Here’s a quick overview of
the latest political news.
- Is Jeb! done for?
Jeb! Bush’s campaign is spiraling downward, fast, and the big question is, can he find a way to change course in time to salvage the strong showing in New Hampshire he’s apparently determined he needs?
Third-quarter Federal Election Commission reports showed Jeb!’s vaunted financial lead over the rest of the pack – expected to “shock and awe” everyone initially – has done not much good. For July, August, and September, his campaign raised $13.4 million, but spent $11.5 million – an unsustainable 86% burn rate. Worse, he’s got less than $10 million cash on hand (that’s the number the campaign strategists really look at – how much do they have that they can spend on advertising, or voter contact, or ground troops?).
And … his poll numbers are sagging further.
So it came as little surprise when Politico reported that beginning November 1, he’s cutting payroll costs by 40%, slashing the cost of his Miami headquarters by 50% and will cut travel costs by another 20%. On top of that, he’s cutting everything else not associated with advertising or voter contact by 45%.
Reminder: The Bushioisie’s record in New Hampshire – where Jeb! apparently intends to make his stand – is a mixed bag. George H.W. Bush famously lost the 1980 NH primary to Ronald Reagan (“I’m paying for this microphone, Mr. Green!”), but then beat Bob Dole there in the 1988 contest; George W. Bush was crushed by John McCain in the 2000 campaign, losing the 2000 NH primary by 49-30%.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/jeb-bush-orders- across-board-pay-cuts-on- campaign-215106
- Carson surges ahead in Iowa.
Two new polls out of Iowa show Carson surging to the lead over Donald Trump. A Quinnipiac poll from Thursday shows Carson leading in Iowa by 28-20% over Trump, while a new Des Moines Register poll shows Carson’s lead at 28-19% over Trump. In the Q Poll, Marco Rubio is in third place, with 13% (up from 5% in previous polls), and Ted Cruz is in fourth, with 10%; in the DMR poll, Cruz is in third, with 10%, and Rubio is in fourth, at 9%. In both polls, Rand Paul shows up in fifth place.
What led to the Carson surge? We’re not sure, but we note the presence of anti-Trump advertising campaign launched by the Club for Growth. For the last several weeks, CGF ads blasting Trump’s record have been airing – all told, the Club has dumped roughly $1 million in negative advertising on Trump’s head. Which is at least a little bit ironic, given that earlier this year, CFG honcho Dave McIntosh was in The Donald’s office, asking for a million-dollar contribution.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/carson-trump-iowa- quinnipiac-gop-poll-1022- 215029 and http://www.desmoinesregister. com/story/news/politics/iowa- poll/caucus/2015/10/23/ben- carson-charges-9-points-ahead- of-donald-trump-iowa-poll-gop/ 74278414/ and http://therightscoop.com/boom- trump-does-it-again-pulls-a- donald-on-the-club-for-growth/
- Carson and Cruz impress evangelicals in Texas.
Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Carly Fiorina, and Jeb! all headed to a Dallas suburb last Sunday for the Faith and Freedom Coalition forum. The event was held at Prestonwood Baptist Church, a megachurch that can seat 7,000 people. The gathering was an opportunity for the candidates to discuss their faith and to connect with conservative, evangelical voters in Texas.
Cruz and Carson were clear favorites with the audience. Cruz joked about being a preacher’s kid, while Carson talked about how Christian faith made him a better doctor.
Read more here: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/republicans-cruz- carson-texas-baptist-church- 2016-214912
- Is Rand Paul’s presidential campaign in its waning days?
And speaking of Rand Paul’s low polling, bad news abounds for his campaign these days. Rand Paul, in addition to running for President, must also defend his Senate seat in 2016. Based on his dismal fundraising numbers, it seems the Senator is not multi-tasking well. Paul reported raising an embarrassing $156,590 in the last quarter for his Senate race.
Others are beginning to notice how poorly Paul is fundraising. According to Politico, Mitch McConnell has been sharing his concerns over the past few weeks, warning that his fellow Kentucky Senator should focus less on the presidential race and concentrate more on winning re-election to the Senate next year, which, according to one strategist in Kentucky is “not a foregone conclusion.”
- Trump believes his immigration policies would have prevented the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and baits
Jeb!
Donald Trump is not backing down from his strong stance opposing illegal immigration. On “FOX News Sunday,” he asserted that if his immigration policies had been in effect in 2001, the terrorist attacks on September 11th likely would not have happened.
Trump and Jeb Bush have been feuding via social media and elsewhere about immigration and national security. Bush recently tweeted about his brother’s legacy and September 11th: “We were attacked & my brother kept us safe.”
But Trump challenged that idea during his interview on FOX News. “Jeb said ‘we were safe with my brother.’ ‘We were safe.’ Well, the Word Trade Center just fell down. Now, am I trying to blame him? I’m not blaming anybody. But the World Trade Center came down. So … that’s not safe. We lost 3,000 people.”
Trump said that he is “extremely tough on illegal immigration,” and that America would be a safer place with his policies.
Read more here: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/trump-immigration- terror-attacks-214905
- Jeb!’s President brother really doesn’t like Ted Cruz. But does telling donors
that really help Jeb!?
Jeb!’s campaign has been taking it on the chin of late – his poll numbers are sagging, his fundraising is off, his cash-on-hand leaves him in the middle of the pack, his message is vague, and now he’s allowed himself to be baited by Donald Trump into spending time defending his brother’s record regarding the 9/11 attacks, rather than pushing his own, positive message. So it probably didn’t help him much when, at a weekend high-dollar fundraiser for Jeb!, his brother the former President launched into an attack against … no, not Trump … no, not Marco Rubio … Ted Cruz.
“I just don’t like the guy,” said the former President of the Texas Senator who’s now leading Jeb! in most polls, according to a half-dozen sources inside the room.
Said Politico, “While Jeb Bush’s campaign is spending far more time of late pushing out information that contrasts favorably with Rubio, his oldest brother seemed to see Cruz as the biggest threat in the end. According to several donors, the former president said not to doubt Cruz’s strength. ‘He said he thought Cruz was going to be a pretty formidable candidate against Jeb, especially in Texas and across the South,’ a donor said.”
Cruz’s campaign – already on the move nationally and in targeted states – just got another shot in the arm. When the last Republican to win the White House (twice, no less!) identifies you as the biggest threat to your brother’s campaign, that’s got to help on a wide variety of fronts.
Read more here: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/jeb-bush-george-bush- donors-ted-cruz-214933
Have you seen our new ad about Hillary Clinton’s disastrous record as Secretary of State? If
you have not yet watched it, please take a moment to view it here. And please share the video with your friends
on social media!
That’s all for this update! Keep fighting for freedom!
In liberty,
Jenny Beth Martin
Chairman
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