President Trump’s Re-Election Machine Revs Up In New Hampshire
Supporters of President Trump are cooking up countermeasures to their Democratic foes — from handing out free cheeseburgers outside an Elizabeth Warren event to poke fun at the Green New Deal, to using a bullhorn to amplify their chants outside a Joe Biden rally.
With more than a year to go before the general election, the GOP is growing its ground game in New Hampshire — a key battleground state Republicans want to turn red after narrowly losing to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“What’s so enticing about New Hampshire is that Clinton won it by less than 3,000 votes,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell. “So they recognize there is an opportunity.”
The impeachment proceedings against Trump are only adding fuel to the fire for the president’s backers, supporters said.
O’Connell called Trump’s 2020 campaign a “well-oiled machine” and “a dramatic improvement” over the ragtag operation he ran as an outsider in 2016.
With incumbency on their side, Trump and his team are working in lockstep with the RNC and many of the state parties — much to the chagrin of the president’s three primary challengers, who are facing canceled contests in some states, but not New Hampshire.
Trump’s re-election campaign and the RNC are also sitting on a massive war chest, with a combined $125.7 million raised in the third quarter and $158 million in cash on hand.
“They’re in a good spot right now to be able to move people around” as needed in key states, O’Connell said. “They know this is potentially going to be a really tight election.”
How Would Flake Fare In N.H.? Strategists Weigh In
When Sen. Jeff Flake forced the delay of a final confirmation vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and ushered in an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, it proved momentous. For Democrats, it was a breath of bipartisanship. For Republicans, a reckless capitulation to the other party.
But as the Arizona senator touched down in New Hampshire on Monday amid mounting 2020 presidential primary buzz, some Republican strategists are asking whether Flake’s action during the Kavanaugh nomination process will even matter.
It could cement his reputation as a peacemaker, the last defender of the dying era of civility, a narrative he pitched to an audience at St. Anselm College Monday evening. Or it could further irritate Republicans who saw a safe bet to transform the Supreme Court in Kavanaugh, and a careless and a self-centered disrupter in Flake.
More likely, Republican analysts say, it won’t change anyone’s mind.
To Republicans, voting no and bucking what for Republicans is a near-consensus choice on the Supreme Court could be the ultimate tactical error, strategists said. Whatever allies he makes on the left and middle would not likely stick by his side in 2020, many warned.
“When it comes to Supreme Court judges of the federal judiciary, Republicans of all wings of the party are pretty much on the same page,” said Ford O’Connell, a former aide to the McCain presidential campaign in 2008. “… And I don’t see the Democratic party base, even in a presidential primary, giving him the time of day.”
Eric Holder's Heading To New Hampshire. Will A Presidential Run Follow?
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is headed to New Hampshire for the political hot breakfast that is a first stop for many presidential hopefuls — but political observers in both parties say he’d be a long shot.
Holder, who served as attorney general for six of former President Barack Obama’s eight years in office, will be the featured speaker at Saint Anselm College’s “Politics & Eggs” breakfast today. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton broke bread there in 2015 ahead of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation 2016 primary, and more recently Ohio Gov. John Kasich — a potential Trump challenger in 2020 — put in an appearance there.
Holder’s appearance is a sign that he’s considering throwing his hat in the ring for the 2020 presidential race, Boston University political science professor Thomas Whalen said.
Republican consultant Ford O’Connell said the lack of a Democratic front-runner could draw in several dozen candidates — which would mean potential candidates with strong name recognition, like Vermont Sen. Sanders or former Vice President Joe Biden, would only need a small majority to win in a crowded field.
“It’s hard to see how he breaks through without a direct endorsement from Obama,” O’Connell said. “Right now I look at him as a second-tier candidate, I haven’t heard him say anything platform-wise. He’s not even registering in the polls.”
Trump Shows His U.S. Presidential Bid Is No Mere Publicity Stunt
Donald Trump served notice on Tuesday to those who have refused to take his 2016 White House campaign seriously: The celebrity real-estate developer and former reality show host is no joke.
While Trump had been expected to win New Hampshire's nominating contest, he swamped the Republican field by almost 20 points, demonstrating that his passionate, anti-establishment supporters could be relied on to show up and vote when it counts.
Trump still has a long road ahead. He suffers from high unfavorability ratings and is often an undisciplined candidate who invites controversy with his policies and insults, going so far this week as to repeat an audience member’s assertion that U.S. Senator Ted Cruz was a “pussy.”
Yet after finishing second in the Iowa caucuses last week and now first in New Hampshire, Trump can take solace in the fact that rarely is the ultimate nominee from either party not one of the top two finishers in Iowa or New Hampshire.
His immediate prospects were further helped by the failure of any of the establishment candidates to emerge as a clear challenger. Taken together, the mainstream candidates pulled in enough votes to overcome Trump. But no single one came close to him and there are few signs of a major consolidation anytime soon.
“The victory by Trump here has the makings of a major disaster for the establishment,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist.
Trump Takes New Hampshire
Donald Trump, the businessman who's brought ferocity, flare and fireworks to the 2016 presidential race, can finally call himself a "winner" tonight.
After a tough second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, the Republican presidential hopeful corrected the course of his campaign Tuesday with a victory in the first-in-the-nation primary.
His commanding win in the primary put him in a strong position as the race moves to South Carolina, where polls show he's well ahead.
"Now that he's won, the Trump train is back on track and the question for him is if he can parlay the momentum in New Hampshire into South Carolina," said veteran Republican strategist Ford O'Connell.
O'Connell warned that Trump's unconventional campaign style and shaky ground operation in South Carolina,and later voting states could prevent the leading GOP candidate from securing a winning streak. "In South Carolina, he still does not seem to invest in ground operations at all.
"I think not having that in South Carolina could hurt him and the reason is it's winner-take-all by congressional district," he said, adding that "Nevada could be problematic also because it's a caucus."
Read more from Gabby Morrongiello at The Washington Examiner
Road Ahead For Clinton's Nomination Bid Could Be More Smooth Despite Defeat In New Hampshire
Leading U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was soundly defeated in the primary vote in New Hampshire Tuesday, but the path ahead for her bid to win party nomination could be more favorable, experts said.
In a surprise development, Clinton's only rival Senator Bernie Sanders won a resounding victory over the former first lady and secretary of state, earning 60 percent of the Democratic vote.
This was the first loss in Clinton's bid to win the Democratic Party's nomination to run for the White House. She narrowly defeated Sanders in the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, a U.S. Midwest state, last week.
But experts said Clinton will have better luck going forward, as Sanders is not expected to attract the same level of support in other primary states. One key constituent is African Americans, and Clinton has a 2 to 1 lead over Sanders with this crucial group.
Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Xinhua that among voters under 30, Clinton was demolished in New Hampshire.
"She's got to find a way to get young people in. While at the same time, she also has to try to win the nomination without rubbing Sanders' (supporters) the wrong way ... She can't keep casting Sanders as living in fantasy land and his female supporters as being gender traitors. She's got to watch that," O'Connell said.
On Sanders, O'Connell said, the question still remains: Can he get minorities to support his campaign?
"If he can, he's turned what was once a hopeless cause into something that is just a little less hopeless," he said.
O'Connell said that Sanders' challenge is to get African American voters to support him, noting that they make up a nearly half of the Democratic party in some Southern states.
New Hampshire Has The 'Makings Of A Disaster' For The Republican Party
Republicans are bracing for a multi-car pileup in New Hampshire Tuesday night.
Donald Trump is poised for an easy victory. Meanwhile, polling suggests the establishment candidates are likely to pile up on each other far behind the bombastic billionaire — a nightmare scenario for party elders.
"This is looking like a five-car pileup for second place," said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell, who is neutral in the primary.
That result would keep any establishment candidate from building momentum coming out of the state. It could also give a candidate like John Kasich or Chris Christie an incentive to stay in the race, and keep screwing over the rest by splitting up the center-right vote in future primaries. The beneficiaries: Ted Cruz and Trump.
Of course, New Hampshire’s actual results could scramble the picture, erasing the GOP establishment’s concerns.
Rubio could finish a strong second despite the thrashing in the media he’s taken over his debate performance, giving him momentum heading into South Carolina.
But strategists aren’t counting on it — and are bracing for the worst.
“This has the makings of a disaster," said O'Connell. "You’re starting to see the establishment continually cannibalize itself.”
In New Hampshire You're Either For Trump Or Against Him
In New Hampshire, if you’re not a fan of Donald Trump, then you are really, really not a fan of Donald Trump.
For Republican-leaning residents of the Granite State, it’s all or nothing when it comes to their feelings about the GOP frontrunner.
While the real estate mogul is currently polling in the lead in New Hampshire after finishing second in Iowa, there are Republican residents who find his appeal, as well as his success there, offensive.
While Trump currently is leading in New Hampshire with 29 percent support, according to a University of New Hampshire poll conducted for CNN and WMUR, New Hampshirites notoriously wait until the last minute when making their final decision and independent voters often change parties the day of the primary. A WBUR poll released at the end of January found that one third of New Hampshire’s undeclared likely voters had yet to decide on a party.
“In New Hampshire it’s about message, touch and then mobilization to the ballot box. [Trump’s] decided to replace what we call the physical touch with celebrity. It could work for him because thus far nothing has gone according to standard,” said Ford O’Connell, former advisor to Sen. John McCain’s 2008 run. “Everything he’s done has just not been according to the traditional script, and it may or may not harm him.”
Rubio Seeks To Rally Support From Mainstream Republicans After Iowa
After placing third in the Iowa caucuses, Florida Senator Marco Rubio is racing to consolidate support among mainstream Republicans and become the alternative presidential candidate to Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Mr. Rubio said he could unite the Republican Party, whose warring factions have been on public display in the race for president. Mr. Trump and Mr. Cruz have alienated large swaths of the U.S. electorate with anti-immigrant rhetoric that mainstream Republicans believe could threaten the future of their party.
Iowa’s results showed that Mr. Rubio has broad appeal among conservatives and moderates. He almost tied with Mr. Trump’s 24-per-cent support and trailed Mr. Cruz by only five percentage points. Now, he has much needed momentum for the second election contest, in New Hampshire next week.
“The biggest challenge for Rubio is to unite the more establishment-leaning Republicans behind him. He has six days to do it,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist.
After Iowa Caucuses, Republican Party Now Running Three-Man Race
The U.S. Republican Party (GOP) is now running a three-man race for the nomination to run for president in 2016, as Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio emerged as the top three in Iowa caucuses Monday. But who will clinch final victory is still anybody's game.
Cruz, the conservative senator from Texas, won Iowa with 27.6 percent of the Republican vote, followed by Trump's 24.3 percent and Rubio's 23.1 percent.
It was a surprise defeat for Trump, the controversial real estate mogul who had been shown in the lead in most polls ahead of the Iowa caucuses. A confident Trump even skipped the crucial GOP presidential debate on Thursday hosted by the Fox News.
Some blamed Trump's boycott of the debate for his loss in Iowa as Fox News has been very popular among conservatives, who also love the debate moderator Megan Kelley whose feuding with Trump led to his decision to opt out of the debate. But being liberal on some issues might have also played a role in Trump's defeat in this very religious state.
Iowa was tailor-made for Cruz's candidacy as it has an outsized evangelical population and it elects the candidate in a caucus format, Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Xinhua.
On Rubio, O'Connell said his performance "absolutely exceeded expectations."
"The key for Rubio here is to be able to parlay that momentum into at least a second place finish in New Hampshire," O'Connell said.
