Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - August 12, 2016
From Ballotpedia
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Friday's Leading Stories
- On Thursday, a group of more than 70 Republicans, including former members of Congress and Republican National Committee (RNC) staffers, sent an open letter to RNC Chair Reince Priebus requesting that that party’s resources be spent on Senate and House races rather than Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. “We believe that Donald Trump’s divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide, and only the immediate shift of all available RNC resources to vulnerable Senate and House races will prevent the GOP from drowning with a Trump-emblazoned anchor around its neck,” they wrote. (Politico)
- On Thursday, conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt called on Trump to clarify remarks he made the day before that President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were the founders of ISIS. Hewitt said, “You meant that he [Obama] created the vacuum, he lost the peace.” Trump said, “No, I meant he’s the founder of ISIS. I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way, Hillary Clinton.” On Friday morning, Trump tweeted that his comments were “sarcasm.” In another tweet, he continued, “I love watching these poor, pathetic people (pundits) on television working so hard and so seriously to try and figure me out. They can't!” (The New York Times, The Hill)
Polls
- Donald Trump holds a narrow lead over Hillary Clinton in North Carolina with 41 percent to Clinton’s 39 percent. Gary Johnson received 5 percent support and Jill Stein 2. (Public Policy Polling)
- In an Opinion Savvy survey of Florida voters released on Thursday, Clinton and Trump were nearly tied with 45 percent and 44 percent, respectively. (Opinion Savvy)
- Trump has the advantage in Iowa, according to a new poll from Suffolk University, with 41 percent to Clinton’s 40 percent. (Suffolk University)
- Gravis Marketing released three polls on Thursday, finding Clinton ahead in Maine and New York and Trump in the lead in Georgia.
- Trump leads Clinton by double digits in Texas with 46 percent support to Clinton’s 35, according to a KTVT-CBS 11/Dixie Strategies poll released on Friday. (CBS Dallas-Fort Worth)
Democrats
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) said on Thursday that last year’s hack of the Democratic National Committee, which included the private email accounts of some party officials, was “an electronic Watergate.” She told reporters, “The Russians broke in. Who did they give the information to? I don't know. Who dumped it? I don't know. But I do know that this is a Watergate-like electronic break in. And anyone who would exploit for the purpose of embarrassment or something like that is an accomplice to that." (CNN)
Hillary Clinton
- On Wednesday, the political arm of the National Rifle Association launched a $3 million ad campaign against Hillary Clinton in battleground states Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nevada, and North Carolina. A narrator says in the ad, “Tours the world on private jets. Protected by armed guards for 30 years. But she doesn't believe in your right to keep a gun at home for self defense." A spokeswoman from the NRA said it was the most expensive pro-Donald Trump ad buy of the election season. (CNN)
- Politico reported on Thursday that Clinton has assembled an advisory team on climate change of more than 100 experts, including former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), and many former Obama administration officials. (Politico)
- Clinton delivered an economic policy speech on Thursday in Warren, Michigan, aimed at rebutting Donald Trump’s new economic proposals. She criticized his plan to reduce the top personal tax rate to 33 percent and to tax pass-through income at 15 percent for small businesses, calling it “the Trump loophole.” She charged, "It would allow him to pay less than half the current tax rate on income from many of his companies. He'd pay a lower rate than millions of middle class families.” On trade, Clinton sought to reassure progressives in her party, saying, “I will stop any trade deal that kills jobs or holds down wages, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership I oppose it now. I’ll oppose it after the election. And I’ll oppose it as president.” (The Wall Street Journal, CNN)
Republicans
Donald Trump
- Former Trump staffer Vincent Bordini filed a lawsuit against the Trump campaign and North Carolina state director Earl L. Phillip for assault and battery on Wednesday. Bordini alleged that Phillip brandished his weapon and placed it against Bordini’s kneecap. At least four other staffers experienced similar behavior and the campaign never censured Phillip, according to the complaint. (Associated Press, Politico)
- Trump added nine new members to his economic advisory team on Thursday, including eight women, bringing some gender balance to the team which was previously comprised of 13 men. “Many of the new additions are donors, including Anthony Scaramucci, a top Republican fundraiser and New York investor; Diane Hendricks, a Republican fundraiser who is active in the Koch political network, which has refused to back Trump's campaign; and Liz Uihlein, who is a major party donor. One of the members, Judy Shelton, has been an outspoken advocate for the gold standard. Another, former New York lieutenant governor Betsy McCaughey, suggested in 2009 that the Affordable Care Act included a provision that would ‘absolutely require’ seniors on Medicare to attend a panel every five years on how to end their lives sooner,” The Washington Post reported. (The Washington Post)
- In an interview with The Miami Herald on Thursday, Trump said that he would accept American civilians suspected of terrorism being tried by a military tribunal in Guantánamo. “I would say they could be tried there, that would be fine,” he said. (The Miami Herald)
- Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) announced on Thursday that he was supporting Trump. “I think governing and campaigning are two different things. How you campaign is not necessarily how you're going to govern and vice versa. Again, he's never run for office before, so he doesn't have that traditional way of doing it,” Herbert said. (Deseret News)
Third Party Candidates
Jill Stein (Green Party)
- Jill Stein released the first two pages of her 2015 tax return on her campaign website on Thursday. She and her husband reported income of approximately $349,000. (Forbes)
- Stein tweeted on Thursday, “My attorney general will prosecute Exxon for lying to the world about climate change. We need to end fossil fuels before it's too late.” (Twitter)
Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
- The Columbus Dispatch reported on Thursday that Gary Johnson was unlikely to qualify for the Ohio ballot in November after the Libertarian Party submitted a petition with a placeholder candidate. (The Columbus Dispatch)
- Politico published a profile of Gary Johnson’s performance on the campaign trail and the virtual operation of his campaign. (Politico)
- The Americans Deserve Better super PAC has launched a pro-Johnson ad campaign in Maine with the tagline, “Vote for the adults.” (Reason)
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