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Rubio Plots 3-2-1 Path to the Nomination

January 20, 2016 at 7:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard 60 Comments

National Review: “According to multiple Rubio allies recently briefed on campaign strategy, the senator’s team has settled on an unconventional path to winning the GOP primary contest. The strategy, dubbed ‘3-2-1’ by some who have been briefed on it, forecasts a sequence in which Rubio takes third place in Iowa on February 1, finishes second in New Hampshire on February 9, and wins South Carolina on February 20.”

“From there, Rubio would be well-positioned in the long haul to win a plurality of voters, and ultimately a majority of delegates, in a three-way contest against Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.”

Associated Press: “He’s betting big that Republican voters across the political spectrum will ultimately coalesce behind his candidacy in the state-by-state slog for delegates his team envisions for the months ahead.”

Democrats Begin to Attack Sanders as a Socialist

January 20, 2016 at 7:17 am EST By Taegan Goddard 100 Comments

“Democrats backing Hillary Clinton, nervously eyeing Sen. Bernie Sanders’s growing strength in the early nominating states, are turning to a new strategy to raise doubts about his candidacy, highlighting his socialist beliefs to warn that he would be an electoral disaster who would frighten swing voters and send Democrats in tight congressional and governor’s races to defeat,” the New York Times reports.

Said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO): “The Republicans won’t touch him because they can’t wait to run an ad with a hammer and sickle.”

The Best Thing About a Trump Presidency?

January 20, 2016 at 7:14 am EST By Taegan Goddard 23 Comments

Gallup: “Asked to name the best or most positive thing about a possible Donald Trump presidency if he were to be elected in 2016, Americans most commonly volunteer his business background, policies on immigration and honesty — that he says what he feels. Other positives mentioned by at least 5% of Americans are his confidence — that he doesn’t back down — and that he would improve the economy.”

“More than four in 10 cannot name anything positive about a potential Trump presidency.”

Clinton’s Lead Narrows Nationally

January 20, 2016 at 7:10 am EST By Taegan Goddard 2 Comments

A new Monmouth University poll finds Hillary Clinton leading Bernie Sanders nationally, 52% to 37%.

Clinton is down 7 points since last month while Sanders is up 9 points.

Snyder Apologizes to Flint Residents

January 20, 2016 at 7:01 am EST By Taegan Goddard 46 Comments

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) “spoke directly to Flint residents and vowed to fix the beleaguered city’s lead-contaminated drinking water, as protesters outside of the Capitol called for his resignation,” the Detroit News reports.

Said Snyder: “I’m sorry, and I will fix it. No citizens of this great state should endure this kind of catastrophe. Government failed you — federal, state and local leaders — by breaking the trust you placed in us. I’m sorry most of all that I let you down.”

New York Times: “The scandal over the water in Flint has engulfed Mr. Snyder in the biggest crisis of his tenure and reverberated far beyond the state’s borders.”

Wonk Wire: Flint’s water crisis underscores the need for big government

Steyer Not Ready to Back Clinton

January 20, 2016 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer “said he is not yet prepared to back Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee for president and he would not rule out supporting her main rival, Bernie Sanders, if he beats her in the primaries,” Reuters reports.

Trump Shuns Retail Politics In New Hampshire

January 20, 2016 at 6:58 am EST By Taegan Goddard 2 Comments

“Donald Trump’s unconventional campaign, and his failure to meet a large number of New Hampshire voters one-on-one, has some Republicans worried that a Trump victory could undermine the state’s argument for keeping its primary first in the nation,” the Boston Globe reports.

“Trump has shunned the up-close campaign style that has become a cherished rite in New Hampshire presidential primary contests. He hasn’t slogged up to the North Country. He hasn’t sat down with small-town editorial boards or marched in parades. He’s only conducted a few town hall meetings where everyday voters can raise their hands and ask a question. He has rarely even spent the night in New Hampshire during the campaign.”

Clinton Email Server Held Top Secret Information

January 20, 2016 at 6:56 am EST By Taegan Goddard 13 Comments

“Emails from Hillary Clinton’s home server contained information classified at levels higher than previously known, including a level meant to protect some of the most sensitive U.S. intelligence,” according to a document obtained by NBC News.

“In a letter to lawmakers, the intelligence community’s internal watchdog says some of Clinton’s emails contained information classified Top Secret/Special Access Program, a secrecy designation that includes some of the most closely held U.S. intelligence matters.”

Quote of the Day

January 20, 2016 at 6:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

“I’m not sugarcoating anything, but I’m not walking in there as the prince of darkness.”

— Gov. John Kasich, quoted by the Wall Street Journal, on how his campaign style differs from his Republican rivals.

The Fight for the Anti-Establishment Establishment

January 20, 2016 at 6:02 am EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

Washington Post: “Trump unfurled a highly anticipated endorsement from former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin while campaigning in Iowa on Tuesday, giving him a jolt among the party’s restless base. Palin’s endorsement came a day after Trump received the effusive praise of evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr., whose views could help Trump among religious voters.”

“But other conservative voices, many of whom had cheered Trump in recent months, have rallied to Cruz’s side. On talk radio, Mark Levin and Glenn Beck have fumed over Trump’s recent questions about Cruz’s Canadian birth. In Cruz, they see a movement leader who champions their values, whereas they say Trump is an interloper who lacks an ideological core.”

Sanders Moves to Shore Up His Weakness in Iowa

January 20, 2016 at 6:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 1 Comment

“Bernie Sanders’ Iowa rise is powered in part by the college towns where he’s killing it in the progressive communities clustered around some of state’s biggest universities,” Politico reports.

“But that won’t be enough for him to carry Iowa in the Feb. 1 caucuses, which explains why the senator who describes himself as a Democratic socialist spent Tuesday in some of the most conservative territory in the state.”

Trump Suggests Biden May Be the Democratic Nominee

January 19, 2016 at 9:28 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 66 Comments

Donald Trump said that if Hillary Clinton is indicted over her email server it won’t be Bernie Sanders who becomes the nominee – it’s more likely to be Vice President Joe Biden, Politico reports.

Said Trump: “If she’s indicted… therefore she wouldn’t be able to run essentially. Maybe Biden, it could be a couple of other people that you and I both know.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

January 19, 2016 at 5:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 42 Comments

“Carpet bombing would be completely useless. It’s totally contrary to the American way of war. Total disregard for civilians. So, I mean, part of the concern that I have with the campaign, particularly when it comes to national security, is that the solutions being offered are so simplistic and so at odds with the reality of the rest of the world, with the way the world really works.”

— Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, quoted by Politico, saying the GOP presidential candidates “don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Lawmaker Asked Teens If They Were Virgins

January 19, 2016 at 5:47 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 67 Comments

Washington state Rep. Mary Dye (R) asked a group of teenagers advocating for expanded insurance coverage for birth control if they were virgins, the Seattle Times reports.

Dye asked the half-dozen students if they were virgins before she “suggested one was not.”

Explained Dye: “In hindsight, a few of the thoughts I shared, while well-intended, may have come across as more motherly than what they would expect from their state representative. If anything I said offended them or made them feel uncomfortable, I apologize.”

Sanders Trouncing Clinton in New Hampshire

January 19, 2016 at 5:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 56 Comments

A new CNN/WMUR poll in New Hampshire finds Bernie Sanders leading Hillary Clinton by a stunning 27 points, 60% to 33%.

“Sanders’ huge lead in his neighboring state is fueled by his remarkable popularity and broad appeal. He is viewed favorably by 91% of likely Democratic primary voters and unfavorably by 7%. His support is strong among both men and women, among all age groups and in all geographic areas of the state.”

Cruz Dismisses Branstad and the ‘Washington Cartel’

January 19, 2016 at 5:02 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 51 Comments

Sen. Ted Cruz dismissed Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad “as a crony capitalist who is part of the GOP establishment, hours after the prominent Republican governor indicated that he did not want Cruz to win Iowa,” Politico reports.

Said Cruz: “It is no surprise that the establishment is in full panic mode. We said from the beginning, that the Washington cartel was going to panic more and more. As conservatives unite behind our campaign you’re going to see the Washington cartel firing every shot they can, every cannon they can. Because the Washington cartel lives on cronyism, it lives on making deals, it lives on picking winners and losers and supporting corporate welfare and cronyism. This is what people are so fed up with.”

Sarah Palin Endorses Trump for President

January 19, 2016 at 4:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 142 Comments

Sarah Palin, who became a Tea Party sensation and a favorite of grass-roots conservatives, will endorse Donald Trump in Iowa, the New York Times reports.

“Mrs. Palin… could amplify the news media-circus aspects of Mr. Trump’s candidacy: Like him, she is a reality-TV star accustomed to playing to the cameras and often accused of emphasizing flash over substance. But Mrs. Palin, who despite her waning visibility within the Republican Party retains a sizable following, provides Mr. Trump with valuable new currency at a moment when he is being attacked over his conservative bona fides by Sen. Ted Cruz, with whom Mr. Trump is neck-and-neck in the Iowa polls.”

The Fix: Does it matter?

An Iowa Win Would Make Trump the Clear Favorite

January 19, 2016 at 3:58 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Gov. Terry Branstad sent shockwaves through his state by publicly urging Iowa Republicans to defeat Sen. Ted Cruz in the caucuses next month. But while analysts like Chris Cillizza correctly note the GOP establishment hates Cruz, Branstad’s comments actually hurt the establishment candidates.

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