The Trail 2016: Endorsements musical chairs

by Jonathan Easley - 08/04/16 6:07 PM ET

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

Republicans are having a hard time figuring out who they support within their own party.

We already knew that Donald Trump was refusing to back Paul Ryan, John McCain and Kelly Ayotte.

Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, is fully behind Ryan’s reelection bid, but on Thursday declined to endorse McCain and Ayotte.

McCain has a primary challenge at the end of the month and if he moves beyond that, faces the fight of his life in a general election match-up against Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick in November. Pence’s move infuriated McCain’s allies.

Trump supporter Newt Gingrich quickly bucked the GOP ticket on Thursday, announcing that he “strongly” supports McCain.

Meanwhile, Ayotte was left twisting in the wind as a poll released Thursday found her trailing New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan by 10 points.

Check back with The Hill in the morning for a report on how this endorsements drama will take center stage in Wisconsin on Friday, as Trump arrives for a rally in Ryan’s home-state amid a frosty stretch for the two.

The Hill will also have a breakdown on Clinton’s polling advantage following the conventions, and a look at how nuclear security experts are nervous about a Trump presidency. And check back throughout the weekend for more campaign coverage.

RACE TO 1600 PENN

STILL FEUDING: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Paul Ryan reiterated criticism of Donald Trump on Thursday and warned that his endorsement is not a “blank check.” Still, there were signs of a thaw as Trump called Ryan a “good guy” at a rally after the Speaker was booed by Trump’s supporters.

RELUCTANT: The Hill’s Jordan Fabian reports: President Obama conceded that Donald Trump will receive security briefings even though he believes the Republican is unfit for office.

NARROW PATH: The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports: Donald Trump needs a surge in white working-class voters to win the White House.

AD WARS: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan and Rafael Bernal report: A super-PAC supporting Hillary Clinton launched a new round of ads casting Donald Trump as racist and unacceptable to Hispanic voters. A new poll shows Clinton is performing as well as Obama did in the last two cycles among Latino voters, putting her in a strong position heading into the fall.

PROTESTS PART I: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Secret Service agents swarmed to protect Hillary Clinton after protesters jumped on stage.

PROTESTS PART II: The HIll’s Harper Neidig reports: Protesters at a Donald Trump rally held up pocket-sized Constitutions to show solidarity with Gold Star father Khizr Khan.

ODDS AND ENDS

MEDIA WARS: The Hill’s Joe Concha reports: Fox anchor Megyn Kelly is accusing MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough of being a Trump booster.

EYES OF A CHILD: The Hill’s Rafael Bernal reports: An 11-year-old boy threw Mike Pence a curveball question at a rally on Thursday.

THIS IS PERSONAL: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: Hillary Clinton is accusing Donald Trump of outsourcing jobs and stiffing contractors and claiming that hits home for her as the daughter of a contractor and small businessman.

HIGH HEAT: The Hill’s Joe Concha reports: A GOP strategist got a free pass from CNN after she ripped Donald Trump as a “loudmouth d—.”

POLL POSITION

PULLING AWAY: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Hillary Clinton has opened up a 15-point lead nationwide, according to a new poll.

LEVELING OFF: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Donald Trump’s top aide believes polling numbers will “even out” going forward.

KEYSTONE POLL: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Hillary Clinton has a double-digit lead over Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

BATTLEGROUND FLORIDA: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 6 points in the Sunshine State.

THE DAILY TRUMP

EYEWITNESS?: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Donald Trump is doubling down on claims his campaign discredited that he saw video of an American shipment of cash to Iran.

IMMIGRATION CONTROVERSY: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Melania Trump says she has always been in full compliance with immigration laws after questions were raised about her early modeling career in the U.S.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Of course the election will not be rigged.”

— President Obama responding to predictions from the Trump campaign that Democrats will plot to steal the election from him.

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS

ASSIST FROM THE WHITE HOUSE: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Vice President Biden will fundraise for Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Patrick Murphy in Florida.

MORE THAN JUST A BAN: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Paul Ryan’s primary challenger says the U.S. should have a discussion about deporting Muslims.

MONEY WATCH

KOCHS TO THE RESCUE: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: The powerful network helmed by the Koch Brothers will drop more than $1 million into the Wisconsin Senate race to boost Republican incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson.

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY, TOMORROW AND THE WEEKEND

(All times Eastern)

Donald Trump holds a town hall in Des Moines at 4 p.m. on Friday, followed by an 8 p.m. rally in Green Bay, Wis.

At noon Friday, Hillary Clinton will deliver remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Joint Convention in Washington, D.C.

Nora O’Donnell sits down with Tim Kaine, a preview of which will be aired during tonight’s “CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley” (6:30-7) and the extended version will be on Friday’s “CBS This Morning,” which airs from 7-9 a.m. He campaigns in Milwaukee, Wis., at 2 p.m. Friday followed by an event in Grand Rapids, Mich., at 5 p.m.

Mike Pence holds a campaign event in Norfolk, Va., at 7 p.m.

The Green Party holds its presidential nominating convention in Houston through Sunday.

Tennessee holds state primaries today. The U.S. Virgin Islands holds its territorial primary on Saturday.

TWEET OF THE DAY

Somewhere in a DC office, a highly paid lawyer at a white-shoe firm is furiously researching the rules for replacing Trump on the ballot.

— Andrew Weinstein (@Weinsteinlaw) August 4, 2016