claimants abide by this ruling and continue to pursue peaceful, multilateral means to resolve disputes among them. U.S. leadership – building on the Obama administration's pivot to Asia – will be key in supporting our partners and allies in these efforts." (Reuters)
- U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is expected to submit a letter on Friday to the FBI, IRS, and Federal Trade Commission requesting that the Clinton Foundation be investigated for public corruption. (CNN)
Republicans
- Fox News announced on Tuesday that it was suspending its contributor agreement with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R), prompting speculation that Gingrich has secured the vice presidential spot on Trump’s ticket. (Politico)
- When asked during a town hall Tuesday how he could “morally justify” supporting Trump, House Speak Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said, “It's a binary choice. It is either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton — you don't get a third option. It's one or the other and I know where I want to go." (NBC News, The Huffington Post)
Donald Trump
- On Tuesday, Donald Trump responded to a critique of his candidacy by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “I think it’s highly inappropriate that a United States Supreme Court judge gets involved in a political campaign, frankly. I think it’s a disgrace to the court and I think she should apologize to the court. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” he said. Trump added, “That she should be saying that? It’s so beneath the court for her to be making statements like that. It only energizes my base even more. And I would hope that she would get off the court as soon as possible.” He also tweeted that she should resign. (The New York Times, CBS News)
- ABC News reported on Tuesday that Trump was likely to have his vice presidential pick join him at a campaign event on Friday, although it was possible his running mate’s name would be revealed earlier. (ABC News)
- Trump declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP’s convention next week. “The explanation given was that they're holding their convention at the same time. We of course, are in Cincinnati, they are in Cleveland. We were hoping that he would make the short trip from Cleveland to Cincinnati,” said NAACP president and CEO Cornell William Brooks. (The Hill)
- In an interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, Trump discussed racial tensions and police-community relations in the U.S.
- Trump said that the Black Lives Matter movement was “dividing America.” He continued, "I saw what they said about the police in various marches and rallies. I have seen, you know, moments of silence called for - for this horrible human being who shot the policeman. And I, you know, I have seen it and I think it's certainly -- it's very divisive and I think they are hurting themselves." (CBS News)
- Commenting on the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police officers, he said, “We have to stay together and we have to be strong. We have to take care of everyone. The two people that were killed in Louisiana and Minnesota - it was tough. It was tough to watch. For everybody here, it was tough to watch. We have to figure it out." (CBS News)
- When O’Reilly asked Trump what he would say to black Americans who feel there is systemic racism, Trump said, “Well, I’ve been saying, even against me the system is rigged. When I ran for president I could see what is going on with the system, and the system is rigged. I can really relate it very much to myself.” (The Guardian)
- Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R), New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), and U.S. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) were among his top choices for vice president. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Top candidates have been asked to fill out a 113-question form about their background, finances and more, according to people familiar with the process. They have also been subjected to multihour interviews with a vetting team headed by A.B. Culvahouse, a lawyer who has helped many Republican presidential candidates screen their nominees.” (The Wall Street Journal)
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
