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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - October 21, 2015
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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
- On Tuesday, Jim Webb announced he was dropping out of the Democratic presidential race. He said he would spend the “next couple of weeks talking to people, people I have not felt comfortable talking with as a Democratic Party candidate” as he mulled over a potential run as an independent candidate. (CNN)
- Poll: In a Public Policy Polling survey of New Hampshire voters released on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton reclaimed her lead in the state with 41 percent to Bernie Sanders’ 33 percent. Clinton’s net favorability rating has also increased 18 points since August in New Hampshire. In the Republican field, Donald Trump dominated with 28 percent support. Marco Rubio followed with 12 percent. (Public Policy Polling)
- Poll: Donald Trump leads the Republican pack nationally with 32 percent, according to an ABC News/Washington Post released on Wednesday. Ben Carson came in second with 22 percent. Respondents were also polled to see who they believed had the best chance of winning the general election. On this question, Trump again topped the field with 43 percent naming him. (ABC News)
Democrats
Joe Biden
- During an event honoring former Vice President Walter Mondale on Tuesday, Joe Biden discussed what happened on the day President Barack Obama approved a mission to capture and kill Osama bin Laden. According to Los Angeles Times reporter Michael Memoli, “Biden has previously said he urged the president to wait for more intelligence that might confirm Bin Laden’s presence. But on Tuesday, Biden offered a new account.” Biden said, "I told him my opinion, that I thought he should go, but follow his own instincts. Imagine if I had said in front of everyone, 'Don't go,' or 'Go,' and his decision was a different decision. It undercuts that relationship. So I never ... on a difficult issue, never say what I think finally until I go up in the Oval with him alone." This new narrative also contradicts Hillary Clinton’s account of the mission. In her book, Hard Choices, Clinton wrote that she immediately supported the mission, while Biden "remained skeptical." (Los Angeles Times, CNN)
- According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Tuesday, the number of Democratic voters who want Biden to enter the presidential race has dropped to 30 percent. (The Wall Street Journal)
Lincoln Chafee
- Following the Democratic presidential debate, Lincoln Chafee’s unfavorable rating rose from 17 percent to 42 percent, according to a survey by MassInc Polling. (WPRI)
Hillary Clinton
- According to CNN, Hillary Clinton has claimed “the endorsements of more than 50 African-American mayors -- including Dennis Williams, the mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, where Biden lives. But late Tuesday, Williams' spokeswoman said he hasn't endorsed anyone.” Alexandra Coppadge, Williams' spokeswoman, said that Williams would support Biden if he entered the race. (CNN)
- According to The Washington Times, “The State Department initially approved a weapons shipment from a California company to Libyans seeking to oust Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 even though a United Nations arms ban was in place, according to memos recovered from the burned-out compound in Benghazi.” The memos show that Clinton “was aware of efforts to get weapons into the hands of rebels seeking to oust Gadhafi.” The memos are likely to be discussed during Clinton’s testimony before House Select Committee on Benghazi on Thursday. (The Washington Times)
- On Tuesday, Clinton posted an essay on Medium criticizing Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad for signing over the management of the state’s Medicaid program to private companies. “I’m very wary of proposals like this because when Republicans say ‘privatize services,’ too often they mean cut services. At the federal level, Republicans put forward budgets year after year that would block grant the program and cut Medicaid by up to a third, putting millions of beneficiaries at risk. In particular, in Iowa, I believe advocates have raised some legitimate concerns about the companies that were awarded contracts that have faced accusations of mismanagement,” wrote Clinton. (Medium)
- Julia Gillard, the first woman to serve as prime minister of Australia, endorsed Clinton on Tuesday. (Bustle)
- On Monday, conservative advocacy group Citizens United filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking Clinton’s schedules from her tenure as secretary of state. Last week, Judicial Watch also filed a FOIA lawsuit requesting information on what training existed to understand the state’s classification system. (International Business Times)
Lawrence Lessig
- After Jim Webb announced that he was leaving the Democratic primary and considering an Independent bid, Lawrence Lessig said in an e-mail he was not dropping out of the race. He wrote, "[N]o, Jim Webb’s position is quite different from mine. From my perspective, he’s been given a pretty fair and decent chance to make his case. That’s all the fairness I’m seeking." (The Hill)
Martin O’Malley
- Martin O’Malley discussed his campaign, Hillary Clinton and stronger gun control laws during an appearance on “The Daily Show” on Monday night. O'Malley explained why he believed he was a better candidate than Clinton, even though he endorsed her in 2008. He said, "[A]s our times change, as our challenges change, I believe that new leadership is required. I represent our better days." He also criticized Clinton for having strong ties to Wall Street. (CNN)
- During an appearance on “The View” on Tuesday, O’Malley, who is known for playing his guitar on the campaign trail, sang the Taylor Swift song “Bad Blood.” According to CNN, “O'Malley covered pop artist Taylor Swift's vengeful song to get back at another Democratic candidate for booking Katy Perry to sing at their Iowa Rally.” Perry will play at an event for Clinton in October. (CNN)
Bernie Sanders
- On Monday, Bernie Sanders noted that paid maternity leave exists in other countries, even those with poor human rights records. He tweeted: “China – not exactly seen as a model when it comes to human rights – provides 14 weeks of paid maternity leave. The US provides zero.” (CNN)
- During an interview with Fusion’s Felix Salmon, Sanders recommended using post offices to help low-income individuals gain access to banking services. He said, “If you are a low-income person, it is, depending upon where you live, very difficult to find normal banking. Banks don’t want you. And what people are forced to do is go to payday lenders who charge outrageously high interest rates. You go to check-cashing places, which rip you off. And, yes, I think that the postal service, in fact, can play an important role in providing modest types of banking service to folks who need it.” (The Atlantic)
- Sanders is scheduled to meet with the parents of a woman who was killed in the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting after they requested a discussion on his vote in favor of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005. That law prevents gun manufacturers and dealers from being named in civil liability lawsuits. (The Huffington Post)
- On Tuesday, Sanders wrote a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch demanding ExxonMobil be investigated for corporate fraud and knowingly hiding information about the connection between fossil fuels and climate change. (The Huffington Post)
Republicans
Jeb Bush
- In an op-ed published on Tuesday by the National Review, Jeb Bush criticized Donald Trump’s ability to be commander-in-chief. He wrote, “Let’s be clear: Donald Trump simply doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And his bluster overcompensates for a shocking lack of knowledge on the complex national-security challenges that will confront the next president of the United States.” Bush also explained what he would do in that role, writing, “ If I earn the honor of serving as Commander-in-Chief, I will reverse Barack Obama’s devastating defense cuts. I will strengthen the NATO alliance and use America’s newly realized status as an energy superpower to lessen others’ dependence on Russian oil and gas, and the advantage it gives Putin. I will repair our alliance with Israel and regain the trust of our other partners in the Middle East in order to halt Iran’s aggression. And I will have a strategy to defeat ISIS and Assad and protect American interests in the region.” (National Review)
- On Tuesday, Bush, who has recently defended his brother’s handling of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, criticized Bill Clinton for not trying to capture Osama bin Laden. He said, "I think the Clinton administration made a mistake of thinking bin Laden had to be viewed from a law enforcement perspective. Similarly, President Obama's policies seemed to be focused on that as well." (CNN)
- Peter Schweizer is set to release an e-book discussing how Bush has benefitted financially since leaving political office. According to Schweizer, approximately half of the $36.8 million he earned after he left office in 2007 came from companies with business interests in Florida. (The New York Times)
Chris Christie
- In a letter sent to John Degnan, chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Chris Christie requested that Newark Liberty International Airport prohibit regular flights from New Jersey to Cuba until Joanne Chesimard, who was convicted of killing a New Jersey State trooper in 1973, is returned to the United States. He wrote, “I will not tolerate rewarding the Cuban government for continuing to harbor a fugitive. I will continue to exercise my authority to ensure that Chesimard is returned.” (The Wall Street Journal)
- During an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Christie criticized the Obama administration’s stance toward Israel. When asked about recent violence there, Christie said, "All I can think of is that this should have been predictable back in 2008, right? This president made it clear in his campaign in 2008 that he's going to be a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel president.” (NJ.com)
Ted Cruz
- On Tuesday, Ted Cruz spoke on the Senate floor to advocate for moving forward a bill he cosponsored that would deny federal funding to “sanctuary cities.” He said, “More than a few Democratic senators claim to have no responsibility for the 104,000 criminal illegal aliens released by the Obama Administration in the year 2013. These senators claim to have no responsibility for the murderer of Kate Steinle invited to San Francisco by that city’s sanctuary city policy.” Cruz added, “Well, this vote today will be a moment of clarity. If it is the Democrats’ position for partisan reasons that they would rather stand with violent criminal illegal aliens, that is a sad testament on where one of the two major political parties in this country stands today. And I suspect the voters who elected them would be more than a little surprised at how that jibes with the rhetoric they use on the campaign trail.” With at least 60 votes in favor necessary to move forward, the bill failed with 54 votes in support. (The Dallas Morning News, The Huffington Post)
- Cruz responded to rumors that former President George W. Bush insulted him with the following statement: “I have great respect for George W Bush, and was proud to work on his 2000 campaign and in his administration. It's no surprise that President Bush is supporting his brother and attacking the candidates he believes pose a threat to his campaign. I have no intention of reciprocating. I met my wife Heidi working on his campaign, and so I will always be grateful to him." (CNN)
Carly Fiorina
- Carly Fiorina’s super PAC, CARLY for America, is celebrating “Back to the Future” day on Wednesday as a way to re-energize support for Fiorina after her continued drop in the polls. It registered the domain – 102115.com – as a launchpad for the initiative. (Sun Times National)
- CARLY for America has reportedly been covering venue costs and signage for Fiorina at a high rate. According to The New York Times, Fiorina’s campaign only spent on $27,000 hosting events compared to Marco Rubio’s $250,000 and Cruz’s $192,000. Fiorina’s log of total expenditures had 679 items. Jeb Bush had, in comparison, 4,993 listings. (The New York Times)
Lindsey Graham
- On Tuesday, Graham defended U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.)’s work as chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi. He said in a statement: “Every American who believes we deserve the truth about what happened in Benghazi should be proud of the work by Trey Gowdy. His committee has uncovered facts that no one else has found. In fact, his work is making other investigations look incomplete and incompetent. … The attacks on Trey’s work are growing stronger and more intense. You know this means he is getting closer to the truth. For those who want to avoid responsibility for their actions regarding Benghazi, Trey Gowdy has become their worst nightmare.” (U.S. Senator for South Carolina, Lindsey Graham)
- Graham will campaign in New Hampshire Thursday through Saturday, according to The New Hampshire Union Leader. (New Hampshire Union Leader)
Jim Gilmore
- On Tuesday, Jim Gilmore announced that Anne Smith, a U.S. Senate adviser, will serve as his New Hampshire state coordinator. (Buzzfeed)
Mike Huckabee
- During an interview on Tuesday on Fox News' "Fox & Friends,” Mike Huckabee said that he did not think Joe Biden potentially entering the presidential race would hurt Clinton. He said, "People need to realize, these are incredibly gifted, talented and ruthless political players. I know everybody talks about all the problems. Look, I have dealt with the Clintons in a political way for over 26 years ... anybody who says, well Joe gets into the race and everything changes, and Hillary's in trouble, don't bet on it.” (Newsmax)
- Huckabee discussed abortion during an interview with Concord News Radio. He said, “I just want to remind people, that once you’ve accepted the premise that you can end a human life, because it represents a financial burden, or a social distraction ... then I would suggest that at any point of that person’s life, you’ve given us justification, to take a person’s life if it becomes too expensive or if it represents a huge social disruption in the family’s life. That does not bode well for those of us getting older, when our children are going to be making decisions about our long term care, and if it gets expensive, and it means they have to mess up their weekends to come check on us, we’ve already written for them the rulebook and given them the guidelines to give us the lethal injection and put us out of their misery. I don’t think Americans have thought that through and they need to.” (BuzzFeed)
Bobby Jindal
- On Tuesday, Bobby Jindal said he disagreed with Donald Trump blaming former President George W. Bush for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He explained, “I think he continues to say crazy things. The reality is, I may not have agreed with all the spending decisions made under President Bush’s administration but President George W. Bush after 9/11 did keep us safe. He deserves credit for that….the folks responsible for 9/11 are radical Islamic terrorists. Let’s be clear about the enemy we face, let’s go hunt them down, kill them, let’s give President Bush credit, whatever we may disagree with him on other issues, after 9/11, he did what it took to keep us safe.” (Fox News Radio)
John Kasich
- On Tuesday, John Kasich announced several endorsements from Pennsylvania state political leaders, including former state Rep. Bob Walker (R), former state Sen. John Fox (R) and former chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party Earl Baker. Walker said, "I worked alongside John Kasich for 14 years, and throughout that time, Kasich was a leader, a visionary and a reformer. Whether it was balancing the federal budget or reforming the Pentagon, John never shied away from a challenge, and was uniquely able to bring aboard both Republicans and Democrats to accomplish big things." (Newsmax)
Rand Paul
- On Tuesday, when asked to weigh in on Donald Trump’s comments about former President George W. Bush and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Rand Paul said that the terrorist “are primarily responsible.” He added that “there were some mistakes,” mainly never looking at the computer of one hijacker who was caught a month in advance of the attacks, despite 70 requests to do so from the FBI agent on his case. (Real Clear Politics)
- Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a conservative advocacy group that lobbies against tax increases, endorsed two of Paul’s recent bills: the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2015 and the Default Prevention Act. “Together, the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act and the Default Prevention Act will protect the nation from defaulting on its obligations in the event the debt ceiling is increase [sic] while setting the nation on a pathway toward fiscally [sic] responsibility and balanced budgets,” a representative for ATR wrote. (Americans for Tax Reform)
- On Tuesday, Paul reiterated his support for directly arming the Kurds in Syria to combat ISIS there. (Newsmax)
- Discussing the recent outbreak of violence in Israel, Paul said on Tuesday it was not for him or the president to dictate how peace should be achieved in the region. He noted, however, “I don’t fault Israel at all for how they defend themselves; they have to do what they have to do. But, I think, if you want to look for incremental change over there, it’s not going to be a ‘grand’ peace process, it’s going to be incremental change, where, maybe, there’s more trade, and the West Bank is allowed a little more autonomy; maybe a little more control over the terrifies that go in and out of the West Bank,” he stressed. “Little things like that. Maybe, eventually allowing Gaza to have a port, or under the joint authority of Israel and others. But it has to be those incremental things because it’s not like somebody is going to end tomorrow the violence. But I think the incremental improvement in the well-being of all those living in the confines over there, is going to be part of the answer.” (Jewish Journal)
Marco Rubio
- Voting to block federal funding to “sanctuary cities,” Marco Rubio participated in his first Senate vote in nearly a month after missing nine others. Speaking on the floor about a different bill, Rubio said, “All we're saying in this bill is if you work at the [Veterans Affairs Department], and you aren't doing your job, they get to fire you. I think people are shocked that that doesn't actually exist in the entire government, since there is really no other job in the country where if you don't do your job, you don't get fired. In this instance, we’re just limiting it to one agency. This should actually be the rule in the entire government. If you're not doing your job, you should be fired.” A spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee responded, “Pro tip from Marco Rubio to Marco Rubio: If you don't do your job, you should be fired.” (NBC News, The Fiscal Times)
Rick Santorum
- Rick Santorum commented on Donald Trump’s shift on whether the U.S. should have invaded Afghanistan. He said on Tuesday, "Obviously answering that question two weeks apart completely differently is not something you would expect out of a presidential candidate. But Donald Trump is sort of a different kind of presidential candidate. And we'll just have to let those things sort of play themselves out a bit." (CNN)
- Without naming Marco Rubio or other sitting senators running for president, Santorum said all senators have an “obligation” to vote on those issues they said they would “fight” for. (Breitbart)
- On Tuesday, Santorum said the Democratic presidential debate revealed “there's no difference between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. … They're all socialists, and they all don't believe in free enterprise." (Cleveland.com)
Donald Trump
- According to Quartz, Donald Trump’s campaign has no voter database. His financial disclosures suggest he has not purchased any voter files and his campaign has stated it is not using the Republican Party’s national database. (Quartz)
- In an interview on Wednesday morning, Trump responded to Jeb Bush’s criticism of his foreign policy acumen. He said, “Well, look, Jeb has had a very hard time. He’s way down in the polls. He’s doing very poorly. He’s embarrassed by what’s happening. So he has to attack me to try to get his numbers up. The last thing we need is another Bush. We’ve seen what happens. The last thing we need is another Bush and he understands that and the voters understand that. You know, to compare me to Michael Moore; that one hasn’t happened before.” (ABC News)
- Trump criticized U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) for saying the investigation by the House Select Committee on Benghazi was not about Hillary Clinton. “And then yesterday, I watched Trey, who I do respect, I think he's a terrific guy, but he seemed to be doing a big pivot. Well this isn't about Hillary Clinton.' You know I'm pretty good at figuring this stuff out, and...he seemed to be doing a big pivot away from Hillary Clinton. And I was trying to figure out what that was all about. So you may not be as happy as you think with these hearings. I just don't know. The hearings — I was looking forward to them.” (Politico)
- Secretary of State John Kerry said Donald Trump and other “climate change deniers” should be disqualified from running for public office. (Daily Caller)
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
