Image 01 Image 03
Sign In or RegisterLogout

2016 Republican Primary Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 03, 2016 139 Comments
Mitt Romney already has gone after Donald Trump, suggesting there might be a "bombshell" in the tax returns Trump now refuses to make public. Romney is stepping it up a notch, giving a speech today starting at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, in which he lashes out at Donald Trump:
Mitt Romney will call Donald J. Trump “a phony” and “a fraud” in a speech on Thursday in which he will urge Republicans to rally around one of Mr. Trump’s presidential rivals, according to excerpts from his remarks. The hastily organized speech, to be delivered in Utah, represents a last-ditch effort among leaders in the Republican Party to blunt Mr. Trump’s momentum before he runs away with the presidential nomination. Mr. Romney has been criticizing Mr. Trump on social media in recent weeks, calling on him to release his tax returns and arguing that slowness to denounce the Ku Klux Klan was disqualifying for a presidential candidate.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 02, 2016 20 Comments
Ben Carson is not officially suspending his campaign, but he's doing almost that much, telling supporters he sees no "path forward" and dropping out of tomorrow's debate. Carson released the following statement: "I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results."
I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit. Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America. I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results. However, this grassroots movement on behalf of “We the People” will continue. Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to Saving America for Future Generations. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 01, 2016 163 Comments
Welcome to our Super Tuesday live blog. Be sure to refresh your browser for the latest updates. If you have questions, please post them in the comment section below, and I'll do my best to answer them for you. Twelve states are in play and approximately 600 delegates up for grabs. 1,237 delegates are required to clinch the GOP nomination (baring any convention shenanigans, which we'll worry about if they become an issue). (added by WAJ, 2nd update) While the final delegate numbers might change, this is the NY Times estimate for tonights voting, as of almost 1:30 a.m. Eastern. A win for Trump, but not as overwhelming in terms of delegates at the headlines would suggest based on number of states won: Super Tuesday Delegate results

Posted by Jonathan Levin on March 01, 2016 211 Comments
For months now, Donald Trump has spouted the same line on immigration, promising to build a border wall and deport people here illegally.  Last night, he admitted he would not deport the 11 million people in the United States illegally.  It was posturing. Trump appeared on Sean Hannity's show on Fox News.  Here's the video:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 29, 2016 38 Comments
On the eve of Super Tuesday, Sen. Ben Sasse is imploring voters to chose anyone but Trump. Sen. Sasse joined Chuck Todd to discuss Trump's candidacy Monday: "Fundamentally, this party needs to return to its principles of believing in equality under the law and believing in the greatness of the potential of the American people. We believe in limited government, we don't believe in a bigger Washington," said Sen. Sasse. Todd asked Sasse whether broad support for Trump was indicative of a new Republican party.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 29, 2016 98 Comments
Donald Trump launched his campaign popularity with a hard line on immigration, not limited to The Wall. It struck a chord with the electorate, as I noted in a guest column at National Review on July 13, 2015, Trump’s Lesson: Voters Are Furious about Illegal Immigration:
.... something happened on the way to the denunciations and purges [of Trump]. Kate Steinle was murdered in San Francisco, a sanctuary city. Steinle was killed in broad daylight on a popular pedestrian pier in a business and tourist district, by an illegal immigrant with a long criminal record who had been deported five times and recently was released from custody…. In the wake of the murder of Kate Steinle, many Republican candidates have denounced the sanctuary-cities agenda. There is talk of withholding funding from cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. But who among the Republican candidates has stood side by side with the families who have lost loved ones to illegal-immigrant criminals? Trump did….”
Since then, immigration has continued to be the rocket fuel in Trump's campaign.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 28, 2016 89 Comments
Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions endorsed Donald Trump at a rally today. The endorsement is viewed as a blow to Ted Cruz, who often cites Sessions to bolster Cruz's immigration bona fides. The Washington Post reports:
"Politicians have promised for 30 years to fix illegal immigration. Have they done it? Donald Trump will do it," Sessions said at the Madison City Schools Stadium, where thousands gathered to hear Trump speak. “I’ve told Donald Trump this isn’t a campaign, this is a movement.” The endorsement represents a major blow to Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), one of Trump's two chief rivals for the Republican nomination. Cruz has touted his strict positions on border security and deportation, leaning on his strident commitment to conservative ideology as a key rationale for his candidacy. In the run-up to the March 1 Super Tuesday primary elections, Cruz has tried to undermine Trump's conservative bona fides on immigration reform, characterizing his plan as “amnesty.”

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 28, 2016 170 Comments
Chris Christie's endorsement of Donald Trump on Friday, February 26, 2016, served the primary purpose of deflecting for a news cycle or two the media momentum gained by Marco Rubio and to a lesser extent Ted Cruz coming out of the Thursday night CNN Debate. Whether it changed a single vote is doubtful, but it was a good PR move by the Trump campaign. The endorsement was considered by prior media fans of Chrisie to be a betrayal of everything Christie supposedly stood for. Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post wrote, Chris Christie’s despicable endorsement of Trump:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 26, 2016 19 Comments
Thanks to road blockades and a protestor parade, I barely made it to the Republican debate media check-in before the cut off. I ran across two parking lots and Froggered my way through gridlocked traffic in three-inch heels, but I made it. Perks of being a city girl. After filing through security, (actual security, you know the kind where they dig through your belongings and carefully examine your chapstick, open your bottle of Tums, play with your computer, and finally give you the go-ahead?) I popped into the ladies room to make sure my heeled-jog through campus hadn't disrupted my appearance too terribly. Next stop? Scope out the food situation. Texas BBQ? Yes, please! But the line was too long. Best to get settled and come back later.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 26, 2016 45 Comments
Like both Ted Cruz (who campaigned for his Senate seat on the building of the border wall in 2012) and Marco Rubio, Donald Trump has stated that the wall that has already been approved by Congress will be built during his presidency should he be elected. Trump, however, takes his stance to another level in declaring that Mexico will pay for the wall. Earlier this month, former Mexican president Felipe Calderón said that Mexico would "not pay one cent" toward the wall. Just yesterday, a second former Mexican president, Vicente Fox, stated, in very explicit terms, that Mexico will not pay for "that "f*'ing wall."

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 26, 2016 68 Comments
After a good ol' fashioned whoppin' in last night's Republican debate. Donald Trump found a new attack dog, former presidential candidate and New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie. I would guess Attorney General is a possibility, too.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 26, 2016 37 Comments
I noted last night that Marco Rubio had done to Donald Trump what Trump successfully did to Jeb Bush:
.... Marco Rubio was the first person in any of the debates to successfully take on Trump on a range of issues. Rubio mocked and belittled Trump in the humorous, mocking and highly effective manner that Trump used to make Jeb look small.
Mockery can be a very effective tactic against bullies, because it takes their strength and turns it into their weakness. Rubio is on the stump today continuing the mockery, suggesting that Trump was panicking and may even have been worried he wet his pants, via Politico:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 25, 2016 101 Comments
The biggest take away from the CNN Republican Debate is that contrary to prior promises, Donald Trump says he will not release his income tax returns because he is being audited. There is no law, that I'm aware of, prohibiting such release. It sounded like a massive dodge, since IRS audits can go on for years. Trump even said his last 4-5 years of returns are being audited. Trump was his usual, petty self, gratuitously insulting Hugh Hewitt for supposedly having low ratings, even when Hewitt hadn't asked hostile question at the time, but reminded Trump of the prior promise to release the returns. I guess Trump supporters will see such conduct as "tough" and being a "fighter," but it was childish. Perhaps more important, Marco Rubio was the first person in any of the debates to successfully take on Trump on a range of issues.  Rubio mocked and belittled Trump in the humorous, mocking and highly effective manner that Trump used to make Jeb look small.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 25, 2016 19 Comments
Welcome to our live coverage of tonight's Republican debate. Held at the University of Houston, the CNN/Google debate will begin at 8:30 PM EST. I'm reporting live from the spin room tonight. For those updates, see my feed beneath. For the best way to watch the debate, we defer to CNN:
Where can I watch it? CNN will broadcast the debate live on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Espanol, and it will be translated live on Telemundo. The network will also provide a live stream of the debate on CNN.com's home page and across mobile platforms, available to all users without having to log in. How will it work? CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer will moderate the debate once again. Telemundo News anchor Maria Celeste Arras, Salem talk radio host Hugh Hewitt and CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash will join Blitzer in questioning the candidates.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 24, 2016 111 Comments
In an interview with Fox News today, Mitt Romney suggested there was reason to believe there is a bombshell in the tax returns Donald Trump has not yet released:
There might be a “bombshell” revelation to be discovered in Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s tax returns, 2012 party nominee Mitt Romney said Wednesday. He also called on the entire GOP field to release their tax returns. “I think there’s something there," Romney said of Trump's returns, "Either he’s not anywhere near as wealthy as he says he is, or he hasn’t been paying the kind of taxes we would expect him to pay,” Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto on “Your World.”

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 24, 2016 51 Comments
Hillary Clinton is not the only presidential contender muddling through legal battles this election season. An upcoming trial scheduled for May 6 could pull Donald Trump off the campaign trail. Listed as a witness by both sides of the bench, Trump will likely be required to testify in a trial over the now defunct Trump University which has been accused of fraud. Yahoo News reported:
Here’s a part of the political calendar that nobody in the Republican Party seems to have noticed: This spring, just as the GOP nomination battle enters its final phase, frontrunner Donald Trump could be forced to take time out for some unwanted personal business: He’s due to take the witness stand in a federal courtroom in San Diego, where he is being accused of running a financial fraud.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 23, 2016 68 Comments
Welcome to our Nevada Republican Caucus live feed. Caucuses end by midnight EST. We'll report results as we have them. Depending on your time zone, you might want to crank up the coffee pot, we'll be here awhile. Up for grabs, 30 delegates. The caucus is closed, so only those who registered as a Republican thirty days prior to tonight are able to cast votes. The current delegate allocation: Screen Shot 2016-02-23 at 7.26.39 PM A total of 1,237 delegates are required to win the Republican nomination.
Accessibility by WAH