Government, private businesses erect barricades in preparation for Election Day
From government agencies to private citizens – many are planning for Election Day unrest by boarding up their buildings. The Secret Service confirmed that it was erecting barriers around major sites in the nation’s capital, including the White House and the vice president’s residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Meanwhile, private businesses in major cities, like New York, Portland and Washington, D.C., have also followed suit by boarding up their storefronts. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Secret Service said it was “working closely” with federal, state and local partners in both the nation’s capital and Palm Beach County, Florida, in order to implement “heightened levels of safety and security” ahead of Tuesday’s election. In addition to the White House and the Naval Observatory, fencing will also block off the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., and authorities have used bike-rack barriers to fortify the Capitol, according to The Washington Post. Meanwhile, Howard University, where Harris will be on election night, will also see heightened security measures, local D.C. police indicated. HOW TO WATCH ELECTION DAY COVERAGE ON FOX NEWS DIGITAL Individual states are also ramping up security efforts, including erecting barricades, ahead of Tuesday’s election. In Luzerene County in battleground Pennsylvania, “protective boulders” have been placed around the county’s Bureau of Elections office – just one of several security measures the office has taken, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, additional police are expected to be deployed to polling sites on Election Day and the state is activating a Homeland Security Operations Center at the Massachusetts State Police Headquarters in Farmington, according to a local news report. On Friday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee activated the National Guard to help respond to potential violence “leading up to, on, and potentially extending beyond Nov. 5.” In addition to the government, images and videos of businesses in D.C., New York City and Portland, Oregon, have begun surfacing on social media ahead of Tuesday’s election. NIKKI HALEY PENS SUPPORTIVE OP-ED IN FAVOR OF TRUMP AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY: ‘EASY CALL’ “It is completely ridiculous that we have to do this,” Ebony Boger, who works in D.C., told ABC 7 News. “It’s very precautionary, and I see why because I was here four years ago, and it was crazy down here. It’s not shocking. I’m kind of used to it. I think they should do it.” “It is sad that it has to come to that,” D.C. resident Lucas Argeles told local news outlet FOX 5. “I understand why store owners, especially local businesses, would want to do that. Even outside of the elections, there have been other instances where they should have boarded and they didn’t. It’s sad. It’s the reality. But I hope that this time it’s just a precautionary measure, nothing happens, and then, yeah.” The precautions come after the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security sent a series of bulletins to state and local election officials between September and October, which warned “election-related grievances” could motivate domestic extremists “to engage in violence.” MAJOR POLLSTER DROPS FINAL BATTLEGROUND POLL NUMBERS “[Domestic Violent Extremists] continue to create, exploit, and promote narratives about the election process or legal decisions involving political figures, and we are concerned that these grievances could motivate some [Domestic Violent Extremists] to engage in violence, as we saw during the 2020 election cycle,” one of the bulletins read. It added that there was also “heightened risk” that some extremists may seek to launch a “civil war.” “Through at least early 2025, there is a heightened risk that [Domestic Violent Extremists] may mobilize against ideological opponents, government officials, and law enforcement in an attempt to initiate a civil war.”
Biden absent from campaign trail in home state after viral ‘smack’ gaffe
On the eve of Election Day, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is taking center stage as both nominees vie for final votes in the battleground state during a bevy of rallies and campaign stops. President Biden, who was born in the Keystone State, however, has already wrapped up his campaigning for the Harris ticket and will be absent from his vice president’s list of campaign events in his old backyard. Harris’ Monday schedule includes campaign events in Scranton, Allentown and Reading, as well as a rally in Pittsburgh before her last speech to Pennsylvania voters during a rally in Philadelphia Monday evening. Along the campaign trail, the VP will be joined at various times by supporters and surrogates, such as second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and a long list of celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey. Pennsylvania is again a key battleground state this cycle, and is expected to determine the outcome of the overall election. Biden won the Keystone State in his successful 2020 race, after Trump won the state when he squared off against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. BIDEN CALLS REPUBLICANS THE ‘GUYS YOU’D LIKE TO SMACK IN THE A–‘: ‘JUST FEEL THE UNITY’ Biden was born in Scranton and lived there until the age of 10, with the Biden family holding deep roots in the area and state overall. Biden’s great-grandfather, for example, Edward Francis Blewitt, was a Scranton fixture at the turn of the century. He served as chairman of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1897, was elected to the state Senate in 1906 and co-founded the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in Scranton in 1908. Fast-forward about 100 years, his great-grandson’s last name is emblazoned on street signs and has become synonymous with the city itself. BILL MAHER WARNS THAT BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ COMMENT IS A ‘BIGGER GAFFE THAN PEOPLE THINK’: ‘DEPLORABLES TIMES 10’ Biden, however, is not scheduled to join Harris during her final pitch to Keystone voters – or elsewhere on the campaign trail – after delivering his final Harris stump speech in Scranton on Saturday. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Harris campaign inquiring about Biden’s absence from his home state in the final stretch of the election, but did not receive replies. Biden reflected on his love of Pennsylvania and Scranton during his final remarks supporting Harris’ campaign on Saturday, where he spoke to union workers. “Scranton becomes part of your heart,” Biden said. “It crawls into your heart. It’s real. It’s not hyperbole. It’s not a joke. It’s real.” JONATHAN TURLEY: ANGRY RHETORIC IS ALL THE RAGE, BUT HERE’S TO HOPE The event, however, was underscored by a viral moment about “macho guys” and Biden’s apparent desire to “smack” Republicans. “There’s one more thing Trump and his Republican friends want to do: they want another giant tax cut for the wealthy. Now, I know some of you guys are tempted to think it’s macho guys,” he said Saturday. “But I tell you what, man, when I lived in Scranton, I said, you remember we used to have a little trouble going down to The Plot once in a while? Green Ridge. But I’m serious. These [are] the kind of guys you’d like to smack in the a—,” Biden continued. INDEPENDENTS REACT NEGATIVELY TO BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ COMMENTS IN REAL TIME The comments were ridiculed on social media, as critics argued Biden was intentionally trying to undermine the Harris campaign, comparing it to when Biden suggested Trump supporters were “garbage” last month. “I’m not sure I’d have Joe on the campaign trail right now. The Bidenisms are something I’ll miss,” editor-at-large of the Foundation for Economic Education Jon Miltimore remarked. BIDEN STUMBLES THROUGH EVENT, REFERS TO FORMER REP. GIFFORDS IN PAST TENSE: ‘NOTHING WRONG WITH ME’ “Wonder if @flotus ‘pushed’ an otherwise silent @JoeBiden out front in the closing days of the campaign to talk s— and undermine @TheDemocrats and @KamalaHarris efforts as payback for unceremoniously sacking her man? Nah, it’s all probably just a coincidence,” CNN commentator David Urban joked. Meghan McCain agreed: “He’s intentionally trying to hurt Harris and no one can convince me differently at this point.” Biden will leave office on Jan. 20, after initially kicking off the 2024 election cycle fully committed to running for re-election. That plan began crumbling over the summer as concerns mounted over the president’s mental acuity and age following repeated gaffes on the campaign trail and in his official capacity as commander in chief. Biden’s June presidential debate against Trump officially opened the floodgates to traditional Democratic allies joining a chorus of calls for Biden to drop out of the race and pass the torch to a younger generation. BIDEN UNDER FIRE ONLINE AGAIN FOR TWICE CONFUSING LIVING EUROPEAN LEADERS WITH DEAD PREDECESSORS IN ONE WEEK Biden dropped out in a social media post in July, and shortly after threw his support behind Harris in a follow-up post on X. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP As Harris crisscrosses the Keystone State, former President Trump has also zeroed-in on Pennsylvania. Trump is holding rallies in both Reading and Pittsburgh on Monday, as well as a rally in North Carolina and another in Michigan Monday evening. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Cruz slams outgoing McConnell as ‘one-man dictator’ after leader-aligned Super PAC abandoned him in tight race
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who is defending his seat in the upper chamber, slammed outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as a “one-man dictator” on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “He’s basically behaved as a one-man dictator. I don’t think we want a leader who does that,” Cruz said of McConnell, the longest-serving GOP leader in Congress. “I think when we win in November, and I believe we’re going to see a really good election, I think Trump’s going to win. I think we’re going to win a Republican Senate and Republican House. When that happens, we’ve got enormous work to do when that happens.” TED CRUZ KNOCKS MCCONNELL-ALIGNED SUPER PAC FOR ‘ZERO SUPPORT’ IN COMPETITIVE RACE Cruz’s comments come after he blasted the Senate Leadership Fund — an independent Super PAC aimed at securing a Republican majority in the Senate — for donating “not one penny” to Cruz’s re-election campaign against Democrat Rep. Colin Allred. “I want to see a majority leader who changes how the Senate operates, who democratizes it more,” Cruz said. “We are getting absolutely zero support from the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF),” the Republican said previously. HARRIS SLAMS ‘OFFENSIVE’ TRUMP REMARK ON PROTECTING WOMEN FROM MIGRANT CRIME Despite the legitimate challenge posed by Allred, Cruz is favored to win the contest. The SLF has notably spent most of its resources in states with key Republican Senate pick-up opportunities, such as Pennsylvania, Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan. Cruz has been critical of McConnell’s leadership and called for him to step down earlier this year, as he and a group of Republicans aired their grievances over the failed bipartisan border bill that McConnell was in favor of at the time. HOW GOP, DEM SENATORS ARE USING 2024 CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO LOBBY FOR CONFERENCE INFLUENCE In a recent book on McConnell, titled “The Price of Power,” Michael Tackett, the deputy Washington bureau chief of The Associated Press, detailed how the leader allowed conference members to publicly go against him, to an extent, if it was helpful to them electorally. Cruz said he has also informed the three Republican candidates vying for the position of his desire for a “full and open amendment process” regarding extensive budget packages that are often thousands of pages long. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. “That would fundamentally change how the Senate operates,” Cruz said. Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
Schumer points to Nebraska Independent candidate as Democrat gain amid dark money scrutiny
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., suggested Democrats were close to picking up a Senate seat in Nebraska, apparently referring to Nebraska Independent Dan Osborn as a likely Democrat caucus member, which the Senate candidate has continuously denied. “We have decent chances of picking up three seats,” Schumer told Democrats during a virtual rally with the Jewish Democratic Council of America in support of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz’s campaign. “We’re even in Texas. We’re a point or two behind in Nebraska. We’re only three points behind in Florida,” the New York Democrat said in a video obtained by Fox News Digital. I’M DAN OSBORN: THIS IS WHY I WANT NEBRASKA’S VOTE FOR SENATE “So we have – we’re right on the edge of keeping the Senate, of winning the House, keeping the presidency,” Schumer continued. There is no Democratic candidate nominated for the Senate race between incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Osborn, who is a union leader and mechanic. Osborn’s campaign told Fox News Digital that he has never spoken to Schumer before. “I’m a true Independent, and I’ve said over and over again that I do not plan to caucus with either party,” Osborn said in a statement. ‘WHAT A DISGRACE’: TRUMP TAUNTS MCCONNELL’S ENDORSEMENT AS GOP SENATE LEADER RACE LOOMS “I’ve never spoken to Chuck Schumer, and he is going to be in for a rude awakening if he thinks I’m taking orders from him or anyone in DC. My opponent Deb Fischer does whatever Mitch McConnell tells her to. That’s what’s wrong with Washington. We need an independent who will stand up to the party bosses and stop playing politics so we can finally secure the border, pass a farm bill, and serve the country instead of special interests,” he added. While each of the four independents currently in the U.S. Senate caucus with the Democrats, giving the party its current majority, Osborn has reiterated he would not caucus with either party. But this has been complicated by the actions and remarks of Democrats who have signaled they expect him to join them. Apart from Schumer’s suggestion that Nebraska is a likely pickup opportunity for the party, a PAC associated with Democrat Harry Dunn, who is a former Capitol Police officer who previously ran for Congress, recently sent a fundraising text that claimed, “Dan is an independent who will caucus with the Democrats.” REPUBLICANS CALL ON MAYORKAS TO REINSTATE COVID-ERA BORDER POLICY AMID TUBERCULOSIS ‘SURGE’ The campaign disputed the text’s claim and the PAC reportedly said the message was “incorrect” and not coordinated with Osborn’s team. The incidents have also coincided with scrutiny over Osborn’s monetary support from outside groups. Multiple outside groups have poured money into Nebraska as the Independent’s challenge to Fischer has gained momentum, some of which have ties to Democrats and a controversial dark money group linked to billionaire George Soros. HOW GOP, DEM SENATORS ARE USING 2024 CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO LOBBY FOR CONFERENCE INFLUENCE One of the main groups spending on behalf of Osborn is Retire Career Politicians, which has gotten $800,000 from the controversial dark money group, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, in a matter of months. The Sixteen Thirty Fund notoriously keeps its donors’ identities a secret, but it has notably received more than $75 million in grants from Soros’ Open Society Foundations between 2016 and 2022, according to Open Society Foundations’ website. A representative for Schumer did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. In a recent New York Times/ Siena College poll, Fischer beat Osborn by only two points, 48% to 46%. The poll surveyed 1,194 voters in Nebraska between Oct. 23 and 26. The margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Trump campaign blasts Pelosi as ‘corrupt’ and ‘decrepit’ after she claims Trump’s brain is ‘deteriorating’
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed that former President Donald Trump’s brain is “deteriorating” and he will not be capable of serving out a four-year term as president. During an appearance on MSNBC, Pelosi said that individuals thinking of voting for Trump “have to know that he can’t last as president for four years with his brain deteriorating at the rate that it is … and they may be voting for President Vance, which would be a horrible thing for our country.” While speaking in Pennsylvania on Sunday, Trump — who was shot in the ear earlier this year during a speech — made a joke, saying, “to get me somebody would have to shoot through the fake news, and I don’t mind that so much.” TRUMP IN A ‘GREAT POSITION’ TO WIN ON ELECTION DAY, RNC SAYS AFTER EARLY VOTING Pelosi described the former president’s comments as “further indication of his cognitive degeneration.” She then referenced Trump’s prior discussion of whether he would prefer electrocution or getting eaten by sharks. “Something’s very wrong there,” Pelosi said. TRUMP CAMPAIGN ‘EXPANDING THE MAP,’ VANCE SAYS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE Trump has spoken about a hypothetical scenario of being on a sinking electric boat and having to choose death by electrocution or sharks — he notes that he would choose electrocution. “I’ll take electrocution every single time,” Trump has said. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Pelosi. PELOSI REPORTEDLY NOT ‘HAPPY THAT THE ONLY BLOODY FINGERPRINTS ON THE KNIFE’ TO OUST BIDEN WERE HERS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The only thing deteriorating is Nancy Pelosi who is a decrepit washed up corrupt politician who America can no longer stand,” Leavitt said in the statement. “She should go back to the City of San Francisco, which she has totally destroyed, and never return.” Pelosi has served in Congress since mid-1987.
VP Harris’ radical mentor could be key player in reparations push if she becomes president
Vice President Kamala Harris’ longtime pastor and mentor could be a key player in the reparations push on the federal level if she wins the presidential election on Tuesday. Rev. Amos Brown, who has made several controversial comments, including blaming the United States for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was appointed by California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as the vice chair of the state’s reparations task force in 2021 and has called for a reparations push on the federal level. In 2022, Brown hosted an event at his church called “Solidarity for Reparations,” which included the controversial Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III. Brown, who Harris previously said has “been on this journey with me every step of the way, from when I first thought about running for public office almost two decades ago” and has traveled with her to different events, introduced Haynes as a “son of Third Baptist” and the “right man to come and to inspire us, inform us, and make sure that we have the map to implement in all that we might make reparations a reality not in the sweet by-and-by, but right down here in the here and now.” HARRIS CAMPAIGN DISHES OUT SIX-FIGURE DONATIONS TO GROUPS WHO SUPPORT DEFUNDING POLICE, REPARATIONS “America, you owe us. What you done to us has been immoral. It’s been evil. It’s been unjust. It’s been downright wrong and the only way to bring salvation to America – you gotta pay us what you owe us,” Haynes said at Brown’s church. “I’ve come by to say San Francisco, California, Texas, United States of America, if you want salvation to come to this house, you’ve got to engage in reparations.” Haynes’ comments received high praise from Brown, who told the congregation “What a wonder. What a word. What a challenge.” He then told all the members of the San Francisco reparations task force in the crowd to “implement what our preacher has so eloquently stated in undescribable words. I told you you would receive information. You got all the inspiration you need. Now it’s time for implementation.” During an event last year, Brown said those opposed to reparations are “heartless.” “If anyone says ‘Y’all don’t deserve nothing. Stop complaining. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps,’” he said. “I contend they are heartless, and they don’t know anything about that dictum that’s found in all of the world religions. What is that dictum?: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” ‘WE JUST TELL THE TRUTH’: VP HARRIS’ LONGTIME MENTOR REPEATEDLY DEFENDED CONTROVERSIAL OBAMA PASTOR While Brown has warned activists about putting a monetary value on reparations, saying some of the numbers he has seen are “not rational” or “practical” and could lead to them being “stuck in quagmire and a skunk fight,” Brown said that if other groups are getting taxpayers’ money from the government, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” “You cannot put a dollar sign on what has been done to Black people,” Brown told Fox News Digital last year. “Our sin bill in this nation has been so high, and because of the long years of doing nothing, the interest has grown.” Harris has been pressed on reparations multiple times this year but has stopped short of fully endorsing reparations and instead has said she thinks the issue should be “studied.” “I am running to be a president for all Americans. That being said, I do have clear eyes about the disparities that exist and the context in which they exist, meaning history, to your point. So my agenda, well, first of all, on the point of reparations, it has to be studied,” Harris said last month during a high-profile interview with Charlamagne Tha God. “There’s no question about that. And I’ve been very clear about that position in terms of my immediate plan,” During a conversation with members of the National Association of Black Journalists in September, she was asked whether she would establish a commission to study reparations, but she deflected and instead suggested that “Congress ultimately will have the ability to do this work.” However, during her failed 2019 presidential campaign, Harris told The Root that she believes “there has to be some form of reparations” for Black Americans. In a follow-up question about whether she would be willing to lead a national conversation on what reparations look like for Black people, she said, “Yeah, including things like what we should be doing to take very seriously undiagnosed and untreated trauma.” She also said she would sign now-deceased Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s H.R. 40 bill, which would form a commission to study reparations for descendants of slaves, if it passed and came across her desk. In addition to Harris’ pastor, several Black activists and advocacy groups supporting her presidential campaign have openly called for reparations and would likely play a role in a national push. Ron Busby, the longtime president of the U.S. Black Chambers and a powerful ally of Harris, has repeatedly called for reparations. In 2020, Busby fumed, “If you can write a $2 trillion check to small business suffering from a pandemic, you can damn sure have a conversation about reparations.” “It’s on the table now. It’s a real conversation,” added Busby, who Harris has praised as an “extraordinary leader” who exhibits “courageous leadership.” UNEARTHED REPORT REVEALS POWERFUL HARRIS ALLY ‘WILLING TO SHARE’ RESOURCES FROM BLACK BUSINESSES WITH CCP Busby, who has visited the Biden-Harris White House dozens of times, has also advocated for reparations through his Black Chambers organization. The group’s 2023 “BLACKprint” called for providing “reparations through investment and demonstrate a commitment to uplift Black enterprises.” “As seen throughout the last several years, the growing discussion around reparations signals a renewed commitment to enter a new chapter in race relations. It comes, however, at a time when rhetoric and action threaten to deepen division,” the group’s annual report said. “We believe the concept of reparations is less a
Harris’ late surge in betting odds fueled by outlier poll, but Trump still ‘slightly favored’
Vice President Kamala Harris has had a late push to close some of the gap between her and former President Trump in the election betting odds. Trump enjoys a 13.1 point lead in the presidential betting odds as of Monday morning, leading Harris 56% to 42.9% in the Real Clear Politics betting average. The number, however, represents a late shift in the odds toward Harris, who trailed Trump by 28.9 percentage points just six days ago. “Some of the polls have been getting a little bit closer, so I think the betters are seeing some slight momentum toward Harris,” Maxim Lott, who runs ElectionBettingOdds.com, told Fox News Digital on Monday. WHAT ARE ELECTION BETTING ODDS? EXPERT EXPLAINS WHY TRUMP IS CURRENT FAVORITE Lott’s website shows a similar trend to the Real Clear Politics average, with Trump having a 56.4% chance to win the election as of Monday morning, while Harris has a 43.1% chance. But like the numbers on Real Clear Politics, Trump’s lead has fallen by 5.3 percentage points over the last week. Lott, who previously served as a program executive producer for the FOX Business Network, said many inputs can lead to changing betting behavior, pointing to a recent surprising Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll out of Iowa that showed Harris with a one-point lead over Trump in a state few believed to be in play for Democrats. While one poll could be dismissed as an outlier, Lott noted that betters have seemingly reacted to the news, with Trump’s odds of winning the state dropping from over 94% a week ago to 82.1% as of Monday morning. “I think there’s this kind of narrative behind that poll that abortion is actually going to be the driver this election, just like it was in 2022, and that women are going to come out in droves and elect Harris,” Lott said. “I think bettors are at least assigning some probability to that being true.” MAJOR POLLSTER DROPS FINAL BATTLEGROUND POLL NUMBERS What Lott doesn’t believe is behind the Harris surge is a small amount of very large bets in her direction, pointing to betting platforms such as PredictIt, which limit the amount of bettors and bet sizes on certain outcomes, that have tracked in a similar direction as every other platform tracked on his website. Nevertheless, Lott cautioned against putting too much stock into late momentum when it comes to evaluating the betting odds. “Momentum doesn’t matter at all… for this kind of thing,” Lott said. “With a market, the current price is the best predictor of the future price… if Harris was supposed to be in the lead, you could make a lot of money by putting her in the lead by putting your money on her now.” Add it all up, Lott envisions a close election that will likely come down to turnout. “I would expect on Election Day, Trump to still be slightly favored,” Lott said. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
‘What a disgrace’: Trump taunts McConnell’s endorsement as GOP Senate leader race looms
Former President Trump taunted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., during a rally in Kinston, North Carolina, on Sunday, calling him a “disgrace,” despite receiving his endorsement for president in 2024. “Hopefully we get rid of Mitch McConnell pretty soon ‘cause he helped them, that guy,” he said, claiming the Kentucky Republican assisted President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ administration. REPUBLICANS CALL ON MAYORKAS TO REINSTATE COVID-ERA BORDER POLICY AMID TUBERCULOSIS ‘SURGE’ McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, notably announced in February that he would not seek the role of leader again after the 2024 elections. “Can you believe he endorsed me?” Trump asked the crowd Sunday. “Boy, that must have been a painful day in his life.” In March, once it became clear that Trump would go on to win the Republican nomination for president, McConnell gave him his backing. “It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” he said in a statement at the time. HARRIS SLAMS ‘OFFENSIVE’ TRUMP REMARK ON PROTECTING WOMEN FROM MIGRANT CRIME The endorsement came as a surprise to some, given the contentious relationship between the two men. But McConnell insisted it should not be considered at all unusual. “It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support,” he said. Remarking on the early 2024 endorsement from McConnell, Trump said on Sunday, “Every time I think of it, he didn’t have to do that.” HOW GOP, DEM SENATORS ARE USING 2024 CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO LOBBY FOR CONFERENCE INFLUENCE “He provided the necessary votes,” Trump claimed, presumably referring to votes he disagreed with in Congress. “What a disgrace.” McConnell’s office did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. The former president’s mocking of both McConnell and his endorsement comes after the minority leader’s own thoughts on him over the years were revealed in a new book. TOP REPUBLICANS PROBE BIDEN ADMIN ON AFGHAN NATIONALS’ ALLEGED ELECTION DAY TERRORIST PLOT In “The Price of Power,” by Michael Tackett, deputy Washington bureau chief of The Associated Press, it was reported that McConnell referred to Trump at times as a “sleazeball,” “stupid,” “erratic,” a “despicable human being,” and a “narcissist.” The secret ballot election for the next leader, who will succeed McConnell, is slated for Nov. 13, just after the general elections. In the running to replace him are Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rick Scott, R-Fla. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
8 states will vote on measures that would explicitly ban noncitizens from voting
Eight states will take to the polls on Tuesday to decide on ballot measures that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote. Ballot measures in Iowa, Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri and Wisconsin come after House Republicans passed a bill over the summer that would require proof of citizenship to vote. That bill has not been taken up by the Senate. Some municipalities allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, like Washington, D.C., and a handful in Maryland, Vermont and California. New York City’s law allowing noncitizen voting was struck down in court earlier this year. The wave of noncitizen ballot referenda began with North Dakota in 2018, when the state constitution was amended, changing the wording from “every citizen” to “only a citizen” regarding voting eligibility. Voters in Florida, Colorado and Alabama passed identical language changes in the 2020 elections. Ohio and Louisiana followed suit in 2022. While noncitizen voting in federal elections is illegal, Republicans argue there is no adequate enforcement in place, and such unlawful voting could tilt the results of the presidential election. Iowa’s state constitution currently lists the voting age at 21, but the state has been following the 26th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which set the voting age at 18. A proposed state constitutional amendment would mandate that “only a citizen of the United States of the age of eighteen years,” changing both the age and existing language from “every citizen” to “only a citizen.” The amendment would also delineate that only those who live in the state can vote in its elections. On Sunday, a federal judge ruled that he would not block Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s challenge to the ballots of roughly 2,200 suspected noncitizens. SEN. MIKE LEE WARNS DEMOCRATS WOULD ‘RULE AMERICA UNCONTESTED FOR 100 YEARS’ IF THEY SWEEP 2024 ELECTIONS The ACLU of Iowa had filed a lawsuit on behalf of four naturalized citizens who had their registrations challenged. Pate required any potential noncitizen on his list to vote with a provisional ballot and return to the county auditor’s office with proof of citizenship for their vote to count. A new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll released Saturday found Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump by three percentage points in the state, 47% to 44%. North Carolina’s GOP-led legislature passed a bill that put forth an amendment that would change the state constitution’s requirements to vote. The document currently says “every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized” can vote in North Carolina if they are over 18 and a U.S. resident. The amendment would alter the text to “only a citizen of the United States” can vote if they have met the other requirements. North Carolina does not require proof of citizenship to vote but requires people to swear they are a citizen and otherwise eligible to vote or risk felony charges of perjury. North Carolina is one of seven key swing states in the presidential election. Similarly, a ballot measure in South Carolina would change the state’s constitution to read that “only a citizen of the United States and of this State” who is at least 18 years of age and “properly registered” can vote. Currently, it reads “every citizen” who has met the other qualifications can vote. “It doesn’t make it harder for a legal voter in the state to vote, but it does make clear in South Carolina we will not open ourselves up to lawsuits by groups that are pushing noncitizens to vote in elections anywhere in the state,” state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, the lead sponsor of the bill that established the measure, told a local news outlet. “We have had multiple court challenges across the United States in multiple jurisdictions where some courts have upheld municipal governments or school boards extending the right to vote to those who are not legally in this country,” Kimbrell said. “We want to remove any ambiguity in South Carolina.” NATIONAL POLLS SHOW TRUMP, HARRIS IN TIGHT RACE AS ELECTORATE IS UNHAPPY WITH CHOICES Wisconsin’s Republican-led legislature voted to add a measure on noncitizen voting to the November ballot to amend the state’s constitution to say “only” U.S. citizens who are 18 or older can vote, rather than “every” citizen who is 18 and older. The Idaho constitution currently states that “every male or female citizen of the United States” who meets certain age and residency requirements is eligible to vote in the state. The ballot referendum would explicitly amend the state’s constitution to say that noncitizens are barred from voting in any election in the state. A ballot measure in Kentucky proposes an addition to the state constitution stating, “No person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be allowed to vote in this state.” The state’s constitution currently expresses, “Every citizen of the United States of the age of eighteen years who has resided in the state one year, and in the county six months, and the precinct in which he offers to vote sixty days next preceding the election, shall be a voter in said precinct and not elsewhere.” If successful, Missouri’s ballot measure would change the state’s constitution to say “only citizens of the United States” can vote in elections. Currently, it says “All citizens of the United States” over the age of 18 and those who reside in Missouri “are entitled to vote at all elections.” However, the amendment would also outlaw ranked choice voting, which allows voters to rank their choice of candidates in order or preference. Experts believe that type of system typically favors moderates. The state’s Republican-dominated legislature got a measure on the ballot this year that would change the state’s constitution to say “only” instead of “all” citizens who reside in the state and are over 18 are “qualified” to vote. The Department of Justice last week sued Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s administration for removing people from the voter rolls who had been
Trump leads Harris by 2% in North Carolina heading into Election Day, poll finds
A new poll has found that former President Trump is leading Vice President Harris 50% to 48% in the battleground state of North Carolina. The East Carolina University survey of 1,250 registered voters was conducted from Oct. 24 to 29 and has a margin of error of 3%. “Both the Trump and Harris campaigns have invested significant resources in North Carolina to win its 16 votes in the Electoral College,” Peter Francia, the director of the ECU Center for Survey Research, said in a statement. “The reason for that is clear: North Carolina is still too close to call, and its electoral votes could be critical in deciding the winner of the presidential election,” he added. ON ELECTION EVE, HARRIS AND TRUMP HOLD DUELING RALLIES IN THE BIGGEST OF THE BATTLEGROUNDS Voters who responded to the poll indicated that inflation and the overall cost of living is their most important issue, at 27%, followed by the economy at 24%, abortion at 14%, border security at 12% and the affordability of health care at 4%. Within the electorate, Trump leads among White voters 64% to 34%, while Harris is leading among Black voters 89% to 10%, according to East Carolina University. REPUBLICANS OUTPACING DEMOCRATS IN NORTH CAROLINA EARLY VOTING, DATA SHOWS Across genders, Harris is leading Trump 52% to 47% among women, while men prefer Trump 54% to 44%, the poll revealed. Voters who are under the age of 45 support Harris over Trump 57% to 41%, while Trump leads 56% to 43% among voters 45 and over, the results show. The survey also found that 41% of the voters approve of the job President Biden is doing, while 54% disapprove.