Conservative activist Leonard Leo said he would withhold money from organizations he supports unless they use their funding to “weaponize the conservative vision,” Axios reports.
Republicans Fear Laura Loomer Is Influencing Trump
“She was on the plane with him the day of the debate and on the ground with him the morning after. Some Republicans are worried she had something to do with what happened in between,” Semafor reports.
“Laura Loomer, the right-wing agitator known for egging on Donald Trump’s most inflammatory instincts, has been regularly popping up around the former president. After a debate in which Trump shouted about false viral rumors of pet-eating Haitians in an Ohio town, her potential influence is drawing more scrutiny from both parties.”
“One person close to the Trump campaign said they were ‘100%’ concerned about her exacerbating Trump’s weaknesses.”
NBC News: Trump attends 9/11 event with a far-right activist who pushed a conspiracy theory about the tragedy.
Politics Is Upside Down
Monica Lewinsky actually linked to Matt Drudge from her Instagram account.
Election Officials Warn Mail System Could Disrupt Voting
“State and local election officials from across the country on Wednesday warned that problems with the nation’s mail delivery system threaten to disenfranchise voters in the upcoming presidential election, telling the head of the U.S. Postal Service that it hasn’t fixed persistent deficiencies,” the AP reports.
Follow the Candidates
Playbook: “If you had doubts about the central importance of the so-called ‘blue wall’ states, look no further than the fact that Harris and Walz themselves will be barnstorming those states exclusively later this week, while their spouses head for states that are either less competitive or less central to the path to victory. Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin? That’s the ballgame.”
Bush’s Attorney General Backs Kamala Harris
Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales endorsed Kamala Harris in Politico, warning that Donald Trump is “perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation.”
New Jersey Ballot Changes Close
Politico: “If approved, it could spell the end of a system that gives party bosses unique power.”
First General Election Ballots Are in the Mail
“The first ballots of the general election are heading to voters, as Alabama officials started mailing them out Wednesday,” NBC News reports.
“Once eligible Alabama voters who requested absentee ballots receive them, they can return them at any point to lock in their votes for candidates for president, as well as in statewide and local races, weeks out from Election Day.”
Trump Angers Republicans Saying He’s a Leader on IVF
“Donald Trump pitched himself as a ‘leader’ on in vitro fertilization during his Tuesday debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. His plans are angering swaths of the Republican Party,” Politico reports.
“The former president, eager to deflect attacks that his election would threaten fertility care, has gone so far as to pledge free IVF treatments to all Americans, paid for either by insurance companies or the federal government.”
Democratic Ad Blitz Targets Women in ‘Blue Wall’ States
“A major Democratic super PAC is investing heavily in abortion messaging in battleground states,” Politico reports.
“American Bridge 21st Century released its latest round of TV and digital ads on Thursday — airing in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan and backed by $15 million buy — focused entirely on contrasting Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on abortion.”
Trump’s Slow-Burn Authoritarianism
Greg Sargent: “You’ve read about the scary horrors of a Trump second term. But a legal war of attrition that harasses MAGA’s enemies and transforms government info into propaganda could prove more insidious and harder to mobilize against.”
Cornel West Disqualified from Georgia Ballot
“Presidential candidates Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz are disqualified from running for president in Georgia, two state court judges ruled Wednesday, saying that their electors didn’t file the proper paperwork,” the AP reports.
“For now at least, the decision means votes for West and De la Cruz won’t be counted in Georgia, even if their names remain on ballots because it’s too late to remove them.”
Trump’s Big, Unfixable, Glaring Glitch
“Here’s what troubles former President Trump’s advisers most: He knew that with precision and preparation, Vice President Harris would bait him on things like crowd size, and buck discussion about her power today and liberalism in the past,” Axios reports.
“He knew exactly how to try to turn each moment against her.”
“But he blew it badly … repeatedly … predictably. He simply cannot help himself, Trump insiders begrudgingly admit.”
Harris Confronts a Battleground ‘Game of Inches’
New York Times: “While Ms. Harris’s top aides are thrilled with her debate showing and Mr. Trump’s inability to push consistent and coherent attacks, they are looking to tweak their strategy only around the edges. The next steps, close advisers say, are ramping up her visibility on the campaign trail, including retail politicking in communities, increased press appearances, and putting herself in front of as many voters as possible in battleground states. Aides believe that at its heart, the race is unchanged.”
“But Ms. Harris remains a key part of an unpopular incumbent administration in a nation where many voters say they want a decisive change and have expressed unhappiness with President Biden’s leadership.”
“Her quandary was encapsulated in the debate’s very first question, when Ms. Harris was asked if she thought Americans were better off now than they were four years ago. Instead of giving a direct answer, she talked about her middle-class upbringing and her plans to help working families. It was almost as if she felt it would be unwise either to embrace Mr. Biden too closely or to obviously distance herself from him.”
Taylor Swift Did Not Coordinate Harris Endorsement
“About an hour after Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president, the Democratic candidate’s campaign had friendship bracelets for sale on the Harris campaign website,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“It looked like a synchronized effort: Bracelets, after all, were a hallmark of Swift’s ‘Eras Tour.’ People outside the campaign were encouraging an endorsement. But there was no direct coordination between Swift and the campaign… Swift has neither contacted the Harris campaign nor spoken with Harris herself… Harris aides say they weren’t given a head’s up.”
Mike Johnson’s Hell-in-Waiting If He Keeps the Gavel
“Speaker Mike Johnson is fighting for his job this week. Today’s setback gives him a sense for how difficult — and lonely — it will be if he wins,” Axios reports.
“Johnson’s rank-and-file aren’t taking his Plan A seriously … his top members are pointing fingers over who’s to blame … worst of all, the former president reserves the right to blindside him.”
“Those dynamics will only increase if Donald Trump wins back the presidency and Republicans maintain their House majority.”
Electoral Vote Count Will Get Special Security
“The federal government has for the first time declared that the certification of the presidential vote next year will be treated as a ‘national special security event’ — an acknowledgment that the once-routine part of the democratic process now carries special risk,” Politico reports.
“The designation by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas places the Jan. 6 session of Congress on the same security footing as major events such as the Super Bowl or U.N. General Assembly.”
Schumer to Corner GOP on In Vitro Fertilization
“Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will give Vice President Kamala Harris a helping hand in prosecuting the case against the Republican party’s abortion policies,” Axios reports.
“Schumer will force Senate Republicans to vote on a measure that mirrors former President Trump’s proposal to mandate insurance coverage of IVF treatments.”
“The IVF bill will hit the Senate floor over the next two weeks.”
