Puerto Rico Governor Endorses Trump: Campaign Update
Biden Up by 16 Points Nationally in New Poll: Campaign Update
(Bloomberg) -- Puerto Rico’s outgoing governor endorses President Donald Trump. Four agency directors from the U.S. national security community sought to assure voters that the U.S. electoral system is safe and reliable. And Florida voters get another day to register after the state’s online voter registration system crashed on the last day to sign up.
There are 28 days until the election and 69 days until the Electoral College meets.
Other Developments:
Puerto Rico Governor Endorses Trump as Campaigns Vie for Latino Votes
Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez endorsed Trump as presidential candidates strive to appeal to Latino voters, particularly in swing state Florida.
In an interview with Telemundo on Monday, Vazquez urged the estimated 5.5 million Puerto Ricans living on the mainland to “use your vote and evaluate who represents and thinks about Puerto Ricans in their most difficult time.” When the interviewer asked “Donald Trump?” she responded “Donald Trump.”
Vazquez -- who lost her party primary in August and will be leaving her post in January -- had planned to accompany Trump on a campaign stop in Orlando until Covid-19 derailed his plans.
Trump and Puerto Rico have had a contentious relationship. His administration was criticized for dragging its feet on aid after Hurricane Maria in 2017. The image of Trump tossing paper towels to Maria survivors shortly after the storm -- and while the death toll was still mounting -- became a symbol for those who decried the administration’s treatment of the U.S. territory. Even so, last month the federal government earmarked almost $10 billion to repair the island’s power grid.
Asked about the paper towel incident, Vazquez told Telemundo, “Nobody is perfect.”
Polls show Puerto Ricans tend to favor Democrats in mainland politics, but the island has its own political parties. Within Vazquez’s own New Progressive Party, there are both Democrats and Republicans. Vazquez, a Republican, took office after Ricardo Rossello, a Democrat from the New Progressive Party, who was forced out of office amid massive street protests. -- Jim Wyss
National Security Leaders Tout Election Integrity (3:21 p.m.)
Four agency directors from the U.S. national security community broke with President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted a Twitter video assuring voters that the U.S. electoral system is safe and reliable.
“We’re not going to tolerate foreign interference in our elections or criminal activity that threatens the sanctity of your vote or undermines public confidence in the outcome of the election,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in the video.
Wray was joined by General Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency and head of U.S. Cyber Command; Christopher Krebs, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.
Krebs said more than 92% of votes cast in the Nov. 3 election will have a paper record so results can be verified. He urged voters to be patient if a winner of the presidential race isn’t known on election night as an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots because of the pandemic are counted.
“Our election system remain resilient,” Evanina said in the video. “To be clear: It would be very difficult for adversaries to interfere with or manipulate voting results at scale.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked the integrity of election systems, alleging widespread fraud among mail-in votes and said the only way he could lose would be if the Democrats cheat. -- Mark Niquette
Florida Extends Voter Registration After System Crash (1:42 p.m.)
Election officials extended Florida’s voter registration period for a day after an online system crashed during heavy traffic on Monday, the last day to sign up to vote in November.
In an emailed notice of the extension, Republican Secretary of State Laurel Lee cited “unprecedented volume and traffic to our website” with RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov receiving “1.1 million requests per hour.”
Florida Democrats were quick to criticize the problem, and they called for the extension before Lee acted. “Not planning for a voter registration surge is voter suppression,” tweeted Agriculture Secretary Nikki Fried, the state’s highest-ranking Democratic elected official.
Florida is perennially closely contested between presidential candidates. At the end of August, Democrats had 5.2 million registered voters in the state, compared with 5 million Republicans, according to state data.
It’s not the only state to face problems with an election site. Pennsylvania’s online voter registration system crashed over the weekend, though its deadline isn’t until Oct. 19. And a Wisconsin website that helps voters find out where to cast their ballots crashed during February’s primary. -- Todd Shields
Harris Tested Negative for Coronavirus (12:45 p.m.)
Senator Kamala Harris tested negative for coronavirus on Monday, her campaign announced Tuesday.
Harris, who is in Salt Lake City ahead of the vice-presidential debate, underwent PCR testing on Monday.
Harris has had no known exposure to people infected with the virus. She did not attend the presidential debate last week, shortly after which the president and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the virus.
Vice President Mike Pence has also consistently tested negative for the virus.
The debate will take place Wednesday night at the University of Utah. Pence and Harris will be 12 feet apart and will be separated by plexiglass. -- Tyler Pager
Trump, ‘Feeling Great,’ Says He’s Ready for Next Debate (11:09 a.m.)
Just out of the hospital, Trump said he is ready to debate Biden next week.
In a tweet Tuesday morning, the president indicated that he won’t try to reschedule the debate due to his ongoing fight with the coronavirus.
“I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday, October 15th in Miami,” he wrote. “It will be great.”
To underline the point, he tweeted at roughly the same time in all caps that he was “FEELING GREAT!”
Many voters said Biden won the first debate, and the Democrat has said he will debate Trump if scientists say it’s safe. A top campaign aide said their concern was for the president’s health. The second debate will be in a town-hall format, with voters asking the candidates questions.
Biden’s String of Good Polls Continues in Pennsylvania (10:58 a.m.)
The Biden campaign’s string of good polls continued with a strong showing in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
In a Monmouth University poll released Tuesday, 54% of registered voters backed Biden, while 42% backed Trump, a 12-point margin that is one of his widest leads there since the summer.
The numbers were mostly the same under a high voter-turnout model, although the margin narrowed to an 8-point Biden lead in a low voter-turnout model.
Biden has been ahead in all but one poll in Pennsylvania, his childhood home, taken since June, and he’s made “Scranton vs. Park Avenue” a theme of recent speeches.
The poll was conducted Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, after the debate and during Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. -- Emma Kinery
Biden Campaign Taps Into Michelle Obama’s Popularity (10:08 a.m.)
With less than a month to Election Day, the Biden campaign is tapping a resource it has that Trump doesn’t: Michelle Obama.
In a 24-minute video posted on YouTube, the former first lady makes her “closing argument” for Biden, arguing that he is “a good man who understands the struggles of everyday folks.”
“This is the kind of leader our nation deserves -- a leader who is tested and ready to dive right in, a leader who will lock arms with his terrific running mate Kamala Harris and bring us out of this downward spiral,” she said.
Obama is extremely popular among every demographic except Republicans and self-described conservatives.
In an August poll for Politico, 60% of registered voters had a favorable view of her, higher by double digits than Biden, Harris, Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, and she remained the most admired woman in Gallup’s annual poll throughout Trump’s term.
Biden, Trump Tied in Florida (9:19 a.m.)
Trump and Biden are tied in Florida, as it remains one of the most competitive battleground states.
In a Suffolk University/USA Today poll released Tuesday, 45% of likely voters backed both Trump and Biden, while 6% said they were undecided.
Voters continued to be divided over Trump, with roughly equal numbers approving and disapproving of his job performance, 55% saying they were better off than four years ago and 54% saying the country is on the wrong track.
The poll of 500 likely voters in Florida was conducted Oct. 1-4, after the debate and during Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.4 percentage points.
Biden Is Ahead of Trump by 9 Points in Michigan (7:45 a.m.)
Biden continues to have a strong lead in the battleground state of Michigan, where a surprise win in 2016 pushed Trump over the finish line.
In a Detroit News/WDIV poll released Tuesday, 48% of the state’s likely voters backed Biden, while 39% backed Trump, the lowest level of support for the president there measured by a poll since June.
As in other polls, Biden’s margin appears to be strengthened by support from voters over 65, who backed him by a 30-point margin, 59% to 29%, in the poll. In a similar poll in September, they backed Trump by 10 points.
Biden also posted gains with voters age 50-64, among whom he’s now tied with Trump, and with White men have who at least some post-high school education.
The poll of 600 likely voters in Michigan was conducted Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, after the first debate and during Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4 percentage points. -- Emma Kinery
Biden Ahead by 16 Points Nationally in New Poll (6:58 a.m.)
Biden’s lead over Trump nationally has widened to a massive 16 points, according to a new poll.
In a CNN poll released Tuesday, 57% of likely voters backed Biden and 41% supported Trump.
The poll was conducted after the first debate and mostly after Trump’s coronavirus infection became public.
One key group backing Biden in the poll was people over the age of 65, 60% of whom supported him, compared to 39% who backed Trump. Older voters were a key part of Trump’s coalition in 2016, with 53% picking him according to a Pew post-election survey.
The CNN poll of 1,001 likely voters across the country was conducted Oct. 1-4. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
Biden Calls First Debate ‘Clownish Undertaking’
Biden was pressed Monday on whether he responded forcefully enough to Trump’s interruptions at the first debate as well as whether he regretted responding as forcefully as he did.
At an NBC town hall in Miami, an undecided voter said Trump was “bullying” Biden at the debate and was “worried that it knocked you off your game.”
Biden noted that Trump interrupted him 158 times by one count.
“I didn’t want to further demean the process of the debate by getting into a shouting match with him,” he said.
In a follow-up question, host Lester Holt asked Biden if he regretted calling Trump “a clown” and telling him to “shut up.”
“I did get frustrated,” Biden said. “I should have said this is a clownish undertaking instead of calling him a clown. The fact is, I’ll be very honest with you, I think it was embarrassing for the nation.”
Trump’s Return From Walter Reed Hailed With Macho Moments
As the president returned from Walter Reed, his staff and supporters used some macho moments to mark his beating back of the virus.
The White House posted a video of Marine One landing on the White House lawn set to a triumphal instrumental song from an album called “Epic Male Songs.”
Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler, who is up for re-election, posted a clip of Trump’s 2007 WWE pro wrestling appearance, altered to look like he was beating up the coronavirus itself.
“COVID stood NO chance against @realDonaldTrump,” she tweeted.
And in a video statement, Trump said he “felt better” than he had in 20 years after leaving the hospital, framing his fight against the virus in pugilistic terms.
“One thing that’s for certain: Don’t let it dominate you,” he said.
Biden Campaign Is Going to the Dogs, Literally
Picking up a theme from a popular video on social media last week, the Biden campaign is promoting a video of “Dogs for Biden Harris.”
In a video posted on social media, a number of dogs -- including a pug, a Samoyed, a chihuahua and a golden retriever -- are shown wearing Biden campaign shirts.
“Let’s put a dog back in the White House!” the ad text says next to a photo of Joe and Jill Biden and their German shepherd Champ.
The light-hearted ad, which calls on the country to “Build Bark Better” and pick “Champ and Major for DOTUS,” is different from a more negative ad from “Dog Lovers for Joe” that went viral last week which focused on the fact that Trump is the first president since William McKinley to not have a dog.
Coming Up:
Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence will meet for the only vice presidential debate on Wednesday at the University of Utah.
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