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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - September 23, 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
- Hillary Clinton announced yesterday that she opposes the Keystone XL pipeline. “I think it is imperative that we look at the Keystone pipeline as what I believe it is -- a distraction from important work we have to do on climate change,” Clinton said. She continued, “And unfortunately from my perspective, one that interferes with our ability to move forward with all the other issues. Therefore I oppose it.” The announcement spurred a number of responses from other candidates via Twitter. Bernie Sanders tweeted, “I’m glad that @HillaryClinton finally has made a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline and I welcome her opposition.” Jeb Bush tweeted, “@HillaryClinton finally says what we already knew. She favors environmental extremists over U.S. jobs.” (CNN Politics, USA Today)
- Poll: Public Policy Polling released a poll on Tuesday that showed Donald Trump continuing to lead in Iowa at 24 percent, with Ben Carson following at 17 percent and Carly Fiorina in third at 13 percent. Bush is polling at 6 percent, a fall from his previous support. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton leads in Iowa with 43 percent, followed by Bernie Sanders at 22 percent and Joe Biden at 17 percent. (Public Policy Polling, Saint Peters Blog)
- Poll: A Hot Air and Townhall Media Group national survey released yesterday shows that Trump still leads the GOP field at 23.77 percent, followed by Ben Carson at 14.86 percent and Carly Fiorina at 10.38 percent. Carson improved from 8.13 percent in August and Fiorina moved from fifth place in August to her current position in third place. However, a fifth of all Republican primary voters polled still remain undecided, potentially leaving room for changes in the race. (Hot Air, Wall Street Journal)
- Poll: According to a Florida Atlantic University poll released this morning, Donald Trump led in Florida with 31.5 percent of the vote, followed by Marco Rubio at 19.2 percent and Jeb Bush at 11.3 percent. The poll also showed that Clinton led the Democratic field with 59.5 percent followed by Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders at 15.9 and 15.2 percent, respectively. However, though Clinton led the Democrats, she was defeated in head-to-head matchups with Rubio and Carson in the poll. (Florida Atlantic University, Sun-Sentinel)
- Poll: A Bloomberg Politics national poll released this morning shows that Hillary Clinton leads at 33 percent, followed by Biden at 25 percent and Bernie Sanders at 24 percent. However, Biden captured a higher overall favorability rating of 80 percent to 14 percent, while Clinton polled at 70 percent to 25 percent. (Politico, Bloomberg Politics)
Democrats
Joe Biden
- United Talent Agency managing director Jay Sures has thrown his support behind Joe Biden. Sures has been a major political fundraiser in the Hollywood scene in the past and has hinted that other major celebrities may decide to back Biden, drawing some support away from Hillary Clinton, who has dominated the Hollywood fundraising scene. (Hollywood Reporter)
- On Monday, Biden spoke at the 40th leadership summit of the U.S.-India Business Council and stated, “Our goal is to become India's best friend.” He continued, “The president and I, and the entire administration believe that the India-U.S. relationship will be a relationship that will go a long way in defining the 21st century.” (India West, Market Watch)
- Biden spoke at the annual conference for Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Washington on Tuesday where he commented on racial bigotry in America. “Prosperity hasn’t always been shared fairly. The vestiges of slavery, Jim Crow and segregation have maintained systematic barriers,” said Biden. (The Blaze)
Lincoln Chafee
- Lincoln Chafee responded to Mike Huckabee’s comments over that weekend that criticized Obama’s nomination of a gay man for Army secretary as an appeasement to American homosexuals. “Enough of the bigotry Mr. Huckabee,” said Chafee. “Eric Fanning should be evaluated solely for his qualifications, record and vision for the job. The law forbids discrimination on the basis of his race, color, religion, creed, sex, or sexual orientation.” (Washington Blade)
Hillary Clinton
- Federal judges have urged that more staffers be assigned to sift through Hillary Clinton’s emails contained on her private email server and that the emails be filed electronically by the end of this week. (Washington Times)
- The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America union endorsed Clinton yesterday. (HuffPost Politics)
- Internap, the company Clinton used to manage her private email server, was hacked in 2011 during the same cyber attack that affected RSA Security. According to Breitbart, Internap appeared five times on the list of compromised entities during that attack and other denial-of-service attacks during that period. (Breitbart)
- According to Politico, new emails relating to Benghazi from Clinton’s server have been discovered in a filing on Monday related to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the conservative group Citizens United. The emails were not previously delivered to the House Committee on Benghazi. "To the best of their knowledge, the [sic, Congress] do not have these documents either, even though they are under subpoena for an extended period of time," said Citizens United President David Bossie. State Department spokesman Alec Gerlach said that there has been no intention to impede the proceedings. (Politico)
- Turing Pharmaceuticals increased the price on Daraprim by 5,000 percent from $13.50 to $700 per tablet in August, but due to public backlash, promised on Tuesday to scale back its price increase. Clinton tweeted, “Good that Turing will lower an essential drug's price. Hillary's plan would prevent price gouging in the first place.” (Twitter, CBS News)
Lawrence Lessig
- Lawrence Lessig published an article in the Daily Beast yesterday discussing the disconnect between voters and politicians. “We’ve entered the age of the ‘veto-ocracy’ … when small numbers of concentrated interests have the power to block change,” wrote Lessig. Later in the same article he also wrote, “Campaigns are about ‘yes we can.’ Actually, you know, we can’t, at least until we fix this broken democracy doesn’t fit the ordinary stump speech. However true it may be, politicians can’t talk about it. Because if they talk about it, they won’t win.” (Daily Beast)
Martin O’Malley
- Martin O’Malley accused Donald Trump of “shameless pandering to the National Rifle Association” on Tuesday because of Trump’s plan to decrease gun regulations. (Washington Times)
- O’Malley will return to Iowa for five events this weekend, including two visits to Des Moines. (Des Moines Register)
- Yesterday, O’Malley criticized Ben Carson’s recent statement that a president should not be Muslim. "I believe the vast majority of Americans don't disqualify a candidate for President based upon his or her religious affiliation," O'Malley said. "I think that's sad, bigoted language that's a vestige of our past." (Talking Points Memo)
Bernie Sanders
- Bernie Sanders stood on the Senate floor when Pope Francis arrived in the United States yesterday and praised the pope for "speaking out with courage and brilliance about some of the most important issues facing our world." (Washington Post)
- The U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) Education Fund did a study on how implementing federal matching of campaign funds from small donors would affect the presidential race, and concluded that Sanders would be the biggest winner. One caveat of this study, however, was that it did not take into account the impact of super PACs on the fundraising scale. (NPR)
Jim Webb
- Jim Webb posted on Facebook that President Obama should send a strong message about China’s military expansion to the Chinese during their current visit to the United States. Webb posted, “The United States President has an obligation to speak directly to the threats of the behavior of China's unelected, autocratic government. It is paramount that President Obama deal strongly with China. This visit is an opportunity that must be seized to do that face-to-face.” (Facebook)
Republicans
- South Carolina’s Republican primary filing deadline is next Wednesday, September 30, 2015. In order to file, candidates must pay a fee of $40,000, a price that may cause some campaigns to struggle, according to NBC News. (NBC News)
Jeb Bush
- On Tuesday, Jeb Bush proposed a “regulatory budget” designed to ensure that the cost of any new regulation would be offset by the savings of another, a proposal that threatens the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law. He also advocated that many regulations be “repealed or reformed,” including net neutrality rules for the internet and limits on carbon emissions. (Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Examiner)
- In response to Ben Carson's statement that a Muslim should not be president, Bush said he did not "think religion should be a criteria" for the office. (Huffington Post)
Ben Carson
- On Tuesday, Ben Carson clarified his comments against a Muslim taking office as president. “I said I would support anyone regardless of their background if in fact they embrace American values and our Constitution and are willing to place that above their beliefs," Carson clarified. On Monday night he also posted on Facebook, “I could never support a candidate for president of the United States that was Muslim and had not renounced the central (tenet) of Islam: Sharia Law… I know that there are many peaceful Muslims who do not adhere to these beliefs. But until these tenets are fully renounced ... I cannot advocate any Muslim candidate for President." Carson maintains that his position has been consistent throughout his comments on the issue. (CNN Politics, Wall Street Journal, Fox News)
Chris Christie
- Chris Christie is embarking on a campaign tour with at least 13 fundraising stops over the next few weeks into October. The events will take place in locations from New York City to Texas. (Wall Street Journal)
- According to a study released on Monday by Truth in Accounting, New Jersey has the highest state debt at per taxpayer in the nation calculated at $52,300. Sheila Weinberg, CEO of Truth in Accounting, said, “I urge Gov. Chris Christie and his administration to acknowledge their state’s true debt and address this situation immediately before New Jersey sinks further into debt.” (Watchdog New Jersey, Watchdog)
Ted Cruz
- Ted Cruz criticized Republican leadership in Congress on Tuesday, saying that Democrats are really the current Congressional leaders. “The position of Republican leadership boils down to this: They will support 100% of the priorities of Democrats," said Cruz. "Today, the leader in the Senate is Harry Reid because Republican leadership has said nothing will pass without Harry Reid's support. Today, the leader is the House is Nancy Pelosi." (CNN Politics)
- Yesterday, Cruz advocated that Congress should threaten to shut down the government in a final effort to oppose the Iran nuclear deal and demand further information from President Obama regarding “secret side deals.” (Forward)
Carly Fiorina
- "Citizen Carly," a campaign ad documentary from a pro-Carly Fiorina super PAC, premiered last night for a select audience in Washington, D.C., and will be released in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in the near future. The aim of the film is to “get people acquainted with Carly on a much more intimate level.” (NBC News)
Lindsey Graham
- Lindsey Graham said of Donald Trump on Tuesday, “He plans to go to Syria and take their oil for our benefit. That will turn the whole Middle East against us." In the same interview, he also commented generally on radical Islam: “If you want to destroy radical Islam you have to work with people in the faith. The good news is the overwhelming majority of Muslims throughout the world are not buying what ISIL is selling. They don't want to turn their daughters over to ISIL." (Newsmax)
- Lindsey Graham reaffirmed his intentions to stay in the presidential race on Tuesday. "I'm going to fight to be commander-in-chief for the finest fighting force in the history of the world," Graham said. "They had our back, I'm going [sic] have their back, that's why I'm running." (Newsmax)
- An abortion bill by Graham designed to restrict abortions after 20 weeks gestation was blocked in the U.S. Senate yesterday by a vote of 54-42. (WLTX 19)
Mike Huckabee
- In response to Scott Walker’s appeal to other GOP contenders to leave the race and clear the field, Mike Huckabee said on Tuesday that he was in “for the long haul.” (CNBC)
- On Monday, Huckabee disagreed with Ben Carson’s opinion that a Muslim should not be president. “Well, there’s no religious test for a person to hold public office in America,” Huckabee said. “I think it would depend on the individual. I don’t think we should just disqualify somebody because of his or her faith, whether that person is a Muslim or Christian.” (Mediaite)
- Huckabee wrote an op-ed for the Daily Caller yesterday regarding the LGBT and abortion rights activists whom President Obama invited to attend Pope Francis’ visit to the White House. Claiming Obama has turned the Pope’s visit “into a politicized cattle call for gay and pro-abortion activists,” Huckabee wrote, “Welcoming a pro-life, pro-marriage leader at the White House with a crowd of abortion and gay rights activists is as classy as hosting an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with an open bar. President Obama should be ashamed of himself.” (Daily Caller)
John Kasich
- According to CNN, John Kasich is turning his attention to Iowa more aggressively now that Scott Walker has dropped out of the race. (CNN Politics)
- When asked about his low poll performance on Tuesday, Kasich answered, “National polls don’t matter right now. What matters is a little bit what happens in the caucus in Iowa but then what really matters is what happens in New Hampshire and right now I’m in the top tier in New Hampshire in a very short period of time.” (Columbus Dispatch)
- Kasich commented yesterday on Walker’s decision to drop out of the race. "Well, I heard that he was running his own campaign and that never works. I think he's a great guy, extraordinarily young," said Kasich. "But he will have another chance. Because as he gets older, he will become centered on the things that really matter to him." (Talking Points Memo)
Bobby Jindal
- This week, Bobby Jindal’s campaign manager Timmy Teepell said that Jindal was still committed to the 2016 race. “We are in this campaign, and have built a lean, mean machine with a low-burn rate,” said Teepell. “We’re going to go to Iowa, and we’re going to spend time in Iowa, and we expect to win Iowa. Folks in Iowa take their time in deciding, their responsibility seriously, so you need to have a campaign built to last and give voters time to evaluate your candidate.” (Washington Times)
Rand Paul
- Rand Paul said yesterday that he would oppose a Muslim becoming president, but that some questions would need to be asked to ascertain if the person’s views were radical or not. He said he could support a Muslim candidate “if they support the things that made America great -- constitutional principles, Bill of Rights -- but some of those are inconsistent with the interpretation of the Quran that's being put forward." (CNN Politics)
- Paul continued his criticism of Trump on Tuesday by once again calling him a “fake conservative.” (Newsmax)
- Rand Paul said on Monday that he would probably eliminate a special, quicker immigration process for Cubans. “I’d probably at this point just make the policy consistent with the rest of immigration policy,” he said. (BuzzFeed)
- Paul commented on the Pope’s statements about capitalism in an interview with Catholic Radio yesterday. “I hope it’s a message that’s not overly critical of our country or the system that’s made us the richest country in the world and also the most humanitarian,” said Paul. “I don’t know enough to understand what he’s been saying about capitalism and I hope it’s not directly an insult to our country or to our system, but I am interested in learning more about what his opinions are and seeing exactly what he has to say.” (BuzzFeed)
Marco Rubio
- Marco Rubio received criticism from DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Tuesday for planning a fundraiser at the home of Harlan Crow, who has collected art from Adolf Hitler. She said, "Holding an event in a house featuring the artwork and signed autobiography of a man who dedicated his life to extinguishing the Jewish people is the height of insensitivity and indifference. There’s really no excuse for such a gross act of disrespect. Mr. Rubio, who by the way, represents a sizable Jewish population in our home state of Florida, should cancel this tasteless fundraiser.” (Politico)
- Rubio stated in an interview on Monday that he thought Planned Parenthood creates an environment that pushed women into abortions. “Now what you've done is created an industry, now what you've done is created an incentive for people to be pushed into abortions so that those tissues can be harvested and sold for a profit,” said Rubio. When asked if that statement might be a stretch, he answered, “No, absolutely. If you got to these centers, young women are provided very few options, in many places they're not told anything about, for example, adoption services that may be available to them. The idea that, in essence, you come in and it's already pre-determined, this is what place [sic] this place does. It provides abortions, and we are going to channel you in this direction.” (Business Insider)
Rick Santorum
- On Tuesday, Rick Santorum warned that the United States is not adequately prepared for a cyber attack. “The private sector is not prepared. You don’t know about a lot of these attacks because the private companies don’t want to tell you,” he said. Santorum also commented, “Right now the country is under attack. I can guarantee you that we are under cyber-attack. It is a very dangerous situation and we need to have the technology to find out what the bad guys are doing.” (Des Moines Register)
Donald Trump
- Donald Trump wrote a cease and desist letter to Club for Growth in an effort to halt anti-Trump ads the organization released in Iowa. The letter claims the ads contain “outright lies, false, defamatory and destructive statements and downright fabrications which you fully know to be untrue.” Trump also released a statement, saying, “I am not surprised the dishonest, irrelevant and totally failing Club for Growth has resorted to attacking the definitive front runner, especially after I refused to contribute to their pathetic group.” Club for Growth responded, “Trump's own statements prove that our ads are accurate. They will continue to run. We suggest Donald grow up, stop whining, and try to defend his liberal record." (Politico)
- Trump tweeted out against Marco Rubio yesterday: “Senator Marco ‘amnesty’ Rubio, who has worst voting record in Senate, just hit me on national security-but I said don't go into Iraq. VISION.” (CNN Politics)
- Trump continued his criticism of Megyn Kelly with a tweet yesterday: “Do you ever notice that lightweight @megynkelly constantly goes after me but when I hit back it is totally sexist. She is highly overrated!” (MSNBC)
Scott Walker
- Various news outlets have provided analysis of and comments on Scott Walker’s withdrawal from the 2016 presidential race. Components of analysis include perceived changes in immigration and ethanol policies and an emphasis on unions that failed to gain widespread support, among other considerations. (NPR, NPR, PR Watch, Wall Street Journal)
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
