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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - July 30, 2015
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
- Jim Gilmore became the 17th Republican to enter the presidential race on Wednesday. Although the former governor of Virginia has not yet made a formal announcement, he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for president. (The Wall Street Journal)
- According to a new Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday, Donald Trump has become the clear frontrunner in the Republican field with support from 20 percent of Republican voters. Scott Walker and Jeb Bush follow Trump with 13 percent and 10 percent, respectively. When matched against Democrats, Trump falters as Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders all beat Trump with double-digit margins. On the left, Clinton has over 55 percent support among Democrats, but in matchups with Scott Walker and Jeb Bush, the race would be too close to call. (Quinnipiac University)
Democrats
Lincoln Chafee
- In an interview with Larry King on Tuesday, Lincoln Chafee agreed with King that the Republican Party would reject Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan today. “It's gone so far into the social issues, it's so difficult. John McCain and Mitt Romney found it so difficult to go back to the middle after going through those Republican primaries,” Chafee said by way of example.
- Chafee did not receive any individual campaign donations from South Carolinians this past quarter. (WIS TV)
Hillary Clinton
- Hillary Clinton is expected to deliver a foreign policy speech on Friday at Florida International University in Miami. A focal point will be Clinton’s call to end the United States’ embargo on Cuba. According to her campaign, “She will highlight that Republican arguments against increased engagement are part of failed policies of the past and contend that we must look to the future in order to advance a core set of values and interests to engage with Cubans and address human rights abuses.” (The Guardian)
- Clinton participated in the “Skimm Your Candidate” series on Thursday. She wrote, “My greatest strength is my passionate commitment to helping people – and I feel so strongly that I had a lot of opportunities and that there are people, particularly women, who are just as talented and hardworking, but who haven’t had the same chances that I had. And one of the reasons why in all of my economic policies that I am talking about in this campaign I really put women at the center – and it’s not just because I am one – it’s because when women succeed, families do better, America does better.” (The Skimm)
- According to the latest Quinnipiac University, Clinton saw her lowest unfavorability rating ever at 51 percent. (Quinnipiac University)
Martin O’Malley
- Martin O’Malley suggested he supports a constitutional amendment to abolish the electoral college while speaking at a young professionals event in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. He said, “Well, as a matter of fact, our state — my state, became the first state to sign on to the popular vote movement, which says all of our electoral votes go toward whoever the winner was of the popular vote. So our state, Maryland, actual led in that movement.” (The Daily Caller)
Bernie Sanders
- Bernie Sanders held the largest organizing event of the 2016 presidential election cycle on Wednesday, streaming a speech to more than 3,500 watch parties across the country with an estimated attendance of 100,000 supporters. (TIME, The New York Times)
- According to a new St. Pete Polls survey of Democratic voters in Florida, Sanders trailed behind Clinton with 29 percent to Clinton’s 55 percent. (St. Pete Polls)
- Speaking before AFL-CIO leadership on Wednesday, Sanders emphasized his voting record on labor issues and strong opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The AFL-CIO has not yet endorsed a candidate. (The New York Times)
- In a statement released on Wednesday, Sanders defended Planned Parenthood against congressional defunding. “The current attempt to discredit Planned Parenthood is part of a long-term smear campaign by people who want to deny women in this country the right to control their own bodies. Let’s be clear: Federal funding for Planned Parenthood does not pay for abortions. The vast majority of government funding that Planned Parenthood receives is through Medicaid reimbursements. Cutting that funding will be devastating to the health needs of millions of women who desperately need the quality services Planned Parenthood provides,” Sanders said. (The Huffington Post)
Republicans
Jeb Bush
- According to The Wall Street Journal, the largest donor to Jeb Bush’s super PAC, Right to Rise, was Miguel Fernandez with a $3 million donation. Fernandez, who runs a healthcare investment firm, said, “I am sure there’s at least one [donor] that wants a solar power business and another who wants to build submarines. I have only given to Jeb because I think he has the right values.” (The Wall Street Journal)
- In a St. Pete Polls survey released on Wednesday, Donald Trump leads Bush in Florida by six points. (St. Pete Polls)
- In a Thursday interview with Bloomberg BNA, Bush stated he believes climate change is partially driven by human activity. “The climate is changing; I don’t think anybody can argue it’s not. Human activity has contributed to it. I think we have a responsibility to adapt to what the possibilities are without destroying our economy, without hollowing out our industrial core,” Bush said. He also expressed support for the Keystone XL pipeline and condemned the expansion of the Environmental Protection Agency. (Bloomberg BNA)
Ben Carson
- Ben Carson has entered the foray of Republican viral videos by releasing his own showing how to successfully beat the children’s game, Operation. Carson jibed at the end, “I think Obamacare probably would require a large deductible.” (Independent Journal Review)
- Speaking to The Washington Examiner about the benefits of his political inexperience, Carson said, “I think it plays well for people who recognize that our nation is of, for and by the people, and it was designed for people who were citizen-statesman. Not for people who were lifetime politicians. Of course, to transition from one to the other, there’s going to be a transition that has to occur. I think it’s occurred pretty quickly in my case.” (The Washington Examiner)
Chris Christie
- Although Chris Christie was hesitant to criticize Jeb Bush in an interview with Breitbart, he noted, “You know people want the campaign to be about the challenges and the opportunities of tomorrow and not a recitation of American history. And when I think that you get folks that are so closely aligned with previous presidents, that problem is almost unavoidable.” (Breitbart)
- Christie requested an extension to file campaign finance disclosure reports with the Federal Election Commision on Wednesday. This filing is a requirement to participate in the first Republican debate on August 6, 2015. (Bloomberg)
- In an interview with Bloomberg’s John Heilemann, Christie questioned Huckabee analogizing the Iran nuclear deal to the Holocaust. “I don't agree with the hyperbolic nature of the comment, and I also think that it's somewhat offensive to the Israelis. Israelis have a right of self-determination ... they have the right to defend themselves. No one is going to lead them anywhere. Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Knesset are going to make a judgement about what they want to do to protect Israel's national security. So, I thought it was kind of off-key in a number of different ways, and something I wouldn't have said,” Christie explained. (Breitbart)
Ted Cruz
- Ted Cruz has received backlash from his own party for stating on Tuesday, “If [the Iran nuclear] deal is consummated, it will make the Obama administration the world’s leading financier of radical Islamic terrorism.” Mitt Romney tweeted on Thursday, “I am opposed to the Iran deal, but @SenTedCruz is way over the line on the Obama terrorism charge. Hurts the cause.” (Politico, CNN)
- Cruz resumed the call to abolish the IRS during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday to investigate the agency’s targeting of conservative groups. “If the IRS has become a partisan arm of the Democratic National Committee, there can be no stronger argument for ending the IRS as we know it, so that no Administration, Democrat or Republican, can use the IRS to target its political opponents,” Cruz said. (National Review)
Carly Fiorina
- In an interview with ELLE, Carly Fiorina suggested that some Democrats have used identity politics to divide groups and win elections. She pointed to the Democratic push to raise the minimum wage as an example of a policy that will ultimately hurt minority groups. “We know from the data that if you raise the minimum wage above a certain level, it's African American youth that are most punished, because it makes it harder for them to get that entry-level starter job. If they get an entry-level starter job, they can learn skills and move forward. But if they don't have a chance to get that job, then they're stuck,” Fiorina said. (ELLE)
Lindsey Graham
- While interviewing Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, Lindsey Graham suggested the United States would undoubtedly win in a war with Iran. “Could we win a war with Iran? Who wins the war between us and Iran? Who wins? Do you have any doubt who wins? We win!” Graham said. (MSNBC, YouTube)
- Graham received approximately $850,000 in donations from South Carolinians before June 30, 2015, more than any other presidential candidate. (WIS TV)
- In an interview on FOX News Radio, Graham highlighted the differences between him and Rand Paul on foreign policy in the Middle East. “He is more misunderstanding of the Mideast than Obama and that is saying a lot. He agreed with President Obama we should pull all of our troops out of Iraq. I objected. I think I was right. He did not support helping the free Syrian Army three years ago when it would matter. This is a religious war. We were attacked on September 11, 2001. We didn’t have one soldier in Afghanistan. We didn’t have any foreign aid. We didn’t have an embassy. So in Rand’s world, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. In my world, we’ve got to put radical Islam in a box. Whatever it takes, as long as it takes. A school house in a remote region educating a young poor girl will do more damage to radical Islam than any bomb. So, I am for leading from the front, empowering people over there,” Graham said. (FOX News Radio)
Mike Huckabee
- Mike Huckabee has continued to defend his controversial statement that the Iran nuclear deal will march Israelis “to the door of the oven.” During an appearance on CNN’s “The Lead,” Huckabee said, “I wasn't comparing the President to Adolf Hitler. I'm comparing the situation that we face, when we do not take seriously the threats made to Jews for 20 years after the writings of Hitler." (CNN)
- In an interview with Newsmax TV on Wednesday, Huckabee advised his colleagues to focus on their own campaigns. “I couldn't start commenting on the other 374 Republicans running for office, because then I'd never get my message out. I'd just be commenting on somebody else's message. Republicans need to focus on what they're doing, why they're running, swim in their own lane. This is the Olympics; this is the big league,” Huckabee said. (Newsmax)
- Huckabee, the only Republican who attended a meeting with AFL-CIO leadership on Wednesday, briefly spoke to reporters after the closed-door meeting. “I don’t think that it’s fair to think of labor unions as the enemy of the Republican Party — I don’t see them as the enemy. I see them as millions of American workers who want good jobs for their families,” he said. (The New York Times)
John Kasich
- New Day for America, John Kasich’s super PAC, raised more than $11.1 million from 166 contributions between April 20, 2015, and June 30, 2015. (Politico)
- According to a compilation of the last five national polls by MSNBC, Kasich’s average places him in the top 10 candidates, displacing Rick Perry to the eleventh slot. (MSNBC)
Bobby Jindal
- Bobby Jindal introduced his “Partners in Crime” plan on Wednesday night to “criminalize sanctuary city policies by making city officials that enact those policies as an accessory to the crimes committed by the illegal aliens those policies enabled.” The proposal would also allow “give standing to victims and their families to civilly sue local, state, and federal officials for failing to enforce the Immigration and Naturalization Act.” (Breitbart)
- When asked on Wednesday if he believed people should be permitted to carry guns into theaters, Jindal answered, “I’m a big believer that where you are legally allowed to be, you should be able to have your Second Amendment rights as well. There are private property rights issues, I understand that. Somebody has a right to say what they want to do with their private property, but I think the fewer restrictions on law abiding citizens, the better for them and the better for our country.” (Sun Times National, CNN)
George Pataki
- George Pataki has again slammed Donald Trump for his comments on Mexicans, saying on Thursday, “I don’t think anyone who has diminished an entire ethnic group in this country, as he did with Mexicans, should be president.” More broadly, Pataki said, “I think it is extremely unlikely that anyone will be elected president who hasn’t held elected office.” (The Hill)
Rand Paul
- Concerned American Voters, a super PAC supporting Rand Paul, has received $1.9 million in donations since it relaunched in June. “I think politicians usually have so little understanding of this space or they're so not aligned with our interests. I think Rand both gets it and he's very aligned,” Scott Banister, an angel investor who donated $1.25 million to the super PAC, said of Rand’s campaigning in Silicon Valley. (National Journal)
Rick Perry
- Speaking at the Yale Club in New York on Wednesday, Rick Perry discussed his vision for Wall Street reform. “I want to be very clear: if I am elected president of the United State, we will not bail out a single bank on Wall Street,” Perry said. He also applauded the Federal Reserve’s new rule requiring larger banks to maintain large stores of capital and the potential of digital currencies like Bitcoin. (The New York Times, Perry for President)
- Perry suggested on Thursday that Carly Fiorina would be a compelling choice for vice president. “I’ll tell you from my perspective one of the people who I’ve dealt with over the course of the years that possibly may be on that stage with me, Carly Fiorina,” Perry said. “That’s the type of really savvy individual that I think makes a lot of sense to have around you whether it’s in a cabinet or as a running mate. She is a very, very capable, smart, savvy business woman … and by the way she was born in Texas, so that’s another plus for her.” (New York Daily News)
Marco Rubio
- According to Bloomberg, 267 donors received refunds after Marco Rubio transferred his Senate reelection contributions to his presidential campaign. At least 64 of these donors have now given a combined $195,800 to other presidential candidates. (Bloomberg)
- The Washington Examiner reported on Thursday that Rubio’s campaign has established grassroots volunteer teams across the country, including Alaska, Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Wyoming, suggesting Rubio is planning in advance for an extended primary battle. (The Washington Examiner)
Rick Santorum
- Rick Santorum published an op-ed in The Iowa Republican on Thursday to detail his immigration policy. He called for restricting the “chain immigration” of families and H1-B visa program for skilled workers and ending the visa lottery system. “I believe we need to reduce our legal immigration levels by 25%. I believe immigration can be a very good thing. But as with anything, there can also be too much of a good thing. When our labor markets cannot manage the influx we are receiving, then it is time to recalibrate. This is not anti-immigrant, it is common-sense because stagnant wages and joblessness is not good for anyone regardless of race, gender, or immigration status,” Santorum wrote. (The Iowa Republican)
Donald Trump
- Trump stated he would beat Hillary Clinton in a general election matchup, and questioned whether she should be permitted to campaign given the inquiries into her use of a private email server while she served as secretary of state. “What she did a criminal act. She burned up the emails. She got rid of her hard drive,” Trump said. (CNN)
- In a CNN interview on Wednesday, Trump called for the deportation of all undocumented immigrants followed by an “expedited” process to allow the “good ones” to return to and live in the United States legally. (CNN)
- After claiming that he would “love” to have Sarah Palin join his administration, Trump hired Palin’s former aide, Michael Glassner, to serve as his campaign’s national political director. (Politico)
- According to Facebook, Trump has been the most-talked about candidate every day for the past 30 days by a wide margin. (The Wall Street Journal)
Scott Walker
- Following on the heels of Bernie Sanders’ nationwide grassroots initiative on Wednesday, Scott Walker has begun to promote debate watch parties on his campaign website. “Hosting a debate watch party is a simple and fun way for you to volunteer your time while also playing a critical role in engaging and rallying members of your community for Scott Walker,” his site reads. (Scott Walker for America)
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
