Good morning and welcome to Newsweek‘s daily election live blog. I’m Daniel Orton, Live News Editor in London, and I’ll be taking us through all the latest developments in the early hours of Monday.
đź“ŠNationally, Vice President Kamala Harris remains in the lead, according to the latest polls, but the presidential race is likely to be decided across seven battleground states in the Rust Belt and Sun Belt.
As of today, Harris is slightly ahead in those states that make up the former: Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, while former President Donald Trump has the edge in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina. Harris is leading by 0.8 percentage points in the final Sun Belt swing state, Nevada, according to the latest average from FiveThirtyEight.
In short, this is shaping up to be one of the tightest presidential races in history, with 43 days to go until Election Day.
➡️Harris has no campaign events scheduled for today. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is fundraising in New York City this afternoon. He was in Pennsylvania over the weekend, as was second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
➡️Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, was also in the Keystone State this past weekend and Trump is headed there today for rally in Indiana County, according to his campaign website. Vance meanwhile is headed to Charlotte, North Carolina.
⏪ICYMI: Trump said he won’t debate Harris again and has ruled out running in 2028 if he loses in November.
📨And a heads up: mail-in voting begins Maryland, Mississippi and Vermont today. The Green Mountain State also sees early in-person voting start.
Follow Newsweek‘s live blog throughout the day for updates.
07:17 AM EDT
Chris Christie predicts Trump will U-turn on “no more debates” pledge
During an appearance on ABC News, Chris Christie predicted that Donald Trump could actually agree to do another presidential debate with Kamala Harris, despite the former president’s claims that it was “too late” to do another.
The former New Jersey governor, who helped coach Trump for his debates in the 2016 and 2020 elections before a falling out between the two, said that Trump was too fixated on the polling to ignore the challenge issued by the Harris campaign, and that debates were the only way to change the trajectory of the election.
Christie said: “You know how much he focuses on the polling numbers. He focuses a lot on that and he’s going to need something to change it. In today’s media landscape, absent a big mistake by one or the other, this is the only thing that could change the needle.
“His confidence isn’t shaken. He will convince himself that if she gets in the ring with him again, that he’ll knock her out. I think he’ll eventually capitulate.”
In response to news that Vice President Kamala Harris had agreed to a CNN debate in October, Trump said at a rally on Saturday that it was “too late” to have another debate as “voting has already started.”
–Theo Burman
07:10 AM EDT
How Kamala Harris Wins ‘Pink’ North Carolina: Donna Brazile
Political strategist Donna Brazile said she believes Vice President Kamala Harris can win North Carolina, a key swing state that is turning “pink,” if her campaign employs specific strategies, during an interview on ABC News on Sunday.
In an interview with George Stephanopoulos and Chris Christie, Brazile, an ex-DNC interim chair and former campaign manager, said that North Carolina “is a tough state, it’s getting bluer by the minute, maybe pink,” and the Harris campaign can win it by finding rural voters and tying gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Donald Trump.
“The Democrats have an opportunity to go to eastern North Carolina, to go beyond Charlotte and Raleigh, the triangle, and to find those voters in the rural areas,” Brazile said. “If they can find those voters in the rural areas.”
Read more from Maya Mehrara
06:57 AM EDT
Former Republican North Carolina governor says Robinson scandal could cost Trump up to 30,000 votes
Pat McCrory, the former Republican governor of North Carolina, said on CNN this morning that the Mark Robinson scandal could flip the state blue, as new ads from the Harris campaign attempt to tie the beleaguered lieutenant governor with the former President.
McCrory who served as the Tar Heel State’s governor for almost 15 years from 1995-2009, said that the race was incredibly tight in his home state, and that Robinson’s refusal to drop out following a bombshell CNN report about comments he allegedly made on a porn website years ago, could drive voters away.
McCrory said: “Every vote makes a difference. And right now, the Republicans are running away from Robinson as quick as they can. His finance manager and his campaign manager resigned yesterday, the Trump people have actually quit being with him for the past month.
“The Harris campaign is going to try to connect the two as much as possible to impact 20 or 30,000 votes, which could make the difference in the presidential campaign right here in North Carolina.
“If that sort of report was directed toward me, when I was running for office, I’d be fighting it legally, and Robinson doesn’t seem to be doing that.”
–Theo Burman
06:29 AM EDT
Janet Yellen praises Biden, Harris for ‘economic success’
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen testifies during a hearing before the House Committee on Financial Services at Rayburn House Office Building on July 9, 2024 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
In a tacit endorsement of the vice president’s 2024 campaign, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has heaped praise on the economic record of the Biden-Harris administration.
“While there’s more to do to bring down the cost of living, Americans can feel optimistic about their economic futures,” Yellen wrote in a Sunday op-ed for The Wall Street Journal. “Because wages have risen faster than prices, the typical American can now afford more goods and services than before the pandemic.”
“None of this has happened by chance,” Yellen continued, claiming that Harris and Biden had inherited an economy on the brink of collapse.
“In that first year, our administration provided financial support to households and prevented an eviction crisis. We vaccinated millions to save lives and allow businesses to reopen safely.”
Yellen went on to argue that the pair successfully navigated the “energy shock” caused by the invasion of Ukraine, and made critical investments in such “cutting-edge industries” as clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing.
In a slight against Trump, without naming the former president directly, Yellen added that tax cuts for higher earners would “explode the federal deficit,” and that pursuing “nontargeted, nonstrategic international economic policies” would only worsen Americans’ cost of living crisis.
According to the latest national NBC News poll, Trump holds a strong lead on both inflation and the economy.
–Hugh Cameron
06:21 AM EDT
Kamala Harris Will Flip Two Critical Trump States, Says Ex-RNC Chair
Vice President Kamala Harris is within striking distance of taking two major swing states, which would spell doom for Donald Trump’s campaign, according to a former Republican National Committee chair.
The Democratic nominee could potentially pick up North Carolina and Florida, instantly winning the election, according to top Republican Michael Steele, who headed the party’s committee from 2009 to 2011.
If Harris won North Carolina and Florida, along with every other non-swing state that President Joe Biden won in 2020, she would receive 272 Electoral College votes, enough to win the election, even if former President Donald Trump won every other swing state. With 16 votes from Georgia as well, Harris would have 288 votes.
Read more from Theo Burman
06:19 AM EDT
Democratic Muslim Mayor Backs Trump in Key Swing State
The Democratic mayor of the only Muslim-run city in the United States has endorsed former president Donald Trump, giving him a boost in a key swing state.
In a surprising political turn, Amer Ghalib, the mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, threw his support behind Trump’s bid for the White House in the 2024 presidential election. Ghalib said on Sunday that the Republican candidate is a “man of principles” and “the right choice for this critical time,” despite their disagreements on key political issues.
Read more from Billal Rahman
06:17 AM EDT
Latest NYT poll: Trump ahead in key Sun Belt states
New polls from The New York Times and Siena College out Monday morning showed Trump ahead in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina.
The former president lost Arizona and Georgia to Joe Biden in 2020, and North Carolina was his narrowest margin of victory in any state he won that year. The Tar Heel state has not voted for a Democrat since 2008.
NYT/Siena College (Sept. 17-21)
Arizona
🔵Harris 45%
đź”´Trump 50% (+5)
Georgia
🔵Harris 45%
đź”´Trump 49% (+4)
North Carolina
🔵Harris 47%
đź”´Trump 49% (+2)
–Daniel Orton
06:08 AM EDT
Kamala Harris Sees Historic Surge in Popularity—New Poll
Vice President Kamala Harris‘ favorability has experienced an increase of 16 points since July, a historic rise comparable only to the surge in standing for then-President George W. Bush following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, according to an NBC News poll that was published on Sunday.
The new poll, which was conducted from September 13 to 17 of 1,000 registered voters, represents the most significant rise for any major party presidential candidate in NBC News polls during this period.
Read more from Gabe Whisnant
