Accusing her of "dividing Americans" and political pandering, several
of Hillary Clinton's potential Republican rivals fired back Friday
after the Democratic frontrunner accused them of trying to make it more
difficult for Americans -- particularly minorities and young people --
to vote.
Clinton spoke Thursday at Texas Southern University, an historically
black institution in Houston. In one of her most partisan speeches as a
White House candidate, she directly criticized Wisconsin Gov. Scott
Walker, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and
former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
She described them as members of a GOP vanguard that has made it more
difficult for students to vote, cut the numbers of days set aside for
early voting and demanded voter ID provisions.
In perhaps her most pointed line, she said: "We have a responsibility
to say clearly and directly what's really going on in our country --
because what is happening is a sweeping effort to disempower and
disenfranchise people of color, poor people, and young people from one
end of our country to the other."
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican considering a presidential run, accused Clinton on Friday of "demagoguery."
"Don't be running around the country dividing Americans," he told Fox News.
Kasich's state is also on the other end of a related lawsuit filed in part by Clinton campaign lawyer Marc Elias.
That suit claims Ohio's voting restrictions are designed to suppress
minority and young voters. It calls for halting a number of measures
including laws that restrict the casting of absentee and provisional
ballots and limit the times and locations for early voting -- such as
abolishing an early voting period known as "Golden Week" in which voters
could register and cast an in-person ballot the same day.
However, Ohio has an extensive early-voting period of nearly a month.
And Kasich noted Clinton's state of New York doesn't even offer that
kind of early-voting period.
"Don't come in and say we are trying to keep people from voting when
her own state has less opportunity for voting," Kasich told Fox News.
"And she is going to sue my state? That's just silly."
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted also said Ohio is a "national
leader in voter access," urging Clinton to "tell her attorneys" to drop
the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is not officially connected to the Clinton campaign,
though the candidate has since made voting laws a big issue in her run.
In Thursday's speech, she alleged, "Republicans are systematically
and deliberately trying to stop millions of American citizens from
voting." She also called for automatic voter registration for all
Americans when they turn 18, unless they opt out, and for 20-day early
voting in all states.
Directly challenging Republicans by name, which Clinton has largely
avoided until now, she plunged into a partisan debate over voting rights
that has roiled statehouses across the country. Democrats contend
restricting voter access and registration purposely aims to suppress
turnout among minority and low-income voters. Republicans say the voting
changes are crucial to guard against voter fraud.
Under Walker, for example, Wisconsin requires proof of residency
except for overseas and military voters. The state shortened the early
voting period and increased residency requirements.
In a statement, Walker responded to the criticism leveled by the
Democratic candidate: "Hillary Clinton's rejection of efforts to make it
easier to vote and harder to cheat not only defies logic, but the will
of the majority of Americans. Once again, Hillary Clinton's extreme
views are far outside the mainstream."
Clinton said that in New Jersey, Christie had vetoed a bill to extend
early voting. She said as Florida's governor, Bush had conducted a
"deeply flawed" purge of eligible voters, by having the names of people
who were mistakenly thought to be felons removed from voting rolls.
Perry, who announced his presidential campaign earlier Thursday,
approved laws in Texas that discriminated against minority voters,
Clinton said.
Christie, at a stop in New Hampshire Friday, said, "Secretary Clinton
doesn't know the first thing about voting rights in New Jersey ... or
in the other states that she attacked." He said she just wants "an
opportunity to commit greater acts [of] voter fraud around the
country."
Perry, speaking with Fox News on Friday morning, defended voter ID laws.
"When I got on the airline to come up here yesterday I had to show my
photo ID. Now, Hillary Clinton may not have had to show a photo ID to
get onto an airplane in a long time," he quipped. "The people of the
state of Texas is who she's taking on. Because that was a law that was
passed by the people of the state of Texas. She just went into my home
state and dissed every person who supports having an identification to
either get onto an airplane or to vote."
Perry declared his presidential campaign Thursday. Bush, Walker and
Christie have not yet formally announced a 2016 bid, though Bush's
announcement is set for June 15.