Presidential Primary Brief: 301 days until Election Day

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2016 Presidential Primary Brief_4 Jan 2016

49 days until AL Presidential Primary
301 days until Election Day

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

Weekly Headlines:

Primary Brief_GOP Polls_11 Jan 2016 Primary Brief_Dem Polls_11 Jan 2016

Press Clips:

Trump could win it all (US News and World Report 1/8/16)

 So if Donald Trump proved the political universe wrong and won the Republican presidential nomination, he would be creamed by Hillary Clinton, correct? A new survey of likely voters might at least raise momentary dyspepsia for Democrats since it suggests why it wouldn’t be a cakewalk. The survey by Washington-based Mercury Analytics is a combination online questionnaire and “dial-test” of Trump’s first big campaign ad among 916 self-proclaimed “likely voters” (this video shows the ad and the dial test results). It took place primarily Wednesday and Thursday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.

Rubio ‘can’t wait’ to face Hillary Clinton in 2016 presidential election (Aiken Standard 1/9/16) 

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told Aiken residents on Saturday that he prays every night he’ll be the Republican nominee for president because he “can’t wait” to face off against Democratic candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Like many other candidates, Rubio implied it is a foregone conclusion that Clinton will win the Democratic nomination. “Beating Hillary” will take a candidate who understands what it’s like to live paycheck-to- paycheck, and who has had to deal with student loan debt, Rubio said Saturday at the Aiken Fairgrounds.

Obama will not endorse a candidate in 2016 Democratic presidential race: White House (Reuters 1/10/16)

U.S. President Barack Obama will not publicly endorse a candidate before the 2016 Democratic primary election, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said on Sunday. “We’ll do exactly what has been done in the past,” McDonough said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He said Obama will be “out there” campaigning after the primary election to help support the Democratic candidate.

Ben Carson woos churchgoers in Des Moines, Pleasant Hill (Des Moines Register 1/10/16)

 Republican presidential candidate and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson attended church services this morning at Corinthian Baptist Church to meet with parishioners and discuss the religious climate in the country. Carson, a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, spoke to the congregation about how his own faith influenced his career as a doctor. “Success is taking talent God has given you to elevate other people,” Carson said. Addressing Rev. Jonathan Whitfield’s questioning of Carson’s venture into politics, he said, “Lord opened those doors and pushed me that way.”

Don’t Overlook Third Place In Iowa. Jeb Bush And Marco Rubio Sure Aren’t (NPR 1/7/16)

Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are battling it out for first place in the Iowa GOP caucuses next month. But beneath the battle for first place, two other sharp-elbowed candidates are fighting hard here: Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. The two Florida Republicans have almost no shot at winning Iowa, but their respective superPACs and campaigns are duking it out on the airwaves.

Bernie Sanders Says He’s Democrats’ Most Electable Presidential Candidate (NBC News 1/10/16)

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said polls show he’s Democrats’ most electable 2016 candidate and that he’s “gaining steam” ahead of the fast-approaching Iowa caucuses. “If people are concerned about electability — and Democrats should be very concerned because we certainly don’t want to see some right-wing extremist in the White House — Bernie Sanders is the candidate,” Sanders told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” Sunday. Sanders cited a Quinnipiac Poll released last month showing he fares better than his main Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton against Republican front-runner Donald Trump. The poll shows Sanders beating Trump by 13 points, compared to Clinton’s smaller margin of 7 points.

Bush super PAC goes after Christie in Iowa (Politico 1/10/16) 

The super PAC supporting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is going after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The pro-Bush Right to Rise super PAC is sending out mailers questioning Christie’s record as governor in its first direct attack at Christie in Iowa. “Get the facts on Christie’s record as governor,” the mailer reads, continuing that under the New Jersey governor “New Jersey’s credit rating has been downgraded a record nine times” and that Christie “embraced a massive expansion of Obamacare.” The mailer, sent out to voters in Iowa, is yet another signal that the larger Bush political apparatus wants to prevent the New Jersey governor from leapfrogging Bush in either Iowa or New Hampshire, where Christie has enjoyed a polling bump.

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