Washington Week | Potential 2016 Already Making Moves
On the Webcast Extra: It #39;s never too early to talk presidential politics and the 2016 election. Potential candidates like Hillary Clinton, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush have been active on the...
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Washington Week | Potential 2016 Already Making Moves - Video
By Dan Merica, CNN
updated 11:34 PM EDT, Sat November 1, 2014
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
New Orleans (CNN) -- To Hillary Clinton, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu is the fighter for Louisiana who "refused to let Washington turn its back" on the state in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina almost 10 years ago.
Clinton reached back to the months and years after the 2005 hurricane killed more than 1,500 people in Louisiana to praise Landrieu on Saturday at a New Orleans rally for the endangered three-term senator.
"She was relentless," Clinton said, noting that she and Landrieu were in the Senate at the time. "You learn a lot about a person and a leader in a moment like that. And I saw Mary in action, no cameras, no attention, just focused like a laser to take care of her people."
Clinton continued: "She never gave up. If you know anything about Mary Landrieu, you know that is an ingrained characteristic, she doesn't shy away from a fight."
Landrieu is in a different kind of fight this year -- a fight to keep her Senate seat against a stout challenge from Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy. Every national poll since the start of September has shown Cassidy besting the incumbent.
Clinton did her part on Saturday to knock Cassidy but never actually referred to him by name.
"From what I have heard, Mary's opponent didn't really lift a finger after Isaac," Clinton said, using a familiar Landrieu campaign attack that cites a 2012 no-vote against legislation that included disaster relief money for the state after Hurricane Isaac rocked the state.
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Hillary Clinton reaches back to Katrina to tout Mary Landrieu
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (AP) Like many people in the large conservative enclave of northern Kentucky, Tanya Bartlett has voted for Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell several times over the course of his 30-year career.
But that changed in 2010, when McConnell announced his top priority was to make sure President Barack Obama did not see a second term.
"You're not actually, truly representing the people of your state when you say something like that," Bartlett said, who has since changed her voter registration to the Democratic Party.
That was the theme in northern Kentucky on Saturday as former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton campaigned for Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes in one of the country's most closely watched races. It was Clinton's second trip to Kentucky for Grimes, who most public polls show narrowly trails McConnell heading into Tuesday's election.
"This is not just a contest between a permanent Washington fixture and a fresh face. It is a contest between old thinking and new thinking," Clinton told more than 1,000 people at Northern Kentucky University. "We cannot in our country continue to reward the dividers. We need to reward the uniters, the people who care about everybody."
Calling the election "a referendum on the future," Clinton stressed Grimes' support of raising the minimum wage, protecting Kentucky's expanded health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act and fighting against wage discrimination for women themes that Grimes has focused on from the beginning of her campaign.
"The voters of Kentucky have a chance not just to send a message, but to alter the course of politics and government," Clinton said. "Ultimately this election comes down to this question: Who is on your side?"
But polls show voters like Bartlett could be in the minority. Public polls show Obama has approval ratings of as low as 30 percent in Kentucky, and McConnell has exploited those dismal ratings by making the election a referendum on Obama's presidency. At a rally in his hometown of Louisville, McConnell sounded confident as he stressed the importance of get-out-the-vote efforts.
"We've identified way more than enough people to win this election," he said. "The only remaining issue is, will they vote?"
Across the country, Republicans are making a strong push to seize control of the Senate and make McConnell the chamber's majority leader. McConnell said voters will have a chance to weigh in on Obama's policies on spending and regulations and a slow recovery from the Great Recession.
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Hillary Clinton stumps for Grimes in northern Ky.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in New Orleans Saturday backing incumbent U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu just days before elections. The two hosted a campaign event in the Warehouse District as Landrieu tries to fire up her Democratic base.
On the campaign trail Saturday, Landrieu began her day by heading home to the neighborhood where she grew up to support small businesses at the Family and Friends Day at Mr. Chill's Broadmoor Dogs and Sweet Pastries.
"We're just trying to do a good thing in the community because everything in New Orleans is about rebuilding, and we're still rebuilding our infrastructure and small businesses," said Mr Chill's owner Wilbert Wilson.
While at the event, Landrieu addressed controversial comments she made Thursday suggesting the reason President Barack Obama is unpopular in the state is tied to race.
"The President is not as popular in Louisiana because his energy policies are different than ours. We support the keystone pipeline, he doesn't. We support exports and natural gas, he doesn't. The other reason is African Americans have had some difficulty and it hasn't been, my exact words, the friendliest place."
Then Landrieu was joined by potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for an event targeting the state's women. In what will be one of the last campaign events before Tuesday's election, the former first lady and former U.S. Senator spoke about Landrieu's relentless work for women over the last 18 years in office.
"Every single issue that she thought would affect her state she was in the forefront of addressing," Clinton said. She recalled the eight years they served in the senate together from 2001 to 2009 and Landrieu's memorable work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"She refused to let Washington turn its back on Louisiana, the need was too great, the stakes were too high. She was relentless. You learn a lot about a leader and a person in a time like that," she said.
Clinton also discussed Landrieu's efforts to raise minimum wage, make college more affordable for families and fight for equal pay for women. Clinton has made several campaign stops for women Democratic senate candidates including Sen. Kay Hagan in North Carolina and Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky.
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Hillary Clinton rallies behind Incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu ahead of Tuesday election
Hillary Clinton visitin Maine to support Mike Michaud
The former first lady, secretary of state and senator is visiting Maine to campaign for Mike Michaud in his race for the Blaine House. WMTW News 8 #39;s Paul Mer...
By: WMTW-TV
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Hillary Clinton visitin Maine to support Mike Michaud - Video