Our APM Research Lab colleagues' look at the latest Mood of the Nation Poll reveals that a majority of Americans have engaged in at least one type of political activity over the course of this year’s campaign season. Of the seven activities listed in the survey, sharing political messages online was the most common; attending campaign rallies and protests are less common. Also of interest: Generation Z, age 18-27, has been just as engaged as older generations. Find it here.
Both presidential campaigns spent their days out west. Both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris delivered closing arguments Thursday in the battleground states of Arizona and Nevada. Arizona, which Trump lost by less than 11,000 votes in 2020, remains one of the most closely contested states in this year’s election. Polls show the candidates neck and neck. Trump was also in New Mexico yesterday and will also campaign in Virginia on Saturday, a risky detour from the seven battleground states to spend time in places Republicans have not won in recent times. The Trump team believes it has an outside shot to take both states. Florida and Texas are similarly reach states for Harris, though she’s unlikely to go back to either place prior to Tuesday.
At a rally in Green Bay, Wis. on Wednesday, Trump said he would protect American women “whether the women like it or not.” Trump told his supporters that aides had urged him to stop using the phrase because it was “inappropriate.” He told the crowd that he told aides, “I said, ‘Well, I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not. I am going to protect them.’” Also in Green Bay, Trump posed for a photo in the passenger seat of a garbage truck, in efforts to draw attention to President Joe Biden’s clumsy comments that seemed to compare Trump supporters to “garbage.” In Madison yesterday, Harris called Trump’s comments about women “offensive to everybody.” Polls show a dramatic gender gap shaping up in this year’s election: Men are sure to break big for Trump and Harris is expected to do significantly better with women.
The Biden White House has another headache related to the president’s “garbage” comment earlier in the week. The Associated Press reports that a transcript distributed to media was altered over the objections of the stenographers who put an original version together. Transcripts are considered formal records and the editing was done outside normal protocols. It has to do with whether Biden called “supporters” of Trump garbage or said “his supporter’s” in reference to off-color jokes about Puerto Rico and other groups that a comedian told at a Trump rally in New York. The editing controversy means the Biden story will remain in the campaign mix late in the race.
Your phone is most likely being swarmed with political text messages right now. You aren’t alone. Texting is a cheap and easy way to reach potential voters and donors, without all the rules meant to keep traditional paid broadcast advertising a little honest. Both sides are working the texting pipeline aggressively. And while it’s often difficult to find common ground among these candidates, the text messages from their campaigns share a similar tone. Both sides traffic in dire warnings should the other side win, cooking up phony deadlines to convince recipients of said messages to donate more money.
Minnesota election officials have accepted 920,000 absentee ballots completed by voters. Minnesota’s Secretary of State’s Office says more than 1.1 million voters have requested mail-in or absentee ballots, which is about 31 percent of registered voters in the state. Local election offices must receive a voter’s ballot by Election Day for it to count. Absentee ballots can also be dropped off in person at the election office that sent the ballot no later than 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. There are also designated drop boxes in some but not all counties. Voters should NOT take an absentee ballot to a standard polling place.
The upcoming election is highlighting the frustrations and aspirations of Arab-Americans, some of whom are planning to sit the election out or vote for a Green Party candidate. Sarah Thamer spoke to four Arab-American voters in the Twin Cities who have been struggling with their decision on which presidential candidate to vote for. It’s non-negotiable for them to have a president who will end the war in Gaza and frustration with both major party candidates is rising. A significant factor in this decision is the Biden administration’s stance on Israel’s war in Gaza, which has left many Arab-Americans feeling alienated. Many are considering alternative choices, turning to the Green Party or opting not to vote at all. And some, in a move of protest, are voting for Trump. | 
