The Trail 2016: Just another manic Monday

Welcome to THE TRAIL 2016, your daily rundown from The Hill on all the latest news in the White House, Senate and House races.

Donald Trump dominated the news cycle yet again in the last 24 hours before voters head to the polls in Arizona, Idaho and Utah.

Reporters staked out theGOP front-runner’s huddle with Washington, D.C., Republicans privately on Capitol Hill. Not a single member of House or Senate GOP leadership attended the meeting, but Trump did score an endorsement from former Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.).

He also held a press conference in Washington, D.C., at his soon-to-be hotel and predicted he’ll be able to rack up the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination and avoid a contested convention. But he later added that “we’ll see what happens.”

And his appearances and press conferences are clearly paying dividends. Trump continues to benefit from free media coverage while his likely general election rival Hillary Clinton reaches deep into her campaign coffers. The Hill’s Jonathan Swan breaks down the latest fundraising records from February for the final five presidential candidates.

Meanwhile, Clinton continues to look toward the fall and slammed Trump for his neutrality on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and said the U.S. ally’s security is “non-negotiable” during a Monday morning speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) annual policy conference.

Check back with us tonight for live updates on the GOP hopefuls’ speeches at AIPAC and candidates interviews on CNN and Fox News.

Come back to The Hill tomorrow morning for the five things to watch in Tuesday’s contests and a story from Niall Stanage on how Democrats view Trump as a huge advantage to winning The White House.

 

RACE TO 1600 PENN

FEELING THE HEAT: The Hill’s Jonathan Easley and Ben Kamisar report: Several unbound delegates said they are beginning to feel the pressure now that party leaders are talking about a convention scenario that could prevent Donald Trump from winning the nomination.

ENOUGH WITH THE EMAILS:The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee dismissed the controversy over Hillary Clinton’s emails as secretary of State, saying it won’t decide the election.

CALLING IN THE EXPERTS: The Hill’s Julian Hattem reports: Donald Trump offered the longest list yet of his foreign policy and national security advisers after months of refusing to detail the experts he consults, naming five people who have been added to an advisory team led by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).

CONTRIBUTION COMPLAINT: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is alleging that the Donald J. Trump Foundation did not disclose a contribution to a political organization associated with the Florida attorney general while her office was looking into joining a lawsuit regarding Trump University.

 

ODDS AND ENDS:

CRUZ’S CORNER: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) said he’s voting for Ted Cruz in the Utah caucuses on Tuesday.

ROMNEY ROBOCALLS: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Mitt Romney recorded robocalls for Ted Cruz in Utah and Arizona ahead of the Tuesday contests, touting the Texas senator as the only candidate who could defeat Donald Trump.

(A)BROAD APPEAL: The Hill’s Neetzan Zimmerman reports: Bernie Sanders has claimed a decisive victory over rival Hillary Clinton among Democrats living aboard.

TAX PLAN POPULARITY:The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Bernie Sanders has the most popular tax plan of any White House hopeful from either political party, according to a new survey.

 

POLL POSITION

SCOTUS POLITICS: The Hill’s Jordain Carney reports: More than three-fourths of Americans say Senate Republicans are “playing politics” by refusing to take up President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, according to a Monmouth University Poll released Monday.

 

THE DAILY TRUMP

PERSONAL LOAN: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Donald Trump gave his campaign another $6.9 million of his personal money in February, bringing his total personal campaign contributions — lent or given — up to about $25 million.

JOB OFFER: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Donald Trump, during a news conference in Washington, offered a job to a woman who said she was survivor of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. He called the woman forward and asked her about her experience after she asked whether his new hotel in the District of Columbia would hire veterans.

SHORT LIST The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Donald Trump said he has generated a list of candidates he would nominate to the Supreme Court if elected president.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I’ve received hundreds of emails, and I’m getting phone calls from people telling me who they think should be president and why.”

— Steve House, the chairman of the Republican Party in Colorado and one of the nearly 200 unbound delegates who could end up determining the GOP presidential nomination.

 

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS

SUNSHINE STATE SHOWDOWN: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: Former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) endorsed Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) over Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) for the Democratic nomination in the open Florida Senate seat.

DABBLING IN THE SENATE: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: A progressive Jewish political action committee with ties to the son of Democratic Party mega-donor George Soros is intervening in Senate races for the first time, endorsing Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and former Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin.

 

MONEY WATCH

DSCC TOPS NRSC: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: Senate Democrats’ campaign arm outpaced its Republican counterparts in February by $1.4 million, according to figures provided by the groups, but the Democrats trail in total cash on hand.

 

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW:

(All times Eastern)

ed Cruz, Donald Trump and John Kasich, along with Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will participate in a CNN candidate forum tonight from 8-11.

Donald  Trump does an hour-long Sean Hannity sit-down special to discuss immigration in Arizona, at 10 p.m. today.

Ted Cruz will be a guest on Fox News’s “The Kelly File,” which airs at 9 tonight.

Hillary Clinton holds three campaign events in Washington state on Tuesday — a labor organizing event in Everett at 3:15 p.m., a roundtable with Washington tribal leadders (no time disclosed), and an organizing event in Seattle at 11:15 p.m.

Bernie Sanders is a guest on “All In with Chris Hayes” on MSNBC at 8 p.m. today and holds an evening rally in San Diego on Tuesday.

 

TWEET OF THE DAY

The way I see it, it’s our job to make sure @realDonaldTrump ends this campaign every bit the loser that he started it.

— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016

 

Write us with tips, suggestions and news: Jonathan Easley, Ben Kamisar, Jonathan Swan, Lisa Hagen. 

Sign up to receive The Trail | 2016 overnight newsletter here.