Live Updates: Trump Hits NY as Historian Allan Lichtman Predicts Election

Kamala Harris hits the Spanish airwaves

Vice President Kamala Harris did an interview with Arizona-based Spanish-language radio station Uforia’s Amor 106.3 FM on Thursday, with the full interview broadcasting Friday.

“I am in the race because I believe we are in a fight for the future of our country, and I want to chart a new path forward and part of that is that we must turn the page on the past and the old ideas and the divisive hateful rhetoric that we have heard from my opponent for many years,” Harris said.

–Jason Lemon

Democratic Senate Candidates Lead in Every Swing State Race: Poll

A poll published by YouGov on Friday found that Democratic Senate candidates were ahead of their Republican opponents in every swing state race.

In Arizona, Democratic candidate Ruben Gallego had an eight-point lead over Republican Kari Lake.

Elissa Slotkin was leading Mike Rogers by 11 points in Michigan, and in Nevada, Jacky Rosen was ahead of Sam Brown by 12 points.

Democratic candidate Bob Casey Jr. was 11 points ahead of Republican David McCormick, whilst in Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin had an eight-point lead over Eric Hovde.

YouGov said its surveys were conducted between August 23 – September 3, 2024 for The Times and the SAY24 project for Stanford, Arizona State, and Yale Universities.

The sample size for each state was 1,000 in Michigan and Pennsylvania, 900 in Arizona and Wisconsin, and 800 in Nevada.

U.S. Senate elections are held every two years. Senators serve six-year terms, with about one-third of the 100 seats up for election every cycle.

The next scheduled Senate elections are on November 5, 2024. These will decide seats in the Senate for the 2025-2031 term.

— Joe Edwards

Trending on X today #CantAffordKamala

Conservative Columnist Breaks Tradition, Supports Democratic Presidential Vote

An opinion columnist for the New York Times, known for his conservative views since the Reagan era, firm pro-life stance and history of never voting for a Democrat, is breaking with tradition this election and voting Democratic.

“I was deeply embedded in the conservative legal movement and the republican party before the rise of Donald Trump,” David French said on the podcast series The Ezra Klein Show. “I am for the first time in my adult life going to vote for a Democrat for President.”

French argues the policies and commitment of ‘MAGA’ Republicans, particularly regarding abortion, differ from those of the Reagan era Republicans. He describes the current platform as the “most watered down” on abortion in 40 years.

“With the rise of Donald Trump I was very concerned about his effect – abortions went up under his presidency,” French said. “Trump was the first president since Carter to end his presidency with a higher abortion rate ratio.”

He believes the Pro-Life Movement would benefit more under the Harris Administration. He supports the Biden Administration’s initiatives to create and expand a child tax credit and improve policies for young mothers, which he thinks the Harris Administration could further develop.

— Courtney McGinely

Over 100 Law Enforcement Officials Back Kamala Harris, Slam Donald Trump

Dozens of law enforcement officials have signed a letter to declare their support for Kamala Harris‘ presidential run, while slamming her opponent Donald Trump.

A group of 101 police officers, lieutenants, county sheriffs, and deputies from across the U.S. came together to endorse the vice president, saying they believed Harris and her running mate Governor Tim Walz are “the only candidates we trust to keep our communities safe.”

Regarding Harris’ Republican rival, the officials wrote, “Donald Trump has shown he will undermine our departments and make our country more dangerous.”

Read more from Newsday’s Jasmine Laws

PA Governor Josh Shapiro Makes a Stop on ‘The View’

Music Shapes Political Campaigns

Dana Gorzelany-Mostak studies the use of music in political campaigns.

During an episode of The Axe Files present The Assignment with Audie Cornish, she said music helps people feel connected to themselves and their emotions, offering a sense of belonging. When combined with politics, it creates a new narrative, exploring diverse identities that listeners resonate with deeply.

Former President Donald Trump frequently uses the song “God Bless the USA.” At the Republican National Convention, classic rock anthems from artists like the Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Steely Dan and Kenny Loggins also featured prominently.

“I think the messaging of Trump’s campaign is very much about looking at the past as a much brighter period of our nation’s history,” Gorzelany-Mostak said.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign targets a younger demographic, making Beyoncé’s song “Freedom” a fitting choice. However, the song carries a deeper significance, originating from her 2016 Lemonade album, which addresses political issues like the Black Lives Matter movement and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“It nicely aligns with a lot of the different narratives her campaign is trying to put forward,” Gorzelany-Mostak said. “Taking this story of a woman who has managed so many successful reinventions—that is the narrative Harris wants to tap into, not just through the song but through the figure of Beyoncé.”

–Courtney McGinley

Busy schedule this weekend for the candidates

Former President Donald Trump announced a press conference at 12 p.m. Friday in New York. He will later in the day address the Fraternal Order of Police in Charlotte, North Carolina at the University City Hilton. The order’s president, Patrick Yoes, said Trump “led our nation admirably through some very tough times.”

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be in Chicago for his second day of delivering remarks at a campaign reception. He was in Los Angeles today.
On Saturday, Trump will hold a rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin at 2 p.m.

Gov. Tim Walz will deliver a keynote remark at the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, annual national dinner on Saturday.

The organization recently endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket. Walz served as a faculty sponsor while he was a teacher for his school’s first gay-straight alliance. As Governor, he enacted policies to ban conversion therapy and protect access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ people in Minnesota.

–Monica Sager

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s Very Different Campaign Strategies

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have adopted substantially different strategies in their dueling bids to win the 2024 presidential election, according to a number of prominent political scientists.

Thomas Gift, who heads up the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London, said the Republican candidate was “participating in more unscripted events” which he contrasted to Harris’ “refusing to take tough questions from the media.”

Harris replaced Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate shortly after the incumbent dropped out of the race in July amidst widespread concern over the 81-year-old’s age and mental acumen. A recent ActiVote poll gave Harris a 1.6 point lead over Trump, with 50.8 percent of the vote against his 49.2 percent, though this was within the margin of error and the Republican candidate could win with a minority of the vote thanks to the Electoral College system as he did in 2016.

Read more from Newsweek’s James Bickerton

Laura Trump Accuses Justice Department of ‘Thwarting’ Donald Trump’s Campaign

Lara Trump accused the Department of Justice of derailing the former president’s 2024 campaign, calling his ongoing criminal cases and the new accusations of Russian election meddling “very reminiscent of 2016.”

“You’ve had the Department of Justice right now in this country trying to thwart a presidential candidate in his election in Donald Trump,” Trump told Fox News on Friday morning. “Four indictments, a mugshot, 34 ridiculous felony counts in downtown Manhattan. And yet, it actually hasn’t deterred voters.”

Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, was referring to the 34 counts of falsifying business records on which her father-in-law was found guilty by a Manhattan criminal court in May.

She was also asked to respond to a recent announcement by the DOJ concerning Russian state-sponsored election interference.

On Wednesday, the department said it had seized 32 internet domains used by Moscow in “government-directed foreign malign influence campaigns,” and had indicted two Russian RT employees for distributing propaganda to American audiences.

“The American people are entitled to know when a foreign power is attempting to exploit our country’s free exchange of ideas in order to send around its own propaganda,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday. “Last I heard Vladimir Putin was endorsing Kamala Harris,” Trump said, referencing comments made by the Russian President during an interview at the Eastern Economic Forum.

“I think this feels very reminiscent of 2016 to a lot of people, Very reminiscent of 2020 to a lot of people,” she added. “There’s no surprise that you have the you have the media pouncing all over this and trying to insinuate in some way this will help Donald Trump’s campaign.”

— Hugh Cameron

Former Democrat Compares Harris’ Nomination to a ‘Banana Republic’

Speaking to Fox News on Friday morning, Gloria Romero said the swift nomination of Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket was one of the reasons that compelled her to leave the party after decades as one of its leading members.

“To me, really the major issue that prompted this re-examination of my political conscience was the complete eradication by the so-called party of democracy when 14 million votes in Democratic Party primaries were just thrown out, including mine.”

In July, the 14 million voters who cast ballots in favor of President Biden had their votes rendered effectively void, following his withdrawal, leaving the nearly 4,000 DNC delegates free to choose an alternative candidate.

Romero called the instance “similar to what we see happens in a banana republic,” and told Fox that she “was not going to sit still for it.”

Gloria Romero, who served for over 10 years as majority leader in the California State Senate, on Wednesday announced that she would be switching allegiances, and declared her support for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Among other reasons for changing teams, Romero cited the Biden administration’s “march towards endless wars,” the underperformance of California student’s over the past three years, and “the soaring crime-open borders that are creating havoc, and a mockery of what we even mean by citizenship.”

— Hugh Cameron

Polling ‘Nostradamus’ Calls US Election for Kamala Harris

Historian Allan Lichtman has officially predicted that Vice President Kamala Harris will win the 2024 race for the White House.

Lichtman became known as the “Nostradamus” of U.S. elections for his impressive track record forecasting the outcomes of presidential races for over 40 years using his prediction model, “The Keys to the White House.” He was one of the few pundits to correctly call the 2016 election for former President Donald Trump and predicted a victory for President Joe Biden in 2020. He now forecasts Harris will be the next president.

“Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States,” Lichtman said in a video for the New York Times.

“At least, that’s my prediction for this race,” he added.

Read more from Newsweek’s Joe Edwards