Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - August 8, 2016
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Monday's Leading Stories
- U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) endorsed Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson on Friday, becoming the first member of Congress to do so. He told The New York Times the advice he had for other Republicans frustrated with Donald Trump: “When their own conscience is seared by some statement that Trump has made, I have encouraged them to be direct and also, in a timely manner, repudiate what he said. People will respect it if you have a reason and you put it out there.” (The New York Times)
- Ohio Gov. John Kasich said in an interview that aired on CNN on Sunday that although he could not vote for Hillary Clinton, he could not say that he supported Donald Trump, either. "There's so much water over the dam now, it's become increasingly difficult. But I want, you know, unifying,” he said. Kasich also confirmed a story reported by The New York Times that Donald Trump Jr. had contacted Kasich’s campaign to offer him an expansive vice presidency including control of both domestic and foreign policy. "That's what one of them has told me, yes,” Kasich said. (CNN)
Polls
- In an IBD/TPP national poll released on Friday, Hillary Clinton led Donald Trump by seven points, 46 percent to 39 percent. “On favorability, Clinton gained 4 points, while Trump lost 4 points, compared with the poll ahead of the conventions; Clinton now leads on this measure 43% to 33%. And despite the fact that much of the Republican convention was spent attacking Clinton's honesty and trustworthiness, her ratings -- as well as Trump's -- are unchanged from last month,” the pollsters found. (Investor's Business Daily)
- Clinton held an eight-point lead over Trump in a Washington Post/ABC News poll released on Sunday, 50 percent to 42 percent. The survey also found that Clinton benefited from a larger post-convention bounce than Trump and strong public disapproval of how Trump responded to the Khan military family. (The Washington Post)
- CBS News/YouGov released three battleground state tracking polls on Sunday that found Clinton ahead of Trump by double digits in Virginia and in close heats with Trump in Nevada and Arizona. (CBS News)
- Arizona: Trump (44 percent) vs. Clinton (42 percent) vs. Johnson (4 percent) vs. Stein (2 percent);
- Nevada: Clinton (43 percent) vs. Trump (41 percent) vs. Johnson (4 percent) vs. Stein (3percent);
- Virginia: Clinton (49 percent) vs. Trump (37 percent) vs. Johnson (7 percent) vs. Stein (2 percent).
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
- While speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists' joint convention on Friday, Hillary Clinton addressed comments she made earlier in the week that FBI Director James Comey had said she was “truthful,” saying she “may have short-circuited it and for that, I will, you know, try to clarify.” She continued, “I have acknowledged repeatedly that using two email accounts was a mistake and I take responsibility for that but I do think having him say that my answers to the FBI were truthful and, then I should quickly add, that what I said was consistent with what I said publicly and that's really in my view ties my both ends together.” (CNBC)
- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote an op-ed for The Los Angeles Times on Friday titled, “I support Hillary Clinton. So should everyone who voted for me.” He wrote, “I understand that many of my supporters are disappointed by the final results of the nominating process, but being despondent and inactive is not going to improve anything. Going forward and continuing the struggle is what matters. And, in that struggle, the most immediate task we face is to defeat Donald Trump.” (The Los Angeles Times)
- Chuck Canterbury, the president of the National Fraternal Order of Police, said in a phone interview on Friday with The Hill that the Clinton campaign was not actively seeking the endorsement of the police union, which has 335,000 members. “You would think with law enforcement issues so much in the news that even if she had disagreements with our positions, that she would’ve been willing to say that,” Canterbury said, noting that the Clinton campaign declined to fill out a questionnaire necessary for the union’s endorsement. (The Hill)
- The Detroit Free Press reported that former Gov. William Milliken (R-Mich.) endorsed Clinton on Monday. “This nation has long prided itself on its abiding commitments to tolerance, civility and equality. We face a critically important choice in this year's presidential election that will define whether we maintain our commitment to those ideals or embark on a path that has doomed other governments and nations throughout history,” he said in a statement. (The Detroit Free Press)
Republicans
- The chief policy director of the House Republican conference, Evan McMullin, is expected to launch a presidential campaign backed by some in the anti-Trump movement. “Sources said McMullin was planning to file his paperwork Monday at around noon. Apart from his low profile, his candidacy will face other substantial hurdles in gaining traction — especially with ballot access and fundraising. But people close to the effort suggested McMullin would have the backing of serious Republican donors and fundraisers,” BuzzFeed reported.(BuzzFeed)
Donald Trump
- On Friday, Donald Trump announced his economic advisory council, which includes several billionaire investors and few economists. (The New York Times)
- After hedging last week about whether he would support House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in his reelection bid, Trump endorsed Ryan on Friday. “We will have disagreements, but we will disagree as friends and never stop working together toward victory. And very importantly, toward real change. So in our shared mission, to make America great again, I support and endorse our speaker of the House, Paul Ryan,” said Trump during a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He also endorsed U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). (CNN)
- Trump repeatedly questioned Clinton’s mental stability and character during a rally in Iowa on Friday. “Unstable Hillary Clinton, lacks the judgment, temperament and moral character to lead this country – and I believe that so strongly. She's really pretty close to unhinged, and you've seen, you've seen it a couple times. The people in the background know it, the people who know her know it and she's like an unbalanced person,” he said. (CNN)
- Trump is expected to announce a new tax proposal on Monday that would allow parents to deduct the cost of childcare expenses. “We don’t want it to be an economic disadvantage to have children,” an aide said, according to Reuters. (Reuters)
- CBS News reported on how Trump handled an audit of his first hotel that ultimately concluded it did not appropriately pay New York City $3 million in rent. Attorneys initially declined the audit, which certified public accountant John Lieberman characterized as “a very, very unusual thing.” A substantial amount of the hotel’s financial information was also reportedly missing. (CBS News)
Third Party Candidates
- U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer dismissed a federal lawsuit on Friday brought by Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, and their respective parties against the Commission on Presidential Debates for antitrust violations during the 2012 presidential election. "Plaintiffs’ alleged injuries are wholly speculative and are dependent entirely on media coverage decisions. The alleged injuries––failure to receive media coverage and to garner votes, federal matching funds, and campaign contributions—were caused by the lack of popular support of the candidates and their parties sufficient to attract media attention,” wrote Collyer. (Politico)
Jill Stein (Green Party)
- Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka formally received the Green Party’s nominations for president and vice president on Saturday. Stein said during her acceptance, “I want to thank Bernie Sanders supporters who refused to let the political revolution die. We have a tremendous opportunity before us. The American people are longing for a change. They are ready to do something different, and we have to be the vehicle for that difference." (NPR)
- In an interview on CNN on Saturday, Stein said that there was “no question” that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was a hero. Her running mate Baraka said in a separate interview, “Any time that we have efforts to bring information to the American people, to the world, is something worth supporting.” (CNN)
Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
- Gary Johnson wrote an op-ed in The Hill on Friday to encourage voters to consider him as an alternative to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. He highlighted his record as a governor and critiqued Clinton’s foreign policy. (The Hill)
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