Donald Trump is thumping Ted Cruz by double digits in a new Iowa poll, while Bernie Sanders has grabbed a significant lead from Hillary Clinton among Democrats likely to caucus in the state. Her latest tactic? Asking if he is now, or has ever been, a member of the Communist Party.
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And on Tuesday, Clinton’s campaign released a joint statement from 10 former Obama and Clinton administration diplomats who are questioning Bernie Sanders’ ability to handle foreign policy issues, including working with Iran and fighting ISIS.
In 2008, Clinton lost Iowa not only to eventual president Barack Obama, but also to another Democratic contender, North Carolina senator John Edwards. “Iowa matters a ton, but it seems to be the campaign’s only focus”, said one person close to the campaign’s operations in a March state – one of almost a dozen Clinton allies with whom POLITICO spoke for this article.
Now, just weeks before the nation’s first primary, Bernie Sanders is making a two-day swing through the Granite State, where he’s taken a lead. Make them rethink that proposition. Lovato has struggled publicly with mental health issues, a topic Clinton often talks about on the campaign trail.
“His heart was in the right place”, Clinton said. Earlier Thursday, the campaign released a Web video knocking Sanders for his answer, and her top aides are expected to hold a conference call with reporters on the topic on Thursday afternoon.
And there may not be much of a future for the candidates who lose the Iowa nominating caucuses February 1 and the New Hampshire primary February 9.
“I believe that we can wage an election on what is achievable, what is smart and what is workable”, she said.
“That would be like inviting one of the arsonists to join the firefighters”, Sullivan said.
Recent preference polls suggest her lead in Iowa has evaporated and in New Hampshire, Sanders has opened up a significant edge. “‘7 ways Hillary Clinton is just like your abuela, ‘ or grandmother, reads a new post on the Clinton campaign’s website”.
“I know what it is like to run from behind in New Hampshire and I know what it is like to come from behind and win in New Hampshire”, Clinton said, raising her voice at the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws’ Pro-Choice Roe v. Wade Dinner. “In fact, she helped launch the diplomacy that helped”, Sullivan says.
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But, she said, she’s still considering caucusing for Sanders.
