Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz passed quietly through Manhattan’s Upper East Side today, attending a closed-press campaign event at the Metropolitan Republican Club. Accompanied by his wife Heidi, Cruz spent just over an hour with an audience of about 100-150 people.
Cruz has been attacking Mayor Bill de Blasio during the primary, running ads declaring that de Blasio is “tearing this City apart”, but those tears were not readily apparent on a beautiful sunny morning a short walk from de Blasio’s mayoral residence. Arriving close to 20 minutes ahead of his scheduled speaking time, Cruz’s leisurely car unloading drew a few beeping car horns and prompted a woman to get out of her car and shout for Cruz’s car to move. That slight bit of normal city friction was as dramatic as the scene became; no protesters appeared and only four identifiable members of the press witnessed Cruz’s arrival and departure. Even the few passers-by who asked what was happening expressed little interest or emotion over Cruz’s visit.
The Senator successfully ignored press questions on arrival, but was thwarted on departure as a former Republican candidate greeted him and invited a press question. After answering one question Cruz continued on his way, climbing into his waiting car and rolling across a sun-dappled 83rd Street.
Trump, Kasich & Cruz. That was the underwhelming lineup at the New York State Republican Committee annual gala Thursday night, as the well-timed dinner was held just five days ahead of New York’s presidential primary. The black tie dinner was a world apart from most of the candidates’ campaign appearances, high on money and low on anger. The wealthy, politically connected audience bore little resemblance to the crowds at most 2016 Republican events in this anger-dominated election.
Trump spent much of his speech recounting various real estate projects in New York City, omitting the angry stream-of-consciousness musings that define his campaign rallies. Kasich spoke as a late-served dinner appeared on the tables while Cruz spoke to a talking and shrinking audience. Continue reading NYS GOP Dinner (Updated)→
“I’m not here to give a grade to the governor of New York.” Ohio Governor John Kasich mostly avoided commenting when I asked him about fellow governor Andrew Cuomo’s relationship with the Republican-controlled New York State Senate and Cuomo’s overall performance. Kasich did favorably mention an instance of working cooperatively when Kasich was in Congress and Cuomo was HUD secretary, but then quickly moved to discussing his own ability to work with Democrats without further discussing New York.
Kasich spoke during a press Q&A in Jericho – his full press Q&A is here.
“I would say ‘I love you girls’. End of it.” That was Republican presidential candidate John Kasich’s succinct response when asked what he would say to his daughters “if they came out and said that they were gay or lesbian.”
Republican presidential candidate John Kasich spoke with the press today following an MSNBC town hall recorded in Jericho, New York. Network appropriate peacocks roamed the grounds of the Milleridge Inn, site of the town hall, occasionally squawking as Kasich spoke.
Question topics included advice or promises for young voters struggling to make it economically, how he can overcome his current gap in convention delegates, undocumented immigrants and the possibility of offering a path to legalization (but not citizenship), what he would say if either of his daughters “came out as gay”, his view of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s relationship with Republicans in the state senate and whether he’s lost any delegates due to inadequate organization.
Republican presidential candidate John Kasich continued his efforts at separating himself from Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, portraying the presidential election as offering “two very different paths” that the Republican Party and the country may take. Speaking at the Women’s National Republican Club today in midtown Manhattan Kasich cast the nation’s options as between an irresponsible and bombastic approach and a reasoned, sober and effective approach. Unsurprisingly Kasich casts himself as both the product of and the champion of the latter approach.
It’s all about the attention. That was Republican presidential candidate John Kasich’s response when asked today about the rising crowds attending his campaign events.
Kasich avoided both his audience and the press following his “Two Paths” speech in midtown this morning, walking immediately offstage as he concluded and then departing through a side exit. Handshakes with some cops and a quick selfie were Kasich’s only distractions as he made it into his car. As others traveling with him loaded in the window suddenly rolled down to a “hey, it’s Halperin.” Kasich and Bloomberg’s Mark Halperin chatted for a bit, with some pleasantries and a couple of questions. Kasich credited increased attention with growing crowds at his events. Although he’s increasingly better known, he’s not quite to the level where people know how to pronounce his name Kasich chuckled. When asked where he stands on actually becoming the Republican nominee Kasich replied with a light smile “I’m sitting right now” and rolled up the window as his car eased out onto a rain-soaked 51st Street.
Ohio Governor John Kasich held a rally at Iona College in New Rochelle Saturday, the first of the three remaining Republican presidential candidates to hold a campaign event in Westchester County. His audience of about 1,000 was supportive, beginning and ending with standing ovations and reacting positively throughout his remarks.
The audience was a mix of ages, with a strong but not predominant number of Iona students, and overwhelmingly white. The audience members I spoke with were about evenly divided between strong Kasich supporters and interested but undecided.
Kasich offered himself as an accomplished alternative to Trump and Cruz, touting his lengthy tenure in Congress and his gubernatorial experience as effective preparation for the White House. His presentation was heavy on exhortations of the importance of caring and the value in fully developing each person’s true self. It’s somewhat Oprah-esque; offering a sense of caring that contrasts sharply with Donald Trump and, to a lesser extent, Ted Cruz. It also contrasts sharply with the apparent mood of many voters in an election dominated by anger.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders returned to his childhood block today, holding a brief rally in front of his childhood home. Speaking to a crowd of several hundred in Midwood, with several hundred more in an overflow area, Sanders reminisced a bit but largely stuck to his established campaign themes.
The New Hampshire Republican party drew seven presidential candidates to a town hall held two weeks ahead of the New Hampshire primary. Candidates participating included Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Rick Santorum, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina and Jim Gilmore. Chris Christie cancelled, returning to New Jersey as a major snowstorm hit his state, with his wife Mary Pat Christie appearing on his behalf.
Ohio Governor John Kasich claimed a practical victory Tuesday night, placing second in the New Hampshire Republican primary behind Donald Trump. Kasich’s late rise in the last few days, moving him out of the governors mini-pack he cohabited with Jeb Bush and Chris Christie and modestly but clearly past Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, vindicated his New Hampshire-centric strategy.
Kasich continued his campaign theme of a self-described positive focus with a renewed denunciation of negative advertising, declaring that “tonight the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning.” In an atypical statement from a candidate celebrating a favorable primary election outcome Kasich pledged not to accelerate and work even harder, but to slow down. Speaking of deeply personal encounters with people sharing their struggles at his town halls Kasich said “from this day forward I’m going to go slower and spend my time listening and healing and helping and bringing people together to fix our great country.”
Was Tuesday night his high point or just the beginning? Kasich faces a challenging road ahead as his New Hampshire-centric strategy means that he has limited organization and support in the upcoming primary states, with limited time and money to capitalize on his New Hampshire success. A winnowing field and an expected spike in media attention will provide opportunity, but no guarantee of success.
Monday was the last day of the notion-bending year-long campaign leading to the New Hampshire presidential primary. Republican candidates have for months decried the condition of America, denouncing Barack Obama for what they see as destruction wreaked on the U.S. that has pushed the country to the edge of a precipice. With New Hampshire voting those dire descriptions will end, at least for the Granite State, as the campaign rolls on to South Carolina, Nevada and beyond.
Who’s rising, who’s falling and who will exceed expectations? Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Chris Christie all had good days in the last moments of the New Hampshire primary, but they face a dual challenge of trying to shove past the other two governors and simultaneously trying to catch up to Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Here are a few impressions from the candidates’ closing appearances.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie continued his quest for the presidency Sunday, campaigning in New Hampshire on the second to last day before the New Hampshire primary. Christie began with a town hall in the Seacoast town of Hampton, speaking to about 300 people.
Christie’s crowds have grown this week but so have those of his closest rivals Jeb Bush and John Kasich. His Hampton audience appeared supportive, cheering Christie on and fully engaged as Christie prowled the small open plain at the center of a tight circle of chairs working both those fortunate enough to be seated and the 100 or so people standing in an outer circle. Christie expanded on his debate performance, dismissing Marco Rubio as an echo of Barack Obama; an unaccomplished first-term senator unprepared to be president. He gave an eviscerating imitation of Donald Trump, capturing a core Trump weakness of offering nothing beyond emotional appeal.