GOP Governor Balks at Trump, Won’t Discuss Vote: Campaign Update
Trump Super PAC Outraises Democratic Rivals: Campaign Update
(Bloomberg) -- Vermont’s Republican governor says he won’t vote for President Donald Trump. Trump’s campaign runs ads praising boat parades. And a super PAC backing the president outraised three groups supporting Democratic nominee Joe Biden combined.
There are 74 days until the election.
Other Developments:
Vermont’s Republican Governor Says He Won’t Vote for Trump
Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, said Friday he wouldn’t vote for Trump but hasn’t yet decided whether to support Biden.
“As you probably have heard over the last few months or maybe last couple of years, I’ve been quite adamant in not supporting the president,” Scott said Friday at a press conference. “I won’t be voting for President Trump but I have not decided at this point whether to cast a vote for former Vice President Biden. But it’s something I would consider.”
Scott comes from the more moderate wing of the party. He has said he didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 and has accused the president of abusing his power.
In the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton won Vermont with 55.7% of the vote, while Trump had 25.9%. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders scored 5.7% through write-in votes. -- Gregory Korte
Trump Campaign Runs Ads Praising Boat Parades (9:10 a.m.)
Trump’s campaign is running ads on Facebook praising recent boat parades by his supporters.
The spots feature Trump speaking direct to camera for nearly a minute about caravans of boats flying his campaign flags in Florida and other states this summer.
“I appreciate the boaters for Trump,” he says. “Every weekend I see it. Not even weekends now, they’re doing it during the week. I just wish I had time. I’d get on one of those boats and I’d be carrying a flag all summer.”
Trump has frequently referred to the boat parades as a sign of support that he says is not being reflected in national polls that show Democratic nominee Joe Biden ahead by 7.6 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average.
Text on the ad argues that the boat parades are part of “the Silent Majority out showing their pride for our GREAT country.”
Trump Super PAC Outraises Biden-Backing Groups (8:31 a.m.)
Trump’s official super PAC outraised three groups supporting Biden combined in July, though the exact origin of much of the money most likely will never be known, filings with the Federal Election Commission show.
America First Action reported receipts of $13.4 million last month, while the Biden-backing Priorities USA Action, Unite the Country and Pacronym combined to raise $12.1 million. Trump’s super PAC also ended the month with a bigger war chest than its rivals.
Nonprofit organizations that rely on so-called dark money and don’t disclose their own donors accounted for much of the contributions to all four super PACs. America First Action, which had been outraised by its Democratic counterparts for most of the year, got $10 million from America First Policies, its sister organization. It spent $10.4 million and ended July with $26.1 million in the bank.
Priorities USA Action received $2 million of the $6.9 million it raised from its allied nonprofit. Renaissance Technologies founder James Simons gave $4 million. Priorities USA spent $8.5 million and had $16.1 million cash on hand.
Pacronym, which focuses on digital ads, raised $2.9 million, spent $2.1 million, leaving it with $3 million cash on hand. Its biggest donation came from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a nonprofit that supports progressive causes. Unite the Country raised $2.4 million with its biggest donation, $462,500, coming from American Bridge 21st Century Foundation. It ended July with $5.5 million in the bank after spending $5.8 million. -- Bill Allison
Coming Up:
The Republican National Convention starts Monday and culminates Thursday with Trump’s acceptance speech from the White House.
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