Evening Report — Trump, Harris seek votes on Fox News

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Evening Report

Trump, Harris hunt for votes on Fox News

Former President Trump and Vice President Harris found common ground on Wednesday, both taking their message to Fox News in search of undecided voters with the election only 19 days away.

Their objectives are different:

TRUMP is seeking to close the yawning gender gap, which finds Harris with a massive advantage among women, who make up a plurality of voters.
HARRIS is doing outreach to disaffected Republicans, as her campaign sees a path to the White House that includes moderate conservatives who are turned off by Trump.

Here’s how the day is shaking out:

Trump sat for a town hall with Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner in front of a friendly, all-female, daytime audience. A national survey released by Marist on Wednesday found Trump trailing Harris by 15 points among women.
Trump has recently made media appearances on male-oriented outlets, such as Barstool Sports, as he seeks to run up the score among young men. But Wednesday’s town hall is a tacit admission by his campaign that women represent a real problem spot for his reelection.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), spoke at a Moms for America event in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

The Fox News town hall had fodder for Trump’s supporters and detractors.

Trump said he disagrees with some of the states that have enacted abortion bans, as he continues to moderate on an issue that’s provoked a backlash against Republicans at the ballot box.
“Some of them — I agree here — they're too tough, too tough,” he said. “And those are going to be redone because already there's a movement in those states.”
Trump showed empathy by speaking kindly to a woman who admitted to having a panic attack as she addressed him.
Trump declared himself the “father of IVF” and described Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) as “young” and “fantastically attractive.”
Trump reiterated his remark that his political rivals are “the enemy from within,” even after Democrats seized on his remarks to warn he’d send the military after critics. Trump said Thursday he’s “not threatening anybody.”
Trump signaled he would sign an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity.

Democrats and "Never Trump" Republicans are looking to press their advantage among women, believing they can ride it to a victory on Election Day.

“I think there’s a silent majority. I think there’s a silent group of women who will crawl over broken glass to vote against Trump and who will quietly vote for Harris,” former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) told The Daily Beast.

Meanwhile, this evening…

Harris will sit for a high-stakes interview with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier.

Harris’s recent media blitz has had its ups and downs. Baier has a solid reputation as a fair reporter in Washington, but he’s certain to press Harris on issues that she’s so far struggled to put to bed.

The Harris campaign is gambling that the risk will be worth it, as they chart a path to the White House that they hope will include a significant number of GOP moderates who are unable to pull the lever for Trump.

Comstock, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill) and other Republicans will appear with Harris this afternoon at a rally in Bucks County, Pa., to emphasize their commitment to putting country over party.

💡 Perspectives:

The Wall Street Journal: The known unknowns of 2024.

NBC News: Will Biden cost Harris the election?

The Guardian: Harris has gaps to fill with Black Americans.

The Atlantic: The man who’s sure Harris will win.

The Hill: 50-50 elections are bad for America.

Read more:

Harris heads to Fox facing threats, opportunities.
Harris campaign signals new willingness to take risks.
Early voting record shattered in Georgia.
Musk loaded $75 million into his pro-Trump super PAC in 3 months.

Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

CATCH UP QUICK

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Elon Musk's SpaceX is suing California, alleging political bias over rocket launches.
CBS News chief Wendy McMahon ordered a review of the outlet's editorial process amid concerns about fairness and objectivity.
Hundreds of troops that were kicked out of the military under the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy have been upgraded to honorable discharge.
October's supermoon pairs with a rare comet for a special celestial spectacle tonight.

NEW THIS AFTERNOON

Battle for the House, Senate enters crucial stretch

It’s been a critical 24 hours in the battle for the Senate, with key debates taking place in the battlegrounds that will determine the balance of power in the next Congress.

The Hill’s Saul Elbein and Julia Mueller have five takeaways from the debate between Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), as Allred seeks to pull the biggest upset of the cycle.

Cruz dodged and weaved on the question of abortion, while Allred tacked to the right on the border and trans issues.
Cruz bear-hugged former President Trump, viewing him as an asset. Allred kept Vice President Harris at arms length.

Democrats are on a mission to flip all of Texas’s urban counties in their quest to become competitive statewide. Now, only one GOP-held county remains — Tarrant County in Ft. Worth.

But Cruz has proved resilient in his career, and Texas has long proven to be fool’s gold for Democrats.

While many polls have shown a tight race, a new survey from the University of Houston finds Cruz with a 4-point lead.

There was also a feisty debate last night in swing-state Pennsylvania between Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Republican Dave McCormick (Pa.).

Immigration, abortion, the economy, fracking and the Middle East drove the debate, as polls tighten.
The latest New York Times/Siena College survey found Casey with a 4-point lead.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) may be trailing in the polls but he’s not going out quietly.

Tester raised a whopping $30 million in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, in the battle for the House...

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is taking her Never Trump message on the trail to elect Democrats in the lower chamber.
The Hill’s Mike Lillis spotlights Iowa as a key House battleground as Democrats seek to reclaim a majority.

The Hill/Decision Desk HQ gives Republicans a 72 percent chance of flipping the Senate and a 53 percent chance of maintaining a majority in the House.

IN OTHER NEWS

Dozens still missing as search-and-rescue efforts continue in North Carolina

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said at least 92 people are still missing after Hurricane Helene swept through the state more than three weeks ago.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says search-and-rescue efforts continue in the aftermath of the storm, which created a humanitarian crisis in the remote mountain towns in the western parts of the state.

So far, the death count in North Carolina from Hurricane Helene sits at 118.

There is some pressure on Congress to reconvene to provide additional appropriations to some disaster funds.

President Biden says that the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program “has been exhausted” after the back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton crippled the Southeast.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has rebuffed calls for Congress to return for an emergency session, arguing that FEMA and other disaster relief programs have all the funds they need and that Congress will address funding in the lame duck session after the election.

“Congress is tracking this situation closely, and when members return in just a few short weeks, the administration should have an accurate assessment of the actual dollar amount needed and there will be strong bipartisan support to provide the necessary funding,” Johnson said.

Republican senators, meanwhile, are pushing for more funding for FEMA. The legislation was introduced by the two senators from Florida, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.

There is a political angle to the hurricanes as well, with the presidential election less than three weeks away.

There are growing concerns about mail disruptions and how it could be difficult for voters in impacted regions to make it to the polls. There are also fears of mail disruptions.

Via The Hill’s Julia Mueller and Lauren Irwin: “The dual hurricanes already have prompted changes to voting procedures as officials try to address hard-hit areas and give voters more flexibility in casting their ballots, with early voting set to kick off this week in North Carolina and Georgia — two critical battleground states — followed by Florida later this month.”

Read more:

FEMA resumes visits in North Carolina after threats.
Republicans grapple with storm misinformation from within their own party.

State Watch

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will monitor voting in a county in Northeast Ohio, citing intimidation concerns stemming from a social media post from a local sheriff about migrants. It’s the latest example of the DOJ keeping close tabs on the election as early voting gets underway. Last week, the DOJ sued Virginia, arguing that it illegally purged its vote rolls. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) responded furiously, arguing the law in question was implemented under a Democratic governor in 2006 and has been applied in every election since.
A new Georgia election rule that would require a hand count of ballots on election night will not take effect before November’s contest, a state judge ruled. Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney agreed to block the rule’s application, saying it would add “uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process” and that it “disserves the public.” The rule was passed by the Republican State Election Board and was slated to go into effect on Oct. 22. Early voting is already underway in Georgia.
Arizona’s top state judge ordered trial courts to prioritize election cases as the state braces for a blitz of lawsuits around the presidential election. Arizona was at the epicenter of the GOP’s efforts to contest the outcome of the 2020 election, and it figures to be an extremely close contest there once again in 2024.
The Nebraska Supreme Court ordered election officials restore the voting rights to thousands of Nebraskans who finished serving their felony convictions.