“House Republicans moved Tuesday to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress over claims he obstructed their investigation into the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021,” Politico reports.
Sheriff Stripped of Election Role
“An Ohio sheriff has been stripped of his role providing security at his county’s early voting location, members of a local elections board said, after he compared immigrants to insects and urged residents to record the addresses of people who have yard signs supporting Vice President Kamala Harris,” the New York Times reports.
Harris Backs Ending Filibuster to Codify Abortion Rights
Kamala Harris told Wisconsin Public Radio that she supports ending the filibuster to restore Roe v. Wade to protect abortion rights nationally.
Said Harris: “I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe. And get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do.”
Mike Johnson Says Trump Doesn’t Want a Shutdown
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) privately told a group of members that Donald Trump agrees it was a select few Republican lawmakers — not Johnson — who ruined the GOP’s chances of getting the SAVE Act attached to a continuing resolution, NOTUS reports.
And Johnson said Trump agrees that Republicans would take the blame for a shutdown.
Quote of the Day
“You will no longer be thinking about abortion.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by the New York Times, arguing that he will be a “protector” of women if he’s elected.
Harris Holds Massive Lead Among Young Voters
A new Harvard Institute of Politics poll of 18-to-29-year-olds nationwide finds Kamala Harris with a commanding lead over Donald Trump, 64% to 32%.
Other findings:
- A significant enthusiasm gap between young Democrats and Republicans, with 74% of young Democrats saying they will “definitely” vote, compared to 60% of young Republicans.
- A widening gender gap, nearly doubling from 17 points in the Spring poll to 30 points now, with Harris leading 70% to 23% among likely female voters.
Democrats Will Run Up the Score in Early Voting
Join now to continue reading.
Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.
Harris Maintains Solid National Lead
A new Morning Consult poll finds Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump nationally among likely voters, 50% to 45%.
Harris Edges Trump in North Carolina
A new Elon University poll in North Carolina finds Kamala Harris just ahead of Donald Trump among registered voters, 46% to 45%.
In the race for governor, Josh Stein (D) leads Mark Robinson (R), 49% to 35%.
Harris Leads in Michigan
A new USA Today/Suffolk poll in Michigan finds Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump by three points among likely voters in a multi-candidate race, 48% to 45%.
Said pollster David Paleologos: “If the Kamala Harris margin shrinks to a 1-point lead, the entire state hinges on the fringes of the Michigan ballot. The behavior of third-party voters ‒ people who are mocked for wasting their votes ‒ could make the difference if they rotate to either Harris or Trump.”
In the U.S. Senate race, Elissa Slotkin (D) leads Mike Rogers (R), 45% to 43%.
Harris Barely Ahead in Nevada
A Noble Predictive Insights poll in Nevada shows Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump among likely voters, 48% to 47%.
Trump Dangles Even More Tax Breaks
“Donald Trump’s ever-growing litany of tax proposals includes something for almost every American family: tipped workers, hourly employees, senior citizens — and now even the higher-income residents of Democratic-led states whose tax breaks he took away while president,” Bloomberg reports.
“And he’s not done yet: Trump will make a speech on Tuesday in Georgia to outline his vision to use tax breaks and other incentives to bolster US manufacturing.”
“The former president has thrown out such a wide range of tax proposals that even his own advisers are unsure about which ones he intends to enact if elected. Some of the pronouncements have come as surprises and caused angst among allies.”
Trump’s Unfocused Pitch in Pennsylvania
Washington Post: “In just over 90 minutes here Monday night, the Republican presidential nominee swerved repeatedly in remarks he used to try to shore up his political weaknesses, lash out his detractors and delve into digressions.”
“Trump’s rally here in a key battleground state offered a glimpse of the often unfocused pitch he is making to voters with about six weeks left until Election Day — one that his most loyal fans revel in but is a less proven winner with swing voters.”
The Never Trumpers Who Stay Silent
The Guardian: “Big-name signatories included Chuck Hagel, a former senator and defense secretary; Gen Michael Hayden, a former CIA and NSA chief; and John Negroponte, once ambassador to the UN. Robert Zoellick, a longtime aide to both presidents Bush and a deputy to James Baker, secretary of state to the elder Bush, was on the list too.”
“Missing from the list, however, were Baker, the younger Bush and his own secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. As perhaps the three most senior Republicans who have not come out against Trump in this election cycle, Bush, Rice and Baker’s lack of comment excites growing comment itself.”
Harris Won’t Say If She Backs Decriminalizing Prostitution
“Vice President Harris’ campaign is declining to say whether she still supports decriminalizing sex work — a position she took while running for president in 2019,” Axios reports.
What Will Mitt Romney Do if Trump Wins?
McKay Coppins: “Romney had made this prediction before, telling anyone who would listen in the run-up to the 2020 election that he thought Trump was going to get a second term. He’d even bet one of his sons his prized 1985 BMW that Biden would lose. But back then, he’d told me, it was a kind of psychological game he played with himself—predicting the outcome he most dreaded as a form of inoculation.”
“This time felt different. Trump had repeatedly pledged to use the Justice Department and the FBI to go after his political enemies if reelected. ‘I am your retribution,’ he enjoyed telling his crowds. Romney knew that he was likely to appear on any enemies list kept by the former president, and he’d privately mused to friends that it might be time for him and his wife, Ann, to consider moving abroad…”
“But when I asked Romney, in the spring, what a Trump reelection would mean for him and his family, he was careful at first.”
Said Romney: “I don’t know the answer to that… the good news is I haven’t had an affair with anybody; I don’t have any classified documents; I can’t imagine something I’ve done that would justify an investigation, let alone an indictment.”
Deseret News: If Trump wins, Mitt Romney fears retribution.
New York Post Reporter Was a Paid GOP Operative
“Starting in June, the New York Post began publishing stories on the presidential, Senate and congressional races in Wisconsin as part of an initiative on battleground states,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
“But the Post — a right-leaning newspaper owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch — picked a reporter for the project with strong ties to Republicans and conservatives in Wisconsin.”
“In fact, Amy Sikma was paid twice last year by the state Republican Party for consulting work.”
Trump’s Ground Game Worries Some Republicans
“The Trump campaign is relying on a so far untested get-out-the-vote strategy ahead of November’s election that some Republicans view as a high-risk, high-reward gambit,” The Hill reports.
“The Trump campaign has worked alongside outside groups, including one backed by Elon Musk, to bolster its ground game and register and turn out low-propensity voters who may not be part of the former president’s fervent base. It marks a shift from past cycles, when get-out-the-vote efforts would be led by the Republican National Committee.”
