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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - September 10, 2015
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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
- Poll: A Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey of South Carolina Republicans released on Wednesday found that 78 percent believe Lindsey Graham should withdraw from the presidential race. Donald Trump continues to lead the field there with 37 percent. He is followed by Ben Carson with 21 percent and Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz with 6 percent each. (Public Policy Polling)
- Poll: For Democrats in South Carolina, PPP found Hillary Clinton atop the field with 54 percent. Joe Biden was second with 24 percent and Bernie Sanders was third with 9 percent. (Public Policy Polling)
- Poll: In a CNN/ORC poll released on Thursday, Trump became the first Republican candidate to surpass 30 percent support nationally with 32 percent. Carson came in second with 19 percent. Bush followed in third with 7 percent. Most Republican voters – 51 percent – believe Trump will win the GOP nomination. (CNN, CNN/ORC)
- Poll: A new Quinnipiac University survey of Iowa voters found Bernie Sanders overtake Clinton in the state 41 percent to 40 percent. According to Quinnipiac pollsters, “There is a wide gender gap among Democrats today as Sanders leads Clinton 49 - 28 percent among men, with 16 percent for Biden, while Clinton leads Sanders 49 - 35 percent among women, with 9 percent for Biden. Sanders and Biden have a higher net favorability rating than Clinton and higher ratings for honesty and empathy. Clinton has the best scores for leadership and temperament to handle an international crisis.” (CNN, Quinnipiac University)
- In a Rolling Stone profile and interview of Donald Trump published on Wednesday, Trump insulted Carly Fiorina’s appearance and suggested she should not be president because of it. "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not [supposed to] say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?" Trump said. (Rolling Stone)
Democrats
- According to The New York Times, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Elizabeth Warren and Al Gore have been named by party officials as potential alternatives to Hillary Clinton if the investigation into her private email server irreparably damages her campaign. “You still have to think of [Clinton] as the odds-on favorite for the Democratic nomination. But the challenge she faces in the general election is both the trust problem and the likability problem,” said Robert Shrum, a strategist who worked on Gore’s and Kerry’s campaigns. (The New York Times)
Joe Biden
- An ABC News article published Wednesday highlighted the role Jill Biden plays in Joe Biden’s life and decision-making process and her efforts to improve the American education system. This week, Jill Biden appeared at a community college in Michigan with President Obama to promote programs that provide free community college. (ABC News, CBS Detroit)
- State Rep. Dan Eat (D-N.H.) and Mike Cuzzi, a former deputy state director of Obama for America, have joined the Draft Biden super PAC. (New Hampshire Union Leader)
Hillary Clinton
- On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton praised Joe Biden in an interview on ABC News. “I like Joe Biden a lot, and I think he is a great vice president. I think he could be a great president. There’s no doubt about that.” She declined to comment on any potential competition between them for the Democratic nomination, saying, “We shouldn’t get into the politics of this back and forth because I don’t think it’s fair to him. He's testing the waters. He deserves to test the waters. … If he gets into this election, there’ll be lots of time to talk about what he wants to do.” (The Huffington Post)
- Speaking at the Brookings Institution on Wednesday about the Iran nuclear deal, Clinton said, “As president I will take whatever actions are necessary to protect the U.S. and its allies. I will not hesitate to take military action.” She also noted she understood Israel’s concerns about the agreement, but added, “I would not support this agreement for one second if I thought it put Israel in greater danger.” Clinton emphasized that her approach to enforcement would be “distrust and verify.” (ABC News, NBC News)
- Janice Jacobs, the State Department’s new “transparency czar,” contributed $2,700 to Clinton’s campaign, the maximum donation allowed. A spokesman for the State Department said on Wednesday, “We were not aware of the contributions. It bears no relevance on her selection, one way or the other. She's the right person for the job. ... The fact that she made a donation to Hillary Clinton bears no relevance on her ability to do this job and to do it objectively and fairly.” (Politico)
- In response to the global refugee crisis across Europe, Clinton said on Wednesday, “There should be an emergency global gathering where the U.N. literally tries to get commitments. I obviously want the United States to do our part.” (The New York Times)
Lawrence Lessig
- Lawrence Lessig formally announced his presidential run at an event in New Hampshire on Wednesday. Admitting there was “uncertainty” around whether his run as a referendum candidate could succeed, Lessig referenced the Founding Fathers who established a representative democracy in the United States under similar conditions. Lessig said, “When they did that, nobody knew if it would work. But what they knew is what they had had failed. That's what I know. What we have has failed." (Vox)
Bernie Sanders
- Speaking on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, Bernie Sanders expressed his support for the Iran nuclear deal and suggested his Republican colleagues were hawkish. “It is my firm belief that the test of a great nation with the most powerful military on earth is not how many wars it can engage in, but how it can use our strength and our capabilities to resolve international conflicts in a peaceful way. I believe it is incumbent upon us to give the negotiated agreement the chance to succeed,” Sanders said. (CNN)
- Sanders, in partnership with U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), is set to introduce the Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015 on Thursday. “There is no rational reason why Americans should pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. The result of that is people are dying and becoming much sicker because they can’t afford the medicines they need,” Sanders said in an interview on Wednesday. (The Wall Street Journal)
Republicans
- Daniel Garza, the executive director of LIBRE Initiative, a conservative Latino group funded by the Koch brothers, wrote an open letter opposing some Republican presidential candidates’ immigration proposals. Rejecting calls for the mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants and the end of birthright citizenship, Garza wrote, “It is important that we enforce our immigration laws. … Enforcement efforts should be reasonable and broadly supported by the American people. However, they should not unduly intrude on the lives of law-abiding Americans, or impose an unwarranted cost on the taxpayers. Regrettably, the ideas listed above fail these prudent tests.” (NPR)
- Lindsey Graham, Jim Gilmore and George Pataki did not qualify to participate in the Heritage Action candidate forum in South Carolina next week because none had an average of 1 percent support or more in national polls in August. (The Hill)
Jeb Bush
- In an unaired clip from Jeb Bush’s interview with Stephen Colbert this week, Bush suggested he supported expanding firearm background checks. “In Florida, where I was governor, we have a requirement of background checks, a 72-hour waiting period. We’re not violating any Second Amendment rights. In fact, Florida would be considered a Second Amendment, pro-gun state. Gun violence is way down. But we have simple checks to make sure that people that aren’t criminals are not accessing guns. … I think the next step is to figure out ways to make sure that we know if people have mental health issues, which is really the common denominator of a lot of these violent, tragic cases where people aren’t getting access to mental health and we don’t even know if they have real issues,” Bush said. (ThinkProgress)
- According to a CFO Council survey of business leaders, 78 percent believe Bush will win the GOP nomination. This was an increase of 6 points from the previous quarter’s survey. (CNBC)
Ben Carson
- Ben Carson is scheduled to visit Ferguson, Missouri, on Friday. Although Carson’s campaign did not state why they selected Ferguson to tour, the city has been the site of conflict and protests against racial inequality and police brutality. (CNN)
- On Wednesday, MarketWatch highlighted Carson’s rise in the polls despite limited air time and modest ad buys. Carson climbed to second place in several polls following the first Republican debate last month even though he only had 1.2 percent of the media share in the two weeks after, a significantly smaller figure than Trump’s share of 72 percent over the same time period. (MarketWatch)
- When Carson was asked what differentiates him from Trump on Wednesday, he responded, "I've realized where my success has come from, and I don't in any way deny my faith in God. And I think that is the big difference.” He added, “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life and that's a very big part of who I am. I don't get that impression with (Trump.) Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't get that." (CNN)
Chris Christie
- John Currie, the chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, wrote a letter to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation on Wednesday drawing attention to the upcoming second anniversary of Bridgegate. In advance of Christie’s visit to the state, Currie wrote, “Given that you may even be expected coordinate his travel with his state police detail, I wanted to put this anniversary on your radar, and urge you and your agency to be on alert for any shenanigans instigated by his campaign organization." (The Hill)
- A pro-Christie super PAC, America Leads, released its third ad on Wednesday. Entitled “Stand Up,” the ad focuses on Christie’s tax platform. (CBS News, YouTube)
Ted Cruz
- According to The New York Times, Mike Huckabee’s campaign prevented Ted Cruz from speaking at the rally in support of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis on Tuesday. One Huckabee aide told Politico, “We planned, paid for, and promoted the event and Sen. Cruz showed up the day of and tried to take it over. It would have been the equivalent to us showing up at their religious liberty event in Iowa a couple weeks ago, claiming it was our event, and expecting to give the keynote speaking role. First time any of us have ever seen a presidential candidate crash another candidate's event without so much as reaching out to get permission to attend. Bizarre." (The New York Times, Politico)
- Cruz invited several House Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), to meet with him to discuss how to defund Planned Parenthood. “It's unclear how much sway Cruz holds among House Republicans after the 2013 shutdown. Many admitted that showdown over Obamacare was a mistake and future fights over funding shouldn't put the party in a similar position,” CNN reported. (CNN)
- A spokesman for Cruz said on Wednesday that Cruz did not support accepting a large number of refugees from the Middle East. “Sen. Cruz is advocating for humanitarian assistance to the refugees from both Syria and Iraq and North Africa. However, given the logistical challenges and the security risk posed by resettling large numbers of them far afield in the U.S., he is not in favor of this plan if the ultimate intent is to return them to their homes. As I’m sure you are aware, Cuba is 90 miles from the United States, so this was not the case with the senator’s father,” the spokesman said, referring in closing to Cruz’s father who was a refugee from Cuba. (The Daily Beast)
Carly Fiorina
- According to political experts at USA Today on Wednesday, Carly Fiorina has risen in their weekly power rankings to third from sixth place. “The CNN debate controversy put her in the spotlight and many people took a look at her for the first time and liked what they saw,” one Tea Party activist noted. (USA Today)
- Fiorina responded to Donald Trump’s comments regarding her appearance in an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly on Wednesday night. She said, “Maybe, just maybe, I'm getting under his skin a little bit because I am climbing in the polls." (NBC News)
Jim Gilmore
- Along with Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, Jim Gilmore appeared at a rally against the Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday. He said, “The deal does not create peace, it only postpones war. Now President Obama says we have no choice. Well if we have no choice, it’s because he’s negotiated us into a no choice position. America is never in a no choice position.” (The Wall Street Journal)
Lindsey Graham
- Lindsey Graham suggested on Tuesday that Ted Cruz was intent on shutting down the government. “Just as sure as the sun rises and sets. At the end of the day, I think Ted Cruz is going to do this. He's going to be the purest of the pure and it will fail and he'll blame me and everybody else and the band goes on,” Graham said. He recommended he and his colleagues “say no to [Cruz] before [they] do more damage.” He also noted Cruz’s efforts could lead to big losses in 2016 elections. “You want to lose in 2016? Let it be seen that the Republicans in the House and Senate can't govern, then that's the end of our 2016 hopes,” Graham said. (U.S. News & World Report)
Mike Huckabee
- Mike Huckabee defended his campaign’s decision to block Ted Cruz from speaking at the rally for Kim Davis on Tuesday. “He can come, but he’s not free to come to an event that we’re putting together and invite himself on the program anymore than I could go a few weeks ago to his event in Des Moines and just show up and expect to be a speaker. It’s real simple,” Huckabee said in an interview on Wednesday. (The Blaze)
John Kasich
- John Kasich suggested on Tuesday that “dust-ups” like the jailing of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis could drive young people away from religion. “In this case, when young people, or people who are looking at what is religion all about, what is faith all about -- when they see dust-ups like this, my concern is they would go the other way and say, 'Look, I don't want anything to do with that,’” Kasich said. He added that although he believes in “traditional marriage,” there are “bigger fish to fry in terms of the whole issue of faith.” (The Huffington Post)
Bobby Jindal
- Bobby Jindal’s chief strategist, Curt Anderson, said Jindal is set to deliver an address to the National Press Club on Thursday where he will attack Donald Trump “as an unserious and substance-free carnival act.” (The Advocate)
Rand Paul
- Rand Paul has purchased $10,000 of ad time on CNN in Iowa and New Hampshire during next week’s Republican presidential debate. (Politico)
- In an interview with Glenn Beck on Wednesday, Paul said none of Donald Trump’s positions align with Tea Party values. “I think to me the most offensive of the positions that he’s taken isn’t that he was for Obamacare before he was against it, or that he’s for higher taxes or the government stimulus. It probably is this notion of private property. Most of his business deals have been predicated upon asking government to take land from other people,” Paul said. (The Blaze)
Rick Perry
- According to Kate Dawson, Rick Perry’s state director in South Carolina, Perry’s campaign did not close its headquarters in the state. Rather, it was moved to because of “safety concerns.” The location has one paid staffer and three volunteers. (WIS TV 10)
Marco Rubio
- Marco Rubio praised the diversity of the Republican field during a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Wednesday. “I’ve said repeatedly, I think we are blessed as a party to have so many qualified candidates — the Democrats can’t find even one. … It says something about the strength of the limited government, free enterprise movement, that you have not just a large field, but a diverse field. Of course, none of this gets covered in the mainstream media, but it’s the Republican Party that has two Hispanic Americans, one African American, one woman ... two bilingual candidates,” Rubio said. (New Hampshire Union Leader)
- According to a spokesperson, Rubio canceled a fundraiser in Minnesota on Thursday so he could be present in Washington, D.C., for a vote on the Iran nuclear deal. (StarTribune)
Rick Santorum
- Tweeting an article from the Chicago Sun-Times entitled “U.S. is wrong place for refugees,” Rick Santorum wrote, “I agree that Europe needs to deal with this problem. U.S. Already resettles 70% of UN refugees.” (Twitter, Chicago Sun-Times)
Donald Trump
- Donald Trump called on CNN to donate its profits from the Republican presidential debate next week to veterans groups. (Fortune)
- Speaking on Fox News on Tuesday night, Trump said the United States should accept some refugees from Syria. “I hate the concept of it, but on a humanitarian basis, you have to. This was started by President Obama when he didn't go in and do the job he should have when he drew the line in the sand, which turned out to be a very artificial line. But you know, it's living in hell in Syria. There's no question about it. They're living in hell, and something has to be done,” Trump said. (Politico)
- According to a CFO Council survey of business leaders, 0 percent believe Trump will win the GOP nomination. (CNBC)
- Trump explained his negative comments about Carly Fiorina’s appearance in a Fox News interview on Thursday. “Probably I did say something like that about Carly. I’m talking about persona, I’m not talking about look,” he said. He added that the media doesn’t publicize when he gets criticized for his hair. (Washington Times)
Scott Walker
- On Wednesday, Scott Walker expressed opposition to the United States accepting more Syrian refugees. Walker said, “No, we shouldn’t be taking on any more Syrian refugees right now. … In the last year, America has received almost 70,000 refugees of which nearly 2,000 are from Syria. We’ve spent something like $4 billion in humanitarian relief in terms of helping the situation in Syria. So we’re doing more than any other country in the world, and it’s got to be clear that the problem that has to be addressed is not the refugee issue — that’s a symptom. The real problem is this administration fails to deal with taking on ISIS.” (Wisconsin Public Radio)
- A Wisconsin Assembly committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would ban the use of fetal tissue obtained after January 1, 2015, in research. A spokesman for Walker said he was “uncommitted” to such a ban. (Washington Times)
- Walker is set to announce his labor policy in Las Vegas on Monday. “We’re going to lay out some of the things we did in Wisconsin and how we can play it around the country. Our state’s one of only two in the country that has a fully funded pension system,” Walker said. (Raw Story)
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
