| | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | Presented by Zelle® | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | KEYSTONE KOPS — “Harris' operation in all-important Pennsylvania is plagued by internal party complaints,” by Holly Otterbein and Elena Schneider: “They say some [KAMALA] HARRIS aides lack relationships with key party figures, particularly in Philadelphia and its suburbs. They complain they have been left out of events and surrogates haven’t been deployed effectively. And they’ve urged Harris staff in private meetings to do more to turn out voters of color.” HEY BIG SPENDERS — Among the GOP-aligned billionaires spotted in last night’s quarterly FEC filings: ELON MUSK gave $75 million to his pro-DONALD TRUMP America PAC … MIRIAM ADELSON gave $95 million to the pro-Trump Preserve America PAC, bringing her 2024 donations to nine figures … DICK UIHLEIN gave $49 million to his Restoration PAC, which in turn parceled the money out to other pro-Trunmp groups. … KEN GRIFFIN and PAUL SINGER, who have refrained from backing Trump, each gave eight figures to the Senate Leadership Fund. Nota bene: They’re all still behind industrial heir TIMOTHY MELLON, who gave $165 million to various GOP-aligned groups earlier in the cycle. His favored super PAC could report additional donations later this week.
|  Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are shown through a camera during their debate, Sept. 10, 2024. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images | MIXED MEDIA — After spending several weeks trying to drum up their bases with mostly friendly interviews, Harris and Trump are venturing into more challenging territory this week. After sitting with Bloomberg’s John Micklethwait yesterday in Chicago, Trump taped a town hall in Georgia with all women — a demographic that has been largely repulsed by his temperament and abortion-rights views — that will run on Fox News today at 11 a.m. Harris, meanwhile, will sit for an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier airing at 6 p.m. in an apparent bid to connect with Republicans wary of another four years of Trump — even at the risk of enduring tougher questioning than she got on “Call Her Daddy” or the “Howard Stern Show.” It represents a shift in strategy for both candidates — one that some allies of each don’t necessarily endorse. On the Trump side: There’s a reason why Harris constantly tells voters to watch a Trump rally — and recently accused Trump of essentially hiding away, running a basement campaign because “he is too weak and unstable to lead America.” That’s because many think Trump’s modest success in narrowing his polling gap with Harris has been because he’s mostly kept his preaching limited to the choir — doing rallies, bro-y podcasts and social media posts, outlets that reach his base and the media but not low-interest swing voters. By that logic, some Republicans weren’t necessarily unhappy that he canceled a planned CNBC appearance yesterday — particularly given the headlines that came out of his interview with Micklethwait, where he dodged pointed questions on the impacts of tariffs and refused to commit to a “peaceful transition of power.” To be sure, Trump could hardly ask for a more friendly setting for an all-female town hall: The event was taped in historically Republican Forsyth County, Georgia, with Fox anchor Harris Faulkner moderating. But that didn’t shield him from at least one tough abortion question, per excerpts Fox released last night. When one participant asked why the government should be involved in “women’s basic rights,” Trump responded by defending his “back to the states” mantra, claiming to be the “father of IVF” (huh?) and predicting that even Republican states would moderate on abortion over time, particularly on exceptions. “ Some of them — I agree here — they're too tough, too tough,” he said. “And those are going to be redone because already there's a movement in those states.” Democrats are not risking the possibility that Trump might manage to talk his way out of his troubles with swing-state women. Ahead of the town hall yesterday, Georgia’s two Democratic senators, RAPHAEL WARNOCK and JON OSSOFF, held a prebuttal conference call with reporters and the family of AMBER THURMAN, who died in Georgia after delays in receiving care for complications related to a medication abortion. “I'm not interested in what he says; I'm interested in what he's done,” Warnock said. “And what he's done is … he appointed this extreme right-wing Supreme Court.” As for Harris: After sticking mostly (though not entirely) with more liberal-friendly shows and podcasts, she’ll be in for a drastic change on Fox. PETE BUTTIGIEG aside, party leaders rarely appear on the network because they think the risk isn’t worth the reward — even absent the heat of a neck-and-neck presidential race. Interestingly, some Democrats have told us they think Harris’ time would be better spent drumming up the base by continuing to hit those lefty podcasts and shows. But Harris appears determined to expand her appeal and reach voters who wouldn’t typically vote for a Democrat — particularly NIKKI HALEY Republicans. She’s underscoring that elsewhere today, where she’ll appear with 100 Republicans — including former GOP Reps. ADAM KINZINGER (Ill.), BARBARA COMSTOCK (Va.), DAVID TROTT (Mich.) and other ex-Trump officials and GOP leaders — in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, for a speech emphasizing protecting the Constitution. Good Wednesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels.
| | | | A message from Zelle®: 99.95% of Zelle® transactions in 2023 were completed without any report of fraud or scams. Learn more. | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: PRO-HARRIS MEGABUY — The Democratic super PAC Future Forward is rolling out a combined $75 million flight of ads over the coming week driving home key messages on middle-class economics, tax fairness and abortion rights as pro-Harris forces look to define a sharp contrast with Trump ahead of Election Day. The eight-figure spend represents the group’s largest one-week expenditure yet and is split between broadcast TV in battleground states and national digital platforms. Coming amid some criticism of the group’s strategy, it is calibrated to reach low-information voters, young voters and voters of color, according to an aide familiar with the details of the buy. The spots include: “Sharon,” featuring a retired nurse from Wisconsin who says Social Security cuts are “like giving the middle finger to the middle class” … “Rebecca,” with a former Trump voter from Florida slamming Trump’s plans to give tax cuts to the rich … “Choice,” featuring debate footage of Trump and Harris discussing the end of Roe v. Wade … “Mi Padre,” a Spanish-language spot with a union worker from Arizona … and “Things That Matter,” a digital ad featuring a Michigan father speaking about Harris’ plans for working parents. Additional digital ads largely focused on economic messaging are being targeted at Black votes (“Wallet” … “Receipts” … “In Your Pocket”) and at Spanish speakers (“Luchadora” …“Futuro Mas Economico” … “Por Prosperidad”). COUNTERPUNCH — MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC, is rolling out a new 30-second spot across stations in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania that zeros in on Harris’ record as a prosecutor in California, NYT’s Jonathan Swan reports . The ad, which accuses Harris of “letting killers go free,” is “part of a $100 million battleground-states advertising campaign … portraying Ms. Harris as a radical leftist, especially on crime.”
| | | | A message from Zelle®:   Anti-fraud countermeasures like real-time monitoring and detection are on all day, every day as we work to stay ahead of scams and fraud: https://www.zellepay.com/safety-education | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. What we’re watching … As hurricane damage tolls mount, the Small Business Administration said yesterday it’s out of cash for a key disaster recovery program. But looks like that sobering news won’t be enough to summon lawmakers back to Washington: Speaker MIKE JOHNSON made clear yesterday he has no intention of bringing House members back early, our Jennifer Scholtes and Caitlin Emma report . Johnson acknowledged in a statement that the disasters have “stressed” SBA but said the Biden administration “has the necessary disaster funding right now to address the immediate needs of American people.” One reason Johnson is comfortable waiting: SBA loans must be repaid, as WaPo notes, and therefore are “far less popular than aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” which is holding up for now. At the White House Biden will deliver a eulogy at a memorial service for ETHEL KENNEDY at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle at 1 p.m. Later, Biden and First Lady JILL BIDEN will deliver remarks at an Italian American Heritage Month Reception at the White House. On the trail Harris will deliver remarks at a campaign event in Trenton, New Jersey at 3:40 p.m.
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Sen. Ted Cruz, speaks during a U.S. Senate debate with Rep. Colin Allred, Oct. 15, 2024, in Dallas. | (Shelby Tauber/Texas Tribune | ABOUT LAST NIGHT — As Election Day nears, four candidates in Texas and Pennsylvania faced off on stage last night in debates for their respective Senate seats: In Texas … Incumbent Sen. TED CRUZ and Rep. COLIN ALLRED went head to head in Dallas last night, trading blows over issues including abortion, transgender rights and military aid to Israel, the Texas Tribune’s Jasper Scherer and Renzo Downey report. Throughout the debate, Allred jabbed Cruz’s legislative record, noting “never there for us when we need him.” The Democrat “blasted Cruz for helping spike a bipartisan border package earlier this year and said the GOP senator was ‘only focused on himself,’ invoking Cruz’s trip to Cancún in 2021 as Texas was paralyzed by a historic winter storm.” Meanwhile, Cruz characterized Allred as too “extreme” for the state, repeatedly targeting his positions on equality and transgender rights: “Cruz closed with the message that Allred ‘wants to destroy what we've got in Texas because he shares NANCY PELOSI and Kamala Harris’ values.’" The debate comes as Allred has ramped up his fundraising and recent polls have tightened. And in Pennsylvania … Democratic Sen. BOB CASEY faced off in Philadelphia with Democratic challenger DAVE McCORMICK in their second debate last night. Casey “repeatedly criticized McCormick for his years living in Connecticut and working as an executive of Bridgewater Associates,” The Philadelphia Inquirer's Sean Collins Walsh reports . McCormick, meanwhile, labeled Casey a “status quo candidate” and tussled with his opponent over multiple policy issues, including abortion and climate change. In one of the debate's more contentious moments, the two candidates sparred over abortion rights, Ursula Perano reports : “McCormick at the debate accused Casey of flip-flopping on the issue, feeding into the ‘career politician’ argument the Republican hopeful has frequently lobbed at the three-term senator.” RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE TRUMP’S CLOSING ARGUMENT — With just three weeks until election day, the Trump campaign is growing dark in its rhetoric, with the former president repeatedly throwing personal barbs aimed at his opponent and veering off-script at his events, WaPo’s Marianne LeVine, Maeve Reston and Meryl Kornfield report. The unorthodox campaign has thrown some Republicans for a loop, who “say Trump should spend more time focusing on policy areas where polling shows he has an advantage and less time on his grievances, obsessions and antics.” In an interview with Bloomberg News yesterday, Trump touted his math skills and economic improvement plan, though many economists say his plans are still murky, NYT’s Alan Rappeport and Ana Swanson report: “Although economists have projected that Mr. Trump’s economic policies could spur inflation while slowing growth, the former president has maintained — without offering details — that he would simultaneously be able to cut taxes, reduce deficits and keep the U.S. dollar strong.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The liberal advocacy group J Street has reportedly raised over $6 million for the Harris campaign. According to the organization, the JStreet PAC is now the “largest Jewish organizational source of funds in the country for the Harris campaign this cycle,” and has also raised over $8.5 million for more than 180 House and Senate candidates. WHERE’S MICHELLE? — “Despite her call to 'do something' for Harris, Michelle Obama has yet to hit the campaign trail,” by NBC’s Monica Alba, Carol E. Lee and Kristen Welker: “Two people familiar with the matter said she has expressed fresh concerns about security following two assassination attempts against … Trump.” RACE FOR THE HOUSE AD WAR PART DEUX — The Congressional Leadership Fund is putting $2 million down in ad buys for Pennsylvania Rep. SCOTT PERRY, who faces a challenging race against Dem challenger JANELLE STELSON, Madison Fernandez reports: “Besides CLF, a handful of GOP groups are spending a combined $2.5 million, on top of Perry’s own close to $900,000 in ad spending. Stelson outraised Perry $2.9 million to $853,000 in Q3, according to campaign finance reports filed on Tuesday, and has almost twice as much cash on hand as he does.” TALES FROM THE CRYPTO — “Crypto super PAC ads flood House, Senate races without mentioning cryptocurrency,” by Jessica Piper: “The nascent industry has quietly become the single biggest outside spender in congressional elections this cycle other than traditional party groups.” RACE FOR THE STATES DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT — “Election night hand count of ballots halted by Georgia judge,” by the AJC’s Mark Niesse: “Fulton County Superior Court Judge ROBERT McBURNEY put the State Election Board’s hand-count requirement on hold primarily because it was approved so close to Election Day.” MAINTAINING THE ‘MINNESOTA MIRACLE’ — As Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ works to woo voters nationwide on the campaign trail, Democrats in his home state are battling to stay in power in the state’s legislature, Paul Demko reports from Winona, Minnesota: “Republicans are eager to paint Democrats as wild-eyed liberals whose governing approach has alienated many voters in the purple state.” DEEP IN THE HEART — An investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and Votebeat found that U.S. citizens were wrongly labeled as noncitizens or removed from voting rolls in the Lone Star State, while Texas Gov. GREG ABBOTT touted likely inflated numbers as an example of voter fraud: “The discrepancies show the pitfalls inherent in using this data to make assertions about noncitizens.” Related read: “Texas law blocking vote harvesting can be enforced, appeals court rules,” by Josh Gerstein GETTING THE WORM — “Record number of early votes cast in Georgia as election gets underway in battleground state,” by CNN’s Jason Morris, Nick Valencia, Devan Cole and Sara Murray
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a news conference in Vientiane, Laos, Oct. 11, 2024. | Tang Chhin Sothy/AP | MIDDLE EAST LATEST — Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN issued a letter to Middle East officials yesterday noting that the U.S. is “deeply alarmed” by the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and threatening to withhold access to U.S. weapons funding unless Israel increases aid to the area, Eric Bazail-Eimil reports. The pair issued an ultimatum to the Israeli government, granting the country 30 days to follow up on a series of specific action items. The moves include “allowing at least 350 trucks a day to enter Gaza through the territory’s four major crossings ahead of winter. And the two want to see the U.S. and Israel create a new communication channel to discuss incidents surrounding civilians that would begin to be used by the end of this month.” CLOSE CALL — Two senior U.S. officials said the ISIS-K branch of the Islamic State was behind a radicalized Afghan immigrant’s failed plans for an Election Day terror attack, NBC News’ Tom Winter, Ken Dilanian and Julia Ainsley report. More top reads:
POLICY CORNER NEVER TOO LATE — The Pentagon announced yesterday that more than 800 veterans who were discharged over the military’s now defunct “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy have been granted honorable discharges following a lengthy review, AP’s Tara Copp reports. THE ECONOMY KNOWING MICHELLE BOWMAN — “Could the Lone Fed Dissenter Be in Line for a Powerful Role if Trump Wins?” by NYT’s Jeanna Smialek: “[G]iven her new visibility on economic policy and [JD] VANCE’s recent attention to her speech, some on Wall Street and in Washington are beginning to speculate that she might even be putting herself in a place to be considered as the next Fed chair when JEROME H. POWELL’s term expires in May 2026.”
| | | | A message from Zelle®:   Pay it safe with Zelle®. https://www.zellepay.com/safety-education | | | THE WHITE HOUSE UNION JOE’S LEGACY — “Petitions for union representation doubled under Biden’s presidency, first increase since 1970s,” by AP’s Josh Boak: “This marks the first increase in unionization petitions during a presidential term since GERALD FORD’s administration.” MEDIAWATCH FOR YOUR RADAR — “In D.C. court, the Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza disputes continue,” by WaPo’s Elahe Izadi and Maura Judkis: “Both Nuzzi and Lizza appeared via web link on Tuesday in Superior Court, where Judge SEAN STAPLES set a Nov. 19 trial date to consider the petition Nuzzi filed for a protective order. … “In a document filed with the court Friday and made public Tuesday, Lizza said Nuzzi’s allegations were ‘defamatory lies that were meant to create sensational headlines, damage my reputation, and distract from press attention about Ms. Nuzzi’s catastrophically reckless behavior.’” BAD TIMES AT BLACK ROCK — “CBS News Chief Tested by Internal Crises and an Agitated Owner,” by WSJ’s Joe Flint: “The squabbles spreading beyond the halls of CBS’s corporate offices and newsroom into the public realm are seen by some inside the company as a sign that [WENDY] McMAHON and her team are struggling to maintain control.”
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | Bao Li and Qing Bao are settling in and will be ready for visitors in January. The Obamas shared the stage with Stevie Wonder. Donald Trump will “work the fry cooker” at McDonalds this weekend. JD Vance does not think that two great Cincinnati tastes taste great together. OUT AND ABOUT —The Center for Strategic and International Studies last night celebrated the tenth anniversary of their Smart Women, Smart Power initiative. The event was keynoted by Kathleen Hicks followed by a private dinner celebrating Nina Easton where she was presented with the SWSP “Inspiring Impact” award. SPOTTED: Luxembourg Ambassador Nicole Bintner-Bakshian, Nina Jankowicz, “Coach” Kathy Kemper, Dov Zakheim, Heidi Grant, Kelley Currie, Shawn Skelly, Karen Tumulty, Monica Medina, Susan Schwab and Shelby Coffey. — SPOTTED at the Hudson Institute’s annual Herman Kahn Award Gala honoring Mitch McConnell and Hudson Distinguished Fellow Elaine Chao in New York City: Taiwan Ambassador Alexander Yui, John and Mary Walters, Scott Jennings, Peggy Noonan, Nikki Haley, Bill Barr, Sarah Stern, Hope Hicks, Masih Alinejad, Harold Hamm, Rebeccah Heinrichs, Peter Rough, Tom Duesterberg, Brian Maguire, Kyle Simmons, Dick and Jackie Emmet, Dan Bryant, Rob Granieri, Ken Weinstein, Luke Coffey, Liel Leibovitz, Nadia Schadlow, Ann Marie Hauser, Mike Doran and Michael Santini. TRANSITIONS — Jeannine Ginivan is joining Curley Company as EVP. She most recently was senior director of public policy and sustainability comms at General Motors. … Mason Clutter is now a partner at Frost Brown Todd. She previously was the chief privacy officer and chief Freedom of Information Act officer for DHS. … Kevin Perez-Allen is now SVP at Signal Group. He was most recently the chief comms officer at United States of Care. … Joiwind Ronen will be executive director of membership and programming at Ned’s Club. She previously was principal and director of public sector collaboration at The Cadmus Group. WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Annie Barletta, deputy chief of staff for Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.), and Bryan Brody, deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), got married Saturday at St. Joseph’s on Capitol Hill. The reception was on the rooftop of the Hay Adams. They met as staff assistants in Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) office in 2018. Pic ... Another pic — Reade Pickert, an editor/deputy team leader of the Federal Reserve team at Bloomberg News, and Will Carbaugh , project manager at Hoar Construction, got married on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. They attended college there and met in 2015. — James Langnes, special adviser for House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Kaleigh Ballinger, a political fundraiser, got married at Christ Church in Georgetown on Friday followed by a reception at the Willard. The couple met through a mutual friend in 2019. Pic … Another pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Ashley Gold, senior technology policy reporter at Axios and a POLITICO alum, and Eli Glazier, a transportation planner at the Montgomery County Planning Department, welcomed Oscar Miles Glazier on Friday. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. André Carson (D-Ind.) (5-0) … Foreign Policy’s Ravi Agrawal … Sarah Bedford of the Washington Examiner … Michael Pratt of the National Pharmaceutical Council … Jim Courtovich … Beatrice Peterson … Rodell Mollineau of Rokk Solutions … Jenny Hopkinson … Alex Macfarlane of SKDK … ONE Campaign’s Daniel Henke … Phil Bianchi of Squire Patton Boggs … Connor McNutt of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) office … Adeline Sandridge of Rep. Kat Cammack’s (R-Fla.) office … Tyler Evans … Becca Milfeld … Ben Coffey Clark of Bully Pulpit Interactive … former Reps. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) and Dave Trott (R-Mich.) … POLITICO’s Kelly Hooper and Miea Hicks … former SEC Chair Christopher Cox … former North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple … Bobbe Bridge (8-0) … Deloitte’s Kristen McGrath Dugan … Andrew Heining Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Correction: Due to incorrect information from his company, yesterday’s Playbook misstated Michael Lukso’s new job title. He is now director for the Americas on Kraken Digital Asset Exchange’s policy and government relations team.
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