Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - September 24, 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 Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Wednesday the first three presidential debates in the general election will be held in Ohio, Missouri and Nevada. (Commission on Presidential Debates)
- Donald Trump committed to boycotting Fox News on Wednesday after the network canceled his scheduled appearance for the following day. He tweeted, “.@FoxNews has been treating me very unfairly & I have therefore decided that I won't be doing any more Fox shows for the foreseeable future.” After Rick Lowry, a conservative political commentator, appeared on Megyn Kelly’s show on Wednesday night and said Carly Fiorina had “castrated” Trump at the Republican presidential debate, Trump renewed his battle with the network. He called for Lowry to be fined by the FCC and Fox News to apologize. (CNN Money, The Washington Post)
- Hillary Clinton released her affordable healthcare and prescription drug platform on Wednesday. Under her plan, a patient could visit a doctor three times without it counting towards their annual deductible and families ineligible for Medicare could receive up to a $5,000 tax credit for out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. She would also impose a $250 monthly cap on prescription drugs for patients with chronic or serious health conditions. (U.S. News & World Report)
- Poll: Quinnipiac University released a national poll on Thursday finding Donald Trump leading Republican voters 25 percent to Ben Carson’s 17 percent. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton leads with 43 percent. Bernie Sanders follows with 25 percent. Joe Biden and Ben Carson “run strongest in general election matchups with other top contenders,” according to Quinnipiac University pollsters. (Quinnipiac University)
- Poll: In a national Fox News poll released on Wednesday, Donald Trump and Ben Carson lead the Republican field with 26 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio are tied for third with 9 percent. (Fox News)
- Poll: Hillary Clinton’s lead over Bernie Sanders has narrowed in the latest Fox News Poll. She registered 44 percent to Sanders’ 30 percent. Joe Biden rose to 18 percent. Clinton would benefit the most from Biden not running, with her lead over Sanders increasing to 56 percent over his 32 percent. (Fox News)
- Poll: A Zogby Analytics national poll of likely Democratic voters found Hillary Clinton atop the Democratic field with 52 percent. Bernie Sanders trailed behind with 24 percent. Clinton registered the most support from women (58 percent), Democrats (60 percent) and African Americans (65 percent). (Forbes)
Democrats
Joe Biden
- On Thursday, Joe Biden wrote an op-ed in for TIME regarding Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States. “Pope Francis is taking us back to the basics. He emphasizes what I have always believed to be the central mission of our faith—Catholic Social Doctrine—that cuts across all confessional faiths: What you do to the least among us, you do unto me; we have an obligation to one another; we cannot serve ourselves at the expense of others; we have a responsibility to future generations,” Biden said. (TIME)
Hillary Clinton
- On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton agreed to meet with Campaign Zero, a Black Lives Matter affiliate, to discuss police brutality prior to the release of her criminal justice platform. (CNN)
- In an extensive interview with The Des Moines Register on Wednesday, Clinton said, “The Republicans have made it clear in recent years that they are not only opposed to abortion, which they have been for quite some time. They’re increasingly opposed to family planning and contraception. This is a direct assault on a woman’s right to choose health care. Forget about abortion, which is something that a limited number of Planned Parenthood facilities perform, with not a penny of federal money.” (Washington Post)
Martin O’Malley
- Martin O’Malley criticized Hillary Clinton for waiting so long to make a statement in support of the U.S. receiving more Syrian refugees. “It's kind of the pattern of this campaign: We lead and she follows public opinion polls," O'Malley said. "I believe there's a big difference between forging a new consensus and putting your finger to the wind." (Baltimore Sun)
Bernie Sanders
- On Wednesday, Bernie Sanders compared Ben Carson’s statement that a Muslim should not be president to people who questioned whether a Catholic could be president. “As soon as he made that statement, we said that that was just very wrong. … How long did it take us to elect a Catholic to be a president of the United States in 1960? And people said, 'Oh my goodness! We don't want a Catholic. He's gonna be working for the Pope,” Sanders said. (CNN)
- According to the Washington Post, “Over the past few months, Sanders’s predominately white backers have used Twitter to target any black activist or journalist who dares question the candidate’s civil rights record.” L. Joy Williams, a political consultant, said Sanders should have distanced himself from the comments to signify he did not support them. (Washington Post)
Jim Webb
- Jim Webb was the only Democratic candidate to not attend the New Hampshire Democratic Party annual convention or the Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting in August. Although some party members have questioned Webb’s commitment to the presidential race, Webb has committed to “spend[ing] plenty of time in New Hampshire” and participating in the Iowa Jefferson-Jackson dinner in late October. (MSNBC)
Republicans
- Poll: In a national poll of Citizens United’s members, nearly 31 percent supported Donald Trump. Ted Cruz and Ben Carson followed with 18.5 percent and 17.4 percent, respectively. Given the “frustration with the Washington establishment,” Citizens United President Dave Bossie said it was unlikely an establishment candidate would rise. (Breitbart)
Jeb Bush
- Jeb Bush said on Tuesday that America “should not have a multicultural society,” calling it “the wrong approach.” He explained, “America is so much better than every other country because of the values that people share – it defines our national identity. Not race or ethnicity, not where you come from. When you create pockets of isolation – and in some cases the assimilation process is retarded because it's slowed down -- it's wrong. It limits people's' aspirations." (CNN)
- Bush was endorsed by three former U.S. ambassadors to the Vatican on Wednesday: James Nicholson, Francis Rooney and Mary Ann Glendon. (Newsmax)
Ben Carson
- According to Doug Watts, Ben Carson’s campaign communications director, Carson saw an uptick in donations following his comments about Islam being “incompatible” with the Constitution. On Wednesday, after the campaign sent an email where Carson declared, “I will not back down,” it received $300,000 in two hours. (NBC News)
- In a campaign event at a Christian college in Michigan, Carson said he did not want to see immigrants alter the country’s values and principles. He also called the “war on women” a “phony thing” and “all hype.” (Boston Herald)
Ted Cruz
- On Wednesday, Ted Cruz co-sponsored a bill to extend the Iran Sanctions Act by 10 years. (Fox News Latino)
- Cruz published an op-ed in Politico on Wednesday examining congressional Republican leadership’s “capitulation” to President Obama over defunding Planned Parenthood. “If Republican leadership actually tried to win, we would vote on one bill after another funding specific parts of the federal government. Fund it all, and let Democrats explain why they are filibustering funding for vital services to give $500 million to a private organization under criminal investigation,” Cruz wrote. (Politico)
Carly Fiorina
- In an interview with People, Carly Fiorina said she had “enormous admiration for Hillary Clinton.” She added, “We as women, especially in presidential politics, need to play by the same rules as the men. If we want to play this game as equals, we need to play by the same rules, and that means our track record is relevant. And so I never make a personal comment about Hillary Clinton – my criticism of her is fact-based, based on her actions and track record. And that is fair game." (People)
- In the same interview, Fiorina said Donald Trump “missed the point” when he called her “beautiful” at the Republican presidential debate last week. “The point is, whether a man thinks you're homely or a man thinks you're beautiful, it's not a topic of conversation when a woman is trying to do a job – whether it's president of the United States or secretary or anything else,” she explained. (People)
Lindsey Graham
- Lindsey Graham criticized John Kasich on Wednesday for saying the base realignment and closure process “makes everyone more efficient.” Graham condemned the shrinking size of the military at a time when there are “more threats to our nation” than ever before. He also said of service members, “I want to tell the people at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and all over the country: to those civilians who are supplying our military with the best equipment possible, that I'm not worried about keeping you on your toes. I want to have your back." (NBC News)
- In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Graham said that “the next 9/11 is most likely to come from Syria.” He pointed to Russia’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime and recruitment tactics for terrorist organizations. (The Hill)
Mike Huckabee
- On Wednesday, Mike Huckabee suggested that President Obama “pretends to be” a Christian. “"I'm less concerned about what faith the person has. I'm more concerned about the authenticity of their faith and how that plays out in their politics ... I'm also concerned about a guy that believes he's a Christian and pretends to be and then says he is, but then does things that makes it very difficult for people to practice their Christian faith," Huckabee said. (CNN)
Bobby Jindal
- Bobby Jindal said of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States and influence on U.S.-Cuba relations, “As a Catholic, I respect him. I admire him. I encourage every religious leader to weigh in on important political and social issues, I don’t think their voices should be excluded. I don’t always agree with him and the reality is I’m not required to always agree with him. … But when he gives his opinion on capitalism, when he gives his opinion on the relationship between American and Cuba, I’m not obligated, I don’t agree with that. And I don’t think that for example, he played a critical role in the negotiations between the Castros and this president. I think that was a mistake for America and I think it was a mistake for people who are fighting for human rights in Cuba. (BuzzFeed)
- Curt Anderson, Jindal’s chief strategist, questioned CNBC’s decision to not yet publicize the debate criteria. “There’s all sorts of theories on what the criteria will be. You have the RNC who famously said during the Fox debate that they’re not legally allowed to be involved now saying that they’re working with CNBC on the criteria. What does that mean? I don’t know. I kind of smell a rat here though,” Anderson said. (Breitbart)
Rand Paul
- Rand Paul is reportedly seeking out Scott Walker to supporters “to gain more momentum” by highlighting his “pro-business” positions. (FOX 46 Charlotte)
- Paul said President Obama was “not in compliance with law” by withholding some documentation related to the Iran nuclear deal. “Corker’s bill is a law. The president signed it, begrudgingly, but he did sign the bill. It is the law of the land that the president is supposed to send all of the paperwork, and any side agreements on the Iran agreement [are] supposed to come to us,” explained Paul. (Daily Signal)
Marco Rubio
- Although Marco Rubio described Pope Francis as “infallible” when making pronouncement on moral issues “from the chair of Peter,” he said that authority “does not extend to political issues, like the economy.” (The Blaze)
Rick Santorum
- On Tuesday, Rick Santorum dismissed Scott Walker’s call for more Republicans to drop out of the presidential race. “I've been through this before when I ran last time. There were months and months when people were calling on me to drop out. I appreciate his advice. I'll trust the people of Iowa to know when we should drop out of the race.” (The Des Moines Register)
- Santorum suggested on Tuesday that Bernie Sanders was gaining support with young people because Sanders promises to “legalize drugs and do all sorts of great stuff.” (The Huffington Post)
- Santorum called for Republicans to shift the debate on immigration and deportation away from “being compassionate.” He said, “Instead of thinking about the Mexican who is here, and being compassionate, any time we talk about the issue we need to talk about what is in the best interests of America. We have allowed Democrats to change the debate.” He added, “I am for an orderly process of removals.” (The Des Moines Register)
Donald Trump
- Donald Trump spoke at the South Carolina African-American Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday where he said he would overturn Dodd-Frank to help businesses. He also commented on how hot and sweaty his rivals were at the Republican presidential debate and said Hillary Clinton has “become very shrill.” The event was “one of the lowest turnouts for his campaign thus far,” according to CNN. (CNN, The New York Times)
- On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Trump defended his use of the word “shrill” to describe Clinton. “I know men that are shrill and it's just an expression that I thought of as I was speaking. I thought it was a very accurate expression would call Rand Paul shrill. I think he's shrill. I don't think that's a term that applies exclusively to women at all,” said Trump. (Washington Post)
- Trump will unveil his tax platform next week. (CNN)
- In an interview with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Trump said, “God is the ultimate. You know you look at this? Here we are on the Pacific Ocean. How did I ever own this? I bought it fifteen years ago. I made one of the great deals they say ever. I have no more mortgage on it as I will certify and represent to you. And I was able to buy this and make a great deal. That’s what I want to do for the country. Make great deals. We have to, we have to bring it back, but God is the ultimate.” (CBN)
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