A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds Donald Trump leading the GOP field nationally with 33%, followed by Ben Carson at 20% and Jeb Bush at 8%.
Among others, Scott Walker has tumbled to just 2%.
Ben Carson Expands His Donor Support
New York Times: “First came the grass-roots support. Now Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who has quietly arrived near the front of the Republican presidential field, is scooping up $100,000 a night from wealthy donors in Texas and California — evidence that he is fast transforming from a novelty candidate into one to be taken seriously by rivals and party leaders alike.”
A group of super PACs supporting Carson “already say they have raised nearly $20 million.”
Quote of the Day
“It’s hard to predict because a lot of things happen between now and then but I certainly would support the nominee, no matter who it is.”
— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by The Hill, saying he would support Donald Trump if he won the GOP nomination.
Walker Will Propose Crackdown on Unions
Gov. Scott Walker will propose changes to federal labor law making it illegal for federal workers to form unions, the AP reports.
Walker would also “eliminate the National Labor Relations Board, transferring some of its powers to the National Mediation Board and leaving what Walker calls its ‘quasi-judicial functions’ to the federal court system.”
Trump Has Inspired Mark Cuban to Run
Mark Cuban “is so impressed with Donald Trump’s success that he is now considering running for office himself,” Politico reports.
Said Cuban: “I love the fact that he has changed the game… The idea of imperfect candidates with forceful ideas opens the door for a lot of people that would not have previously run. My positions would be far different.”
Quote of the Day
“It’s still HRC’s to lose, despite new polls. But it’s hard to inspire w/grinding, tactical race. ‘Hillary: Live With It’ is no rallying cry!”
— David Axelrod, on Twitter.
Trump Leads in All Early States
The latest CBS News Battleground tracking poll shows Donald Trump leading in all three early states.
Iowa: Trump 29%, Carson 25%, Cruz 10%, Rubio 6%, Walker 5%
New Hampshire: Trump 40%, Carson 12%, Kasich 9%, Fiorina 8%, Paul 6%, Bush 6%
South Carolina: Trump 36%, Carson 21%, Cruz 6%, Bush 5%, Graham 5%
Sanders Leads in Iowa and New Hampshire
The latest CBS News Battleground tracking poll shows Bernie Sanders leading Hillary Clinton in the first two states to vote.
Iowa: Sanders 43%, Clinton 33%, Biden 10%, O’Malley 5%
New Hampshire: Sanders 52%, Clinton 30%, Biden 9%, O’Malley 1%
South Carolina: Clinton 46%, Sanders 23%, Biden 22%, O’Malley 0%
Many Republicans Would Support Military Coup
A new YouGov poll finds that 43% of Republicans could imagine supporting a military coup in the United States.
Clinton’s Deleted Emails May Be Recoverable
“The company that managed Hillary Clinton’s private e-mail server said it has “no knowledge of the server being wiped,” the strongest indication to date that tens of thousands of e-mails that Clinton has said were deleted could be recovered,” the Washington Post reports.
“Clinton and her advisers have said for months that she deleted her personal correspondence from her time as secretary of state, creating the impression that 31,000 e-mails were gone forever… But experts say, depending on the condition of the server, underlying data can remain on the device, and the e-mails can often be restored.”
Trump Runs Nearly Even with Clinton
A new ABC News/Washington Post shows Hillary Clinton has a small lead over Donald Trump in a head-to-head match up for president, 46% to 43%.
“That compares to a clear Clinton lead among all adults, 51% to 39%, indicating her broad support in groups that are less apt to be registered to vote, such as young adults and racial and ethnic minorities.”
Trump Quote of the Day
“I will get them out so fast that your head would spin, long before I even can start the wall. They will be out of here.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by CBS News, saying his deportation of all undocumented immigrants will only take 18-24 months.
Carson Sidesteps Confrontation with Trump
“Ben Carson’s approach to handling Donald Trump’s insults is different from every other 2016 Republican presidential candidate’s: He apologizes for provoking them,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Carson: “I said something that sounded like I was questioning his faith. I really wasn’t. I was really talking more about mine. But it was said in an inappropriate way, which I recognized, and I apologized for that. It’s never my intention to impugn other people.”
“The retired neurosurgeon’s deferential display comes after Jeb Bush, Scott Walker and Lindsey Graham found themselves diminished after tussling with Mr. Trump. For Mr. Carson, steering clear of confrontation with his chief competitor for antiestablishment support is part of his effort to become the anti-Trump.”
Republic of Spin
Coming early next year: Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency by David Greenberg.
The book “recounts the rise of the White House spin machine, from Teddy Roosevelt to Barack Obama. His sweeping, startling narrative takes us behind the scenes to see how the tools and techniques of image making and message craft work.”
Biden Would Face Steep Digital Climb
Colin Delany: “Clinton and Bernie Sanders already sport close to 1.3 million followers apiece on Facebook, and those numbers grow every day. Still, Biden’s real digital challenge would be building an email list. A social following can explode overnight — Sanders surged past Clinton online — but list-building takes time.”
“As we’ve seen again and again, email remains a candidate’s most important online tool for fundraising and mobilization. Yes, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and the like steal the media spotlight, in part because reporters can actually see the messages going out.”
Odds of Government Shutdown Grow
“The prospect of a second government shutdown in two years is growing as House conservatives pledge to oppose any funding measure that includes money for Planned Parenthood,” The Hill reports.
“A measure that blocks funding for Planned Parenthood would almost certainly lack the votes to pass the Senate, and would be vetoed by President Obama. But Republicans in the House don’t have enough GOP votes to approve a funding measure that continues funding for Planned Parenthood, and don’t want to negotiate with Democrats.”
Trump Interviews Trump
Before his interview with Jimmy Fallon, Donald Trump interviews his “reflection” in the mirror.
Walker Cancels Speeches to Focus on Early States
Gov. Scott Walker “has canceled two speeches he was scheduled to give next weekend in Michigan and California so that he can instead spend time meeting voters in South Carolina and Iowa,” the Washington Post reports.
“Walker has steadily fallen in early polls, worrying his fundraisers, donors and prominent supporters. When the Wisconsin governor launched his presidential campaign in mid-July, he was considered one of the top-tier candidates and seemed on track to win the Iowa caucuses. Now he is registering single-digit support and trying desperately to jump-start his campaign.”
Politico: “Walker’s standing in Iowa has disintegrated, and he can’t blame Donald Trump.”
