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Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - September 3, 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
- The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced a loyalty pledge on Wednesday to prevent Republican presidential candidates from running as third-party candidates in the general election. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus is set to meet with Donald Trump on Thursday prior to a news conference Trump has arranged in the afternoon. (The Washington Post)
- Bryan Pagliano, the former Hillary Clinton staffer who set up Clinton’s private email server, said he would invoke the Fifth Amendment after the Select Committee on Benghazi subpoenaed him. Clinton’s campaign released the following statement in response on Wednesday: “We have been confident from the beginning that Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email was allowed and that she did not send or receive anything marked classified, facts confirmed by the State Department and the Inspector General. She has made every effort to answer questions and be as helpful as possible, and has encouraged her aides, current and former, to do the same, including Bryan Pagliano." (NBC News)
- In a poll released by Loras College on Wednesday, Clinton led the Democratic field in Iowa with 48.2 percent. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden followed with 22.9 percent and 16.3 percent, respectively. Christopher Budzisz, a Loras pollster, said, “In all, it appears Sanders draws his support most from among those with the highest levels of formal education, of liberalism, and those with middle and upper income levels. Clinton does better with those with lower levels of education and of lower income status, as well as moderate and conservative likely Democratic caucus-goers.” (Loras College)
Democrats
Joe Biden
- At a Democratic Party fundraiser in Miami on Wednesday night, Joe Biden said he was “not a populist like Bernie [Sanders]” but noted Sanders “was doing a great job exciting his crowds.” (The Wall Street Journal)
- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) briefly discussed the meeting she had with Biden last month on Wednesday. She said, “We had lunch. We talked about policy. We talked about what's happening to America's middle class. ... It was a good, long, rambly policy conversation." She declined to state if the discussion veered to talk of a Biden-Warren ticket, saying, “It was a long conversation.” (CBS News)
Hillary Clinton
- Melissa Mark-Viverito, the New York City Council Speaker, endorsed Hillary Clinton on Wednesday in an op-ed for El Nueva Día, Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper. She wrote, “For Puerto Ricans — both on the island and throughout the diaspora — this election is the most important in our lifetime. Hillary's plan has shown she is not just a friend to the island; she will stand up for it." (CNN)
- Clinton wrote an op-ed in the New Hampshire Union Leader on Tuesday detailing how she would address substance abuse issues. “My plan sets five goals: empower communities to prevent drug use among teenagers; ensure every person suffering from addiction can obtain comprehensive treatment; ensure that all first responders carry naloxone, which can stop overdoses from becoming fatal; require health care providers to receive training in recognizing substance use disorders and to consult a prescription drug monitoring program before prescribing controlled substances; and prioritize treatment over prison for low-level and nonviolent drug offenders, so we can end the era of mass incarceration,” Clinton said. (New Hampshire Union Leader)
Martin O’Malley
- Martin O’Malley released a white paper on Wednesday promoting his plan to expand national service programs. O’Malley proposed to “double the Peace Corps, fully fund AmeriCorps to 250,000 positions – then double it again, create new federal jobs corps, help achieve full employment for America’s veterans, make service part of the college experience, expand education awards for service members to make college debt-free, [and] ask military recruiters to provide information about civilian service opportunities to all deemed ineligible for military service.” (CBS News, Martin O'Malley for President)
- O’Malley’s campaign urged supporters on Wednesday to protest the Democratic National Committee’s abbreviated debate schedule in a rally outside of the organization’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., on September 16. “It's important that we bring our call for more debates directly to the group that is restricting candidates' ability to debate. It's, frankly, undemocratic. Enough tweeting. Let's take action,” the campaign wrote in an email. (The Hill)
- Generation Forward, O’Malley’s super PAC, laid off more than 30 field organizers in Iowa last week. Ron Boehmer, a spokesman for the group, said, “We always had this plan where our first goal was to get the governor's' name ID up in the field. We are moving into the second phase of our campaign, which is going up with a digital and broadcast side. We intend to ramp up our field efforts later this fall after the debates." (CNN)
Bernie Sanders
- The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Bernie Sanders was nearing a joint fundraising agreement with the Democratic National Committee. “Bernie is committed to trying to build the resources of the party for the election since we believe Bernie will be the nominee of the Democratic Party,” Michael Briggs, Sanders’ spokesman, said. (The New York Times)
Republicans
- Breitbart’s poll of Republican primary voters in August found that four in five respondents “preferred non-politicians and anti-establishment candidates over anyone associated with the Washington, D.C. crowd or GOP establishment.” Donald Trump received 38.7 percent of the vote, followed by Ted Cruz with 26.6 percent and Ben Carson with 10 percent. (Breitbart)
Jeb Bush
- Slate suggested on Wednesday that Jeb Bush will carry through well into the Republican presidential primary regardless of his performance because of the fundraising haul he received before undergoing “a hazing trial” of some sort. “[B]y imbuing the Bush operation with more primary cash than has ever been seen, they have already ensured that the Bush campaign—even a clumsy, poll-trailing Bush campaign—can go deep into the 2016 primary calendar,” Slate said before arguing Bush’s longevity would come at the expense of a candidate like Marco Rubio. (Slate)
- According to Advertising Age, Bush’s super PAC, Right to Rise, spent nearly $700,000 on data-related expenses through June of this year. “While smaller election campaigns will be more reliant on party organizations to assist their data gathering and management efforts, larger statewide and presidential campaigns, along with their deep-pocketed PACs, can be expected to invest more cash than ever in enhanced voter data and analytics services. They'll use such services for refining field communications, to target digital, TV and mobile media buys, to manage new data coming in from the field and phone calls, and to measure effectiveness of campaign efforts for fundraising and persuasion purposes,” Advertising Age reported. (Advertising Age)
Ben Carson
- The Washington Post interviewed Ben Carson’s campaign manager, Barry Bennett, on Wednesday. Bennett said the biggest hurdle to Carson winning the Republican nomination was “getting some time at the microphone.” (The Washington Post)
- Although Donald Trump suggested Carson’s rise in Iowa was due to money his campaign spent on advertising, MSNBC reported Carson spent far less than other Republican candidates in the state with $184,000 going to TV ad buys as of September 1. Bobby Jindal, in comparison, spent $1.6 million over the same period. (MSNBC)
- Rupert Murdoch tweeted in support of Carson on Wednesday, writing, “Latest Iowa poll has Carson level with Trump. America land of hope versus fear.” (CNN)
Chris Christie
- Chris Christie released an ad on Wednesday highlighting his anti-abortion position and support for the treatment of substance abusers. “I believe that every life is precious. Not only for the baby in the womb, we need to be pro-life for the 16 year old drug addict who’s laying on the floor of the county jail,” Christie says in the video. (National Review, YouTube)
- In an interview on Fox News on Wednesday, Christie suggested President Obama had made “secret deals...with members of Congress to get their votes” in support of the Iran nuclear deal. He said, “I cannot believe a lot of these folks would actually agree to this without them getting something else from the president.” (CNN)
- Christie clarified comments he made over the weekend suggesting the government track visiting foreigners on visas using a system similar to FedEx’s. He said on Wednesday, “I don't mean people are packages. We should use biometric technology to track people who come as visitors. They are not immigrants, they are not immigrating here. They are here to visit for a period of time, get an education or do something we permit them to do to visit our country, and we should track those people and they should not stay over the period of time they do." (The Huffington Post)
Ted Cruz
- Ted Cruz took to Facebook on Wednesday night to defend a Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. “Our nation was founded by men and women fleeing religious oppression. They sought out a new world where they could worship God Almighty with all their heart, mind, and soul. Sadly, we’ve seen a war on faith break out across our nation, and we must be vigilant to protect the free exercise of religion – a value enshrined in our Constitution. We should make it possible for believers, such as Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis in Kentucky, to hold government jobs without having to violate their religious beliefs. We can work together to come up with alternative ways to ensure that government functions are accomplished without infringing on religious liberty,” Cruz wrote. (Facebook)
- Cruz held a fundraiser in Miami on Wednesday night to connect with “members of the Jewish community ‘deeply concerned’ about the Iran agreement” and Cuban Americans. (Tampa Bay Times)
Carly Fiorina
- Carly Fiorina rejected the suggestion on Wednesday that CNN changed its debate criteria for her as a form of “affirmative action.” She said, “It’s really kind of outrageous. When you earn it, people say it’s affirmative action. I earned this place by virtue of my position in the polls. No one else in the race has gone from the bottom 17 to the top 10. I have. I’ve earned it and I’m number four nationally in the latest poll.” (Politico)
Jim Gilmore
- Jim Gilmore backed the Republican National Committee’s efforts to prevent a third-party run from any Republican presidential candidate who does not win the party’s nomination. “If someone is going to go to the party and ask for their support, if they’re going to ask the rank and file for their vote, that comes with an obligation for loyalty, in my mind. Generally speaking, if you want the party’s support, that loyalty should be there,” Gilmore said. (The Washington Post)
Lindsey Graham
- In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday, Lindsey Graham said he was not pursuing the voting bloc Donald Trump had connected with. “Well, he’s consolidated all Republicans who think Obama’s a Muslim … and that he was born in Kenya. So whatever bloc that is [is] what he’s got. And I’m going for the other crowd. I’m going for the crowd that says, OK, I think he’s a Christian, I believe he was born in Hawaii, but he’s a bad president and he’s been a very poor commander in chief.” (The Washington Times)
- Security in Strength, a super PAC supporting Graham, spent $1 million on ad buys this week for a 30-second spot to air in New Hampshire. (Politico)
Mike Huckabee
- Mike Huckabee expressed support for Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk refusing to issue licenses to same-sex couples, in a statement on Wednesday. “I spoke with Kim Davis this morning to offer my prayers and support. I let her know how proud I am of her for not abandoning her religious convictions and standing strong for religious liberty. She is showing more courage and humility than just about any federal office holder in Washington," he said. (The Washington Post)
John Kasich
- On Wednesday, John Kasich said any increase in the minimum wage should be determined by the states. He added, “What I think is important on that is we all want to see it go up, but we don’t want to have the unintended consequences of having people lose their jobs.” (The Columbus Dispatch)
- Kasich said he would sign the Republican National Committee’s loyalty pledge, swearing to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee and not run as a third-party candidate. (The Washington Post)
- U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) endorsed Kasich on Wednesday. (John Kasich for President)
- Kasich stated marijuana legalization was a “terrible idea” during a campaign stop in Michigan. “So some drugs are okay but others aren't? We've got kids. Why don't we just say don't do drugs, period," he said. (MLive.com)
- Kasich declined to say on Wednesday that he would terminate the Iran nuclear deal immediately if he became president. Instead, Kasich said, “If it passes, if we see one violation of that agreement, I would slap on sanctions even if it's unilateral. And if I were president, I would hope it wouldn't be unilateral, because the Europeans are experiencing an awful lot of pressure over there, in many different ways. If the security of the United States and our allies are threatened, it's a whole new ball game." (The Washington Post)
Bobby Jindal
- On Wednesday, Bobby Jindal defended Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. He said, “I don't think anyone should have to choose between following their conscience and religious beliefs and giving up their job and facing financial sanctions. I think it's wrong to force Christian individuals or business owners. We are seeing government today discriminate against whether it's clerks, florists, musicians or others. I think that's wrong. I think you should be able to keep your job and follow your conscience. I absolutely do believe people have a First Amendment right, a constitutional right. I don't think the court can take that away." (The Huffington Post)
Rand Paul
- On Wednesday, Rand Paul suggested the heroin epidemic in New Hampshire could be addressed through increasing the employment rate. “People always come up to me and say, 'We got heroin problems and all these other problems.' You know what? If you work all day long, you don't have time to do heroin. … We need to attach work to everything. I don't think any able-bodied person in America should get a penny unless they work. No handouts, no gifts, no welfare. Everything should have work," Paul said. (New York Magazine)
- Paul’s campaign released an app on Wednesday to allow supporters to engage with the candidate. “A calendar lists Paul's public events, a meme generator helps supporters socialize their adoration of the gold standard and contempt for the surveillance state, and a Space Invaders clone pits Paul's campaign logo against the logos and slogans of his fellow presidential hopefuls. The app also sends push notifications, updating users on when Paul is preparing to vote on a bill in the Senate. Then it asks for feedback on how the senator should vote,” The Verge said in its description of the app. (The Verge)
Rick Perry
- Rick Perry no longer has any staff in New Hampshire, according to a former campaign advisor, Mike Dennehy. “There is no team in New Hampshire, he has no plans to come to New Hampshire. My unsolicited advice was to set up camp in Iowa and not leave. If he can break out of a slump he can do it in Iowa,” Dennehy said. (The Washington Post, CNN)
Marco Rubio
- Marco Rubio wrote an op-ed in the National Review on Tuesday explaining his energy production platform. Rubio said he would lift the ban on crude-oil exports, stop the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Clean Power Plan” and empower local and state governments to regulate energy production. (National Review)
- In response to the Kentucky county clerk denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Rubio argued on Wednesday that there needs to be “a balance between government’s responsibility to abide by the laws of our republic and allowing people to stand by their religious convictions.” (The New York Times)
Donald Trump
- When asked if he would support Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton in a hypothetical general election matchup, Donald Trump said, “Hillary was absolutely a horrendous secretary of state, probably the worst ever. I would have to go really with the Republican.” (CNN)
- Trump reacted to Jeb Bush’s attacks this week by saying he was paying for them with special interest money. “Well, I think he had really no choice. He’s doing very poorly in the polls, he’s a very low-energy kind of guy, and he had to do something. So they’re spending a lot of money on ads, and you know, he has a lot of money from the hedge fund guys, from the special interests, from lobbyists — he raised over a hundred million dollars, so they control him totally,” Trump said on Wednesday morning. (The Washington Times)
- In an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Trump attributed Ben Carson’s rise in Iowa polls to the “tremendous amount of advertising money” his campaign spent in the state. Trump added that he had not spent money there. (The Washington Times)
- Trump criticized Bush for speaking Spanish to press after a town hall in Miami on Tuesday. “I like Jeb; he’s a nice man. But he should really set the example by speaking English while in the United States,” Trump said. (ABC News)
- Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley criticized Trump’s rhetoric on Wednesday. “Every time someone criticizes him, he goes and makes a political attack back. That’s not who we are as Republicans. That’s not what we do,” she said. (The Washington Post)
Scott Walker
- Scott Walker wrote an op-ed in Hot Air on Wednesday addressing recent violence against police officers. He wrote, “In the last six years under President Obama, we’ve seen a rise in anti-police rhetoric. Instead of hope and change, we’ve seen racial tensions worsen and a tendency to use law enforcement as a scapegoat. This kind of attitude has created a culture in which we all too often see demonstrations and chants where people describe police as ‘pigs’ and call for them to be ‘fried like bacon.’ This inflammatory and disgusting rhetoric has real consequences for the safety of officers who put their lives on the line for us and hampers their ability to serve the communities that need their help.” (Hot Air)
- Unintimidated PAC, a super PAC supporting Walker, announced on Wednesday it had purchased $9.25 million in ad buys in South Carolina, New Hampshire and Nevada. (U.S. News & World Report)
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
