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Florida Candidate Caught Removing Rival’s Flyers

August 9, 2018 at 1:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The tussle between two Republicans vying for a chance to capture the House District 69 seat has taken an unpleasant turn,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.

“Raymond Blacklidge (R) filed a report with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office accusing his rival, Jeremy Bailie (R), of stealing his campaign fliers from the doors of dozens of St. Pete Beach homes. And, Blacklidge said, his rival then replaced them with Bailie’s own campaign materials.”

Blacklidge’s wife posted a video to Facebook showing Bailie removing the flyers.

Gun Control Is the New Democratic Litmus Test

August 9, 2018 at 1:14 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “Democrats running for Congress in 2018 are pushing a muscular gun-control agenda that represents a wholesale repositioning on the hot-button issue. In this year’s midterm election, gun control has become a party litmus test from which few dissent, alongside abortion rights and support for same-sex marriage.”

“Six years ago, when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee advised candidates in rural districts to show themselves with guns in their TV ads, the National Rifle Association made campaign contributions to 30 Democratic House candidates. This year, the NRA is financially backing just three.”

Giuliani Gives 50-50 Odds Trump Will Talk to Mueller

August 9, 2018 at 1:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rudy Giuliani told CBS News that he’s “more optimistic” than he has been for weeks that a potential interview between President Trump and Special Counsel Robert Mueller might occur.

When asked what the odds were of an interview, Giuliani said: “I’d say 50-50.”

14-Year-Old Ethan Sonneborn Is Running for Governor

August 9, 2018 at 12:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Unlike most states, Vermont has no age requirement for gubernatorial candidates, only a residency requirement. Sonneborn, who has lived in Bristol for 14 years — his entire life — makes the cut.”

“With all those hurdles cleared, could Sonneborn… actually win the Democratic nomination on Aug. 14? Probably not. Age aside, he is hamstrung by very low name recognition, a problem that his adult Democratic opponents face as well. But hey, nobody thought a 14-year-old would actually run, let alone land himself on the ballot, let alone participate — and hold his own — against his adult competitors in several candidate forums.”

The Rise of Andrew Jackson

August 9, 2018 at 12:17 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This looks interesting: The Rise of Andrew Jackson: Myth, Manipulation, and the Making of Modern Politics by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler.

“The story of Andrew Jackson’s improbable ascent to the White House, centered on the handlers and propagandists who made it possible.”

What Likely Voters Think of Trump’s Family Separation

August 9, 2018 at 11:57 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Surveys show that the Trump Administration’s policy of separating families at the border has been very unpopular, with an average of 64% of registered voters opposing the policy. But sometimes asking people whether they “support” or “oppose” a policy doesn’t fully capture how they feel, so instead, we asked a national sample of likely voters:

What is the first word that comes to mind when you [read/hear] the following information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: In recent months the U.S. Government has placed many young children into custody after separating them from their migrant parents at the border.

The word cloud below summarizes the intense reactions likely voters had to separating migrant families. The larger the word, the more often it was said by our respondents: fully 24% of our sample said the first word that came to their mind was “sad” (108 respondents), “horrible” (75), “wrong” (72), or “disgusting” (71).

About the survey: A national sample of 1,379 likely voters interviewed online and by phone, July 3-12, 2018. The survey was funded by Cornell’s Center for the Study of Inequality.

Thanks to Peter K. Enns Associate Professor of Government and Executive Director of the Roper Center at Cornell University, Jonathon P. Schuldt Associate Professor of Communication at Cornell University and Adrienne Scott, Ph.D. Student in Government at Cornell University.

Collins Arrest Highlights the ‘Culture of Corruption’

August 9, 2018 at 11:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

James Hohmann: “Democrats see an opportunity to revive the ‘culture of corruption’ message that helped them win the House in 2006. Nancy Pelosi repeated almost the identical talking points on Wednesday that she used 12 years ago to link GOP candidates to Duke Cunningham, Jack Abramoff and Mark Foley.”

Said Pelosi: “The charges against Congressman Collins show the rampant culture of corruption and self-enrichment among Republicans in Washington today. The American people deserve better than the GOP’s corruption, cronyism and incompetence.”

Trump Voters Maintain ‘Warm’ Feelings Towards Him

August 9, 2018 at 11:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Pew Research: “In March, 82% of those who reported voting for Trump – and whom researchers were able to verify through voting records as having voted in 2016 – said they felt ‘warmly’ toward Trump, with 62% saying they had ‘very warm’ feelings toward him. Their feelings were expressed on a 0-100 ‘feeling thermometer.’ A rating of 51 or higher is ‘warm,’ with 76 or higher indicating ‘very warm’ feelings.”

“The views of these same Trump voters had been quite similar in November 2016: At that time, 87% had warm feelings toward him, including 63% who had very warm feelings.”

Nate Cohn: How well do you understand the Trump coalition?

Kaine Holds Huge Lead In Virginia

August 9, 2018 at 11:25 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Wilder School/VCU poll in Virginia finds Sen. Tim Kaine (D) crushing challenger Corey Stewart (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 49% to 26%, with Libertarian Matt Waters at 5% and another 20% still undecided.

Key finding: “While Virginians do not register by party, the survey found that a third of self-described Republicans or Republican-leaning voters were not yet backing Stewart — with 20% undecided, 10% supporting Waters and 3% backing Kaine.”

Puerto Rico Admits Hurricane Killed More Than 1,400

August 9, 2018 at 10:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Puerto Rico has conceded that Hurricane Maria killed more than 1,400 people on the island last year and not just the 64 in the official death toll,” the AP reports.

“The government acknowledged the higher death toll with no fanfare in a report submitted to Congress this week in which it detailed a $139 billion reconstruction plan for the island.”

Republicans Poured Money Into Special Elections

August 9, 2018 at 9:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Republicans and affiliated outside groups have now spent about $41.7 million on special elections this cycle as compared to just $12.3 million for the Democrats.

First Read: “That’s more than a 3-1 ratio. And it shows just how much Republican outside groups were propping up their candidates in these specials, and how untenable that model will be for November.”

New Britain Won’t Rename ‘Paul Manafort Drive’

August 9, 2018 at 9:06 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Despite the national headlines stemming from Paul Manafort’s tax fraud trial, New Britain has no plans to change the name of Paul Manafort Drive. After all, city leaders say, it’s not named after him. The street along the southern end of Central Connecticut State University was named in 1994 to honor Paul Manafort Sr., a former mayor and business executive,” the Hartford Courant reports.

Said Mayor Erin Stewart: “The street is named after the father. Mr. Manafort served the city for a long time, he was a war veteran. You can’t control what your kids do and what they don’t — that doesn’t take away from the service that the father gave to the city.”

Ballot Fraud Investigated In GOP Lawmaker’s Campaign

August 9, 2018 at 9:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Scott Taylor (R-VA) said that “he had severed ties with his campaign consultant after learning about allegations of forged signatures in petitions gathered by his campaign staff,” the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.

“A special prosecutor was assigned to investigate petitions gathered by Taylor’s staff to help get an independent candidate on the November ballot.”

Said Taylor: “My campaign has a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate activities. Recently we became aware of the inconsistencies in a voter petition process along with everyone else. Previously, our team terminated the relationship with our campaign manager for separate issues, however, current knowledge underscores that decision and prompted me to sever ties with my campaign consultant.”

Quote of the Day

August 9, 2018 at 7:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“So therein lies what’s like your classic Catch-22 situation where we’re at a — it puts us in such a tough spot. If Sessions won’t un-recuse and Mueller won’t clear the president, we’re the only ones, which is really the danger. That’s why… we have to keep all these seats. We have to keep the majority. If we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away.”

— Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), quoted by the Washington Post from secret recordings at a Republican fundraiser.

Giuliani Is Playing an Expectations Game with Mueller

August 9, 2018 at 7:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rudy Giuliani told Sean Hannity last night that the Mueller investigation should be “over by September” and that Mueller’s case “isn’t going to fizzle. It’s going to blow up on them.”

Jonathan Swan: “The theater of going back and forth with Mueller is designed to create a public impression — or at least an impression in the eyes of Republican voters — that Mueller has personal animus towards Trump, and is trying to use legal trickery to steal the election from Trump voters. This is pure P.R.”

“Giuliani is publicly setting up Mueller with expectations he must know Mueller can’t meet.”

“There’s no way Mueller is wrapping this thing up by Sept. 1. And there’s no way Mueller will agree to an interview with Trump on the condition that he won’t ask him two of the critical questions about obstruction of justice. By claiming them as totally reasonable asks, when Mueller ultimately doesn’t deliver by Labor Day, Rudy helps fuel the base’s rage all the way through to midterms.”

Collins Won’t Let Arrest Derail His Campaign

August 9, 2018 at 6:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

During an evening news conference to explain his arrest on insider trading charges, a defiant Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) said he “acted properly and within the law at all times” and would remain on the ballot in November, the Buffalo News reports.

Bernie and His Army Are Losing

August 9, 2018 at 6:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Bernie Sanders is sputtering. Two years after his defeat in the 2016 presidential primary, the Vermont senator has amassed a growing string of losses in races in which he has intervened,” Politico reports.

“Beginning last year, Sanders-backed candidates faltered in an Omaha mayoral race and a nationally watched House race in Montana. Then came Rep. Tom Perriello’s loss in Virginia’s gubernatorial primary, and in June, the drubbing in Iowa of Pete D’Alessandro, a top adviser to Sanders during his 2016 Iowa caucus campaign.”

Trump Claims Election Night Credit

August 9, 2018 at 6:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In President Trump’s mind, he has become the indispensable man, the political force singularly responsible for the narrow lead that Troy Balderson, the Republican candidate, clings to in a heavily conservative Ohio House district and that Kris W. Kobach maintains in the Kansas governor’s primary,” the New York Times reports.

“But the presidential braggadocio that followed Tuesday’s election night squeakers ignores another reality that the White House is loath to acknowledge: Mr. Trump — and his chaotic, controversy-laden tenure in the Oval Office — is largely responsible for the toxic political climate that is undermining the Republican candidates he is trying to save.”