Dear Readers,
The great chaos that is the 2016 election season keeps hurtling at us, and I’ll help you make sense of it all. Remember, all newsletters (and more) are available at www.electreport.blogspot.com
Days until General Election: 86
Evan Who!?
Evan McMullin decided to launch an independent bid for president this week. The following dialogue takes place between you and I
You; Wait - Adam... Who the hell is Evan McMullin?
Me: Evan Who? Oh, right, McMullin. Well you see, he’s a 40-year-old former CIA officer
You: Well, why should I care?
Me: Well, apparently, he has backing from many prominent republicans, some of whom might even exist!
You: Wow! That’s impressive. But how can he appeal to voters?
Me: You see, the important part of this is that he’s a Mormon from Utah. If he gets on the ballot in Utah he can get tons of anti-Trump protest votes!
You: How’s he polling?
Me: No pollsters have included him yet!
You: He must be doing well, to have numbers like that.
Me: Yeah
You: Wait, why should I care again?
Me: Uh, I dunno. You shouldn’t.
McMullin was also chief policy director of the Republican House Conference. He is on the ballot in Colorado and Arkansas, and is - predictably - against both candidates.
Trump Flips Out at Media For Some Reason
Trump got really worked up over the course of 12 hours. He started by chastising the New York Times and wound up yelling vague falsehoods at “the media”. Here are some highlights:
“If the disgusting and corrupt media covered me honestly and didn't put false meaning into the words I say, I would be beating Hillary by 20%”
“Crooked Hillary Clinton is being protected by the media. She is not a talented person or politician. I am not only fighting Crooked Hillary, I am fighting the dishonest and corrupt media and her government protection process. People get it!”
“It is not "freedom of the press" when newspapers and others are allowed to say and write whatever they want even if it is completely false!”
“"Stay on message" is the chant. I always do - trade, jobs, military, vets, 2nd A, repeal Ocare, borders, etc - but media misrepresents!”
Second Amendment People
“If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.” Or so said Mr. Trump. Now, we all know what the 2nd amendment is, and we all know what he means by this. Obviously, he was telling the NRA members to vote for him!
Well, yes, that was the excuse he used. But it’s fairly obvious this was a violent call for the assassination of Hillary Clinton. This rhetoric is completely not ok, and thankfully, Donald seems to be bleeding votes because of it. But it’s unfathomable for a major party candidate to call for the assassination of their opponent.
Obama Founded ISIS...
...Or so said Donald Trump. “Wait - What!?” You say. At a rally in Fort Lauderdale, Trump claimed “ISIS is honoring President Obama. He’s the founder of ISIS. He founded ISIS. I would say the co-founder would be ‘Crooked’ Hillary Clinton.” Now, Donald has both claimed that he was serious and that he was joking.
If he was joking: Yet another unfunny “joke” from Mr. Trump! This rhetoric, even in jokes, shouldn’t be used.
If he wasn’t: ISIS was founded in 2002, when Obama was a State Senator. If Obama’s blunders in the Illinois Senate founded an international terrorist organization, we have more to talk about here than Mr. Trump’s comments.
Polling Outlook
Averages in key swing states:
Georgia: Trump +0.5
Iowa: Trump +0.5
Nevada: Clinton +1.5
Ohio: Clinton +1.7
Florida: Clinton +3
North Carolina: Clinton +3.2
Pennsylvania: Clinton +8.9
New Hampshire: Clinton +11.4
Virginia: Clinton +12
Senate Preview #4
INDIANA:
Todd Young seemed like a layup for the seat until Evan Bayh declared his candidacy. Former Senator Bayh might be the most popular politician in Indiana, and polling shows him leading by about 25 points.
Rating: Likely D
IOWA:
Chuck Grassley may be 83, but he’s running for election to a 7th term. Grassley has won each of his last 5 elections with landslide margins, and there’s no reason Democratic candidate Patty Judge, former Lieutenant Governor, will make this one different. Grassley should win comfortably come November
Rating: Likely R
KANSAS:
Kansas’ Sen. Jerry Moran faces Patrick Wiesner, who, in his 3rd run for Senate, still has no Wikipedia page. Wiesner would only be competitive in the Democratic Party’s wildest dreams.
Rating: Safe R
Seat Count:
40-39
This Week In World Elections
Zambia: President Edgar Lungu, of the Patriotic Front, won 51% of the vote, defeating Hakainde Hichilema by 115,000 votes. EU observes remarked on the peaceful election, but claimed the media was biased, Results for the Assembly are not yet known.
Thanks for reading! As usual, comments are welcome!
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