Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.
In today’s edition, deputy politics editor Adam Vollner looks at the efforts of the campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump to appeal to male voters, particularly sports fans. Plus, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker comments on a new poll showing a growing number of voters who say the upcoming election will be “very important” to their lives.
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Hey sports fans: Harris and Trump want your vote
By Adam Vollner
October is a sports lover’s paradise. Football season is in full swing. It’s playoff time for the MLB and WNBA. And NHL and NBA teams play their first regular season games.
It’s also a month that, of course, coincides with the final phase of the presidential election — a fact that no campaign loses sight of.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are in the middle of each other a tough fight for male votersmore attention is paid to those who spend this time of year consuming sports content on their televisions and smartphones.
Rebecca Shabad and Peter Alexander report on Harris’ campaign The announcements began on Friday DraftKings will appear on sports news, sports betting, fantasy sports and video gaming websites, including Yahoo Sports and IGN.
In one 30 seconds stain Those sites will feature former NBA star Magic Johnson comparing the economic policies of the two candidates, as if predicting a clash between two sports teams. Actor Ben Stiller appears in another film advertisingreferring to his “no-Oscar-winning film Dodgeball.
Tim Walz also appeared Rich Eisen’s sports talk show Friday afternoon to discuss Minnesota Vikings fandom. And the Harris campaign said it placed ads on sports talk radio and used major NFL, MLB and college football games.
Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign continues heavy advertising During NFL and college football games (and elsewhere) with a message about Harris’ past support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming treatments, as reported by Jonathan Allen, Allan Smith, Olympia Sonnier and Ben Kamisar.
Advertisements ends with a tag line: “Perfection is for them; President Trump is for you.”
These efforts come amid a large gender gap between the two candidates. The latest National NBC News survey Harris leads among women by 14 points (55%-41%), and Trump leads by 16 points (56%-40%) among men. In 2020, Trump lost women to Joe Biden by 15 points (57-42%). exit pollhowever, she won the men by just 8 points (53%-45%).
This helps explain the focus on male voters in the final weeks of the race. Given Trump’s difficulty in converting numbers with women, he needs to extend his lead with men as much as possible, and Harris sees an opportunity to cut off a potential path to victory for the former president.
The presidential election is more important than ever
By Kristen Welker
The common sentiment you hear from candidates, strategists and pundits is that this presidential election matters more than ever.
According to our latest information, voters believe it too National NBC News survey.
62% of registered voters polled said the election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris would make a “big difference” in their lives and their families’ lives.
This is the highest share in an NBC News poll since the 1990s. Note that the interest rate continues to increase every ten years:
In our latest poll earlier this month, slightly more Democrats (65%) than Republicans (59%) said this election would make a big difference in their lives.
It’s a way of measuring enthusiasm for an election. Another way our survey historically measured enthusiasm is to ask voters what their interest is on a scale of 1-10, with responses of “9” and “10” representing high interest.
Ours new request found 74% of voters showed high interest in the November elections, which is lower than in the past. According to parties, 79% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats showed high interest.
A few other nuggets I’d like to pass on:
First: On Harris trying to separate himself from Joe Biden, This was reported by NBC News That the Harris campaign is in close contact with the White House on how to distance itself from the president.
Harris’ sources indicated no clear plans to change strategy, other than to tell Fox News that his presidency would not be a “sequel” to Biden’s. A source familiar with the matter told NBC News: “He takes the relationship between the president and the vice president very seriously, and you don’t see vice presidents reviewing the president’s decisions. If that happens, he thinks it will destroy the privacy of the president and vice president’s relationship for everyone to come. You didn’t see Mike Pence do it until January 6.”
Harris himself said as much in response to a question from my colleague Peter Alexander After a rally in Michigan on Friday.
“To be very honest with you, vice presidents, including Mike Pence, don’t criticize their president. I think that really, actually, in terms of tradition, but also going forward, it doesn’t make for a productive and important relationship,” Harris said.
Second: This Sunday we have a jam-packed “Meet the Press” show featuring interviews with Sen. Lindsey Graham, RSC, and Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro. Be sure to listen!
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- 💵 Already loaded…: A new report by House Democrats alleges that Trump overcharged Secret Service agents who protected him and his family for rooms at his Washington D.C. hotel while he was president. More →
- ⛔ … and overworked: The acting director of the Secret Service raised concerns about the morale of his agents in July when he called for an independent investigation calling for “major reform” within the agency to prevent assassination attempts that have wounded Trump. More →
- 🔀 In the hallway: Harris is running against moderate Republicans who made the late Sen. John McCain a national figure in the primary battleground state of Arizona. More →
- 🛣 On the road: Harris will campaign alongside the Obamas for the first time, hoping the former president and first lady will galvanize supporters in early voting precincts ahead of Election Day. More →
- 📺 Fight Night: Republican Sam Brown spent Thursday in the Nevada Senate debate, portraying Democratic Sen. Jackie Rosen as an outsider in a race where he is trailing in the polls. More →
- 🎤 Miss Americana and the DNC: The Democratic National Committee is using the final leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour to urge young voters to support Harris. More →
- Follow live updates from the campaign trail →
That’s all for the Policy Desk for now. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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