Election news you missed for September 26th

Vice President Kamala Harris turned her attention to foreign policy while former President Donald Trump criticized her planned visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday.

With New York Mayor Eric Adams' indictment on bribery charges, which he has denied, dominating the news, Harris and Trump had a quieter day on the campaign trail. The indictment of a sitting Democratic mayor became a moment of bipartisanship, particularly for some MAGA supporters, who described it as a form of “lawfare” against Adams.

Trump reinforced that argument when asked a question about the impeachment. “I don’t know the mayor well, but he has been quite generous in his statements for some time,” the former president said.

“I was watching him about a year ago talking about how illegal immigrants are hurting our city and the federal government should pay us for it, and I said, you know what? He will be charged within a year and I was exactly right.”

Harris did not have any campaign events but spent the day at the White House before traveling to Arizona on Friday. Trump criticized the trip in a press conference from Trump Tower in Manhattan, but held no other official campaign events. He will be back on track in Michigan on Friday.

Harris switches from economics to foreign policy

The vice president shifted her focus to foreign policy Thursday after delivering a speech Speech in which she outlined her economic plans in Pittsburgh the day before. During her speech alongside the Ukrainian president, she promised to continue U.S. support for UkraineVolodymyr Zelensky from the White House.

The meeting was technically part of her official vice presidential duties – not a campaign event – but her remarks to the press were intended to give her an opportunity to bolster her credibility on foreign policy.

“I was proud to stand with Ukraine. I will continue to stand with Ukraine and work to ensure Ukraine wins in this war. To be safe and prosperous, the United States must continue to fulfill our longstanding role of global leadership,” Harris said.

Support for Ukraine is part of what makes America the “most powerful and wealthiest nation” in the world, she said, adding that U.S. support for Ukraine is “not out of mercy, but because it is in our strategic interest.” .

She complained that there are some Americans who would “instead force Ukraine to give up large portions of its sovereign territory, demand that Ukraine “accept neutrality” and “demand Ukraine to forego security relations with other nations.” “.

“These proposals are the same as Putin's, and let us be clear: they are not peace proposals. Instead, these are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable,” Harris said.

Biden announced nearly $8 billion in new support for the war effort at his own bilateral meeting with Zelensky.

Zelensky drew the ire of Republicans during his visit to the US to mark UN Week.

During a rally in North Carolina, Trump criticized Zelensky for making “little nasty insults” toward him and for not accepting an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war. Trump said Ukraine had been “completely wiped out” by the conflict and that “millions and millions of people” were “dead.”

Zelensky earlier this week called Trump's running mate from Ohio, Sen. JD Vance, who said he “doesn't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another” as “too radical” and criticized his stance on the war. He also said that Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he could.” think he knows how.”

While Harris spoke alongside the Ukrainian president, Trump posted a screenshot on Truth Social of a message from Zelensky to him requesting a meeting in New York on Friday.

Meanwhile, House Republicans have launched an investigation into Zelensky's visit to Pennsylvania – a key battleground state that Harris must win – with House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, raising concerns about the use of Taxpayers' money for his departure has been used to fly into the state on a military aircraft.

“This rhetoric from a foreign leader released ahead of a US taxpayer-funded visit about the current administration’s political opponent is extremely troubling,” Comer wrote in a statement.

Republicans like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz argued that Zelensky was effectively campaigning for Harris in a swing state where he also visited a munitions factory with Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Harris deputy.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed that criticism as a “political stunt” during a news conference, saying the visit was Ukraine's idea since Zelensky was already in the U.S. for the U.N. General Assembly this week.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, called on Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova to resign over the visit.

Trump mocks Harris before border visit

Trump also criticized Harris' planned border visit in his remarks outside Trump Tower on Thursday afternoon, repeating a popular line that she was responsible for “the worst border crisis in the history of the world.”

“Kamala Harris will be visiting the southern border, which I understand she has completely destroyed. Why should she now go to the boundary and play directly into her opponent's hand? I mean, look at this. Why should you “There is no justification for what she did,” Trump said.

Harris is expected to visit the border town of Douglas, Arizona, on Friday during a campaign stop in that state. Polls show immigration remains a major issue in the election and a weakness for Democrats. They suggest that Americans trust Trump more to handle the issue (although that gap is closing).

Republicans blame the Biden administration for the influx of migrants crossing the border, but border crossings have declined in recent months after Biden issued an executive order restricting asylum applications.

Trump criticized Harris for a series of policies implemented by the Biden administration, including a 100-day pause on deportations in 2021 and ending the “Remain in Mexico” policy implemented by his administration.

He said Harris should “save her airfare” and instead return to the White House to “close the border,” calling her the “grandmother of sanctuary cities.”

During his remarks, Trump continued to attack Harris, accusing her of lying about her job at McDonald's. He has repeatedly said that despite a lack of evidence, he does not believe she ever worked at the fast food joint.

Upon request from NewsweekThe Harris campaign did not respond to requests for evidence of her work at McDonald's.

Elsewhere in Trump world, a New York appeals court heard legal arguments on Trump's efforts to overturn a $489 million civil fraud verdict, arguing that the penalty was excessive and based on flawed legal reasoning. The court seemed receptive to some of these arguments.

Senate Democrats redirect spending

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced plans to invest millions of dollars in Senate races in Florida and Texas, suggesting they may see the elections where polls tend to be tighter in play.

DSCC Chairman Gary Peters called the investments an “offensive” by Democrats in supporting Rep. Colin Allred, who is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas, and former Rep. Debbie Murcarsel-Powell, who is challenging Republican Sen. Rick Scott in Florida.

“All cycle, the DSCC has been preparing to exploit Sens. Cruz and Scott’s damaged position in their states – and now our efforts are accelerating in Texas and Florida. Democrats have strong candidates running effective campaigns in both states, and we are escalating.” “With our communications against Sens. Cruz and Scott, we will solidify the case against them,” he wrote in a statement.

These two elections were once considered hopeless in the states because Trump was expected to win easily, but Democrats may have little choice but to play for these seats after Republican Tim Sheehy won the Senate race Montana has polled strongly against Democratic Senator Jon Tester if they want to retain their majority.

Democrats face a tough battle for control of the Senate, which currently consists of 51 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 49 Republicans.

The seat vacated by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin will almost certainly go to Republicans, meaning Democrats' path to the majority is to either hold Montana and Ohio or take either Florida or Texas.

Summary of the survey

Two pollsters released surveys of critical swing states on Thursday and continued to show razor-thin margins in key battlegrounds.

The Center for Public Opinion at the University Massachusetts of Lowell presented polls in Michigan and Pennsylvania, both conducted September 11-19.

In Michigan, where 650 likely voters were surveyed, Harris led Trump by five points (48 percent to 43 percent). Meanwhile, Harris led Trump by two points in Pennsylvania (48 percent to 46 percent).

A Marist College poll conducted Sept. 19-24 suggested a closer race in three other battlegrounds. The poll found a tie in North Carolina, where 1,348 likely voters were surveyed. Both candidates received 49 percent of the vote.

Trump had a one-point lead in Arizona and Georgia. In both states, 50 percent of respondents said they would vote for Trump, while 49 percent said they would support Harris. Marist surveyed 1,264 likely voters in Arizona and 1,220 likely voters in Georgia.