118 days until AL Presidential Primary
372 days until Election Day

Convention Dates: Republican July 18-21 2016, Democratic July 25-28 2016

Weekly Headlines:

• Poll: Hillary Clinton Hits 50 Percent Support
• GOP mega-donor Paul Singer endorses Marco Rubio
• NY Times Calls on Chris Christie to Drop Out of Presidential Race

Press Clips:

Small-dollar donors and the 2016 presidential election (Center for Public Integrity 10/27/15)

Center for Public Integrity senior reporter Dave Levinthal appeared on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” program on Oct. 24 to detail the influence and importance of small- dollar donors in the 2016 presidential election. He also spoke more generally about how much money campaigns, nonprofits and super PACs are raising and spending.

Ryan rules out immigration reform before 2016 election (LA Times 11/1/15)

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Sunday he will not consider or negotiate an immigration reform bill during President Obama’s tenure, ruling out calls to revive the issue in an effort to broaden GOP appeal to Latino voters before the 2016 election. Ryan, who was elected speaker last week, said he had promised the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which opposes easing immigration laws, that he would not move forward on the issue before a new president takes office. Ryan, who appeared on Hive major TV talk shows, blamed Obama, not the caucus, however.

In Virginia, Donald Trump unveils Veterans Affairs plan (CBS News 10/31/15)

Calling the Department of Veterans Affairs “a total disaster,” business mogul Donald Trump unveiled his plan to reform the beleaguered department in front of thousands at a Saturday rally in Norfolk, Virginia. With the USS Wisconsin, a retired World War II-era battleship, docked behind him and with a number of veterans flanking the podium, Trump called for all veterans eligible for health care at VA hospitals to be allowed the same care at any hospital that accepts Medicare. This, according to Trump, would increase competition and decrease wait times.

Major Florida newspaper editorial board: Marco Rubio should resign (Politico 10/28/15)

The editorial board of one of Florida’s most prominent newspapers has a recommendation for Sen. Marco Rubio: just resign already. The editorial in the Florida Sun-Sentinel follows an interview the senator did with The Washington Post where he said he was “frustrated” with his chamber. The story also quoted a “longtime friend from Florida” who said “he hates it.” Well, the Sun-Sentinel editorial board has had enough. The Wednesday editorial said that the 2016 presidential candidate “has missed more votes than any other senator this year. His seat is regularly empty for floor votes, committee meetings and intelligence briefings. He says he’s MIA from his J-O-B because he Hinds it frustrating and wants to be president, instead.”

Bill De Blasio Endorses Hillary Clinton For 2016 Presidential Bid (HNGN 10/30/15) 

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio finally announced Friday that he is backing Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton’s bid in the 2016 presidential election. De Blasio said that Clinton was the candidate that was best suited to go to Washington and follow through on enacting liberal policies to combat income inequality. “The candidate who I believe can fundamentally address income inequality effectively, the candidate who has the right vision and the right experience to get the job done is Hillary Clinton,” he said during an early morning appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Bush team bracing for cash crunch (Politico 10/30/15)

Jeb Bush’s campaign, wounded after another mediocre debate performance, is bracing for the possibility that revenue dries up in the coming weeks ahead. It’s a striking turn for a campaign that had embarked on a “shock and awe” approach to fundraising and then delivered a record-breaking haul of $114 million of hard money and super PAC dollars during the Hirst half of the year. After Wednesday’s bruising in the third GOP debate, Bush spent much of the latter half of this week responding to media questions about whether his presidential bid is now “terminal” or “on life support.” The candidate didn’t do himself any favors with his seemingly pained delivery of “having lots of fun” when asked if he’s enjoying himself on the trail.