“I’ll bet $5.38 that if Clinton eventually loses, the first scene from Game Change III is set in a Chipotle.”
— Nate Silver, when asked about the impact of candidates’ food choices in a Q&A on Facebook.
Huckabee Expected to Announce White House Bid
Mike Huckabee is expected to return to Fox News this evening to make his 2016 presidential campaign official, TV Newser reports.
Huckabee said he is “moving toward” announcing a second bid for the White House and will “make a little news” later tonight.
Kasich Set to Launch National PAC
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) “is about to launch a national political committee that would allow him to raise money and his profile as he considers a run for president in 2016,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
“Records show that a nonprofit called New Day for America incorporated this week with the Ohio secretary of state. The name is similar to one Kasich has used for his gubernatorial inaugural committee. The incorporator is listed as E. Mark Braden, an attorney and election-law specialist who has worked for Kasich before and who once served as chief counsel to the Republican National Committee.”
Emanuel Spent Nearly $23 Million on Re-Election Bid
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel “and a supportive political action committee spent more than $22.8 million in the preliminary and runoff elections en route to the mayor winning a second term,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“By contrast, challenger Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia and his union allies spent at least $4.6 million, far behind Emanuel, who collected 56 percent of the vote last week.”
Quote of the Day
“I have to prove that I’m not running for president — if I go beyond the consideration of this to being an active candidate — to try to break the tie between the Adams family and the Bush family. That really isn’t my motivation — but I have to prove that.”
— Jeb Bush, quoted by CNN.
Who Actually Strengthened Iran’s Nuclear Program?
Jon Stewart made a pretty compelling case that it is Dick Cheney, not President Obama, who actually strengthened Iran and gave it time to build up a nuclear program.
Clinton Praises Warren’s Efforts to Reform Wall Street
“Hillary Clinton made her most ringing endorsement yet of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren’s efforts to tamp down on ‘Wall Street’s irresponsible risk taking’ in a two-paragraph Time magazine article… Clinton is yet to reveal what economic policies she would bring to the White House if elected, but much of her rhetoric in recent days has had echoes of Warren, a hero of the Democrat’s progressive left wing,” Reuters reports.
Wrote Clinton: “She never hesitates to hold powerful people’s feet to the fire: bankers, lobbyists, senior government officials and, yes, even presidential aspirants.”
Clinton Already Has 19 Staffers in New Hampshire
“For nearly two years, potential Republican presidential candidates have visited New Hampshire to meet with activists, interview with local media, and speak at party functions. If they’re lucky, these White House hopefuls have a few paid staffers to help them on the ground,” the Boston Globe reports.
“But that’s not much compared to the team Hillary Clinton has put together in New Hampshire less than a week into her presidential campaign. The former US secretary of state has only been to the state once in seven years, but her campaign has brought on 19 staffers for the Granite State operation, according to a Clinton campaign official.”
Chafee Slips and Says He’s Running
Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (D) told CNN that “I’m running” for the Democratic nomination for president.
A spokeswoman later clarified: “We are still in the exploratory committee phase. We will file the proper papers to be an official candidate, but that has not happened yet.”
Rubio and Bush Deadlocked in Florida
A new Mason-Dixon poll in Florida finds Sen. Marco Rubio (R) and Jeb Bush (R) essentially tied for the GOP presidential nomination in their home state. Rubio gets 31%, Bush had 30% and 17% were undecided.
Said pollster Brad Coker: “I think Rubio’s rollout was pretty good and he probably got a bump out of it. A good rollout is like a primary win: you get about three days of good media coverage and a little lift in the polls.”
McConnell Says GOP Can Hold Senate in 2016
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Republicans have a chance to maintain control of the Senate in the 2016 election, when two dozen GOP seats will be contested, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Of the 24 Republicans up for re-election next year, Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana is retiring and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida announced on Monday that he will run instead to be the GOP’s White House nominee. GOP Sen. David Vitter, also up for re-election in 2016, is running this year for governor of Louisiana.”
GOP Candidates Head to New Hampshire
“With every major Republican presidential hopeful descending on New Hampshire this weekend for the state’s first candidate forum, attention will turn for the moment from Hillary Clinton’s entry into the campaign to the fluid Republican race,” the New York Times reports.
“Few of New Hampshire’s influential Republican activists will commit to a candidate based solely on what they see at the two-day gathering in Nashua. But the audition there offers a chance for one of the 19 prospects expected to attend to break out of the pack in a state where there is no clear favorite.”
Clinton to Appoint Wall Street Reformer to Top Post
“Hillary Clinton is planning to name Gary Gensler, a former top federal financial regulator and strong advocate for strict Wall Street rules, as the chief financial officer of her campaign,” Bloomberg reports.
McConnell Won’t Budge on Lynch Nomination
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “has dug in on Loretta Lynch’s nomination to be attorney general, highlighting his willingness to play hard ball with the Democratic minority,” The Hill reports.
“His maneuvers on Lynch shed light on how he will lead the upper chamber in this Congress, but the strategy has some risks — especially with a fragile majority. McConnell has for weeks refused to allow senators to leapfrog over a stalled anti-human trafficking bill to move to Lynch’s nomination. In fact, the GOP leader has linked the two issues, telling Democrats they will only get a vote on Lynch if they compromise with Republicans on the trafficking bill, which has been held up by a fight over abortion.”
O’Malley Takes Shots at Clinton
Martin O’Malley (D) “has taken his most direct policy shots at the former secretary of state since her campaign for the White House began, calling out Clinton by name for what he all but called a flip-flop on marriage equality and immigration reform,” the Guardian reports.
Kirk Won’t Talk About Race
After some unfortunate remarks earlier this week, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) told the Chicago Sun-Times he won’t be talking about race or ethnicity in the future.
Said Kirk: “I would say that whenever a targeted member talks about race or ethnicity, it is impossible for him to get it right. So I’ll leave it at that.”
Why Is the Democratic Field So Old?
Byron York: “There are five Democrats who have either declared or are thinking about running for president. Three — Joe Biden, Bernard Sanders, and Jim Webb — will be over 70 years old on Inauguration Day 2017. Frontrunner Hillary Clinton will be nine months short of 70. Only Martin O’Malley, who will turn 54 a couple of days before the 2017 swearing-in, has not reached retirement age already.”
“The average age of the Republican field is far below the Democrats, with every candidate younger than Clinton. The most senior is Jeb Bush, who will be 64 on Inauguration Day. Scott Walker will be 49; Marco Rubio will be 45; Ted Cruz, 46; Rand Paul, 54; Chris Christie, 54; Mike Huckabee, 61; Bobby Jindal, 45.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’d say 100 percent that I want to run, but this gives you some flexibility. People can always change their mind. But as I sit here right now, 100 percent, I want to run.”
— Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (D), in an interview with the Huffington Post, on his presidential exploratory bid.
