16 for '16: The Most Talked-About Potential GOP Presidential Candidates

[Dos Equis]

Poll: Carson edges Trump as most likely to win GOP nomination
By PAUL BEDARD (@SECRETSBEDARD)
9/18/15

A post-debate poll finds that surgeon Ben Carson has leapfrogged over businessman Donald Trump as the candidate most Republican voters believe will win the GOP nomination.

Rasmussen Reports said that 59 percent of likely Republican voters believe Carson will end up on top after the primary and caucus season is over next year.

He is closely followed by Donald Trump, at 58 percent, Carly Fiorina at 41 percent and Jeb Bush at 40 percent.

The poll shows the clearest proof that Carson has caught fire, in part due to his debate performances. When he announced in May, just 25 percent of likely Republican voters expected him to win the nomination.

Fiorina also saw a huge surge in voter confidence in her. When she announced in May, just 16 percent saw her as the eventual nominee.

In its analysis of the findings, Rasmussen said, "Jeb Bush is treading water, but Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina appear to have dramatically improved their chances for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Carson is now in a virtual tie with recent front-runner Donald Trump."

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/poll-carson-edges-trump-as-most-likely-to-win-gop-nomination/article/2572402#.VfwudGdqqMU.twitter

[240 is Back]

The same Rassmussn that had Romney beating Obama, in their final prediction, the night before obama landslide won over romney?

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_michael_barone/going_out_on_a_limb_romney_beats_obama_handily

[polychronopolous]

Scott Walker Out of Race



Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has concluded he no longer has a path to the Republican presidential nomination and plans to drop out of the 2016

campaign, according to three Republicans familiar with his decision, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mr. Walker called a news conference in Madison at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

“The short answer is money,” said a supporter of Mr. Walker’s who was briefed on the decision. “He’s made a decision not to limp into Iowa.”

The supporter said Mr. Walker’s fund-raising had dried up after his decline in the polls and that campaign officials did not feel they could risk going into debt with the race so uncertain. The governor, who was scheduled to be in New York and Washington this week, partly to raise money, had built up an expansive staff, bringing on aides and consultants detailed to everything from Christian conservative outreach to Super Tuesday states. But his fund-raising did not keep pace with the money needed to sustain such an infrastructure.

Mr. Walker’s intended withdrawal is a humiliating climb down for a Republican governor once seen as all but politically invincible. He started the year at the top of the polls but has seen his position gradually deteriorate, amid the rise of Donald J. Trump’s populist campaign and repeated missteps by Mr. Walker himself.

In the most recent CNN survey, Mr. Walker drew support nationally from less than one-half of one percent of Republican primary voters. He faced growing pressure to shake up his campaign staff, a step he was loath to take, according to Republicans briefed on his deliberations.

In recent weeks the Walker campaign has seen its fund-raising in a downward spiral, with the candidate undertaking a heavy travel schedule of political events but spending far less time raising money. Two top Walker donors said on Monday that potential backers who had been leaning toward Mr. Walker had started expressing strong misgivings about the direction of his campaign after his middling performance in the last Republican debate. The two donors were helping organize a fund-raiser for Mr. Walker this Thursday in New York City at the apartment of Todd Ricketts, a national finance co-chair of the Walker campaign, but were struggling to lock in people to attend.

“Donors have totally dried up for Walker, and getting people to come on Thursday was unbelievably hard,” said one of the donors. “Everyone I know was just totally stunned by how difficult the fund-raising became, but the candidate and the campaign just couldn’t inspire confidence.”

Mr. Walker burst into attention in late January with a fiery speech in Iowa, where he upstaged other 2016 Republican hopefuls before a conservative crowd, speaking of how he had withstood angry protesters and threats as Wisconsin’s governor.

Courting Republican primary voters who are more conservative than the Wisconsin electorate, Mr. Walker moved to the right, taking hawkish positions on immigration, signing an anti-union bill in Wisconsin and asking the state Legislature to send him a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks.

He continued to lead the Republican pack in Iowa all spring, and roared over the open road on a Harley-Davidson to a seven-candidate political fund-raiser in the state in June.

But Mr. Trump’s surge as a political outsider galvanized grass-roots Republicans who are angry at all conventional politicians, and he drew support more from Mr. Walker than from anyone else.

[Dos Equis]

Scott Walker Out of Race



Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has concluded he no longer has a path to the Republican presidential nomination and plans to drop out of the 2016

campaign, according to three Republicans familiar with his decision, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mr. Walker called a news conference in Madison at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

“The short answer is money,” said a supporter of Mr. Walker’s who was briefed on the decision. “He’s made a decision not to limp into Iowa.”

The supporter said Mr. Walker’s fund-raising had dried up after his decline in the polls and that campaign officials did not feel they could risk going into debt with the race so uncertain. The governor, who was scheduled to be in New York and Washington this week, partly to raise money, had built up an expansive staff, bringing on aides and consultants detailed to everything from Christian conservative outreach to Super Tuesday states. But his fund-raising did not keep pace with the money needed to sustain such an infrastructure.

Mr. Walker’s intended withdrawal is a humiliating climb down for a Republican governor once seen as all but politically invincible. He started the year at the top of the polls but has seen his position gradually deteriorate, amid the rise of Donald J. Trump’s populist campaign and repeated missteps by Mr. Walker himself.

In the most recent CNN survey, Mr. Walker drew support nationally from less than one-half of one percent of Republican primary voters. He faced growing pressure to shake up his campaign staff, a step he was loath to take, according to Republicans briefed on his deliberations.

In recent weeks the Walker campaign has seen its fund-raising in a downward spiral, with the candidate undertaking a heavy travel schedule of political events but spending far less time raising money. Two top Walker donors said on Monday that potential backers who had been leaning toward Mr. Walker had started expressing strong misgivings about the direction of his campaign after his middling performance in the last Republican debate. The two donors were helping organize a fund-raiser for Mr. Walker this Thursday in New York City at the apartment of Todd Ricketts, a national finance co-chair of the Walker campaign, but were struggling to lock in people to attend.

“Donors have totally dried up for Walker, and getting people to come on Thursday was unbelievably hard,” said one of the donors. “Everyone I know was just totally stunned by how difficult the fund-raising became, but the candidate and the campaign just couldn’t inspire confidence.”

Mr. Walker burst into attention in late January with a fiery speech in Iowa, where he upstaged other 2016 Republican hopefuls before a conservative crowd, speaking of how he had withstood angry protesters and threats as Wisconsin’s governor.

Courting Republican primary voters who are more conservative than the Wisconsin electorate, Mr. Walker moved to the right, taking hawkish positions on immigration, signing an anti-union bill in Wisconsin and asking the state Legislature to send him a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks.

He continued to lead the Republican pack in Iowa all spring, and roared over the open road on a Harley-Davidson to a seven-candidate political fund-raiser in the state in June.

But Mr. Trump’s surge as a political outsider galvanized grass-roots Republicans who are angry at all conventional politicians, and he drew support more from Mr. Walker than from anyone else.

Good decision, but it's too bad.  He was a good candidate.

[polychronopolous]

Good decision, but it's too bad.  He was a good candidate.

Amazing how quickly things can turn in politics.

Seems like he was trying to change his image towards the end but it never really caught on.

[Dos Equis]

Amazing how quickly things can turn in politics.

Seems like he was trying to change his image towards the end but it never really caught on.

Agree.  People go from hero to zero (and vice versa) overnight.

[Dos Equis]

Good points.  As the field narrows, Trump will fade.

Walker suspends 2016 campaign, urges party to find Trump alternative
Published September 21, 2015
FoxNews.com

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, once a leading candidate in the Republican presidential race, suspended his struggling 2016 campaign on Monday -- while issuing an appeal to his party to counter the rise of front-runner Donald Trump.

At a hastily called press conference in Madison, Walker confirmed the news that by that point had leaked out: "I will suspend my campaign immediately."

But the governor also lamented that the contest has "drifted into personal attacks" and urged other contenders to consider following him out of the race, if only to help elevate those who can compete against the front-runner. Without naming Trump, Walker warned that he thinks the billionaire businessman could damage the party.

"I believe that I am being called to lead by helping to clear the field in this race so that a positive, conservative message can rise to the top of the field," Walker said. "... I encourage other Republican presidential candidates to consider doing the same so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive, conservative alternative to the current front-runner."

The decision marks a swift reversal in fortunes for Walker, who over the summer was seen as the candidate to beat in the key state of Iowa. But the governor who forged a national reputation on his record battling union power in his home state saw his position slide in recent months.

Walker was plagued by a series of missteps, and was seen as performing poorly in the first two primary debates, generally struggling to stand out amid a crowded and boisterous 2016 field.

The 47-year-old had told Fox News before last Wednesday's debate at the Reagan Library that he planned to "be aggressive" and show the kind of "passion" that brought him to victory in the past. Walker did have a few notable moments -- including telling Trump "we don't need an apprentice in the White House ... we have one right now.” But he was arguably outshined not only by Trump but Carly Fiorina and others.

For Walker, much was riding on his performance in that debate. In the aftermath, a CNN/ORC poll released Sunday showed Walker polling nationally at less than 1 percent.

Throughout his campaign, Walker cast himself as an "aggressively normal" conservative, campaigning as a fighter who had a number of victories in a state that hasn't voted for a Republican president since 1984.

Walker was elected governor in 2010, before winning a tough recall election in 2012 against a labor-backed effort to remove him from office, becoming the first governor to survive a recall election. Walker was elected to a second term in 2014.

However, when campaigning for president, he appeared to struggle in stating his policy positions. He appeared to flip-flop on whether he supported ending birthright citizenship in August, and showed interest in building a wall between the U.S. and Canada, only to later laugh it off as ridiculous.

Immediately after the decision to suspend the campaign was reported, fellow 2016 candidate Ben Carson called Walker "an outstanding leader with a strong record of fighting for conservative principles."

"I wish him the very best," Carson said.

Trump also praised Walker on social media ahead of the formal announcement.

While Walker may be leaving the race, his well-known feud with major labor unions showed no sign of fading away. AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka released a scathing and brief statement: "Scott Walker is still a disgrace, just no longer national."

The move may have come to a surprise to supporters following Walker on Twitter, as he tweeted Monday he was "here to fight and win in Iowa."

A Walker donor told Fox News that even large donors were kept in the dark about the decision. A Monday afternoon conference call with donors gave no hint that this was coming, the donor said.

The announcement makes Walker the second GOP candidate to suspend his campaign, following former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Walker's exit leaves 15 major candidates remaining in the race for the Republican nomination.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/09/21/gov-walker-to-suspend-2016-campaign-fox-news-confirms/?intcmp=hpbt1

[Dos Equis]

The more I listen to him and watch him perform the I'm starting to believe he might be the nominee.  I think he is the most electable of the current bunch.

Rubio Team Moves Immediately to Capitalize on Walker Flameout
by BRENDAN BORDELON   
September 21, 2015 5:33 PM @BRENDANBORDELON

Mere minutes after news broke that former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker will suspend his presidential campaign, Marco Rubio’s campaign was already moving to pick up the pieces. “We’ve actually just nailed down [Walker’s] New Hampshire state co-chair to endorse Marco,” Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan told reporters at National Review’s 2016 Campaign Managers event at Google’s Washington, D.C., headquarters. “We’re prepared, as people move on in the race, to capitalize on it and move forward.” New Hampshire’s WMUR TV named the defecting co-chair as Cliff Hurst, the Manchester Republican Committee chairman and former state vice chairman. After two lackluster debate performances and rapidly-sliding poll numbers, many observers expected a Walker campaign staff shakeup. But Walker’s scheduled 6 p.m. EST announcement that he is dropping out of the race didn’t come as a huge surprise to Sullivan. “People don’t stop running for president because they run out of ideas or they run out of desire,” he said. “They stop running because they run out of money.”

Sullivan touted the Rubio campaign’s extreme frugality, saying it gives them a competitive edge and the ability to keep coasting on middling poll numbers while other candidates flame out. “Marco flies 95 percent commercial,” he said. “We just booked a Frontier Airlines flight today, which is a special kind of hell for anybody. But we do it because we gotta — we want to spend our money where it matters.”

Sullivan explained the Florida Republican senator’s advantage over the other candidates, saying he strikes a compelling middle ground between relatability and responsibility. “Voters want somebody they can have a beer with, but who’s also responsible enough to drive them home,” he said. And he downplayed the idea that former Florida governor Jeb Bush is Rubio’s main competition for the GOP nod. “We need everybody not named Marco to fizzle,” he said. “We need everybody to slowly fizzle out, and we think they will.” He later added that Rubio wasn’t “intimidated” by Bush.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/424393/rubio-team-moves-immediately-capitalize-walker-flameout-brendan-bordelon

[240 is Back]

Good points.  As the field narrows, Trump will fade.

I'm sure the other republicans in the race are all fighting over the 0.5% that Walker was carrying.

[Dos Equis]

Poll Puts Rubio Ahead of Bush in Florida; Trump Still Leads

Image: Poll Puts Rubio Ahead of Bush in Florida; Trump Still Leads  (AP) 
By Sandy Fitzgerald     
Wednesday, 23 Sep 2015

Sen. Marco Rubio has pulled ahead of Jeb Bush in their home state of Florida following the GOP debate earlier this month, according to a new Florida Atlantic University poll that puts the senator in second place behind part-time Floridian Donald Trump.

Bush, a former governor and political mentor of Rubio's, placed third in the poll, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

 The numbers break down as follows:
•Trump, 31.5 percent
•Rubio, 19.2 percent
•Bush, 11.3 percent
•Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who lives in West Palm Beach, Fla., 10.3 percent
•Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, 8.3 percent
"Marco Rubio being that far ahead of Jeb Bush is surprising," Kevin Wagner, an associate professor of political science at FAU and a research fellow at the university's Business and Economics Polling Initiative, commented. "Some of the early Florida polling suggested that Bush was in a stronger position."

But while the debate pushed Rubio up in the poll, 38.4 percent of the voters surveyed said Fiorina won the Sept. 16 GOP debate, followed by 14 percent for Trump, 11.3 percent for Rubio, and 10.4 percent for Bush.

The survey was conducted by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative in the College of Business between Sept. 17- 20

 Also in the poll, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton remained on top, with 59.5 percent of likely voters from her party. Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet announced his candidacy, netted 15.9 percent, followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, with 15.2 percent. The remaining candidates received less than 2 percent of those polled.

In matchups between the Republican candidates and Clinton, though, she came in behind the GOP frontrunners:
•Carson had 51.7 percent of the Florida vote to Clinton's 39.5 percent
•Rubio had 50.4 percent to Clinton's 42.2 percent
•Bush beat Clinton, 49.1 percent to 40.9 percent
•Trump and Clinton were tied, with 45.9 percent for him and 44.5 percent for her

Wagner said the primary poll itself was "very good news" for Clinton, but the potential pair-ups between her and Republicans in the general election "show pretty strong weakness for her. She's going to have to make up some ground in Florida."

Clinton also marked a negative favorability rating in the poll, which showed she was viewed unfavorably by 53.7 percent of Florida voters and favorably by 40.7 percent, giving her a negative net rating of 13 percentage points.

 In other ratings:
•Bush, negative unfavorability: 4.3 percentage points
•Carson had a net favorable rating of 22.5 percentage points in the survey. However, Wagner said too few people were surveyed after Carson's comments Sunday to draw any conclusions on his ratings
•Rubio, net favorable rating, 11 percentage points
•Sanders, net unfavorable, 20.2 percentage points
•Trump, net unfavorable rating, 22.7 percentage points

The survey of 298 Democratic likely voters carried a margin of error of plus or minus 5.6 percentage points, a margin of 5.2 percentage points for its 352 Republican likely voters, and overall, the general election survey of 801 registered voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Marco-Rubio-Jeb-Bush-Donald-Trump-Florida/2015/09/23/id/692885/#ixzz3mb0msHeb

[polychronopolous]

Poll Puts Rubio Ahead of Bush in Florida; Trump Still Leads

Image: Poll Puts Rubio Ahead of Bush in Florida; Trump Still Leads  (AP) 
By Sandy Fitzgerald     
Wednesday, 23 Sep 2015

Sen. Marco Rubio has pulled ahead of Jeb Bush in their home state of Florida following the GOP debate earlier this month, according to a new Florida Atlantic University poll that puts the senator in second place behind part-time Floridian Donald Trump.

Bush, a former governor and political mentor of Rubio's, placed third in the poll, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

 The numbers break down as follows:
•Trump, 31.5 percent
•Rubio, 19.2 percent
•Bush, 11.3 percent
•Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who lives in West Palm Beach, Fla., 10.3 percent
•Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, 8.3 percent
"Marco Rubio being that far ahead of Jeb Bush is surprising," Kevin Wagner, an associate professor of political science at FAU and a research fellow at the university's Business and Economics Polling Initiative, commented. "Some of the early Florida polling suggested that Bush was in a stronger position."

But while the debate pushed Rubio up in the poll, 38.4 percent of the voters surveyed said Fiorina won the Sept. 16 GOP debate, followed by 14 percent for Trump, 11.3 percent for Rubio, and 10.4 percent for Bush.

The survey was conducted by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative in the College of Business between Sept. 17- 20

 Also in the poll, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton remained on top, with 59.5 percent of likely voters from her party. Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet announced his candidacy, netted 15.9 percent, followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, with 15.2 percent. The remaining candidates received less than 2 percent of those polled.

In matchups between the Republican candidates and Clinton, though, she came in behind the GOP frontrunners:
•Carson had 51.7 percent of the Florida vote to Clinton's 39.5 percent
•Rubio had 50.4 percent to Clinton's 42.2 percent
•Bush beat Clinton, 49.1 percent to 40.9 percent
•Trump and Clinton were tied, with 45.9 percent for him and 44.5 percent for her

Wagner said the primary poll itself was "very good news" for Clinton, but the potential pair-ups between her and Republicans in the general election "show pretty strong weakness for her. She's going to have to make up some ground in Florida."

Clinton also marked a negative favorability rating in the poll, which showed she was viewed unfavorably by 53.7 percent of Florida voters and favorably by 40.7 percent, giving her a negative net rating of 13 percentage points.

 In other ratings:
•Bush, negative unfavorability: 4.3 percentage points
•Carson had a net favorable rating of 22.5 percentage points in the survey. However, Wagner said too few people were surveyed after Carson's comments Sunday to draw any conclusions on his ratings
•Rubio, net favorable rating, 11 percentage points
•Sanders, net unfavorable, 20.2 percentage points
•Trump, net unfavorable rating, 22.7 percentage points

The survey of 298 Democratic likely voters carried a margin of error of plus or minus 5.6 percentage points, a margin of 5.2 percentage points for its 352 Republican likely voters, and overall, the general election survey of 801 registered voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Marco-Rubio-Jeb-Bush-Donald-Trump-Florida/2015/09/23/id/692885/#ixzz3mb0msHeb

Trump seems to get off by bitch slapping Bush every time he gets an opportunity, which in an indirect way probably has helped Rubio.

It would be interesting to see how Rubio matches up head to head against Bush with Trump out of the picture because I think the Anti-Dynasty sentiment on the right is real this year.

[Dos Equis]

Trump seems to get off by bitch slapping Bush every time he gets an opportunity, which in an indirect way probably has helped Rubio.

It would be interesting to see how Rubio matches up head to head against Bush with Trump out of the picture because I think the Anti-Dynasty sentiment on the right is real this year.

True.  I think Rubio might be the last man standing at the end of the primaries. 

[Dos Equis]

Amazing how someone so successful can act like a butt-hurt sissy. 

Trump says he won't appear on Fox News
The Republican front-runner says Fox has been treating him unfairly, while Fox says it dumped Trump first.
By Nick Gass
09/23/15
Updated 09/23/15

Citing unfair treatment, Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is not going to appear on any Fox News shows "for the forseeable future," reigniting a feud that has heated up and cooled throughout the summer.

".@FoxNews has been treating me very unfairly & I have therefore decided that I won't be doing any more Fox shows for the foreseeable future," Trump tweeted at mid-day on Wednesday.
.
Fox News fired back a couple hours later, saying Trump had it all wrong, and that it was Fox who dumped Trump. A spokesman issued a statement, condeming Trump's attacks on Fox's journalists.

"At 11:45am today, we canceled Donald Trump’s scheduled appearance on The O’Reilly Factor on Thursday, which resulted in Mr. Trump’s subsequent tweet about his ‘boycott’ of FOX News," the statement reads. "The press predictably jumped to cover his tweet, creating yet another distraction from any real issues that Mr. Trump might be questioned about. When coverage doesn’t go his way, he engages in personal attacks on our anchors and hosts, which has grown stale and tiresome. He doesn’t seem to grasp that candidates telling journalists what to ask is not how the media works in this country.”

The Republican presidential candidate had devoted Monday and Tuesday nights this week to blasting the network's coverage of him on Twitter, tweeting and retweeting criticism.

"I am having a really hard time watching Fox News," he wrote Monday night.

Trump also called out Bill O'Reilly on Twitter this week for having "the same old Trump haters" as guests and "refusing to ... post the great polls that came out today including NBC."

O'Reilly fired back on Tuesday, telling NBC's Matt Lauer that Twitter is "like the worst thing you could give Donald Trump."

“He wants people to like him. When people criticize him, he takes it personally," the host of "The O'Reilly Factor" said. "So I just think this is just a extension of his reality show, ‘The Apprentice.’ This is just theater right now."

Trump has criticized Fox's coverage in the past, particularly in the case of Megyn Kelly, who asked him tough questions during the first GOP debate.

He and Fox News chief Roger Ailes have struck two truces in the last two months, the last one coming in late August after Trump unleashed a series of tweets blasting "The Kelly File" anchor.

“Roger Ailes is great. He’s a special guy and a good friend of mine. We just spoke two minutes ago," Trump told Laura Ingraham in an Aug. 25 interview. "I mean, Roger Ailes is a great guy and no, I have no problem,."

The first truce came days after the Aug. 6 debate at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where Trump had a contentious back-and-forth with Kelly and said in a later interview that she had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." (He later explained that he was referring to her nose.)

“Roger Ailes just called. He is a great guy & assures me that ‘Trump’ will be treated fairly on @FoxNews,” he wrote on Twitter at that time. “His word is always good!”

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/donald-trump-fox-news-213971#ixzz3mbOPfdtC

[240 is Back]

Amazing how someone so successful can act like a butt-hurt sissy. 

Trump is a conservative stalwart and the #1 choice of republicans.

Please honor the Reagan Rule - about not attacking other republicans.

[Dos Equis]

Rubio rising? Marco gets 2016 boost from debates, Walker's exit
By Adam Shaw
Published September 24, 2015
FoxNews.com

Things may be looking up for Marco Rubio.

Though he's struggled to break through the crowded, and loud, 2016 field after announcing his intention to run in April, there has been fresh buzz about his campaign since what many analysts saw as a stand-out performance at the Sept. 16 debate at the Reagan Library.

A Fox News poll released late Wednesday showed Rubio and Carly Fiorina tied for third place on the GOP side, each with 9 percent, behind Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson.

A CNN/ORC poll released earlier this week showed the Florida senator surging into 4th place with 11 percent – up from a meager 3 percent at the beginning of September. And he seems to be benefiting the most from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s decision to drop out of the race Monday. The Wall Street Journal reported that Rubio will inherit about two-thirds of Walker’s big-donor fundraising apparatus, citing a member of Walker’s national finance committee.

“His chances have grown, his chances are growing. He’s part of a small group of candidates who really do have a shot,” Ron Bonjean, an unaligned Republican strategist, told FoxNews.com. “It’s still a long way away but he’s playing his cards right for now."

A number of key staff, including Walker’s New Hampshire state co-chairman, already have joined Rubio's campaign.

He is also beginning to pose a challenge to former front-runner and ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in their home state. A new Florida Atlantic University poll puts Rubio in second place, behind Donald Trump but in front of Bush.

However, so far, Rubio’s team has been cautious in getting carried away by recent good news.

“While it's always nice to see people responding well to Marco, the truth is that polls at this stage of the race are not indicative of who will win,” Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Rubio campaign, told FoxNews.com, adding that there are still four months to go before the first primary contest.

This muted response is all part of the strategy, Bonjean says: “Rubio has engaged in a chipaway strategy where he’s not trying to be the front-runner with the spotlight shining on him, but over the course of each debate and over time he’s building his foundation of support.”

However, as Rubio’s support and infrastructure expands, it seems unlikely he will be able to stay out of the spotlight for long. On Monday night, Trump took a shot at Rubio over his initial support and role in crafting the 2013 immigration reform bill, as well as his voting record in the Senate.

Trump also took a swing at Rubio’s alleged absenteeism in the Senate during the Reagan Library debate. And he's still a target of Democrats.

On Monday, the DNC attempted to stir up a “Nazi” controversy, pointing out that Rubio was attending a fundraiser at the home of developer Harlan Crow, who owns a signed copy of Adolf Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf. However, several media organizations noted Crow has a wide range of historical memorabilia, including items that belonged to Abraham Lincoln. Republicans called the matter a "false controversy."

It wasn't the first time a critique of Rubio seemed to backfire. The New York Times was mocked in June for stories that reported on Rubio's finances and speeding tickets. In one front-page story, the paper reported about the Rubios’ “extravagant” purchases including an $80,000 speedboat, and leasing a $50,000 SUV. In one peculiar paragraph, the Times included the detail that a house Rubio bought in 2005 “includes an in-ground pool, a handsome brick driveway, meticulously manicured shrubs and oversize windows.”

The only recent public flub that seems to have stuck around was his decision to take an awkward sip of water during his response to the 2013 State of the Union address. But Rubio regularly pokes fun at himself over the incident.

Now, even some Democrats say Rubio could be a contender. “Presidential campaigns are -- yes they’re about messaging and policy -- but they’re also about symbolism, and what I think what Marco Rubio is doing is trying to present this positive image of an America that, in his belief we can all live in,” Basil Smikle Jr., executive director of the New York state Democratic Party told FoxNews.com LIVE.

“As long as he keeps presenting that image and that symbol of what America is and should be … then I think he has a winning message and narrative there,” Smikle said.

While cautious, the Rubio camp is showing quiet optimism about their chances.

“We have a strategy to be first in February, and we're on track to accomplishing that. Marco did very well in the first two debates, and it's a good thing for our campaign that we have 10 more debates,” Conant said.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/09/24/rubio-rising-marco-gets-2016-boost-from-debates-walker-exit/?intcmp=hpbt2

[Dos Equis]

The war between Donald Trump and Fox News is back on
By Dylan Byers and Brian Stelter@CNNMoney

The war of words between Donald Trump and Fox News turned nasty Wednesday night.

On Megyn Kelly's Fox News talk show, conservative columnist Rich Lowry asserted that Carly Fiorina had castrated Trump during the CNN debate last week.

Lowry, a prominent Trump critic, referred to Trump's private parts and said Fiorina had the "precision of a surgeon."
Kelly, who looked shocked at the remark, said "what did you just say?"

Trump was apparently shocked too -- he lambasted Lowry via Twitter, calling him "incompetent" and adding, "He should not be allowed on TV and the FCC should fine him!"

The FCC -- Federal Communications Commission -- occasionally fines broadcast networks for indecency, but has no power to sanction cable channels like Fox News.

Lowry gleefully replied to Trump on Twitter: "Man, you can dish it out but you REALLY, REALLY can't take it."

Fox News had no immediate comment on the off-color moment.

For the time being, Trump and Fox are at loggerheads, and Wednesday's back-and-forth about Trump's anatomy isn't likely to change that.

The conflict began heating up again around noon on Wednesday, when Trump tweeted that he would be boycotting Fox because the network has treated him "very unfairly."

"I have therefore decided that I won't be doing any more Fox shows for the foreseeable future," he wrote.

But a Fox News spokesperson suggested Trump wasn't telling the full story. In a statement to CNN, Fox said "at 11:45 a.m. today, we canceled Donald Trump's scheduled appearance on 'The O'Reilly Factor' on Thursday, which resulted in Mr. Trump's subsequent tweet about his 'boycott' of Fox News."

Fox News declined to specify why it had canceled Trump's appearance. But the decision came after a series of tweets Trump posted on Monday and Tuesday criticizing Kelly's and Bill O'Reilly's shows, sometimes in highly personal ways.

"Enough's enough" is how one Fox source put it on Wednesday.

A second source argued that Trump was antagonizing Fox to create controversy and draw attention to himself at a time when other candidates are surging in the polls.

"When coverage doesn't go his way, he engages in personal attacks on our anchors and hosts, which has grown stale and tiresome," the Fox News spokesperson said. "He doesn't seem to grasp that candidates telling journalists what to ask is not how the media works in this country."

Fox also criticized the media for its initial portrayal of Trump's boycott announcement. "The press predictably jumped to cover his tweet, creating yet another distraction from any real issues that Mr. Trump might be questioned about," the spokesperson said.

Trump's office replied by saying "Mr. Trump stands by his statement made earlier today" and pointing out the high ratings Stephen Colbert's show received when Trump stopped by on Tuesday night.

What happened between Fox and Trump?

Trump previously threatened to boycott Fox News in the wake of the first Republican primary debate six weeks ago on the grounds that the network's moderators -- particularly Kelly -- had been unfair to him.

The two parties reached detente after Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes called Trump to assure him that he would be treated fairly.
But the truce was exceedingly fragile. Trump still complained from time to time about Fox's coverage.

After the second primary debate of the season, last week, Trump was booked to appear this Thursday night on "The O'Reilly Factor," the highest-rated show on cable news.

O'Reilly even promoted the upcoming Trump interview while appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," which was taped Monday evening.
By Monday night, however, Trump was souring on O'Reilly's show. He fired off a series of angry tweets.

"I am having a really hard time watching Fox News," Trump tweeted. He complained that O'Reilly's show had been "very negative to me" because its guests were all "Trump haters."

He also resumed his critiques of Kelly, who has drawn Trump's fire ever since her grilling of the candidate during the first debate.
"She is the worst -- all anti-Trump!" Trump tweeted Monday night. "Terrible show."

He also singled out Lowry as "truly one of the dumbest of the talking heads."

On Tuesday night, Trump wrote, "Do you ever notice that lightweight Megyn Kelly constantly goes after me but when I hit back it is totally sexist. She is highly overrated!"

In a wink to his fans, some of whom wrongly thought Kelly's post-debate vacation was a suspension, he also wrote, "I think Megyn Kelly should take another eleven day 'unscheduled' vacation."

How long will the Trump blackout last?

For Fox News, the boycott -- whether instigated by Ailes or Trump -- means it will be cut off from the Trump ratings machine. By the same token, Trump will miss out on access to the millions of viewers who tune into Fox News every night for coverage of the 2016 race.

Trump, who gave a relatively subdued performance at the Sept. 16 GOP debate, is down 8 points in the latest CNN/ORC national poll. Meanwhile, rivals like Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson have been on the rise, and commanding more and more media attention.

But a post-debate poll by Fox, published on Wednesday night, showed Trump still leading the GOP pack with 26% support now, holding steady from the 25% support a Fox poll found for him in mid-August.

Carson is up to 18%, from 12% before, according to the Fox poll, and Fiorina is up to 9%, from 5% before.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/23/media/donald-trump-boycott-fox-news/index.html

[240 is Back]

Walker was polling at .5%

Not sure how much of that will help rubio.  if anything, he grabs share from carson (insane and unsure again) and carly (who fox news is even calling a liar over that video claim).

Rubio can catch up if he takes their share.  Trump is leading with evangelicals AND tea party voters.  insane.

[LurkerNoMore]

Rubio?  HAHAHAHA, he's a schmuck. 

Trump :

During a Thursday-morning CNN interview, Trump hit Rubio as a "kid" in a wide-ranging critique.

He first bashed Rubio's credibility as a foreign-policy wonk when asked to compare their knowledge about Syria.

"Marco Rubio sits behind a desk sometimes and he reads stuff," Trump said, according to CNN's transcript. "That's all he does. I create jobs all day long. I'll know more about all of this than all of them put together, and believe me, we'll have a winning strategy. If Marco Rubio is good, how come we're doing so badly?"

Trump went on to dismiss the 44-year-old senator's age.

"These guys don't know how to win," he said. "Marco Rubio, he's like a kid. He shouldn't even be running in this race, as far as I'm concerned. He's a kid."

Later in the interview, Trump again called Rubio a "kid" and criticized him for not deferring his candidacy to Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor.

"He's a kid. He has no right — I mean, frankly, he was very disloyal to Bush," Trump said. "Bush was his mentor. And everyone said he'd never run because Bush was his mentor. Well, the fact that Bush was his mentor didn't stop this young guy who is overly ambitious from wanting to run. Now Bush looks foolish and he looks like he's a very disloyal guy, frankly."

Earlier in the day, during a "Morning Joe" interview, Trump also mocked Rubio for perspiring during last week's presidential debate.

"I'm looking at guys like Marco Rubio, who has the worst voting record in the United States Senate. And [he's a] young guy — although he sweats more than any young person I've ever seen in my life," Trump said. "I've never seen a guy down water like he downs water. They bring it in in buckets for this guy."

[Dos Equis]

Truth.

Rubio Hits 'Insecure' Trump: Speaks in '10-Second Sound Bites'

Image: Rubio Hits 'Insecure' Trump: Speaks in '10-Second Sound Bites'  (Wire Services) 
By Greg Richter   
Thursday, 24 Sep 2015

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is "insecure," and that's why he lashes out at his opponents when things aren't going well for him, says one of his rivals, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

"He takes shots at everybody that gets anywhere close to him, in terms of a poll, or anytime he hits a rough spot, that's what he does," Rubio told Kentucky sports radio station WLAP on Thursday.

"He had a really bad debate performance last week, he's not well informed on the issues, he really never talks about issues and can't have more than a 10-second sound bite on any key issue," Rubio added. "So I think he's really been exposed a little bit over the last seven days and he's a very touchy and insecure guy and so that's how he reacts. And people can see through it."

Rubio's comments come after Trump went on the attack against Rubio Thursday morning on CNN's "New Day." 

"Marco Rubio, he's like a kid. He shouldn't be running in this race as far as I'm concerned," Trump, 69, said of the 44-year-old Rubio.

Trump also slammed Rubio's background in the Senate, saying he doesn't create jobs like he does.

"Marco Rubio sits behind a desk; sometimes and he reads stuff, he's in committees so you know that's all he does," Trump said. "I create jobs all day long."

Trump's comments on Rubio come at the 20:15 mark.

Trump promised that although he has no political experience, once elected, "I'll know more about this than all of them put together. If Marco Rubio's good, how come we're doing so badly? He's a sitting U.S. senator so why doesn't he do something about it? I'm not in government, he is in government."

On MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday, Trump said Rubio tends to perspire, saying "He sweats more than any young person I've ever seen in my life. ... I've never seen a guy down water like he downs water. ... They bring it in buckets for this guy."

The latest polls show Rubio among candidates gaining on Trump. It probably didn't help when Rubio took aim at Trump on Tuesday.

"I think that the most important thing a president will ever do is provide for the national security of our country, and I think up to now, he hasn't really answered serious questions about national security," Rubio told Fox News Channel. "Until he does, there should be serious concerns, not just about him but about any candidate that's not able to speak in detail, with clarity and with seriousness, about the national security threats that we face."

Trump has been after Rubio in recent days, telling a campaign crowd in South Carolina on Wednesday that Rubio has "no money, zero. Now, I think that's OK ... I mean, he's got nothing."

Rubio is "overly ambitious, too young," Trump said. "And I have better hair than he does, right?"

Appearing Thursday on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor," Rubio said the Republican Party needs to nominate "someone who has real thoughts," though he admitted front-runner Donald Trump has gotten more people to pay attention to the election process.

Host Bill O'Reilly asked Rubio his impression of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's speech when he quit the race and urged others who aren't faring well in the crowded field to quit, too. The party should rally to take out Trump, Walker said.

"Well, what I think is we need to have someone who is a serious person," Rubio said.

"Someone who is serious about the future of our country, someone who understands the challenges that we face. It's not about us individually. It's about the United States of America."

When O'Reilly asked if Trump is someone who doesn't have real thoughts, Rubio noted that when last week's debate turned to policy matters Trump went silent for several minutes.

That fact is self-evident to anyone who watched the debate, Rubio said.

"That's why he had a bad debate and acting the way he is and continuing to offend anyone who criticizes him," he added. "He is thin-skinned and sensitive to criticism. He can't have a conversation about policy because quite frankly he doesn't know anything about policy."

O'Reilly said he believes Trump has been good for the GOP in getting more people to watch the debates. Rubio wouldn't specifically credit Trump, but said he was happy more people are watching.

"Am I glad that people are tuning in and watching? Absolutely," Rubio said. "I think if you look at what we offer in the conservative movement it is superior as to what the other side has forced upon this country for the past several years."

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/marco-rubio-donald-trump-real-thoughts/2015/09/24/id/693202/#ixzz3mmaWQIIj

[Dos Equis]

Good for you Fat Man.

Iowans who sought to draft Christie in 2011, back him again
Published September 29, 2015
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa –  He's behind in the polls and has spent little time in Iowa of late, but Chris Christie is set to get a major bump in the leadoff caucus state with endorsements from nearly all of the local Republican heavyweights who tried to recruit him to run four years ago.

Six of the seven big-money donors and activists who flew to New Jersey to urge the Republican governor to run in the 2012 race plan to formally endorse Christie in Des Moines Tuesday. The news was first reported by The Des Moines Register.

"What we've looked at and come around to is similar thoughts as in 2011," said Bruce Rastetter, a major GOP donor who made his fortune in the pork and ethanol industries. "We need blunt, bold leadership. We need somebody that can actually govern."

Of the seven who hopped aboard the private plane to the East coast in 2011, two have long been vocal supporters and one has said he would not endorse because he works for an elected official. Getting the majority to publicly endorse Christie is a boon for his campaign. He has struggled to compete in a crowded field that includes attention-grabbing front-runner Donald Trump.

"Whatever he needs, we're going to be behind him," said real estate developer Gary Kirke, who said the group wanted to stick together.

His backers think his chances are improving after strong debate performances and with two governors — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry —now out of the race. Now Rastetter said he hopes the endorsements will send a message to Iowa Republicans, that they should "give him another look."

Christie held a town hall meeting with Rastetter Monday night, telling the crowd gathered in a cavernous barn that "you'll always know how hard I'm willing to fight for you." He declined to talk about the endorsements in advance of the Tuesday press conference.

The trip this week marks his ninth to the leadoff caucus state this year. Christie, who has focused more heavily on New Hampshire, has spent less time here than many other contenders, though he put in a marathon day at the Iowa State Fair in August and has a well-regarded team, with respected operatives Phil Valenziano and Jeffrey Boeyink.

Campaign aides said Christie will be ramping up his visits to the state in the fall. Mikel Derby, who works for the state's transportation department and who was part of the Christie recruitment effort in 2011, said there is still time for Christie to do well.

"History is littered with the Bachmanns and Walkers who are superstars real early. There's no purpose in peaking in August and September," said Derby, who has been with Christie all along.

Still, while these endorsements matter, most agree Christie will still have to invest more time in Iowa. Republican State Rep. Chip Baltimore, who has not endorsed a candidate, said there was no substitute for retail politicking.

"If he is not here, he will not do well," Baltimore said. "Gov. Christie, when he talks to people and meets people, is very persuasive. People walk away from that generally feeling positive toward him."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/09/29/iowans-who-sought-to-draft-christie-in-2011-back-him-again/

[Dos Equis]

Jeb Bush Donors Are Not Panicking. Or Are They? Really, Who Can Tell?
Politico is pretty sure something is happening with Bush donors, so they'll just report both things.
Jason Linkins
'Eat The Press' Columnist, The Huffington Post
Posted: 09/29/2015


Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Pictured: the candidate who's got all his backers nervous, or possibly not.

Something is going on with Jeb Bush's campaign these days. Maybe something bad? But maybe something good -- the intel is fuzzy. Luckily, we have journalists to sort it all out. Journalists like Politico's Eli Stokols, who reported on Tuesday that the Bush campaign is working very hard these days to relieve the "angst" of its donors -- one of whom rates the level of "panic" at "six or seven" out of 10.

Or maybe the panic level is not that high? The reason I am wondering is because Politico's Ben White also reported Tuesday that "Bush donors" are "not panicked." As in, you know, zero on the scale of zero-to-10. The null set of panic.

I don't know. Maybe the person who should be panicking is Eli Stokols, now reporting live from beneath the bus his colleague threw him under? Let's get this sorted out.

According to Stokols' report, the Bush campaign has, in recent days, gone to great lengths to assure the candidate's notoriously fainthearted donors that despite all the talk about his faltering poll numbers, that "low energy" barb from Donald Trump that seems to be sticking, and the simultaneous elevation of his Florida rival Marco Rubio, the donors are still backing the right horse because of Bush's clear "lead in the political prediction markets." Only... well, there was a bit of hiccup. Per Stokols:

Just one problem: Beginning Sunday night, PredictIt, the biggest of the online sites and the one referenced last week by top Bush advisers and confidants, placed Marco Rubio ahead of Bush at the head of the GOP pack.

The sudden evaporation of yet another data point in his favor explains the tension in and around Bush's campaign this week on the eve of the third quarter FEC fundraising deadline.

That's basically been the consensus reporting from this weekend, after The Washington Post reported that Bush's "top donors" were "warning that the former Florida governor needs to demonstrate growth in the polls over the next month or face serious defections among supporters."

Compounding this problem is the perception that Scott Walker's exit from the race has primarily benefited Rubio. By the way, this is one of my favorite aspects of the primary process: the part where the staffers and donors who'd backed early-flameout candidates are then mysteriously reborn as vital assets to be ravenously coveted and courted by the candidates who remain.

Both the Rubio and Bush camps have tried to position themselves as the primary haven for Walker's exiles, and apparently there is no former Walker personage too obscure to qualify as a "get." Here, for example, is Des Moines Register reporter Jennifer Jacobs tweeting about the Bush camp's success in landing the support of one of Walker's Iowa interns! But the media narrative is in, and Rubio is the winner, according to Politico and The Wall Street Journal.

So it's not surprising when Stokols reports that "the perception that Rubio is a stronger communicator has taken hold and is affecting fundraising at the quarter's end, according to sources in both camps." To counter the tidal force of these perceptions, Stokols says that the Bush camp is reminding its flighty donors about a couple of its own not-insignificant advantages: the Bush team has a lot of money, and it has a lot of organization.

Rather than view White's clashing report as a refutation of Stokols' newsgathering skills, perhaps we should simply see it as evidence that at least a few lucky Bush donors, having downed this particular batch of Kool-Aid, felt totally comfortable circling back to Politico with assurances that everything is going to work out. As one of "several" who talked to White put it:

“43 is a surrogate, Laura Bush is a surrogate, Barbara Bush is a surrogate, Columba Bush is a surrogate, so are Jeb Jr. and George P, plus others, each of whom can swing well north of $50K an event. This is a structural advantage that far outweighs the negative of the Bush name, especially given the reality that the Rs may be running against Clinton Inc, the most formidable money machine in history.”

Ehhh, you know, leaving aside the sliding scale value of each of those surrogates, the whole idea that Bush is the one candidate capable of raising money in the general election (at an oh-so-quaint $50K a pop, at that!) is frustratingly naive. Maybe it's just much easier to quell the panic of the frustratingly naive donors? Regardless, it appears the message from Bush's team is going down well enough that at least one donor was happy to parrot it right back to White: "Bottom line, Jeb is the only grownup with money, a message and organization. Time is, as the Stones say, on his side."

And that's fair: A large campaign war chest and a zealously constructed campaign infrastructure are the sorts of things that will pay much greater dividends in January than they're paying at the moment. Of course, perhaps the real story here is that beneath its confident veneer is a Bush campaign that's every bit as concerned about its current lackluster state as its donors are. As Stokols notes, the Bush campaign will be confronting its near-term problems by putting $25 million worth of ads on the airwaves beginning next month.

So hey, don't worry, Bush donors, everything is gonna be fine, like, so fine, it's probably not even a thing, man.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jeb-bush-donors-panic_56056f40e4b0dd8503074380

[240 is Back]

Yeah, christie, jeb, rubio... they're so awesome.  beloved by the republican party.

[Dos Equis]

Bush and Rubio race for Wall Street cash
The Florida rivals have dueling fundraisers in New York next month as they court elite GOP donors.
By BEN WHITE
09/29/15

AP Photo

NEW YORK — Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are headed for a smackdown on Wall Street.

The former Florida governor and current Florida senator have dueling fundraisers set for the week of Oct. 12 with top financial industry executives in New York as Bush looks to maintain his dominance in the industry despite low poll numbers and Rubio hopes to capitalize on recent momentum to make his case to the deep-pocketed Republican establishment.

The invite to Bush’s breakfast event on Oct. 16— one of several he will hold that day — features a daunting array of 68 top Wall Street names including Jets owner Woody Johnson, attorney Larry Bathgate, Barclays executive Patrick Durkin and Highbridge Capital’s Scott Kapnick.

The minimum donation to attend the event is $2,700. Those who commit to contribute and raise $27,000 get a photo opportunity with Bush in addition to the breakfast, which will take place at the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue. Bush supporters say the list reflects the former governor’s dominant position among the financial elite.

“This is the varsity squad,” one donor quipped. “I’m not sure Rubio’s would even qualify as the junior varsity.”

Rubio’s invite features 20 people,including younger and less well-known but rising figures such as Courtney Geduldig, a former Senate Banking staffer now at McGraw Hill Financial. The event, which requires a minimum $1,000 donation and $2,700 to serve as a “host,” will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Fifth Avenue offices of Phil Rosen, a co-chair of law firm Weil Gotshal’s real estate practice and a close associate of billionaire GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson. The event invite also features Wayne Berman, a top D.C.-based executive at private equity firm Blackstone Group, who was an early Rubio backer. Jewish Insider first reported on the Rubio invite on Sunday.

But the battle for New York won’t wait until October.

Bush is also in New York this week,with meetings set for Thursday with potential financial industry leaders not currently aligned with any campaign. One meeting will take place Thursday morning in Woody Johnson’s office and is intended to bring on board top financiers not already aligned with Bush’s campaign.

This group includes Paul Singer of hedge fund Elliott Management, perhaps the most sought-after uncommitted Wall Street executive. Singer has been invited to the breakfast, but people familiar with the matter said the hedge fund manager had not committed to attending.

An Elliott Management official did not immediately return a call for comment.

Other invitees to the Bush event include prominent activist investor Dan Loeb of Third Point Partners and longtime GOP fundraiser Georgette Mosbacher, people familiar with the matter said. One source familiar with the matter said Loeb had already committed to backing Bush. A spokesperson for Loeb did not immediately return a call for comment.

Bush’s campaign on Tuesday also rolled out an endorsement from hedge fund manager Anthony Scaramucci of SkyBridge Capital, who previously backed the campaign of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

In an interview, Scaramucci, a regular presence on financial television shows and at his prominent SALT Conference in Las Vegas, cited his close ties to former President George W. Bush and others in the family’s orbit for his decision to back the former Florida governor.

“I have nothing against Marco Rubio. I just think Gov. Bush has the experience and a great record as an executive,” Scaramucci said. “It’s not Rubio’s time. This is like surfing and it’s Jeb’s wave to surf. It’s been a little shaky because of Donald Trump and the rest of the outsiders, but I do not believe the GOP is going to select a nominee for the most important political job in the world who doesn’t have political experience.”

A spokesman for Rubio did not immediately respond to email messages for comment. The Florida senator is enjoying increased popularity following two strong debate performances and is looking to turn that momentum into a stronger fundraising performance.

People close to Rubio say rolling out the Scaramucci endorsement is an indication that the Bush campaign is worried about Rubio’s momentum and appeal to wealthy, establishment donors who want to back a winner who is gaining ground in the polls. They also note that the Bush team is worried about other former Walker supporters and staffers moving to Rubio's campaign. A Bush spokesman declined to comment.

Both Bush and Rubio appeal to elite GOP donors who are terrified of Trump’s impact on the party, especially among women and Latino voters. The assumption that supporters of both candidates make is that Trump will eventually fade and the party will turn to the set of more traditional candidates to select a nominee, rather than move to retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson or former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina, who currently lead both Bush and Rubio in most polls.

The Bush campaign has moved in recent days to calm donors dismayed at the former governor’s weak poll numbers. Top bundlers were recently called to Miami to make last-minute fundraising calls ahead of Wednesday’s end to the third-quarter filing period. Bush’s array of fundraising vehicles, including the Right to Rise super PAC, hauled in a record $103 million through the first six months of the year, blowing away all the other candidates in the field.

But donors do not expect anywhere close to those kind of numbers for the third quarter, as Bush is now more focused on smaller-dollar donations for his campaign, which are capped at $2,700 per donor. “No one is talking about ‘shock and awe’ for the third quarter,” one Bush bundler said.

Another Wall Street donor said that while none of Bush’s financial industry supporters are “jumping ship,” they are concerned about Rubio’s rise in the polls and Bush’s stagnation at around 7 percent. “It’s way too early to panic,but Rubio is a very, very legitimate candidate,” this donor said.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/jeb-bush-marco-rubio-wall-street-2016-214231#ixzz3nF9sYlyM

[Dos Equis]

Ben Carson more popular than Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina: poll

Republican presidential candidate, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson speaks during the Values Voter Summit, held by the Family Research Council Action, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, in Washington. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is seen more favorably than GOP rivals Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina among both Republicans and among the general U.S. population, according to a survey released Wednesday that also suggests potential limits on Mr. Trump’s bases of support.

Mr. Carson had a 68 percent favorable rating among Republicans compared to a 14 percent unfavorable rating, the ABC News-Washington Post poll said. Mr. Trump, the billionaire businessman, had a 62 percent/34 percent split and Ms. Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, had a 47 percent/27 percent split.
 
The three political outsiders who have never held elected office have been riding high in polling on the 2016 GOP presidential nominating contest, collectively accounting for about 50 percent or more of Republican support in recent surveys.

Overall, Mr. Carson had a positive 45 percent/27 percent favorable/unfavorable split, compared to a 35 percent/30 percent split for Ms. Fiorina and a negative 35 percent/60 percent split for Mr. Trump.

There was a sizable gender gap for Mr. Trump: 43 percent of men had a favorable view, compared to 54 percent who had an unfavorable view. Twenty-seven percent of women, meanwhile, said they have a favorable view of Mr. Trump, compared to 66 percent who said they have an unfavorable one.

“A growing gender gap, sharp racial polarization and a less-educated base of support all pose potential limits on Donald Trump’s popularity — challenges largely avoided by Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, the two lesser-known figures in the triumvirate of non-traditional GOP contenders,” said a memo accompanying the poll.

The 28-point gap overall (a net -11 rating from men compared to a -39 rating from women) is up from a 2-point difference in May. Mr. Trump’s favorability among Republican women, a 52 percent/42 percent split, has largely stayed the same since July while his support among men has improved from a 61 percent/35 percent split to a 71 percent/27 percent split.

Among all adults, Mr. Carson’s gender gap (+25 net favorability among men, +11 net favorability among women) was at 14 points and Ms. Fiorina’s (+10 among men, +2 among women) was at 8 points. Among Republicans, the gender gap was 34 points for Mr. Trump, compared to 7 points for Mr. Carson and 1 point for Ms. Fiorina.

As the memo indicated, Mr. Trump also had bigger gaps in favorability compared to Mr. Carson and Ms. Fiorina when looking at his support among college graduates versus non-college graduates and among whites versus non-whites. He had much better ratings among non-college graduates compared to college graduates, and better ratings among whites compared to non-whites.

Mr. Trump also had a net +14 rating (55 percent favorable/41 percent unfavorable) among conservatives, compared to +47 (64 percent favorable/17 percent unfavorable) for Mr. Carson and +23 (47 percent favorable/24 percent unfavorable) for Ms. Fiorina. Among moderates, the three candidates were at -44, +9, and even, respectively, and among liberals, they were at -58, -9, and -13.

“These results suggest that Carson’s a darling of conservatives, while both he and Fiorina do comparatively well among moderates – with no clear ideological home for Trump,” the memo said.

The poll of 1,000 adults was taken Sept. 23-27 and has a margin of error of 4 points.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/30/ben-carson-more-popular-donald-trump-carly-fiorina/

[Dos Equis]

Ben Carson shatters records with $20M raised for campaign
By Associated Press
September 30, 2015

Photo: AP

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Political newcomer Ben Carson raised more than $20 million in the past three months to fuel his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, his campaign said Wednesday, a haul of campaign cash that shatters records and sets a new bar for his GOP rivals.

As other campaigns scrambled to bring in final donations before the end of the fundraising period at midnight, Carson’s senior team celebrated its massive haul at its suburban Washington campaign headquarters.
Two dozen staffers shared a red, white and blue chocolate cake topped with frosted numbers “$31,000,000” — the total amount the retired neurosurgeon’s campaign has raised since he launched his White House bid in May.

“You know, the pundits all said that we would never be able to mount a national campaign for financial reasons, but here we are approaching 600,000 donations,” Carson told The Associated Press while campaigning in New Hampshire. “The people have gotten involved, and that’s something I think they probably never anticipated.”

The day was a culmination of an extraordinary run for Carson, who tapped the wave of anti-establishment sentiment to raise $12 million in September alone, said campaign manager Barry Bennett.
Flush with cash, Bennett said the campaign initiated plans Wednesday to begin reserving television ad space across the South for primary contests scheduled for early March.

“I would guess that we’ve outraised the Republican National Committee and many of our opponents maybe combined,” Bennett said. “There are going to be many more cakes to come in the future.”

Carson’s fortunes surged even as he faced tough questions in recent weeks for saying he would not support a Muslim president. His position drew condemnation from Republicans and Democrats and he clarified that he wouldn’t support a radical Muslim who did not support the Constitution. His campaign raised roughly $700,000 in the 36 hours after he made the comment, Bennett said.

Overall, Carson raised at least $20.2 million for the quarter that ended Sept. 30, he added, noting that receipts were still trickling in.

That’s more money than what was raised by the GOP’s entire White House field combined over the same period four years ago. Mitt Romney, the establishment favorite in 2012, raised $14.2 million during that time, while the most popular outsider, former pizza chain CEO Herman Cain, brought in $2.8 million.

Bennett estimated the campaign had at least $12 million in the bank as of Wednesday. Overall, the campaign received more than 600,000 donations since launching in May from a total of 353,000 individual donors.

The Carson campaign declined to detail how much money it spent to raise that cash. Those details will be included in its financial report to federal regulators, which is due in two weeks.

But as of June, the Carson campaign was burning through donor money faster than almost anyone else’s in the race. He’d spent more than half of the $10.6 million he collected between the beginning of the year and June 30.

In the three-month period beginning April 1, Carson’s top five expenses all were fundraising-related — for direct mail, phone calls and online marketing, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.

In a comment aimed at the GOP establishment, Bennett said, “Sooner or later, they’ll have to realize there’s a new reality or they’ll pay the price,” and added, “The outsiders are not going away.”

http://nypost.com/2015/09/30/ben-carson-shatters-records-with-20m-raised-for-campaign/