A new Gravis Marketing survey in Iowa finds Donald Trump way ahead of the GOP pack with 31%, followed by Scott Walker at 15%, Jeb Bush at 10%, Bobby Jindal at 7%, Mike Huckabee at 6%, Ted Cruz at 6%, Ben Carson at 5% and John Kasich at 5%.
Billionaires Donate Early in Presidential Race
“Billionaires are bankrolling the early days of the 2016 presidential campaign to an unprecedented degree, with at least 40 of the wealthiest Americans plowing $60 million into super PACs aligned with the top tier of candidates,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The torrent of super PAC money is revolutionizing presidential politics in the wake of a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to unlimited contributions from corporations, unions and individuals into these outside groups.”
Hillary Clinton Hits Jeb Bush Hard on Race
“In a biting surprise attack, delivered as Mr. Bush, the former Florida governor, waited backstage here at the annual convention of the National Urban League, Mrs. Clinton portrayed him as a hypocrite who had set back the cause of black Americans,” the New York Times reports.
“It was an unexpected moment of political theater that seemed to presage what could be a bitter general-election rivalry between two of the biggest names in American politics.”
Politico: “When Bush finally took the stage to address issues of race and repairing American cities, he didn’t hit back.”
Pacific Trade Deal Stalls
“Trade negotiators from the United States and 11 other Pacific nations were headed toward failure Friday, with difficult talks on the largest regional trade agreement ever breaking down over protections for pharmaceutical companies and access to agriculture markets on both sides of the Pacific,” the New York Times reports.
“Negotiators will return to their home countries to obtain high-level signoffs for a small number of final sticking points on the agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with bilateral talks reconvening soon. But the breakdown is a setback for the Obama administration, which had promoted the talks here as the final round ahead of an accord that would bind 40 percent of the world’s economy under a new set of rules for commerce.”
Trump Would Hurt Republicans in Three-Way Race
A new Marist Poll finds Hillary Clinton edges Jeb Bush in a potential general election match up, 49% to 43%.
But in a three-way race with Donald Trump as an independent, Clinton crushes Bush, 44% to 29%, with Trump getting 20% support.
Jeb Bush’s Biggest Donor Doesn’t Agree With Him
“The single largest donor to Right to Rise, Mike Fernandez, didn’t hand over a check for a sum that seems obtainable only though some form of global dominion. Fernandez wrote a check for $3 million. Fernandez, a Miami-area businessman who runs a health-care industry-focused private equity firm, doesn’t agree with Bush on at least two issues that have already come up in the 2016 campaign,” the Washington Post reports.
“Many health-care executives across the country — including in deeply red states — have been generally if not vocally supportive of the Affordable Care Act. That support includes the Medicaid expansion that has been rejected by some Republican-controlled state governments. Bush opposes the Medicaid expansion.”
“Fernandez, a Cuban American who fled Cuba with his family following Castro’s takeover, is also a vocal and on-the-record supporter of Obama’s move toward normalizing relations with Cuba. Bush is not. Softening sanctions against Cuba strengthens the Castro regime, Bush said this month.”
Quote of the Day
“Two individuals right now that have sort of caught the attention. One of them is way over on this side — I don’t know where to put him, but he’s not on the libertarian side. He’s making a lot of noise. That’s a guy named Trump. The other is named Bernie Sanders.”
— Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), quoted by the Washington Post, on presidential race.
The Latest on Wonk Wire
What Gets Dumped Today?
First Read notes “it’s the filing deadline for super PACs to report their hauls to the FEC. Once again, it’s a document dump Friday – and smack-dab in the middle of summer vacation time, too. What else gets dumped today on this very busy last Friday of July?”
Clinton Donors Also Big Backers of Foundation
“The Clinton Foundation saw a significant increase in donations this year from fundraisers who also have volunteered to steer at least $100,000 each to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“At least 14 of the fundraisers, called Hillblazers, donated to the foundation in the first half of 2015 and have cumulatively given between $22 million and $55 million since the organization started in 1999, according to a comparison of the foundation and campaign disclosures. At the end of 2014, those 14 fundraisers had given between $16 million and $38 million. Eight of these donors stepped up their foundation donations enough to be pushed into a higher bracket in the first six months.”
First Read: “No matter how much Team Clinton says that there is absolutely no relationship between donations to the Foundation and influence with a Clinton campaign/possible administration, these correlations just highlight that, if there was even a whiff of possibility for gaining additional influence through donations, donors certainly didn’t want to risk missing out on it.”
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The Trump Campaign Trademarks ‘Trumpocrat’
Earlier this year, “Trump for President, LLC” trademarked “Trumpocrat” and “Trumpublican,” the Washington Post reports.
The possible uses included “salt and pepper shakers; posters; shirts; ties; cufflinks; colognes; chocolate; nameplates; key rings; eye wear; playing cards; surfboards; editions of automobiles” and more.
If Hillary Clinton Were President
The Economist imagines Hillary Clinton’s first 100 days as president.
“She won the election by leaning right on national security and left on the economy. Now comes the fallout.”
Trump Offered Access to RNC Voter File
Yahoo News: “The RNC reached out soon after he announced to offer its voter file — which has the names, voting history and consumer data on roughly 250 million Americans — to the Trump campaign. The Trump campaign responded just this week, six weeks late.”
No Trump Helicopter Rides for Kids
Donald Trump told the Daily Mail that he wants to bring his $7 million Sikorsky helicopter to the Iowa State Fair and give rides to kids.
However, the Des Moines Register reports Trump did not actually ask for permission to do so, “nor would he be granted permission if he does indeed seek it.”
Sanders Vows No Third Party Run
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) says he “will not run for president as an Independent if he falls short in his bid to secure the Democratic 2016 nomination,” The Hill reports.
Said Sanders: “I would not want to be responsible for electing some right-wing Republican president.”
Trump Quote of the Day
“I think that I would be a great uniter. I think that I would have great diplomatic skills. I think that I would be able to get along with people very well. I’ve had a great success in my life. I think the world would unite if I were the leader of the United States.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by The Hill.
Republicans Woo Ohio with Debate and Convention
“When 17 presidential contenders converge on Cleveland to debate on Thursday, not a few party leaders will be shuddering at the prospect of a scene out of The Hunger Games. Or perhaps a duel of insults dominated by Donald J. Trump,” the New York Times reports.
“But Republican leaders are delighted by one aspect of the debate: the attention it will shower on Ohio, a state they hope to bring back into the Republican fold in the 2016 election. The ultimate bellwether state in presidential politics, Ohio is the site of next Thursday’s debate because, just under a year from now, it will host the 2016 convention in the same Cleveland sports arena.”
