| Wisconsin voters are bracing for another close finish, and regardless of their political stripes, they’re united in their desire for the election to be over. Clay Masters spent some time over the border earlier this month talking to voters in the pivotal swing state that could determine who wins the election. In addition to a competitive presidential race, there’s a pivotal Senate race between Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and businessman Eric Hovde. Wisconsin also has new legislative maps following years of court cases over boundaries seen as tilted towards Republicans, creating more competitive races across the state. This all means Wisconsinites can’t escape the constant barrage of political commercials and flyers (or journalists asking for their opinions on the race) as both parties look for every possible vote in every county in the state.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump continue to be locked in a tight race in Minnesota. A new MinnPost-Embold Research poll shows Harris with a slight edge over Trump (48 percent to 45 percent), a result virtually unchanged from her lead last month. The reason there’s been little movement in the poll could indicate that there are very few undecided voters left in the campaign cycle. The poll also shows Gov. Tim Walz is the only candidate to have a positive favorability rating.
Democrats are condemning the use of racist rhetoric at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally. A new Harris ad condemned the racist joke calling Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” told by a comedian at the rally. Harris talks about Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria in 2017 that devastated the island. When he visited after the hurricane, he threw rolls of paper towels into the crowd of people. The campaign says the ad will run on digital platforms in all battleground states, but will specifically target zip codes with a high concentration of Latino voters. Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny posted Harris’ message to his 45 million Instagram followers, and other Puerto Rican artists followed suit. Walz also commented on the rhetoric used at the rally at a campaign stop in Waukesha, Wis. “Their closing argument last night was clear to the rest of the world: it’s about hate, it’s about division,” he said. Trump’s campaign has distanced itself from the joke, but Trump himself has not directly commented on it.
Vice President Kamala Harris will make her closing argument to voters in Washington, D.C., today. Harris will give remarks at the Ellipse outside of the White House, the same location former President Donald Trump used to speak to rioters who ultimately stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Campaign officials say Harris plans to highlight the insurrection and will urge Americans to turn the page on Trump. Officials with the National Park Service granted the campaign’s permit request on Sunday, which estimates 20,000 people will be in attendance.
An Itasca County woman faces three felony charges after attempting to vote twice in the general election. Danielle Miller, a 40-year-old resident of Nashwauk, allegedly admitted to filling out and submitting an absentee ballot for her mother, who died in August. According to the criminal complaint, Miller admitted her late mother was an avid Donald Trump supporter and had wanted to vote for him, but died shortly before absentee ballots were received. The complaint also says Miller signed her mother's name as the witness for her own ballot. Local election officials noticed what they thought were suspicious signatures. They alerted the Itasca County Sheriff's Office which reviewed the signatures and determined them to be forged. A court hearing is set for December.
Hundreds of ballots were destroyed in Oregon and Washington after fires were set in ballot drop boxes. In Portland, Ore., officials determined an incendiary device had been placed inside the drop box, but a fire suppressant protected nearly all the ballots. Only three were damaged. A few hours later, television crews in Vancouver, Wash., captured smoke pouring out of a ballot box. Although that ballot box also had a fire suppression system inside, it was ineffective and election officials say hundreds of ballots were destroyed. Police say the incidents are connected.
Another round of state campaign finance reports hits this week. Watch for more from those. In the meantime, the House DFL and House GOP have released figures from their reports as they wrestle for the majority. The House DFL says it had $3.45 million available to spend as of Oct. 21. It says it has taken in about $3.6 million over the past month ($9.3 million in this calendar year) and has notched a record for its fundraising. The House GOP campaign arm said it had more than $1 million left to use and set a GOP record for fundraising over the cycle.
More than 300 Minnesota school districts have open board seats on the ballot this year. While these races aren’t as intense as they have been in recent years, many districts have multiple candidates to choose from. Behind those candidates are organizations spending time and money on training and endorsements. Elizabeth Shockman has the eight school districts to watch.
For years, two cousins both opposed abortion. But instead of growing apart when one of them changed her views, these cousins grew even closer. As part of our Talking Sense series, reporter Catharine Richert spoke to cousins Kayla Meyers and Tori LaBelle. While both grew up in a Catholic family and were opposed to abortion, Meyers came to believe that the decision to have a child should be up to a person and their doctor. Today, Meyers lives in a Minneapolis suburb and LaBelle, whose opinions on abortion have only strengthened, lives in Baton Rouge, La. LaBelle says that on paper, she and Meyers look like they’re on opposite sides of this issue. But what keeps them connected is all the places where they overlap. Read about their relationship here. | 