What to watch on the campaign trail today
- Vice President Kamala Harris gave a speech on lowering the cost of living in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her appearance came just days after former President Donald Trump stumped in Asheville to deliver his own economic speech that ultimately veered into personal attacks on Harris.
- Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, is continuing his swing through the Midwest with a stop in Milwaukee today. Vance, an Ohio senator who made appearances in Pennsylvania and Michigan in recent days, has frequently been dispatched to the Rust Belt.
- Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Vance have agreed to participate in a debate Oct. 1. Trump and Harris are set to participate in a Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News.
Will protesters, or police, be the problem at the Democratic National Convention?
More than 20,000 protesters are expected to cram into a 1.4 mile-long court-approved protest route near Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week, creating a potential standoff between demonstrators and a police department with a history of excessive force.
The 264 protest groups that have said will participate are primarily focused on Palestinian rights, ending the war in Gaza and reducing U.S. aid to Israel. Others represent a patchwork of left-leaning causes: climate activists, socialists, anti-racist organizations, queer and trans rights groups.
Harris to meet with Teamsters union roundtable
Harris accepted an invitation to meet with a Teamsters union roundtable, according to the union and the Harris campaign.
"The vice president has received and gladly accepted an invitation by IBT leadership to participate in a candidate roundtable to discuss her record of fighting for Teamsters and their families and to highlight her vision for the future," the campaign said in a statement. "The campaign looks forward to scheduling the roundtable in the near future."
The union will have a presence at the Democratic National Convention, though union president Sean O'Brien will not be a speaker, according to a source familiar with DNC convention planning. O'Brien last month delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Teamsters has previously held private meetings with both Trump and Biden.
Harris accepted the invitation today, said Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz, who added that the vice president's staff would coordinate a date for the roundtable.
Pennsylvania GOP Senate nominee stresses turning out base over swaying independent voters
Pennsylvania GOP Senate nominee Dave McCormick today stressed getting Republicans out to the polls as a higher priority than persuading independents to vote for him.
When McCormick was asked about his strategy to win the November election, he said at an energy roundtable earlier today, “You can’t even start to talk about independents or Democrats until you say, ‘Our people are out to vote.’”
McCormick said his strategy to push for high turnout is to be “everywhere all at the same time,” arguing the math is “pretty straightforward” when you look at the number of counties in Pennsylvania that are Republican leaning.
McCormick also acknowledged “a lot of volatility” because of the change at the top of the ticket on the Democratic side. But he remained adamant that once you have the “foundation” of big voter turnout, then you can start thinking about courting independent voters.
“Eleven percent of our voters are independent,” McCormick said. “Most of them are really unhappy with the future of the country and the future of Pennsylvania. Some of them are in supportive of President Trump, many of them are. I am hoping I can make a big push to get those folks very engaged.”
He said he believes the way to win this campaign is to make the choice between him and incumbent Sen. Bob Casey “very stark and clear.”
Pennsylvania Republican state Rep. Joe Hamm, who was part of the round table, said he has told Trump’s team members they need to be more disciplined in their messaging when they have asked him what he is hearing and seeing in the state.
“His messaging is killing us when he’s talking about how [Harris] identifies, you know, with her race. Who cares? Let’s talk about the border. Let’s talk about inflation and how, you know, hard work from Pennsylvania’s Americans are struggling to make ends meet. Let’s talk about their policies and what it’s done to our Commonwealth and this nation,” Hamm told McCormick.
McCormick responded, “When I talk about my campaign, it’s a team score. It is up and down the ballot. Hopefully my race can have an effect both up the ticket and down the ticket.”
Supreme Court temporarily rejects Biden administration request that would expand Title IX protections
The Supreme Court on Friday barred the Biden administration from enforcing parts of a major regulation on sex discrimination in education that is embroiled in litigation over its protections for transgender students.
The court rejected a request from the administration to allow less contentious parts of the regulation, many of which have nothing to do with gender identity, to go into effect in states where it has been challenged while lower courts wrangle over the contentious transgender issues.
Gov. Roy Cooper: 'I have that 2008 feeling'
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who pulled out of consideration to be Harris' running mate, said in a CNN interview that he has "that 2008 feeling," referring to the last time his state voted for a Democratic presidential nominee.
"I said earlier today, 'I have that 2008 feeling,' and people in North Carolina know what that means. That's the last time we voted for a Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama," he said. "I have that same feeling now. I'm getting that vibe from voters that they want to make history again."
Trump campaign adviser says former president's schedule to 'increase'
Corey Lewandowski, a newly appointed Trump senior campaign adviser, said in a Fox News interview that the former president's schedule will pick up.
"You’re going to see him on the road all week long, and you’re going to see the president’s schedule continue to increase, because I believe that the president’s best when he’s talking directly to the American people," Lewandowski said.
When asked what needed to change on Trump's campaign, Lewandowski pointed to wanting Trump to be "in front of the American people."
"I want him to talk to small gatherings, big gatherings, rallies, the policy speeches," he said. "That’s where he excels, and that’s where he’s the best. And I think the more people who get to see him and hear him, the more likely it is they’re going to support him."
Walz joins TikTok or, as he puts it, 'TimTok'
Walz is officially on TikTok, announcing his move in his first video on the social media site today.
The governor filmed the 10-second video alongside his dog, Scout, at a dog park.
"Hey everybody, Tim here with Scout at the dog park along the Mississippi doing our first entry into TikTok," he said. "Or as he and I say: TimTok. Right, Scout?"
Former U.S. Secret Service director now herself under protection amid threats
Former U.S. Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle has been designated a Secret Service protectee, after resigning her position in the wake of assassination attempt on Trump last month in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Threats have been directed at Cheatle following the shooting, criticism over security failings and her appearance on Capitol Hill, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Cheatle resigned on July 23.
She served as an agent of the Secret Service from 1995 to 2019, She then spent roughly three years in the private sector as a senior security official for Pepsi before she was named director of the Secret Service in 2022.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi to address the DNC on Wednesday
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will deliver a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene, of Washington, and Rep. Tom Suozzi, of New York, will also make remarks on the same day.
Suozzi is expected to discuss immigration, the issue that made him a national figure after his rightward shift on the border helped him flip George Santos’s district in a special election this year.
Republicans have leaned into immigration and border issues as a primary line of attack against Harris, aiming to tie her to the issue.
Punchbowl News first reported the Wednesday speaking slots.
Cornel West disqualified from Michigan ballot
Cornel West has been disqualified from appearing on Michigan's presidential ballot because the independent candidate's paperwork was not properly notarized, the state's board of elections announced Friday.
West was required to include a notarized affidavit of identity when filing to appear on Michigan’s ballot, but the Colorado notary who filled out the paperwork left out key details. The notary’s stamp was also on a separate piece of paper and not included with her certificate.
In a letter detailing the decision that was shared with NBC News, Michigan Director of Elections Jonathan Brater said officials reached out to West’s team in early August but did not hear back.
A spokesperson for West's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The development is a boon for Democrats, who have worried that West might pull votes from their presidential ticket. Republicans have boosted West's efforts to get on the ballot in key battleground states.
Mark Brewer, an attorney and former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, filed a challenge in July and a lawsuit this week to keep West off the state's ballot. Brewer successfully challenged the candidacy of five Republican gubernatorial candidates in 2022 after finding fraudulent signatures in their ballot qualification paperwork.
