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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - March 16, 2016
From Ballotpedia
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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential Briefing was sponsored by the Leadership Project for America. | ||||
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Wednesday's Leading Stories
- Marco Rubio suspended his presidential campaign on Tuesday night following a disappointing second-place finish to Donald Trump in his home state of Florida. He told his supporters that "after tonight, it is clear that while we are on the right side, this year, we will not be on the winning side.” (Talking Points Memo)
- Hillary Clinton won the Florida, Illinois, North Carolina and Ohio primaries, marking her sweep of the southern states and, given her unexpected loss in Michigan last week, securing an important symbolic victory in two Rust Belt states. She now leads Bernie Sanders by more than 300 pledged delegates. (CNN, FiveThirtyEight)
- Donald Trump was the victor in three primaries on Tuesday night: Florida, Illinois and North Carolina. John Kasich won his first primary contest in his home state of Ohio, defeating Trump by 11 points. According to The Washington Post, Trump will need to win 57 percent of the remaining delegates to cross the threshold of 1,237 delegates to secure the nomination. (CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post)
- In Missouri, both the Democratic and Republican contests are locked in virtual ties separated by less than 0.2 points, with only some absentee and provisional ballots left to be counted. Clinton and Trump are currently leading. Under Missouri state law, the second-place finishers may request a recount if the margin remains under 0.5 points. (CNN)
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- The Republican National Committee filed four federal lawsuits related to FOIA requests it made last year seeking documents from Hillary Clinton’s time at the State Department. ABC News reported, “The Republicans want all messages between 14 State Department officials and private email domains associated with Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, their daughter, Chelsea Clinton, and the Clinton Foundation. The GOP also wants communications between the State Department and officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides global humanitarian and development aid. Another request targets records about training for State Department employees on the handling of classified information. Yet another seeks records pertaining to visitor logs or related records for Clinton's formal quarters or personal office while secretary of state and the State Department's Diplomatic Reception Room.” (ABC News)
- Slate noted on Tuesday night that Clinton’s victory speech appeared forward-looking to the general election and a potential run against Donald Trump. She drew attention to the importance of national security, saying, “The second big test for our next president is keeping us safe. We live in a complex and, yes, a dangerous world. Protecting America's national security can never be an afterthought. Our commander in chief has to be able to defend our country, not embarrass it. Engage our allies, not alienate them. Defeat our adversaries, not embolden them.” (Slate)
- Clinton released a Spanish-language ad in Arizona featuring Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose office was found in a federal court to racially profile Latinos, and Trump in side-by-side clips. “There will always be obstacles, but with a friend like Hillary, we keep moving forward,” the narrator says. (The Arizona Republic)
Bernie Sanders
- On Tuesday, Bernie Sanders released a policy paper on Puerto Rico and its debt crisis. “As president, Bernie would fight to empower the people of Puerto Rico to determine their own destiny. As president, Senator Sanders would fight for a US congressionally sanctioned and binding referendum where the Puerto Rican people would be able to decide on whether to become a state, an independent country, or to reform the current commonwealth agreement,” according to his campaign website. He also argued in favor of giving Puerto Rico access to Chapter 9 bankruptcy protections to restructure its debt. (Latin Times, Bernie Sanders for President)
- According to an analysis by David Wasserman of The Cook Political Report, Sanders will need to win 61 percent of the remaining pledged delegates to defeat Hillary Clinton, following four losses on Tuesday night. “It would take something not really seen in modern politics,” said Wasserman. (The Wall Street Journal)
Republicans
Ted Cruz
- CNN reported on Tuesday that Ted Cruz has been encouraged by senior Republicans in the Senate to apologize to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for calling him a liar on the Senate floor last year if he wants to consolidate support behind him. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said, “I think he's got some bridges to build here. I think it would be helpful obviously for him – if he thinks he is going to be the guy or wants to be the guy – to come back here to mend some of those fences that he tore down when he was here.” (CNN)
- New York state resident Greg Fischer filed a federal lawsuit on Friday alleging that Cruz is ineligible to run for president because he was not a natural-born citizen. (The Suffolk Times)
- On Tuesday, Cruz said he had “absolutely zero interest” in serving as vice president to Donald Trump. (CBS News York)
John Kasich
- When asked on Tuesday if he would work with Donald Trump in the future, John Kasich responded, “There’s no way I would team up with Donald Trump. No way. Forget it. I’m going to be the nominee because we’re going to win Ohio. We’re going to move across the country with the positive attitude of bringing people together.” (Politico)
- Former U.S. Rep. Steve Bartlett (R-Tex.) endorsed Kasich on Tuesday. “Texans are looking for a tough, proven leader who stands ready to get things done in Washington. For that reason and more, I am proud to stand with John Kasich, who has the best chance to defeat Hillary Clinton in the general election. He is a tested and dedicated governor who turned Ohio’s economy around. We can trust him to bring the same common-sense conservative solutions to the White House,” said Bartlett in a statement. (The Dallas Morning News)
- Kasich’s campaign announced on Tuesday night that it had added four political advisers, some with contested convention experience, to its roster: Stu Spencer, Charlie Black, Vin Weber and Tom Ingram. The news released explicitly noted, “As chief political strategist to President Gerald Ford, Spencer played a central role in helping Ford secure the Republican nomination at the Kansas City Convention in 1976.” (Politico, Bloomberg)
Donald Trump
- The Daily Dot reported on Tuesday that volunteers supporting Trump’s campaign are required to sign an extensive contract and non-disclosure agreement. “In addition to forbidding volunteers from disparaging Trump, the contract also includes a sentence that demands volunteers prevent their employees from criticizing Trump, thus making volunteers responsible for the free speech of others for an indeterminate amount of time,” The Daily Dot noted. (The Daily Dot)
- Trump renewed his criticism of Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly on Tuesday night, expressing displeasure with her coverage of the Super Tuesday primary results. He tweeted that she was “unwatchable” and “crazy.” (TIME)
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
