Good Monday morning, a day of recovery for many of the candidates who were perhaps required by custom and duty to cheat on their diets at the Iowa State Fair this weekend. While most of the candidates move on to a full week, others were busy outside the fair's lively lights, seeking money rather than votes on an upscale and tourist-filled Massachusetts island. To glance at the news, most readers would surely think the State Fair in Des Moines was the center of the political universe. After all, it is where Jeb Bush mixed a pre-noon beer with a deep-fried Snickers, where Hillary Rodham Clinton munched a pork chop on a stick and where Donald J. Trump landed his helicopter. But if you happened to be spending a few days this month on Nantucket, and to have a few thousand dollars to spare, you could see nearly as many candidates. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was there on Friday, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Mrs. Clinton were there on Sunday, while Mr. Bush is coming to the island off Cape Cod in Massachusetts on Thursday. None are fishing for voters — and certainly not news media attention. They were lured, like many politicians, by the wealthy summer residents and visitors thronging the island's fund-raisers. The dueling destinations not only represent two very different slices of Americana, they also illuminate what are effectively parallel presidential campaigns. There is the one playing out for public consumption (see: pork photo ops) and that which dares not speak its name too loudly: asking the wealthy for contributions behind closed doors with nary a deep fryer in sight.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton attended the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. Win McNamee/Getty Images
8/17/2015
By Jonathan Martin
Good Monday morning, a day of recovery for many of the candidates who were perhaps required by custom and duty to cheat on their diets at the Iowa State Fair this weekend. While most of the candidates move on to a full week, others were busy outside the fair's lively lights, seeking money rather than votes on an upscale and tourist-filled Massachusetts island.
To glance at the news, most readers would surely think the State Fair in Des Moines was the center of the political universe. After all, it is where Jeb Bush mixed a pre-noon beer with a deep-fried Snickers, where Hillary Rodham Clinton munched a pork chop on a stick and where Donald J. Trump landed his helicopter.
But if you happened to be spending a few days this month on Nantucket, and to have a few thousand dollars to spare, you could see nearly as many candidates.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was there on Friday, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Mrs. Clinton were there on Sunday, while Mr. Bush is coming to the island off Cape Cod in Massachusetts on Thursday. None are fishing for voters — and certainly not news media attention.
They were lured, like many politicians, by the wealthy summer residents and visitors thronging the island's fund-raisers.
The dueling destinations not only represent two very different slices of Americana, they also illuminate what are effectively parallel presidential campaigns. There is the one playing out for public consumption (see: pork photo ops) and that which dares not speak its name too loudly: asking the wealthy for contributions behind closed doors with nary a deep fryer in sight.
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What We're Watching This Week
Nearly a dozen presidential candidates from both parties spent the weekend at the Iowa State Fair, brushing shoulders with one another and battling for camera attention.
Perhaps sick of being in the same place, the candidates are now fanning out across the country, hoping to stake out their own places in early voting states with some major campaign events.
Mr. Trump has been called to jury duty in Manhattan on Monday and, according to Michael Cohen, an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, "is happy to comply with his civic obligation."
Mrs. Clinton, who has been battling with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont for the support of labor leaders, heads to Nevada on Tuesday to meet with the Carpenters International union and to attend the 59th annual Nevada State A.F.L.-C.I.O. Constitutional Convention. Ms. Clinton will also hold a town-hall-style event in North Las Vegas.
Mr. Sanders will be crisscrossing the country, starting on Monday in Chicago for a fund-raising meet and greet, before heading to Nevada, South Carolina and New Hampshire. Mr. Bush will also be in South Carolina, a crucial state in his plans, for two days early in the week.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, fresh off a bus tour across the Southeast, is looking to solidify his standing with evangelicals with an event his campaign has been planning for nearly a month: a Rally for Religious Liberty, in Des Moines, featuring the Christian pop rock band Newsboys. Attendance is expected to be well into the thousands.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, an ophthalmologist, is far off the radar in Haiti on his annual trip to perform eye surgeries in developing nations.
And not everyone has left the Iowa State Fair: Carly Fiorina, whose standing has improved after a strong showing in the "undercard" debate this month, will deliver her soapbox speech on Monday around 1 p.m.
– Nick Corasaniti
Fox Poll Shows Carson and Cruz on the Rise
The newest poll and post-debate report card from Fox News shows some of the Republican Party's biggest names languishing amid signs of life from upstart candidates and Mr. Trump's continued dominance.
Fox's new poll showed that despite Mr. Trump's warring with the network, he remained the favorite of 25 percent of likely Republican primary voters, virtually unchanged from just before the debate. Showing the biggest gains from Fox's previous poll were Ben Carson, at 12 percent, and Mr. Cruz, at 10.
Mr. Bush and Mr. Rubio, who many saw as early favorites, showed signs of weakness. Mr. Bush's support dropped to 9 percent from 15 percent in early August, after what many analysts considered to be a lackluster debate performance. Mr. Rubio, who got strong marks at the debate, was in a cluster of third-tier candidates, including Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, at 4 percent.
Mr. Rubio and Mr. Bush, the former governor of Florida, were the most popular second-choice candidates, however, suggesting that if Mr. Trump's campaign unravels, they could regain their front-runner status.
While the Democrats have not had their first debate, Mr. Sanders continues to make gains on Mrs. Clinton. His support among likely Democratic voters rose to 30 percent from 22 percent in two weeks, while backing for Mrs. Clinton is at 49 percent, essentially unchanged from 51 percent.
The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus five percentage points for both Democratic and Republican primary voters.
– Alan Rappeport
Our Favorites From The Times
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In a position paper on his website, Mr. Trump released a plan to combat illegal immigration that is based on law enforcement, economic improvement and building a wall on the Mexican border.
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The Obama administration has delivered a warning to Beijing about the presence of Chinese government agents operating secretly in the United States to pressure prominent expatriates — some wanted in China on charges of corruption — to return home immediately, according to American officials.
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And with some high-profile help, Mr. Obama is privately and methodically preparing for life after the White House, mapping out a postpresidential infrastructure and endowment that could cost as much as $1 billion.
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What We're Reading Elsewhere
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Mr. Sanders, The Associated Press reported on Sunday, "repeatedly vowed to address racism, police brutality and the nation's criminal justice system," after days "of campaigning before largely white audiences in Iowa," and following disruptions at his events by protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Politico writes that if Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. decides to seek the presidency, he might find a large section of donors already committed to Mrs. Clinton.
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Along those lines, The Washington Post reports that it's probably too late for Democrats to find an alternative to Mrs. Clinton.
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And The A.P. also reported that a "super PAC" supporting Mr. Bush is planning a $10 million ad purchase in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
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