Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) did not entirely shoot down rumors he might run for governor in 2018, but did say he has no aspirations for any other job beyond his current position as Illinois’ senior U.S. senator, WTTW reports.
Martinez Will Skip Trump Rally
Sante Fe New Mexican: “The Republican Party of New Mexico, which has come out in support of Trump, announced plans for a private reception with Trump prior to the rally. The party said the price to attend that event is $10,000 per person.”
“However, Gov. Susana Martinez (R), who heads the Republican Governors Association and campaigned for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio shortly before he dropped out of the presidential race, won’t be joining Trump in Albuquerque, a spokesman for the governor confirmed Monday.”
Said Martinez: “I’m really busy.”
When Elections Aren’t About the Economy
The Upshot: “Growth is lukewarm, but it has been consistent enough to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Wages have not risen by much, and the uneven recovery has left segments of the population behind. But the overall unemployment rate is down to 5 percent. That’s unusual for a presidential election season — it has been at 5 percent or lower in only three of the 14 contests that have taken place since 1960.”
“Indeed, the lack of stark economic problems may have allowed Mr. Trump to push unconventional policies. If the economy were repeating the plunge of 2008, fewer voters might be prepared to support a candidate whose policies would disrupt world trade and whose tax cuts would almost certainly lead to a far bigger budget deficit.”
Trump Escalates Attacks on Bill Clinton
“Donald Trump is reviving some of the ugliest political chapters of the 1990s with escalating personal attacks on Bill Clinton’s character — centered on past accusations of sexual assault — amid a concerted effort to smother Hillary Clinton’s campaign message with the weight of decades of controversy,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump’s latest shot came Monday when he released an incendiary Instagram video that includes the voices of two women who accused the former president of sexual assault, underscoring the presumptive Republican nominee’s willingness to go far beyond political norms in his critique of his likely Democratic rival.”
Sanders Predicts Democratic Convention Will Be ‘Messy’
Sen. Bernie Sanders told the Associated Press that the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia could be “messy” as he pushed the party to adopt his progressive agenda.
He added: “Democracy is not always nice and quiet and gentle.”
The Undemocratic Part of the Democratic Process
John Oliver discusses our convoluted system for choosing presidential nominees.
Obama Hits Second Term High Approval
President Obama has hit his highest approval rating since his second inauguration, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows.
“Fifty-one percent of registered voters say they approve of the job Obama is doing as president, compared to 46 percent who disapprove. The last time more than half of the electorate gave Obama a thumbs up in the poll was in January 2013, when Obama took the oath of office after his successful re-election campaign against Republican Mitt Romney.”
Gingrich Rips Romney as ‘Pathetic’
Newt Gingrich lambasted Mitt Romney for his failed drive to derail Donald Trump, calling his actions “pathetic” and his effort “not particularly effective,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Gingrich: “It’s pathetic… I don’t know what happened to Mitt, but it is weird; it is bizarre. Having a guy like that go berserk in public makes you wonder what his problems are.”
McAuliffe Under Federal Investigation
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) “is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the FBI and prosecutors from the Justice Department’s public integrity unit,” CNN reports.
“The investigation dates to at least last year and has focused, at least in part, on whether donations to his gubernatorial campaign violated the law.”
Clinton Way Ahead of Sanders In California
A new SurveyUSA poll in California finds Hillary Clinton way ahead of Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, 57% to 39%.
The results of the poll showed that Sanders continues to lead among the youngest voters, while Clinton leads by 12 points among voters age 35 to 49.
Two Shadow Operatives Face Off
New York Times: “The 2016 election, filled with ugly insults, whispered innuendo and sordid character attacks, features two central antagonists known for their colorful traits and devotion to the dark arts of politics: David Brock and Roger J. Stone Jr.”
“Each has a passion for his side — Mr. Brock for Hillary Clinton and Mr. Stone for Donald J. Trump — and a zeal for attacking critics of his candidate. Their intensity and pugnacity make them either perfect villains or misunderstood masterminds, depending on your point of view.”
Sanders Scores Major Platform Concession
Sen. Bernie Sanders “will get highly unusual say over the drafting of the Democratic Party platform this year even if, as expected, he loses the primary contest to Hillary Clinton,” the Washington Post reports.
“The two Democratic candidates have agreed with Democratic Party officials to a new apportionment of the 15-member committee that writes the platform… Sanders will name five members and Clinton six, based on the number of popular votes each has received to date, one official said. Democratic Party Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will name four.”
Gingrich Lobbying to be Trump’s Running Mate
Newt Gingrich “has, in effect, launched his own campaign” to become Donald Trump’s running mate, National Review reports.
Said Trump super PAC operative Ed Rollins: “I think Newt is lobbying to be the vice president, and I think their people are paying a lot of attention to him.”
He added: “It’d be a ticket with six former wives, kind of like a Henry VIII thing. They certainly understand women.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“The answer is not only no, but hell no.”
— Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), quoted by The Hill, on the possibility of Hillary Clinton picking a Democratic senator as a running mate who is from a state with a Republican governor.
The Perfect Wedge Issue to Use Against Trump
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Supreme Court Won’t Reconsider Blagojevich Case
The Supreme Court won’t reconsider its decision to reject former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s (D) appeal of his corruption convictions, the AP reports.
“The justices on Monday denied without comment a long-shot petition urging the court to take another look at the case. The court first turned down Blagojevich’s appeal on March.”
Dead Heat in the Presidential Race
A new American Research Group poll shows Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are tied in the presidential race at 46% each among registered voters.
The HuffPost Pollster average shows Clinton barely ahead, 43.6% to 42%.
The RealClearPolitics average shows Trump barely ahead, 43.4% to 43.2%.
Clinton’s Big Challenge Is Winning Over Sanders Voters
First Read: “While Democrats are backing Clinton by an 83%-to-9% clip in the poll, just 66% of Democratic primary voters preferring Sanders support Clinton in a matchup against Trump (compared with 88% of Clinton primary voters who favor Sanders in a hypothetical general-election contest).”
“What’s more, Clinton’s fav/unfav rating among Democratic voters supporting Sanders is 38% positive, 41% negative (-3); Sanders’ rating among Clinton supporters is 54% positive, 23% negative (+31).”
“So this is Clinton’s challenge: Can she win over Sanders’ supporters in what has become an increasingly asymmetric Democratic contest — with Clinton supporters liking Sanders, but with Sanders supporters disliking Clinton? It could be the difference between Democrats holding the advantage in November, or an incredibly close general-election contest.”
For members: Clinton Must Make Peace with Sanders to Win
