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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - July 27, 2015
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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential Briefing was sponsored by the Leadership Project for America. | ||||
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Monday's Leading Stories
- Poll: According to a Gallup poll released on July 24, 2015, Bernie Sanders’ favorability score doubled to 24 percent while Hillary Clinton’s slipped to 43 percent from 48 percent. Jim Webb, Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee trailed behind the two Democratic frontrunners, with a large majority of respondents stating they were unfamiliar with them. (Gallup)
- Poll: Donald Trump and Jeb Bush placed first and second in a new NBC News/Marist poll of New Hampshire voters with 21 percent and 14 percent, respectively. A companion poll in Iowa found Scott Walker and Donald Trump leading with 19 percent and 17 percent. For the Democratic presidential field, Hillary Clinton is ahead of Bernie Sanders by double digits in both states. However, candidates in both parties fared poorly when it came to their favorable-to-unfavorable scores. Only Sanders received a positive score in Iowa and New Hampshire. Trump had the lowest score at -28 in Iowa and -40 in New Hampshire. (NBC News)
- With the potential threat of a third-party run by Donald Trump, Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, suggested each Republican candidate “should pledge not to run as a third-party candidate.” Priebus also dismissed criticism that Republicans have ceded control of the debate process to the media, saying, “We’ve taken control of the debates, we’ll have fewer debates, we’ll have some say over who the moderators are … and we’ll have a definite calendar.” (The Hill)
- The Senate voted to reinstate the Export-Import bank over the weekend. Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio voted against the bill, while Lindsey Graham voted for it. (The Hill)
- According to Politico, Marco Rubio has missed 42 votes in the Senate, more than any other senator running for president. Rand Paul missed the fewest, absent for only two votes. Jeb Bush has commented on the phenomenon, saying senators ought to “show up and vote – or resign.” (Politico)
Democrats
Joe Biden
- In a call with Jewish leaders on Monday, Vice President Joe Biden made assurances that the Iran nuclear deal benefits Israel. “This is a complicated thing, but when you look at the facts, when you cut all the political wheeling and dealing aside, this is a solid, solid, very strong agreement that makes Israel safer, makes us safer, makes the region safer,” Biden said as part of his effort promote the agreement on behalf of the Obama administration. (The Huffington Post)
- Speculation continues to swirl around Biden’s potential presidential run. Biden supporters suggest he can enter the race late without penalty because he does not need the massive cash base and campaign infrastructure that Hillary Clinton has. Instead, he “would run a nimbler operation.” However, the longer Biden delays, the more likely he is to lose long-time aides and supporters to the Clinton campaign. (The Boston Globe)
Lincoln Chafee
- In an interview with Larry King last week, Lincoln Chafee said he would bet money on Joe Biden entering the race. “Well, I see him standing with President Obama in every photo. Especially the big main profile [photos]—when the Supreme Court ruled in favor the Affordable Care Act, the deal with Iran, the opening of Cuba, it always seems the Vice President is standing right there. That seems to signal something to me. He’s run before, he ran in 1988 and of course in 2008. And I served with him on the Foreign Relations Committee, we’ve traveled together to Iraq. We’ve done some trips together to Mexico. I’ll put my two dollars that he gets in,” Chafee said. (The Daily Caller)
- In a Gallup poll released on July 24, 2015, 82 percent of respondents were unfamiliar with or had no opinion of Chafee. (Gallup)
Hillary Clinton
- Hillary Clinton denied allegations she mishandled classified information on Saturday while speaking at a fundraiser in Iowa. “I am confident that I never sent nor received any information that was classified at the time it was sent and received,” she said. An inspector general had forwarded a request to the Department of Justice to investigate Clinton’s email processes after 10 percent of emails in a random sampling were found to be “classified when they were sent and are classified now.” (The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal)
- Clinton announced her climate change policy on Sunday. It focuses on two national goals: installing more than 500 million solar panels across the country by the end of her first term and generating enough renewable energy to power every home in 10 years. (The Wall Street Journal, YouTube)
- In a video released by her campaign on Sunday promoting her new climate change policy, Clinton attacked Republican candidates who “still refuse to accept the settled science of climate change. Who would rather remind us they’re not scientists than listen to those who are.” (YouTube)
- Clinton is set to testify before the Select Committee on Benghazi on October 22, 2015. (The Washington Post)
- The AFL-CIO, the country’s largest federation of labor unions, has delayed endorsing Hillary Clinton. Richard Trumka, the union’s president, has commented that it would be “conceivable” for the federation not to endorse any candidate this election. (The Columbus Dispatch)
Martin O’Malley
- Martin O’Malley published an op-ed in The Boston Globe on July 25, 2015, calling for stricter gun control laws. In addition to regulating who can sell guns, O’Malley’s policy vision includes “banning the sale of assault weapons, increasing inspections, and establishing a national gun registry to help law enforcement track down dangerous criminals.” (The Boston Globe)
- In a Gallup poll released on July 24, 2015, 78 percent of respondents were unfamiliar with or had no opinion of O’Malley. (Gallup)
- Speaking at an Iowa Caucus Consortium event on Friday, O’Malley said law enforcement officers should get a warrant before accessing digital evidence. (The Des Moines Register)
Bernie Sanders
- Despite Bernie Sanders’ surge in popularity, a July 24, 2015, Gallup poll found 56 percent of respondents were unfamiliar with or had no opinion of Sanders. (Gallup)
- An NBC News/Marist Poll released on July 26, 2015, showed Bernie Sanders was the only candidate to have a positive favorable/unfavorable score in Iowa and New Hampshire. (International Business Times)
Jim Webb
- In a Gallup poll released on July 24, 2015, 77 percent of respondents were unfamiliar with or had no opinion of Webb. (Gallup)
Republicans
Jeb Bush
- According to Kenneth Lipper, a Democrat who hosted a fundraising event for Jeb Bush in the Hamptons on Saturday, Bush raised approximately $230,000 from a crowd of chief executives and hedge fund managers, half of whom were Democrats. (Bloomberg)
- Bush is campaigning today in central Florida to conduct outreach to Hispanic voters. Puerto Ricans are set to outnumber Cuban-Americans in the state, thereby changing the voting dynamics in Florida. One local pastor explained, “The Latino vote in Central Florida is not cemented. It’s not the New York Latino vote. I don’t care if they’re from New York or Puerto Rico, it means nothing here.” (The Washington Post)
Ben Carson
- Last week, Ben Carson promised to respond to several voter questions daily on his Facebook account. Answering how he would run the EPA, for example, Carson said, “My EPA would be much more like NASA and much less like the FBI. I believe we all understand that we want to leave our planet better than we found it. However, I believe the EPA should be a research and technology coordinator, not an armed police force. Find ways we can all pitch in and stop the regulatory mandates. Lead us, not leash us.” (Facebook)
- Carson received more donations in Iowa than any of his Republican competitors, raising nearly $44,000 by the end of the fundraising period on June 30, 2015. (The Des Moines Register)
Chris Christie
- After criticizing other candidates for being “vague” on reforming entitlement programs, Chris Christie explained the reasoning behind his own position that the retirement age for Social Security should be gradually raised to 69. “I think that if you give it 25 years, which is what we're giving it, you're going to see advances in medical science ... and pharmaceutical treatments that are going to allow us to even have manual laborers who will be able to work longer, much longer than they're able to work now,” Christie said. (CNN)
- According to the Associated Press, Christie has appointed and nominated nearly a dozen of his former classmates from high school and law school to state positions. Christie defended his actions, noting the state had to confirm many of them. (Associated Press)
Ted Cruz
- Following a difficult week in the Senate that saw Ted Cruz accusing Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) of lying, Cruz was upbraided by his own party on Sunday after he attempted to hold a roll call vote on an Iran-related amendment. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) said, “We must ensure that the pernicious trend of turning the Senate floor into a forum for advancing personal ambitions, for promoting political campaigns, or for enhancing fundraising activities comes to a stop.” He stated Cruz’s “misuse of the Senate floor must not be tolerated.” Sen. Lamar Alexander also commented on Cruz’s actions, saying, “He will create a precedent that destroys the orderly consideration of amendments. There will be unlimited amendments; there will be chaos." Cruz defended his actions and said McConnell, himself, had tried to overturn Senate procedure at least 14 times. (The Huffington Post, The Guardian, Salon)
- Farris and Dan Wilks, billionaire brothers from the fracking industry, donated $15 million to Cruz’s super PAC, Keep the Promise. It stands as the largest single contribution of the 2016 presidential cycle so far. (CNN)
Carly Fiorina
- On Sunday, Carly Fiorina discounted suggestions that it mattered that a video showing Planned Parenthood official discussing the use of fetal tissue from abortions had been edited. “I find it fascinating that Planned Parenthood, EMILY’s List and all the rest of the pro-abortion lobby are now suddenly so concerned about a heavily edited video. I don’t recall them ever being concerned about a heavily edited video of Mitt Romney at a fundraiser. I don’t remember them being concerned about Edward Snowden. We’ve had a lot of things where information has come out that we needed to see. So, instead of going after the people who have put out this video information we clearly need to see, let’s talk about the issue here. Of course they’re trying to change the subject. Of course they’re trying to say this is life-saving research,” Fiorina said. (Breitbart)
Lindsey Graham
- Sen. John McCain will campaign for Lindsey Graham in New Hampshire this week. This marks McCain’s first appearance on behalf of Graham. (TIME)
- Speaking to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Graham continued to question Donald Trump’s popularity. "I'm not taking on voters, I am taking on an idea that I think he's appealing to the dark side of American politics. He is not offering solutions to hard, complicated problems. He is basically selling fear and prejudice,” Graham said. (ABC News)
Mike Huckabee
- On Saturday, Mike Huckabee accused President Obama of endangering Israelis by agreeing to the Iran nuclear deal. He said, “This president’s foreign policy is the most feckless in American history. It is so naive that he would trust the Iranians. By doing so, he will take the Israelis and march them to the door of the oven. This is the most idiotic thing, this Iran deal. It should be rejected by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress and by the American people. I read the whole deal. We gave away the whole store. It’s got to be stopped.” (Breitbart)
John Kasich
- Appearing at town hall meetings across New Hampshire, John Kasich has notably declined to answer questions with set policy positions on several issues like student loan reform and national dependence on fossil fuels, saying, instead, “I don’t know.” John Feehery, a communications consultant for the GOP, has applauded Kasich’s candor. “If you don’t know, say you don’t know. That’s actually a breath of fresh air in a world where a bunch of politicians promise that they have all the answers,” Feehery said. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
- In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Kasich said he supported free trade with some restraints. “I am for open trade, free trade, but I am for clamping down when the United States worker gets shafted because somebody is cheating on a trade agreement,” Kasich explained. (Cincinnati Enquirer, NBC News)
- Kasich described the healthcare system he would like to succeed the Affordable Care Act in an interview with NPR’s Scott Simon on Saturday. Kasich said, “I'd like to replace it with a health care system that would be market-driven, that would begin to shift us to quality-based health care rather than quantity-based health care. In other words, with the primary care doctor being the shepherd to shepherd us through our health care needs, with insurance companies and hospitals working together to share profits, to share the gains they make by keeping people healthy rather than treating them on the basis of how they're sick.” (NPR)
- On Friday, Kasich’s super PAC, New Day for America, expanded their team, hiring Connie Wehrkamp as press secretary and Maya Arrieta-Walden as deputy press secretary. (The Columbus Dispatch)
Bobby Jindal
- On Sunday, Bobby Jindal broke his silence on the issue of gun control following a deadly shooting at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, last week. “I think every state should strengthen their laws. Every state should make sure this information is being reported in the background system. We need to make sure that background system is working. Absolutely, in this instance, this man never should have been able to buy a gun,” Jindal said. He added that perpetrators of mass shootings often have “a history of mental illness” so the systems in place need to “actually work.” (The New York Times)
- Jindal issued an executive order to strictly enforce picketing buffer zones around the funerals of the two victims of the Lafayette shooting after the Westboro Baptist Church indicated they would stage a protest there. (Talking Points Memo)
George Pataki
- George Pataki has joined critics of Hillary Clinton’s email management during her time as secretary of state, tweeting this morning, “Every ‘grandmother with two eyes and a brain’ knows storing sensitive classified information on a home server is dangerous @HillaryClinton.” Pataki’s tweet was a play on the phrase Clinton used in a video decrying climate change where she said, “I'm just a grandmother with two eyes and a brain and I know what's happening in the world is going to have a big effect on my daughter and especially on my granddaughter.” (New York Daily News, YouTube)
- Dave Catalfamo, a spokesperson for Pataki, said the planned forum for Republican candidates who do not qualify for the August 6 debate “will have a lot of qualified, highly knowledgeable and articulate folks. It might end up being more substantive because the candidates won’t have to respond to whatever idiotic thing Donald Trump says.” Given Pataki’s performance in recent polls, he will likely be a participant in that forum rather than the debate. (The Hill)
Rand Paul
- Speaking on Hillary Clinton’s improper handling of classified information on a private email server in interviews over the weekend, Rand Paul noted it is the Obama administration that is interested in her conduct and not “Republicans making a political point.” Paul added, “Even she knew there was a rule. They actually admonished one of her ambassadors because he wasn't using the proper server. I don't understand how she can skate by and act as if she wasn't aware of the law.” Paul also charged that the “Clintons think they live above the law. They think they live differently than all the rest of America, and I think this is going to come back to bite her, and it already is.” (FOX News, CBS News)
- On Friday, Paul claimed credit for fast-tracking legislation to defund Planned Parenthood by invoking Rule 14, which allows a bill to bypass committee consideration and head to the Senate floor for a vote. Paul wrote in a statement, “Since the inhumane acts of Planned Parenthood have surfaced, I have vowed to defeat and defund this taxpayer-funded organization. I am more appalled than ever by Planned Parenthood's complete disregard for the sanctity of human life. Today, I implemented Rule 14 and fast-tracked legislation to strip every dollar of Planned Parenthood funding. I will continue to lead this charge in defense of the unborn.” A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ® suggested it was McConnell who “started the Rule 14 process on the floor.” (The Hill, Rand Paul for President)
- Paul attended a town hall with veterans in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, where he claimed Clinton’s handling of the Benghazi attack should “forever preclude” her from becoming “commander-in-chief.” (The Blaze)
- Matt Kibbe, who left his position at FreedomWorks to lead Concerned American Voters, a super PAC supporting Rand, has initiated an extensive canvassing operation in Iowa to improve Rand’s performance in the state. “Rand is going to play in a lot of states, but it doesn't matter that much if he doesn't win any of the four first states. I think Iowa is our, I don't know about our best chance, but it's a great chance. I think Nevada is a great chance,” Kibbe said. (Washington Examiner)
Rick Perry
- Commenting on the theater shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana, Rick Perry called gun-free zones, like movie theaters and churches, “a bad idea.” Perry explained, “I think that you allow the citizens of this country, who have appropriately trained, appropriately backgrounded, know how to handle and use firearms, to carry them. I believe that, with all my heart, that if you have the citizens who are well trained, and particularly in these places that are considered to be gun-free zones, that we can stop that type of activity, or stop it before there's as many people that are impacted as what we saw in Lafayette.” (CNN)
- Perry continued trading barbs with Donald Trump, saying of Trump’s suggestion that Perry failed on border security, “The idea that someone would legitimately stand up and say the state of Texas has failed at this, just doesn't understand that this is a federal responsibility.” (FOX News)
Marco Rubio
- In a statement on human trafficking, Marco Rubio called on the State Department to denounce foreign diplomats who engage in the trade. “Naming and shaming these violators is critical, as the participation of high ranking government officials in such cruel and inhumane behavior must not go unpunished. Turning a blind eye sends the wrong message to those countries and the world,” Rubio said. (U.S. Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio)
- Rubio has begun to respond to questions on his relative lack of experience by citing his life experience. Speaking of his humble beginnings as the son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio said, “I don't think anybody running for president understands what life is like for people today more than I do.” (Bloomberg)
Rick Santorum
- Speaking at the National Security Action Summit in New Hampshire on Saturday, Rick Santorum said of the Iran nuclear deal, “This is the greatest betrayal of American national security in our history. [Iran] will cheat. They will violate the agreement. They will continue to sponsor terror all over the world." (The Hill)
Donald Trump
- In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Donald Trump condemned Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as “criminal.” “What she did is far worse than what Gen. [David] Petraeus did, and he’s gone down in disgrace. What she did is criminal,” Trump said. (Politico)
- When pressed for more specifics on his immigration policy during the “State of the Union” interview, Trump said, “I'm gonna get rid of the bad ones fast, and I'm gonna send them back. We're not going to be putting them in prisons here and pay for them for the next 40 years.” Trump declined to state what he would do with undocumented immigrants who were not “bad ones” or how he would differentiate between the two. (Business Insider)
- According to two recently released NBC News/Marist polls, Trump is leading the Republican field New Hampshire with 21 percent and placed second in Iowa with 17 percent. (The New York Times)
- On Saturday, Trump tweeted that Macy’s should be boycotted because of its support of Planned Parenthood and alleged racial profiling. Macy’s ended its relationship with Trump several weeks ago following his controversial statements on undocumented immigrants from Mexico. (Twitter)
- In a speech on Saturday, Trump attacked Scott Walker and his legacy in Wisconsin. “Wisconsin's doing terribly. First of all, it's in turmoil. The roads are a disaster because they don't have any money to rebuild them. They're borrowing money like crazy. "I wrote this stuff all down, although I don't need it because I have a really good memory — but they projected a $1 billion surplus and it turns out to be a deficit of $2.2 billion. And money all over the place. The schools are a disaster, and they're fighting like crazy because there's no money for the schools. The hospitals and education is a disaster." (Business Insider)
- Trump lumped Scott Walker, Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton together as part of same “system” during a speech in Iowa over the weekend. He suggested they will be controlled by lobbyists and special interest groups due to the large contributions each has received. (Real Clear Politics)
Scott Walker
- When asked by the Washington Examiner on Monday if he supported Ted Cruz’s proposal to dissolve the IRS, Scott Walker responded, “Those are all things that we'll look at. I think that, and plenty of other fellow agencies, have lived past their usefulness. How you go forward, again we'll be laying out in the coming months as we talk about specific reforms.” (Washington Examiner)
- Walker also challenged the propriety of Bill Clinton engaging in paid speeches for foreign governments while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state. “Well, I think that the theme you see with Hillary Clinton is that she seems to think there's a different set of rules for her and her family than there is for the rest of America. And I think that just shows that, overall, this is somebody who is fundamentally out of touch. Even if it wasn't against the law, the idea that someone in your family can be getting millions and millions of dollars of compensation for speeches from foreign countries at the time when she was the secretary of state — I think most Americans look at that and say, 'That is a huge conflict of interest,’” Walker said. (Washington Examiner)
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
