New poll shows Ohio's Senate race may be tightening

Fetterman: Trump's 'special' place in Pennsylvania 'deepened' after shooting

Source: The Hill

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he thinks former President Trump has a “special” place among Pennsylvania voters and it only deepened after a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in the state in July.

“Trump has created a special kind of a hold … and he’s remade the party and he has a special kind of place in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said Thursday to a crowd at The Atlantic Festival. “And I think that only deepened after that first assassination attempt.”

The upcoming election is expected to be a tight race, particularly in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania. Recent polling has shown Vice President Harris tied with or leading Trump in the state, but Fetterman warned there is real support for Trump there.

“I also want people to understand, you know, and it’s not science, but there is, there’s energy and there’s kinds of anger on the ground in Pennsylvania, and people are very committed and strong,” Fetterman said. “Trump is going to be strong and … we have to respect that.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4889312-fetterman-trumps-special-place-in-pennsylvania-deepened-after-shooting/

Patrick Swayze died 15 years ago at age 57

He passed away September 14, 2009. If he were still alive, he'd be 72 right now. While I have no idea what his politics were, I was a big fan of him and his movies. Patrick, we all miss you dearly.

Pope Francis criticizes Trump and Harris and says voters must choose between 'lesser of two evils'

Source: CNN

Pope Francis on Friday described the choice US voters must make in the presidential election as one between the “lesser of two evils,” deeming former President Donald Trump’s anti-migrant policies and Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of abortion rights as both being “against life.”

“One must choose the lesser of two evils. Who is the lesser of two evils? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know,” Francis said during a press conference on the papal plane, referring to Harris and Trump. “Everyone with a conscience should think on this and do it.”

Francis has been more vocal about politics than his predecessors and has moved to make the Catholic Church more open. While he has consistently and strongly defended the Catholic Church’s teaching that abortion is the deliberate destruction of a human life, Francis has also insisted it cannot be isolated from other issues concerning human life, including immigration.

“To send migrants away, to leave them wherever you want, to leave them … it’s something terrible, there is evil there. To send away a child from the womb of the mother is an assassination, because there is life. We must speak about these things clearly,” he said.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/13/politics/pope-francis-trump-harris-abortion/index.html

Rashida Tlaib Refuses to Endorse Kamala Harris for President Due to Gaza Policy

Source: The Algemeiner

US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) refused to issue an explicit endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Thursday, instead encouraging voters to throw their support behind candidates who support a ceasefire in Gaza.

While speaking on a panel at the Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, an event sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Tlaib expressed dismay over Harris’s unwillingness to adopt policies advocated by the pro-Palestinian movement. The Michigan congresswoman suggested that the Harris campaign was taking a “risk” in angering voters by continuing to support Israel’s defensive military operations against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

Tlaib told moderator Mehdi Hasan, a progressive journalist and prominent critic of Israel, that some of her constituents in Michigan did not want to cast a ballot for Harris, the incumbent US vice president, because they “don’t want blood on my hands.”

“I tell them, ‘OK, but there’s other people on this ballot that support a ceasefire. There’s other people on this ballot that can protect our community,'” Tlaib said.

Read more: https://www.algemeiner.com/2024/09/13/rashida-tlaib-refuses-endorse-kamala-harris-president-due-gaza-policy/

Senate predictions

In the Senate right now, there are 49 Republicans and 51 Democrats (I'm including the Independents who align with Democrats).

So what do you think it will be come January? They have one seat that is 99.99% certain to be a pickup for them (WV), but we can gain a couple as well to offset it. We have a chance in TX and FL. Unfortunately, they have a good chance in MT and a reasonable chance in OH.

Manchin endorses Hogan in Maryland Senate race: He's 'the right person'

Source: The Hill

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) endorsed former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat in Maryland, saying he is “just the right person” for the job.

Manchin, a former moderate Democrat who filed as an independent this year, showed enthusiasm for Hogan’s campaign and its embrace of moderate politics this election cycle.

“Forget about being a Democrat or Republican,” Manchin said, according to DC News Now. “Larry Hogan is just the right person with the right attitude for the job.”

Speaking from Hagerstown, Md., Manchin said Hogan won’t be controlled by “any party or any type of ideology.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4877778-manchin-endorses-hogan-maryland-senate/

Biden wears Trump hat as 9/11 unity gesture, says White House

Source: BBC News

President Joe Biden briefly wore a red Trump campaign hat at an event commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

He was visiting firefighters in Pennsylvania near where one of the four hijacked planes crashed, and the White House said he donned the cap as a gesture of unity.

Video recording the incident shows the president having a friendly conversation with a Trump supporter before they swap headwear.

Donald Trump's campaign was quick to see the funny side. "Thanks for the support, Joe!" one post read with a photo of Biden in the trademark Republican hat.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gdgw0v3dxo

Harris and Trump shake hands at New York 9/11 remembrance ceremony on 23rd anniversary of attacks

Source: CNN

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance are commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, appearing to put political hostilities on the back burner for a moment as the nation remembers the tragedy.

All four leaders are in New York on Wednesday for a commemoration event at Ground Zero in Manhattan. Trump and Harris, just hours past their first in-person meeting at the presidential debate Tuesday night, shook hands ahead of solemn commemorative ceremonies after Harris turned toward Trump and both extended a hand. Vance and Harris did not appear to interact.

Harris and Biden will then travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Flight 93 memorial, according to a White House schedule. Later in the afternoon, they will both travel to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, for another wreath laying ceremony.

Trump will also travel separately to Shanksville later on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with his plans.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/11/politics/heres-how-biden-harris-trump-and-vance-will-commemorate-9-11/index.html

How close do you think the 2024 race will be?

Simple question with a poll. How close do you think the election will be?