| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | MAKE TIME TO READ THIS ONE — “The Woman Who Made Kamala Harris — and Modern America,” by Michael Kruse for POLITICO Magazine: “SHYAMALA GOPALAN’S immigrant story explains the roots of a multiethnic society that has defined the country in the 21st century — and also become a political flashpoint.”
|  Former President Barack Obama speaks during the second night of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, on Aug. 20, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | OBAMA HITS THE TRAIL — Perhaps the single most popular man in Democratic politics is finally getting out on the road to campaign for VP KAMALA HARRIS: Former President BARACK OBAMA will hit the trail in battleground states starting on Thursday in Pittsburgh.. A senior Harris campaign official says Obama will be doing a bunch of events in the final 27 days of the election, starting next Thursday in Pittsburgh. This will mark Obama’s first public campaign appearance since the DNC. More from Kierra Frazier “Now that voting has begun, our focus is on persuading and mobilizing voters, especially in states with key races. Many of these races are likely to go down to the wire and nothing should be taken for granted,” Obama adviser ERIC SCHULTZ said in a statement. Obama’s final stretch will include issuing “additional fundraising emails/direct mail, record[ing] candidate-specific ads and robocalls for down-ballot races, and of course travel[ing] the country for a coordinated GOTV effort,” according to an aide to the former president. The aide said that fundraising content and events that feature Obama have generated more than $76 million in contributions for the Democratic presidential ticket this cycle. WE MEET AGAIN — “Trump and Kemp to appear together for first time since 2020,” by Natalie Allison: “The two men are scheduled to visit Evans, Georgia, on Friday afternoon to be briefed on [Helene] damage and to ‘deliver remarks to the press,’ according to [DONALD] TRUMP’s campaign. But the event is not being billed as a campaign appearance, and officials in Columbia County invited both men to attend the briefing, according to a person with knowledge of the appearance.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: HARRIS’ NEW APPEAL TO LATINOS — The Harris campaign is launching a new ad aimed at Latino voters in battleground states. The spot, titled “Why Do We Fight”/ “Luchamos,” will air both digitally and on television, including during the Univision-hosted town halls scheduled for next week with Harris and former President DONALD TRUMP. The Harris camp says the ad will also air during “high-viewership events and shows, including Major League Baseball divisional games, high-ranked telenovelas, Chivas’ Apertura 2024 and LaLiga fútbol.” The new investment comes at a critical time, when the Democratic Party’s edge among Latino voters has shrunk to a generational low, as seen in recent polls. The spend will be seven figures, and is a part of the already announced $370 million reserved by the campaign through the election, according to campaign aides. WIN SOME — “Port strike deal ends no-win dilemma for Democrats,” by Ry Rivard, Nick Niedzwiadek and Lauren Egan LOSE SOME — “Firefighters union declines to issue presidential endorsement,” by Nick Niedzwiadek Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels. Try to be happy for the Mets fans in your life.
| | | | A message from USAFacts: Americans deserve clear, trustworthy facts to make up their minds on today’s most pressing issues. In this new series, USAFacts Founder Steve Ballmer walks through the data on immigration, the economy, healthcare, and much more, to help you inform your perspective. Get the numbers, not rhetoric, topic by topic. | | | MARK YOUR CALENDAR — Trump is set to deliver a keynote address at the NRA’s “Defend the 2nd” event in Savannah, Georgia, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, the organization is announcing today. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: THE BIG NEW TREND IN ADS — Progressives feel like they have finally cracked the code on ads that move voter attitudes: straight-to-camera first-person testimonials. That’s the takeaway from a series of new tests by Way to Win, a progressive donor network. In a memo shared with Playbook, Way to Win co-founder and chief strategy officer JENIFER FERNANDEZ ANCONA outlined findings from tests of a new series of ads, “Amplify,” which are being launched in a $2 million ad buy aimed at key voting blocs in battleground states. In an interview with Playbook, Fernandez Ancona says that in focus groups, ads using the testimonial format are “among the top-performing pieces that we’ve seen,” and especially effective in convincing viewers to vote. “There’s just a really emotional part of the story that I think we need to tell more.” As the memo puts it: “Early testing shows the ads drive significant shifts in voter attitudes, boost Kamala Harris’s favorability, reduce Donald Trump’s standing, and increase voter turnout. The campaign reaches key voter groups in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, particularly focusing on Latinos, AAPI communities, young voters, and non-voters from 2020.” Watch one of the spots, “Monica” THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: JOHN ANZALONE & GREG STRIMPLE — It’s October, and the surprises keep rolling in. The billion-dollar question for political campaigns: After all that has happened since last spring — from Biden stepping aside as the nominee to Trump’s criminal convictions to multiple assassination attempts on the former president’s life — what do voters even care about? What really moves the needle with them in an election year like this one? To answer those questions, Eugene sat down with two major pollsters: Democrat John Anzalone and Republican Greg Strimple. They talked about swing voters, ticket-splitting and why the polls are so damn close despite all the crazy news. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
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| FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A NEW DEM PICKUP OPPORTUNITY? — National Democrats are eyeing a closer-than-expected governor's race in deep-red Indiana as a pickup opportunity: The Democratic Governors Association is investing $600,000 into the campaign of former Republican schools chief JENNIFER McCORMICK, who is running against Sen. MIKE BRAUN (R-Ind.), our Adam Wren reports. It comes after their polling showed a "dead heat" race, with McCormick trailing Braun, 44 percent to 41 percent, with Libertarian DONALD RAINWATER pulling 8 percent. The amount dwarfs the $250,000 the Republican Governors Association gave Braun in recent days. “She has a real path to victory," DGA Communications Director SAM NEWTON said, “and this investment will help allow the McCormick campaign to continue communicating — especially with voters who are just tuning in — about her commonsense vision to make life better for Hoosiers while holding Braun accountable for his support for the state's extreme abortion ban."
| | | | A message from USAFacts:   Want to know the facts on immigration, taxes and spending? Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO and owner of the LA Clippers, shares facts and data, you make up your mind! | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | On the Hill The Senate and the House are out. What we’re watching … Usually members love to complain about how they’re being ignored by presidential candidates who don’t seem to be much interested in what’s happening on the ground. Not so with the Trump campaign, Olivia Beavers reports for Inside Congress. Led by operative ALEX LATCHAM, they’re making a serious effort to coordinate and communicate with key GOP lawmakers, including committee chairs and swing-state members. The benefits are two-fold, Olivia writes: The lawmakers get opportunities to serve as Trump surrogates, while sending back valuable intel about what’s happening on the ground. At the White House Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief in the morning. Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief at 1:30 p.m. On the trail Harris is set to deliver remarks at a campaign event in Flint, Michigan, at 5:55 p.m. Trump is set to host a town hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina, at 7 p.m. Vance will be in Lindale, Georgia, where he is set to deliver remarks at 1 p.m.
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Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaks during the Hogan for Maryland Primary Night Victory Party on May 14, in Annapolis, Maryland. | Daniel Kucin Jr./AP | A TALE OF TWO SENATE RACES — As Republicans angle to take back the Senate this fall, party brass blessed LARRY HOGAN’s unusual approach that saw the former Maryland governor publicly distance himself from Trump, with whom Hogan has long sparred. But the effort looks to be coming up short as Election Day draws nearer, Ursula Perano reports from College Park, Maryland. Hogan conceded in a recent interview that his attempt to court GOP voters and potential Democratic ticket-splitters isn’t yet producing the numbers he needs to win in November. ‘The last two elections, I think I got about a third of the Democrats. We’re not quite there. I think we’re in the high 20s at this point,’ Hogan told POLITICO on his campaign bus.” Meanwhile, over in Montana, Republican TIM SHEEHY, who could be the linchpin in the party’s effort to retake the Senate, is running from something else entirely: Any sort of press. “Sheehy rarely grants interviews to local or national press, while his campaign doesn’t discuss his schedule or provide information about his events, which tend to be closed affairs,” report CNN’s Manu Raju and Haley Talbot, who note that CNN was turned away from an event in Bozeman this week and Sheehy’s campaign went to extra lengths to “deny a TV camera from getting footage of him leaving.” The bottom line … “Having an ‘R’ next to his name could be enough to unseat Tester and flip the Senate – absent any major missteps.” Related read: “Bob Casey and Dave McCormick trade personal barbs in a bitter Pennsylvania Senate debate,” by NBC’s Julie Tsirkin, Emma Barnett, Kate Santaliz and Brennan Leach in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE MUSK READ — Turning Point Action and America PAC, the pro-Trump group fueled by ELON MUSK, are teaming up in Wisconsin — with Musk’s group taking the lead in the final sprint to November. “Hundreds of ‘ballot chasers’ that had been hired by Turning Point this week are combining with America PAC’s operation in Wisconsin,” Natalie Allison reports. In taking the lead of the joint effort America PAC, which has deep pockets but began its hiring and staff deployment much later in the cycle than Turning Point, will train Turning Point staff to use its data, making operational decisions and paying for the cost of staff in Wisconsin.” CHENEY CHIMES IN — LIZ CHENEY joined Harris on stage in Wisconsin yesterday for a campaign appearance where the former Wyoming congresswoman urged voters that “putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration” but instead a “duty” this fall, WaPo’s Patrick Svitek reports. Next week, Cheney will join former Trump aides ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CASSIDY HUTCHINSON and SARAH MATTHEWS for a “fireside chat” in Pennsylvania to make the case against Trump’s reelection, CNN’s Jake Tapper reports. WALZ TO WALZ — Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ’s folksy manner was part of the draw in picking him as a running mate. But a series of gaffes and comments that require clean-up have some Dems worried about the impact on the ticket. After a couple instances of misspeaking in Tuesday’s debate, Walz explained that he speaks “like everybody else speaks,” but offered that he needs to be clearer. As for the truths that Walz seemed to stretch, “in some cases, key members of Harris’ circle weren’t aware of some of the inaccurate statements until they became public, despite the vetting process,” Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy report. Yesterday evening, Walz spoke at a virtual event for Muslim voters organized by Emgage Action, a Muslim advocacy group that recently endorsed Harris’ campaign while citing serious reservations about their stance on Israel, Meredith and Holly Otterbein write. RACE FOR THE HOUSE MAN IN THE MIRROR — Rep. MIKE LAWLER (R-N.Y.) “wore blackface as part of a Halloween costume when he was a college student almost two decades ago,” NYT’s Nicholas Fandos reports, citing photographs recently obtained by the paper. “The images, taken around October 2006, show a 20-year-old Mr. Lawler at a campus social gathering dressed as MICHAEL JACKSON. He is wearing a black shirt and a red jacket and, in one photo, is striking a signature Jackson dance pose. His face has also been visibly darkened.” In a statement to the Times, Lawler did not dispute the authenticity and said the intention of the costume was to pay homage to Jackson, whom he is a known fan of. “The ugly practice of blackface was the furthest thing from my mind,” he said. “Let me be clear, this is not that.’ ‘I am a student of history and for anyone who takes offense to the photo, I am sorry,’ he said, adding: ‘All you can do is live and learn.’” UP FOR DEBATE — “Anderson, Vindman trade vitriol at debate for Spanberger’s Virginia seat,” by WaPo’s Teo Armus POLL POSITION IT’S THE ECONOMY? — A new poll from American University, first shared with POLITICO, has rough returns for Trump among women: Not only do women prefer Harris to Trump by 15 percentage points, they are starting to give Harris the edge on one of his strongest issues — the economy, Elena Schneider reports. The poll found that “a majority of women trust Harris over Trump to address inflation and bring down the cost of living. Another 46 percent prefer Harris over Trump to handle the economy, while 38 percent prefer Trump on it.” National: Harris +2, per Emerson. Harris +2, per Marist. … North Carolina: Harris and Trump are tied at 48%, per High Point University. … Ohio: Trump +7 and Democratic Sen. SHERROD BROWN +4, per YouGov. … Michigan: Trump +1 and Democratic Rep. ELISSA SLOTKIN +5, per Mitchell Research & Communications.
| | PLAYBOOK READS | | POLICY CORNER
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Members of the military and secret Service wait for Vice President Kamala Harris to board Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews, Oct. 3, 2024. | Mark Schiefelbein/AP | HOW THE SERVICE SLIPPED — It was always evident that 2024 was going to be an extraordinarily busy year for the Secret Service. That’s why, back in July 2023, then-Director KIMBERLY CHEADLE wrote in an agency-wide email that it was a critical period to retain employees. “But instead of growing, as the big year approached, the service shrank. At least 1,400 of its 7,800 employees left in the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, the largest outflow from the agency in at least two decades,” NYT’s Eric Lipton and David Fahrenthold report. An excess of overtime work, a failed initiative to rehire retired agents, perceptions of favoritism and unheeded pleas to implement new technology all took their toll. The exodus “left agents in a kind of permanent state of emergency, lacking the focus, rest and training necessary to do their jobs well, more than two dozen current and former employees told The New York Times.” More top reads:
- The loan lurch: Biden’s plans to cancel a swath of student loans was halted once again yesterday when a federal judge in Missouri put the latest effort on a temporary hold, “slamming the door on hope it would move forward after another judge allowed a pause to expire,” AP’s Collin Binkley reports.
- “Watchdog group suggests Biden fire Trump-appointed DHS inspector general,” by Betsy Woodruff Swan: “The panel says [JOSEPH] CUFFARI misused taxpayer money to retaliate against employees in his office who questioned his qualifications.”
AMERICA AND THE WORLD
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USAID administrator Samantha Power speaks during the 18th Annual International Women of Courage Awards ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 4, 2024. | Susan Walsh/AP | POWER PLAY — The conflict in the Middle East has put USAID Administrator SAMANTHA POWER in a pinch as her past writings appear to stand in contrast to the position of the U.S., N.Y. Mag’s Jonathan Guyer writes. Power “has been singularly associated with the liberal effort to create a foreign policy that values global human rights at least as much as the national interest,” but “where she personally stands on the debate over whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza is unclear.” “When asked the genocide question in Congress this spring, she said, ‘I’m not going to answer yes-or-no questions like that. I’m going to do my job, which is focusing on getting humanitarian assistance to people who need it.’ … Her diplomatic bearing has led many who work for her to question whether Power still holds the same values she did 30 years ago, when she was a crusading journalist.” The latest on the ground: Flights arranged by the U.S. have “brought about 250 Americans and their relatives out of Lebanon this week during escalated fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, while thousands of others still there face airstrikes and diminishing commercial flights,” AP’s Ellen Knickmeyer, Matthew Lee and Joey Cappelletti report. Related read: “Israel unleashes major strikes near Beirut as Lebanon campaign escalates,” by WaPo’s Miriam Berger, Bryan Pietsch, Leo Sands and Mohamad El Chamaa
| | | | A message from USAFacts:   USAFacts: Data straight from the source. | | | BEYOND THE BELTWAY HELENE FALLOUT — Biden was on hand in Florida yesterday to survey damage done by Hurricane Helene, where he called for politics to take a backseat to the commitment to recovery along the storm’s devastating path. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, was 300 miles away holding a news conference of his own as he continued trying to separate Florida’s response from the federal government, saying the state was able to move much faster, Kimberly Leonard reports from Miami. Related reads: “Helene has become one of the deadliest hurricanes of the modern era,” by WaPo’s Dan Stillman … “Aid Is Slow to Reach Some Latino Areas in Storm-Hit North Carolina,” by NYT’s Edgar Sandoval ALL POLITICS THE ADAMS FAMILY — JESSE HAMILTON, a longtime ally of Adams who has a top job managing the city government’s real estate portfolio, had his phone seized by criminal investigators Friday, Jeff Coltin, Joe Anuta and Maya Kaufman report. Meanwhile: “NYPD arrests New York lawmaker with ties to Adams,” by Jeff Coltin and Emily Ngo FOR YOUR RADAR — “Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme,” by AP’s Mead Gruver TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Peter Baker, Francesca Chambers, Franklin Foer and David Ignatius. SUNDAY SO FAR … ABC “This Week”: Speaker Mike Johnson. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus, Julie Pace and Adam Nagourney. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Speaker Mike Johnson … Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) … Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). Panel: Michael Allen, Susan Page, Karl Rove and Juan Williams. Sunday special: Hadassah and Matthew Lieberman. CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) … RNC co-chair Lara Trump … Larry Hogan. CBS “Face the Nation”: Retired Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie … Catherine Russell … Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio). NBC “Meet the Press”: Panel: Andrea Mitchell, Amna Nawaz, Jen Psaki and Marc Short. MSNBC “The Weekend”: Dan Osborn … Debbie Mucarsel-Powell … Olivia Troye. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Kori Schake. Panel: Hans Nichols, David Weigel, Sabrina Siddiqui and Julia Manchester.
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | Bruce Springsteen is backing Kamala Harris. Jackie Alemany’s unique wedding dress got the Vogue treatment. Olivia Troye said that Christina Bobb was Trump’s frontrunner for a top-level position to lead the White House’s agency outreach on disaster response at the outset of the pandemic. MEDIA MOVE — Breanne Deppisch is joining Fox News as a national politics reporter. She previously was a policy reporter at the Washington Examiner. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Harris campaign is announcing a slate of new hires this morning. On the national press team, Sharon Yang will be national spokesperson, Christyna Thompson will be spokesperson and Andres Correa will be comms manager. On the states comms team, Natalie Adams will be regional comms director and Olivia Davis will be state comms booker. TRANSITIONS — Ngor Luong has joined the State Department as the Center for Security and Emerging Technology Fellow to work on tech and China policy in the Office of the Chief Economist. She most recently was senior research analyst at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub. … Blake Davis is now deputy assistant secretary for congressional relations at USDA. He most recently was senior policy adviser for AI at the Office of Personnel Management and is a Kamala Harris alum. WEEKEND WEDDING — David Weissman, director of congressional affairs at the National Community Pharmacists Association, and Elizabeth Oien, digital comms and content specialist for the House Appropriations Committee, got married on Sunday at Castle Hill Inn, in Newport, Rhode Island. The couple met in Arizona on Martha McSally’s 2014 House campaign. SPOTTED: Sofia Jones, Joe Russo, Alex Attebery, Brenan Tjelmeland, Reid Dagul, Jacob Bliss, Dylan Jones, Brent Munyon, Carly Kuntz, Eric Leyden and Mitch and Alyssa Erdel. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) and Mark Alford (R-Mo.) … Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III … Norm Pearlstine … Brynne Craig … AP’s Holly Ramer … Kelsi Daniell of Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) office … ABC’s Santina Leuci … Bill Gray … Sean Hackbarth … Drew Willison … POLITICO’s Brian Dabbs and Katherine Long … Steve Capus … Tim Sparapani … Andrew Jay Schwartzman … EY’s Ryan Donmoyer … Francis Kruszewski of the American Cleaning Institute … Duke University’s Chris Simmons … Melvin Steinberg (91) … former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel … retired Navy Adm. Mike Mullen … BBC’s Kasia Madera … Dane Waters … WaPo’s Rachel Siegel … Rob Shapiro … Megha Bhattacharya … Joe Bush of Sen. Jacky Rosen’s (D-Nev.) office … Melanie Meyers … Shil Patel of Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-N.C.) office … Wes McClelland of Franklin Square Group … Todd Malan … Bridget Reed Morawski … Laura Cederberg of Weber Shandwick … Brock Boze of Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s (D-Mo.) office … Lydia Hennessey of Trident DMG … Pete Davis 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.
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Founded by Steve Ballmer, USAFacts guides you through the maze that is government data. We’re a team of career researchers, data analysts, statisticians, and communication professionals. We track down government metrics in digital reports or the occasional Freedom of Information Act request. We standardize the numbers, consult designers to make clear visuals, and we refine our reports so that we share just the facts. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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