Russian President Vladimir Putin says the United States is meddling in FIFA’s affairs in an attempt to take the 2018 World Cup away from his country, the AP reports.
Santorum Has None of His Key Iowa Staffers
NBC News reports that none of Rick Santorum’s 2012 Iowa staff is currently working for his campaign.
“Two of the three main architects of his successful caucus game plan — Deputy Campaign Manager Jill Latham Ryan and Nick Ryan, who ran the pro-Santorum super PAC — are now working for Mike Huckabee. The other, former Iowa State Director Cody Brown, is running a consulting firm in Austin, Texas.”
Harry Enten: “So why doesn’t Santorum have a chance this time around? Much of his success in 2012 was thanks to a historically weak field.”
Why Nebraska Killing Death Penalty Is a Big Deal
First Read: “Maybe the most significant political story in the country over the past 24 hours didn’t take place in Washington, DC, or on the 2016 campaign trail. Instead, it’s what happened yesterday in Nebraska, which repealed the death penalty in the state after Republican and Democratic lawmakers overrode — barely — the GOP governor’s veto.”
“This is a big deal for three reasons. One, Nebraska becomes the first red state in the country to repeal the death penalty in 40 years (after North Dakota did it in 1973). Two, it comes after at least one national poll (Pew) had found a drop in support of the death penalty. (If you don’t think that public opinion on a social issue can change in a hurry, just look at gay marriage.) And three, it comes in the midst of a bipartisan effort — even among Dem and GOP 2016ers — to overhaul the nation’s criminal-justice system.”
Bush’s Role on Corporate Boards Could Invite Scrutiny
“During his transition from Florida governor to likely presidential candidate, Jeb Bush served on the boards or as an adviser to at least 15 companies and nonprofits, a dizzying array of corporate connections that earned him millions of dollars and occasional headaches. Bush returned to corporate America after leaving the governor’s mansion in early 2007, and his industry portfolio expanded steadily until he began shedding ties late last year to prepare a run for president,” the Miami Herald reports.
“Executives who worked alongside Bush describe him as an engaged adviser with an eye on detail. Yet experts question how anyone could serve so many boards at once effectively.”
Pataki Kicks Off Presidential Campaign
Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) announced he’s running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.
New York Times: “Though he will be clearly the closest to the political center among the announced candidates, Mr. Pataki has sought to present himself as an experienced executive tested by crisis: Citing his record of budget cuts in New York, Mr. Pataki has vowed to slash the federal work force… But in recent presidential elections, the party base has gravitated mainly toward candidates with orthodox conservative views, as well as styles more aggressive than Mr. Pataki’s.”
Rubio Moves to Lock Up South Carolina
Politico: “In the six years since launching his Florida Senate campaign, Rubio has become an adopted prince of South Carolina’s political royalty. And not by chance. Rubio, whose national ambitions became apparent even before he was sworn into the Senate, quickly identified South Carolina as the home base for his eventual presidential effort, seeing this early-primary state as a more natural fit—culturally, ideologically, geographically—than either Iowa or New Hampshire. He has acted accordingly in the years since—snatching up the state’s top talent for his political operation, cultivating personal relationships with influential people on the ground, and making repeated trips to keep tabs on his burgeoning circuit of supporters in the state.”
“As a result, Rubio has quietly achieved something in South Carolina that no Republican candidate can claim in Iowa or New Hampshire: an organizational lock on one of the most important states en route to the GOP nomination.”
Quote of the Day
“No one is entitled to the presidency, and no candidate has the right to skip the process of laying out a vision simply because he or she has the deepest connections in Washington or the most money in big-dollar donations.”
— Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), writing on his website, taking a shot at Hillary Clinton and probably Jeb Bush as well.
Martin O’Malley Gets a Super PAC
Associates of Martin O’Malley (D) “are launching a super PAC intended to bolster the Democrat’s prospects as he formally announces his long shot presidential bid in Baltimore on Saturday,” the Washington Post reports.
“Money raised by Generation Forward will be used to run an independent campaign on O’Malley’s behalf in early nominating states, its founders said. The political action committee’s name is aimed at sending a specific message: that 52-year-old O’Malley is better suited to represent younger generations than 67-year-old Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner.”
Clinton Sees Sanders as Bigger Threat Than O’Malley
Politico: “Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley are both expected to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president… But, perhaps counterintuitively, it’s Sanders — six years older than Clinton, a self-defined socialist with no big money apparatus and positions that appeal to the far left of the party — that Democratic strategists and Clinton insiders expect to pose a bigger threat to the former secretary of state than the mainstream O’Malley, who has been trying to build a national constituency by positioning himself slightly to her left.”
No Leader in GOP Presidential Race
A new Quinnipiac poll highlights how there is no frontrunner in the GOP presidential race. Five candidates — Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio and Scott Walker — all share the lead with 10% support each.
Said pollster Tim Malloy: “Safe to say, the 2016 Republican presidential primary is anyone’s race. With no frontrunner and identical numbers for the top five contenders, it’s a horserace which can only be described as a scrambled field – at least so far.”
Clinton Retools Approach to Campaign
“In 2008, Hillary Clinton played down the fact that she was a woman running for president, as aides argued she had to project toughness above all else. This time, she’s displaying no such caution,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Mrs. Clinton regularly talks about women and children’s issues and reminds voters that she’s now a grandmother… On Wednesday, during her first trip this year to the early primary state of South Carolina, she spoke with two groups of women and promised that as president she would push for equal pay for women and for higher wages for the lowest-paid jobs, often held by women.”
Clintons Paid Blumenthal $10K a Month
“Sidney Blumenthal, a longtime confidant of Bill and Hillary Clinton, earned about $10,000 a month as a full-time employee of the Clinton Foundation while he was providing unsolicited intelligence on Libya to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,” Politico reports.
“Blumenthal was added to the payroll of the Clintons’ global philanthropy in 2009 — not long after advising Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign — at the behest of former president Bill Clinton, for whom he had worked in the White House, say the sources.”
Nebraska Repeals Death Penalty
“Nebraska has repealed the death penalty following a dramatic vote Wednesday by state lawmakers to override the governor’s veto,” the Omaha World-Herald reports.
“The outcome represented a defeat for first-term Gov. Pete Ricketts (R), who made an all-out effort to peel away some of 18 conservative senators who helped pass the repeal bill. Earlier in the session, lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto of a bill that raises the state gas tax.”
Obama Won’t Take Immigration Battle to Supreme Court
President Obama “will put off a confrontation at the Supreme Court over his immigration executive actions, choosing not to ask for permission to carry out the programs while a fight over presidential authority plays out in the lower courts,” the New York Times reports.
“As a result, Mr. Obama’s vast overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, which he announced with great fanfare last November, might not be resolved until just months before he leaves office.”
Toomey Maintains Lead in Pennsylvania
Despite his weak approval rating, a new Public Policy Polling survey finds Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) still leads half a dozen potential Democratic rivals by anywhere from 4 to 11 points.
The Democrat who comes closest to Toomey is 2010 candidate Joe Sestak (D), who trails by 4 points at 42% to 38%.
Walker Defends Mandatory Ultrasounds
Gov. Scott Walker (R) defended his decision to sign a law in Wisconsin mandating ultrasounds for women before they get abortions, calling ultrasounds “just a cool thing out there,” Politico reports.
Said Walker: “We just knew if we signed that law, if we provided the information, that more people if they saw that unborn child would, would make a decision to protect and keep the life of that unborn child.”
Santorum Announces White House Bid
Rick Santorum (R), “who fell short in his 2012 presidential bid, launched another run for the White House on Wednesday with a promise to restore the economic power of middle-class American workers,” Reuters reports.
Washington Post: “The step forward by Santorum, 57, is the latest in a wave of entries by hard-right contenders who believe that after losing two straight presidential elections behind more moderate nominees, GOP voters will turn to a candidate unflinching in their ideology who can enthuse the party’s base.”
Politico: “Polls reflect his predicament: It’s not even clear he’ll make the cut for the first debates this year.”
Every Candidate Needs a Book
“Once, and not so long ago, running for political office was comparatively simple. Politicians assembled their teams, announced their candidacies and took to the campaign trail. Now, a presidential quest involves a PAC, a super PAC, a campaign army — and, of course, a book,” the Washington Post reports.
“Oh, there has to be a book. If a candidate has already published one, perhaps it’s time for another. Books have become the telltale sign that someone in one office is serious about running for another.”
