Impact2020: September 3, 2020
In today’s Impact2020 briefing, we wrap up Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s latest battleground state travel plans as well as the new polling there. We also take a look at why another Republican is endorsing Biden and why Barack Obama is getting involved in a California congressional race.
On the Ground
Biden in Wisconsin
Joe Biden is visiting Kenosha, Wis. today, “two days after President Donald Trump swept into the city that has been shaken by shootings and unrest,” Patrick Marley, Bill Glauber and Mary Spicuzza report for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Biden met privately with the family of Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old Black man who was paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot by a white police officer last month. “Trump said he didn’t speak with Blake’s family because lawyers got involved in the process,” Journal Sentinel team writes. The Democratic nominee is also host a community meeting in Kenosha this afternoon.
Credit: Carolyn Kaster, AP
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers had urged Trump not to visit the city, but did not ask the same of Biden. Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian had also asked Trump to stay away and said it was too soon for Biden to visit in a recent CNN interview, though the Journal Sentinel notes tensions in the city have eased in recent days and the curfew has been lifted. Still, the Journal Sentinel’s Ricardo Torres reported that some Kenosha residents are wary of becoming a political backdrop during the 2020 campaign.
The trip marks Biden’s first visit to Wisconsin since 2018, and comes after he decided against traveling to Milwaukee to accept the Democratic presidential nomination two weeks ago due to coronavirus concerns. A new Fox News poll showed Biden leading Trump by 8 points among likely voters in the battleground state.
Back to a Key(stone) State
Meanwhile, Trump is heading to Pennsylvania this evening, three days after Biden delivered a major speech in the swing state responding to the president’s law and order attacks.
It won’t be a typical Trump rally, though. WTAE-TV reports that the president will deliver remarks at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa. Local officials said they weren’t exactly sure what to expect, and state Sen. Kim Ward said she isn’t anticipating a massive crowd.
Both candidates are already scheduled to be back in the battleground state next week. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Julian Roth reports that they “will visit the Shanksville area on Sept. 11 to commemorate the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.” Trump is expected to speak at the site of the Flight 93 memorial, but it’s unclear if Biden will do the same.
A new Pennsylvania poll from Monmouth University showed Biden holding a 3-point lead with registered voters.
Law and Order: NC
And as for Vice President Mike Pence, he is in North Carolina today, pushing a message of law and order, Brian Murphy and Richard Stradling report for the Raleigh News & Observer.
They break down how the trip fits into the broader GOP strategy: Republicans “believe they have found an issue to help win the 2020 elections — painting Democratic mayors, governors and … Biden as anti-law enforcement and in favor of (or, at least, unable to stop) protests that have turned violent in some cities across the nation, including in Raleigh.”
But Murphy and Stradling note that recent polls indicate that message “has not convinced Americans, with Biden leading on questions of who would best handle the protests and who would make the country more safe.” A recent Reuters/Ipsos survey found that just 8% of Americans said crime was the top issue facing the nation, compared to 30% who said the economy and 16% who said health care.
Republicans are heavily targeting North Carolina, a must-win swing state for Trump, as absentee ballots are set to start going out in the mail on Friday. After visiting Wilmington on Wednesday, the president announced he will return to the state next week with a trip to Winston-Salem, Murphy and Will Doran report for the News & Observer.
A new Fox News poll found Biden with a 4-point lead with North Carolina likely voters, while a Monmouth University poll showed him with a 2-point lead.
Coming Today
Keep an eye on your podcast feeds this afternoon for a brand new episode of Beyond the Bubble! McClatchy’s Alex Roarty, Adam Wollner and Brian Murphy discuss Biden’s response to Trump’s law and order attacks and break down all the latest post-convention polling. Download and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts
Trail Mix
Battleground state watch
The Columbus Dispatch’s Rick Rouan, Anna Staver, Catherine Candisky and Darrel Rowland dive into the partisan divisions between voters in Ohio’s suburbs.
Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snynder, a Republican, is endorsing Biden for president, Emily Lawler writes for MLive.com.
Battle for Congress
Former President Barack Obama doesn’t want California Republican David Valadao to use his name in campaign ads for his House campaign that suggest they worked together on policy, Kate Irby writes for the Sacramento Bee.
A group that has lobbied California Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax COVID-19 restrictions on the personal service sector is criticizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she was captured on video at an indoor hair salon without a mask. The Sacramento Bee’s Andrew Sheeler has details.
Election disruption
The South Carolina state Senate unanimously voted to expand absentee voting to all registered voters ahead of the general election due to COVID-19 concerns. The bill now heads to the state House, The State’s Maayan Schechter and Joseph Bustos report.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he currently sees “no reason” to extend a new law, due to expire at the end of the year, that expanded access to mail-in voting, Jonathan Shorman reports for the Kansas City Star.
Number of the Day
47%
On policing and criminal justice issues, Biden held a 47% to 42% advantage over Trump in Wisconsin, according to the latest Fox News poll.
“Send it in early, and then go and vote”
Credit: Associated Press
Trump tells a crowd in Wilmington, N.C. to vote by mail early and then to try to vote in person. That’s illegal in North Carolina.
For Planning Purposes
Sept. 3
Joe and Jill Biden visit Kenosha, Wis.
President Donald Trump travels to Latrobe, Pa.
Vice President Mike Pence visits North Carolina
Sept. 4
Joe Biden delivers remarks in Wilmington, Del.
Sept. 7
Pence visits La Crosse, Wis.
Sept. 8
Trump visits Winston-Salem, N.C.
New Hampshire and Rhode Island primaries
Sept. 11
Biden and Trump visit Pennsylvania
Pence visits New York
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This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 1:45 PM.