NationalWatch

One of the most pivotal battleground states in the 2024 election has now seen more than 1.4 million residents cast their ballots early.

Georgia has been shattering turnout records since early voting began on Tuesday.

As of Monday morning, the Georgia state elections website showed 1,347,843 ballots were cast in person so far, while just over 80,000 absentee ballots have been returned and accepted.

GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE

Georgia has been breaking early voting records for the last week. (Getty Images)

“Today there is Sunday voting in several counties. And AGAIN the voters have set another record,” Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer in the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, wrote on X yesterday.

“As of 2:30 over 25,000 Georgians had cast ballots today. The previous Sunday record was 24k back in 2022. Keep up the great work counties and voters.”

The Sunday total wound up being just over 42,400 votes cast – nearly double the 2022 tally.

On the first day of early voting alone, Georgians cast more than 313,000 in-person ballots. That was 123% higher than the previous Day 1 record, according to Sterling.

FORMER REPUBLICAN US SENATOR ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS ELECTION OFFERS ‘STARK CHOICE’

Stevie Wonder appeared alongside Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Georgia on Sunday. (Getty Images)

Total turnout so far accounts for nearly 20% of Georgia’s population of active voters. White voters made up the largest share of that total so far, followed by Black voters. Georgia women also slightly outnumbered men in the pre-Election Day tally by 55.4% to 45.4%.

Georgia has been a key focal point in the high-stakes White House battle between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Both sides have poured enormous amounts of time and resources into the state, which President Biden won by less than 1% in 2020.

GEORGIA DEMS CHAIR REVEALS MESSAGE TO UNDECIDED GOP VOTERS AS HARRIS WORKS TO BUILD BROAD BASE

Former President Donald Trump will be in Georgia on Wednesday. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Harris spent her 60th birthday in Atlanta on Sunday, when she visited two churches alongside celebrity guest Stevie Wonder.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, Trump will participate in a religious event himself in rural Georgia this week, according to WRBL.

The former president will be in Pike County on Wednesday in support of congressional candidate Brian Jack, who worked in the first Trump administration.

The Supreme Court dismissed ex-lawyer Michael Cohen’s appeal to revive a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump on Monday, shutting down Cohen’s accusations for the last time.

Cohen had claimed his 2020 imprisonment was retaliation by Trump’s administration for publishing a book critical of the former president. The lawsuit had sought monetary damages from Trump, former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, federal prison officials and the federal government.

“Michael Cohen has exhausted every avenue of his pathetic attempt to drag my client into court time and time again.  As expected, the Supreme Court has correctly denied Michael Cohen’s petition and he must finally abandon his frivolous and desperate claims,” Trump attorney Alina Habba told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Cohen had served three years behind bars for several federal crimes relating to his work for Trump, including lying to Congress. He was released on home confinement during the pandemic, but was sent back to prison after refusing to sign an agreement limiting his postings on social media and contacts with the press.

HOUSE JUDICIARY GOP CALLS ON APPELLATE COURTS TO ‘REVERSE THE VERDICT’ IN NY V. TRUMP IN NEW STAFF REPORT

Former President Donald Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen departs from his home to attend his second day of testimony at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 14, 2024, in New York City.

“The Constitution is the bedrock of our democratic republic and is what makes America the beacon of the world,” Cohen said of his lawsuit in July. “To have a President weaponize the DOJ… is how autocracies are created.”

TRUMP MAKES FRIES AT PENNSYLVANIA MCDONALD’S: ‘I’VE NOW WORKED FOR 15 MINUTES MORE THAN KAMALA’

Cohen argued that he was sent back behind bars, shackled and placed in solitary confinement on the alleged orders of Trump and Justice Department officials in July 2020 in retaliation for his writing his first tell-all book, “Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.”

Trump was accused of retaliating against Michael Cohen for publishing a book critical of the former president. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

“Presidents are not kings,” Cohen’s wrote in his petition to the Supreme Court. “This case represents the principle that presidents and their subordinates can lock away critics of the executive without consequence. That cannot be the law in the country the Founders thought they created when they threw off the yoke of the monarch.”

WHAT DONALD TRUMP SAID HE’S GETTING KAMALA HARRIS FOR HER BIRTHDAY

In 2020, U.S. Federal Court Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein found that the Trump administration violated Cohen’s First Amendment rights when it sent him back behind bars after he was released to home confinement.

“The purpose of transferring Mr. Cohen from furlough and home confinement to jail is retaliatory,” the judge said during a hearing on Cohen’s reimprisonment.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Cohen’s petition without comment. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“It’s retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book and to discuss anything about the book or anything else he wants on social media and with others.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Two courts ruled against Cohen’s initial claim, based on a narrow reading of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the 1971 case Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents, which provides citizens the limited legal right to sue federal officials who violate their constitutional rights.

The Supreme Court did not elaborate on its decision to reject Cohen’s appeal.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Eric Shawn contributed to this report.

Former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade met with Biden administration staff on at least two occasions during District Attorney Fani Willis’ probe into former President Donald Trump, a newly released transcript suggests.

Wade was interviewed by House Judiciary Committee staff last week as part of Chairman Jim Jordan’s probe into the prosecutions of the former president.

A grand jury indicted Trump and allies last year on charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

Wade did not disclose the details of his supposed meetings with White House representatives, including if they were in-person or remote, but he acknowledged the existence of invoices and other records that indicated discussions occurred.

GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE

Former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade (Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images)

At one point, the transcript shows Wade was asked about an invoice line indicating “travel to Athens; conf with White House counsel, May 23rd, 2022.”

“So if it says conf with White House counsel, that would mean there was a conf with White House counsel?” investigators asked, according to the transcript.

Wade responded that the semicolon written after “travel to Athens” represented a separate thought.

The investigator asked, “So if you billed for a conf with White House counsel, would that have occurred?”

TRUMP VS HARRIS ROUND 2? VOTERS IN KEY GA COUNTY REVEAL IF THEY WANT SECOND DEBATE

Wade challenged, “If I billed for a conf with White House counsel, this document doesn’t say that that cong with White House counsel happened in Athens. That’s not what that says.”

Pressed again on whether the reference to White House counsel meant he billed for a conference with such an official, Wade said, “Yes.”

Wade later said he did not recall details of the meeting denoted by a record reading, “Interview with D.C./White House, November 18th, 2022. Eight hours at $250. Cost $2,000,” according to the transcript.

Details he did not recall included participants in the meeting, any possible travel, or who was involved in scheduling it.

But when asked, “And if you billed for it, if you billed 8 hours for interview with D.C./White House, it’s safe to assume that you would have taken part in the interview?,” Wade replied, “Yes ma’am.”

The transcript does not indicate what the meetings were about, including whether they were related to Trump. 

Andrew Evans, Wade’s attorney, pointed out to Fox News Digital that Wade said he had “no specific memory of those meetings.”

Evans also pointed to another section of the transcript in which Wade said the invoices did not signify whether the listed meetings were with the Trump White House or Biden White House, and that it did not specify whether they were about the White House or with officials from it.

“Wade also noted that if he met with current White House employees, it would have been because prosecutors wanted to interview individuals like former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows. The United States Supreme Court case of United States ex rel. Touhy v. Ragen, 340 U.S. 462 (1951), requires that prosecutors confer with government officials before interviewing current or former federal employees,” Evans said.

CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION

Wade said he did not know or recall information dozens of times throughout the course of the interview.

Wade was brought into the Fulton County investigation by Willis as a special prosecutor but stepped away after it was revealed he and Willis began a romantic relationship, which has since ended.

Jordan has been seeking a committee sit-down with Wade for months over accusations that both he and Willis profited off of the probe during their relationship – something both circles have vehemently denied.

Both Willis and Wade have maintained that their relationship had nothing to do with the case and have accused Republicans of trying to unjustly interfere in the Fulton County probe.

Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County DA Fani Willis’ probe. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

One of Trump’s co-defendants had sued to have Willis and Wade disqualified from the case, arguing their relationship presented a conflict of interest and that they financially benefited from the probe.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A Fulton County judge ruled in March that Willis could stay on the case if Wade was removed. Wade subsequently resigned from the case.

The former special prosecutor was grilled by investigators for over four hours on Capitol Hill last week.

Vice President Harris made campaign stops at Black churches in Georgia over the weekend, days after sparking controversy among Christian Americans by telling protesters praising Jesus “you’re at the wrong rally.” 

Harris celebrated her 60th birthday at two Black churches outside of Atlanta on Sunday as part of a nationwide push – known as “Souls to the Polls” – to encourage Black voters to participate in early voting.  

After the congregation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, sang “Happy Birthday” to her, Harris made a veiled dig at her opponent, former President Trump, while speaking about her faith. 

“In this moment, across our nation, what we do see are some who try to deepen division among us, spread hate, sow fear and cause chaos,” Harris told Black churchgoers. “There are those who suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of what we know, which is the true measure of the strength of a leader, is based on who you lift up.” 

TRUMP, HARRIS NECK AND NECK AS DEMS LOSE GROUND AMONG LATINO, BLACK VOTERS: POLL

Kamala Harris listens as Stevie Wonder performs “Redemption Song” at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Georgia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Harris was later serenaded by Stevie Wonder at Divine Faith Ministries International in Jonesboro, Georgia, where the Democratic nominee referenced the parable of the good Samaritan a second time. 

“There is so much at stake right now,” Harris said, attempting to contrast herself against Trump two weeks from Election Day. “We understand that for us to do good works, it means to do it in the spirit of understanding that our strength is not based on who we beat down as someone tries to suggest….”

“Our strength is based on who we lift up, and that spirit is very much at stake in these next 16 days, which is are we a country that honors through our faith and our deeds the importance of kindness – of support, of understanding the dignity in each other and the respect that we should have for each other.” 

The concept of “Souls to the Polls” dates back to the Civil Rights Movement. Black congregations hold a tradition of leading get-out-the-vote campaigns to counter voter suppression efforts of the Jim Crow era. 

Donald Trump addressed the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority Conference in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2024. (Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

VANCE TAKES FAITH APPROACH AFTER HARRIS MOCKED PRO-LIFE PROTESTERS AT RALLY: ‘JESUS IS KING’

Harris’ appearances in the swing state of Georgia come days after she told two pro-life student protesters that they were “at the wrong rally” when they yelled, “Jesus is Lord,” and, “Christ is King,” during a campaign stop in Wisconsin last week.

By contrast, Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, repeated, “Jesus is King” when someone shouted the phrase at his rally in Wisconsin over the weekend, telling the crowd how he believes “there is something really bizarre with Harris’ anti-Christian rhetoric and anti-Christian approach to public policy.” 

Kamala Harris greets a member of the congregation at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Georgia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Harris also skipped the Al Smith dinner, a Catholic charity event in New York City and a traditional campaign stop for presidential nominees, instead sending a poorly-received video message last week.

Trump is campaigning in another battleground, North Carolina, on Monday, where he is expected to visit Hurricane Helene devastation in Asheville before convening an “11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting” with Eric Trump and Ben Carson outside of Charlotte. The Republican nominee’s “Believers for Trump” initiative includes outreach to Black voters, a traditionally Democratic constituency where Trump has made inroads.

The engagement of faith voters in the 2024 election underscores an unprecedented blending of partisan politics with Christianity at a moment when many churches have seen attendance decline. 

 CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

On Friday, the Democratic National Committee hosted a call to launch its “Souls to the Polls” effort with civil rights activist Martin Luther King III, who endorsed Harris and called Trump “a disaster for Black America.” The campaign kicked off its own “Souls to the Polls” program and set up a faith advisory board of progressive faith leaders that includes a pastor, Amos C. Brown, of the Third Baptist Church in San Francisco.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

FEASTERVILLE, Pennsylvania— House Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of a campaign swing with former President Trump that Vice President Kamala Harris is “toxic” for the Keystone State.

Reschenthaler, who represents Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District, campaigned with Trump on Sunday across the state. 

“He’s fighting hard,” Trump said of Reschenthaler Sunday afternoon. “He wants us to win.” 

Trump’s comments about the congressman came during his visit to McDonald’s in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, where he traded in his signature suit jacket for an apron to learn how to cook French fries and deliver them to customers from the drive-thru window.

TRUMP MAKES FRIES AT PENNSYLVANIA MCDONALD’S: ‘I’VE NOW WORKED FOR 15 MINUTES MORE THAN KAMALA’

Former President Trump, right, with Rep. Guy Reschenthaler at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.

The visit was intended to slam Harris for her claim that she was once a worker for the fast-food chain. 

“It is important to highlight that Harris has repeatedly lied — and so has [Gov. Tim] Walz — on this campaign trail,” Reschenthaler told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the visit. “And you have President Trump who is willing to call out his opponent on being loose with the facts.” 

He added: “It just reminds voters again that Harris has misrepresented her past, and President Trump is going and connecting with the people of Pennsylvania.” 

The Harris campaign blasted the McDonald’s visit as a “staged photo-op,” saying Trump “doesn’t understand what it’s like to work for a living,” and saying the vice president “has a record of standing up for workers and taking on bad actors who rip people off, and she’ll do the same as President.”

Former President Trump works the drive-thru line at a McDonald’s on Oct. 20, 2024, in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Reschenthaler, who is up for re-election and hoping to seek a fourth term, says he is “feeling very good” with his own race, and is now focusing on helping Trump and other Republicans win in Pennsylvania. 

The congressman pointed to new ads airing in the state from incumbent Democrat Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., in his race against Republican Dave McCormick. 

Casey’s ad highlights how he “bucked Biden” and “sided” with Trump to end NAFTA and put tariffs on China to “stop them from cheating.” The ad highlights the Democrat senator as an “independent,” and features a Republican woman and her Democrat husband. It does not mention Vice President Harris. 

“As soon as I saw that ad where he was trying to tie himself to Trump, I knew — they’ve got to be seeing what we’re seeing in terms of internal polling — that Trump is surging,” Reschenthaler said. “They know that Trump has taken the lead, and they know that Harris has become toxic.” 

“That is the only reason why you would have a seasoned Democratic senator like Casey disavowing Harris and trying to tie himself to Trump,” he continued. “He sees the numbers.” 

Reschenthaler said he also thinks the ad shows that there is a “real chance that McCormick has a shot at beating Casey.” 

“People are going to come out and vote for Trump and Republicans down ballot, which will help us — not only in the Senate, but will help us in the competitive congressional districts as well,” he said. 

Sen. Bob Casey participates in a campaign event on Oct. 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)

Later Sunday, Reschenthaler joined Trump at a town hall hosted by Sage Steele in Lancaster, Pa., and then attended the Pittsburgh Steeler’s game against the New York Jets with the former president. 

Reschenthaler told Fox News Digital that Pennsylvania is “such a critical state.” 

“They don’t call us the Keystone State for nothing,” Reschenthaler said, predicting that whoever wins Pennsylvania “is likely going to win this election.” 

“That is why it is so important for President Trump and Republicans to put up big numbers here in Pennsylvania,” he said. 

The chief deputy whip told Fox News Digital that it is “critical” for Republicans to gain traction in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and of Philadelphia while also getting voter turnout in the more rural parts of the state. As for the most important issues for Pennsylvanians, Reschenthaler said voters are focused on the economy, jobs, inflation and energy, stressing the importance of the natural gas industry for the state. 

‘BLUE WALL’ DEMOCRAT ALIGNS WITH TRUMP IN NEW PITCH TO VOTERS BEFORE ELECTION

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler speaks to Fox News Digital during the NRA’s Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Fox News Digital )

“And then you also have immigration, which is usually No. 2 or 3 in voters’ concerns,” he continued. “Everybody says, ‘Yeah, but Pennsylvania is not a border state,’ but under Harris’ reckless and dangerous far-left policies of the border, every state is now a border state.”

Reschenthaler said voters in his district, specifically in Southwestern Pennsylvania, have “definitely seen a difference” since the Trump administration. 

“They are struggling to afford groceries, gasoline, heating bills — just utilities in general,” he said, while noting that “real wage growth is actually decreasing under Harris,” but recalled the increasing wage growth under the Trump administration, especially for minorities.

“That’s another reason why President Trump is doing so well with minority populations, which, historically for Republicans, we’ve had a difficulty reaching minorities,” he said. “But not President Trump — he transcends that.”

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event on Oct. 18, 2024, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

According to a new USA Today/Suffolk University Poll, Harris has fallen back in support among Latino and Black voters in the seven weeks between surveys. The new poll found Latino voters now back Trump by 49% to 38%. Black voters prefer Harris by 72% to 17%, but that 55-point edge is significantly less than the advantage Democrats traditionally enjoy. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Harris-Walz campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Liz Cheney teamed up with Vice President Kamala Harris Monday in a last-minute effort to appeal to moderate Republicans who the former congresswoman believes might be uneasy about voting for Donald Trump but are afraid to say so publicly. 

Harris and Cheney visited three counties: Chester County in Pennsylvania, Oakland County in Michigan and Waukesha County in Wisconsin. Each were won by Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination. 

During a townhall in Michigan, Cheney framed the November election as a choice between “right and wrong.”

TRUMP CAMPAIGN SENDS LETTER TO CBS DEMANDING UNEDITED ‘60 MINUTES’ HARRIS TRANSCRIPT, TEASES POTENTIAL LAWSUIT

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listens as Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney speaks during a town hall at The People’s Light in Malvern, Pa., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024.  (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“I certainly have many Republicans who will say to me, I can’t be public. They do worry about a whole range of things, including violence. But they’ll do the right thing,” Cheney said. 

The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney then predicted that “millions” of moderate Republicans who are too afraid to go against Trump publicly will vote for Harris. 

Vice President Kamala Harris (center) and former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney (right) team up for campaign town-halls in three key battleground states, starting with Malvern, Pennsylvania on Oct. 21, 2024 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

“And I would just remind people, if you’re at all concerned, you can vote your conscience and not ever have to say a word to anybody. And there will be millions of Republicans who do that on November 5th, vote for Vice President Harris,” Cheney said, eliciting applause from the audience. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Cheney was essentially exiled from the Republican Party for participating in a congressional investigation of Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, events at the U.S. Capitol. 

She lost her congressional seat in a primary battle two years ago.

A top political handicapper shifted its rating on Monday in the pivotal Pennsylvania Senate race, signaling dwindling chances for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey’s re-election. 

Unveiling two ratings changes roughly two weeks from Election Day, the Cook Political Report indicated heightened competition in both Pennsylvania and Nebraska, where an independent candidate is threatening to unseat an incumbent Republican. 

In Pennsylvania, the race between incumbent Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick is now considered a “Toss Up,” according to the handicapper. The battle was previously rated “Lean Democrat.”

SCHUMER-TIED GROUP DROPS MILLIONS AGAINST TED CRUZ AS DEMS EYE PICKUP OPPORTUNITY IN TEXAS

Bob Casey, left, and Dave McCormick (AP | Reuters)

Cook cited McCormick “shoring up the GOP base and making gains in the western part of the state,” as part of its justification. It also noted that while Casey has a several point advantage over his opponent in public polls, the race is reportedly within the margin of error in both Democratic and Republican internal surveys. 

Casey’s race is now in the same category as Senate races in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. 

GOP CHALLENGER TIES SEN BALDWIN’S REMARK ABOUT TRUMP VOTERS TO CLINTON’S INFAMOUS ‘DEPLORABLES’ MOMENT

Casey is only leading McCormick by single digits. (Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The ratings change comes as the presidential election between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is practically tied in the battleground state. With split-ticket voting becoming increasingly rare, it’s very likely that whichever party wins the White House will also win the Senate race. 

SENATE SHAKE-UP: HOW A SECRET BALLOT COULD UNDERMINE A POTENTIAL TRUMP ENDORSEMENT IN RACE TO THE TOP

McCormick is endorsed by Trump. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Casey defeated McCormick among likely voters 48% to 44% in a recent New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena College poll. The survey of 857 Pennsylvania voters was conducted between Oct. 7 and 10. The margin of error was +/- 3.8 percentage points. 

Republicans also took a hit in the ratings shifts, with Sen. Deb Fischer’s race in Nebraska moved again to demonstrate a quickly developing tight race. The match-up shifted from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.” 

HOVDE SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON TAMMY BALDWIN’S WALL STREET PARTNER DURING WISCONSIN DEBATE

Osborn, left, is challenging Fischer’s  re-election bid, running as an independent. (Reuters)

Independent candidate Dan Osborn, a union leader and mechanic, has appeared to take Fischer’s re-election campaign by surprise with his popularity just weeks from the election. No Democrat candidate was nominated in the race. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Despite the notable challenge, “we still think the heavy red hue of the state wins out, GOP attacks on Democratic efforts to covertly boost Osborn break through and that Fischer makes it across the finish line,” Cook wrote. 

Fischer’s re-election bid is now in the same category as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

The father of a trans athlete at a New Hampshire high school is requesting a non-prison sentence for his child pornography distribution charges, citing his advocacy for his trans daughter’s fight to play in girls’ sports in a letter to the federal judge.

Marc Jacques, the father of New Hampshire high school trans athlete Maëlle Jacques, was sentenced on Sept. 9 to 60 months behind federal bars, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. The U.S. Probation Office allowed him to get his affairs in order before reporting to prison in December.

In his letter to U.S. District Judge Paul Barbadoro, Jacques argues his collaboration with the ACLU and GLAAD is essential to support Maëlle’s fight to be able to continue playing in girls’ sports teams. 

He noted in the letter that Maëlle does not have the support of Maëlle’s mother because of Maëlle’s transgender identity. Jacques wrote that he has had full custody for the last several years, making him the sole support system for Maëlle and Maëlle’s brother, Remi.

VIOLENT CONVICT’S TAXPAYER-FUNDED SEX CHANGE CHALLENGED BY STATE AG AFTER JUDGE’S APPROVAL

A transgender flag unfurled on a pole. Texas SB 14 would ban gender-affirming treatments and therapies for transgender youth if signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.  (Getty Images)

“As a transgendered teen, Maëlle has had a very, very tough time finding acceptance and seeking to love themselves. Since the Spring of 2023, Maëlle has faced online bullying, vicious attacks on social media and has been the subject of discrimination in pamphlets distributed publicly throughout our school district, as just some examples,” Jacques wrote.  

“Before finding joy in school sports, Maëlle suffered from anorexia, depression and anxiety and practiced self-harm (cutting). Since the NH Legislature began their attempts to take rights away from Maëlle and other trans teens this past legislative session, Maëlle has become more anxious once again and has had episodes of self-harm,” he said.

Maëlle is also seeking out medical advice on gender transition treatments, his letter notes, “and with her mother being adamantly opposed to gender-affirming medical care, I am Maelle’s sole support system.”

“The Pediatric Endocrinologist at DHMC is also exploring the option of providing a medical opinion that the gender dysphoria from which Maëlle is suffering can be declared a disability, most notably in the context of the sports ban,” Jacques wrote. 

“This potential option is another strong example of Maëlle needing my support and caretaking as her mother and stepmother will oppose this option and any other option which could lead to Maëlle’s playing high school sports.”

Maëlle also submitted a letter to the judge pleading for a non-custodial sentence for Jacques, and said that Jacques has been attending therapy and group rehab for his crime.

“If I were unable to stay with him due to a prison sentence, it would be a major strike to my own mental stability as I would lose the home I grew up in and the safety I feel inside of it, as well as the sheer support from him which I simply do not receive at my mother’s,” Maëlle wrote. “The work I have begun to do with the ACLU in regard to my existence as a trans girl in sports is also reliant upon his moral support in my testifying and meeting with Senators. A prison sentence would also harm me and my brother’s future as we would stop receiving support for college payments without his salary.”

The judge has not ruled on a non-custodial sentence for Jacques.

INDIANA JUDGE RULES PRISON MUST PROVIDE TRANSGENDER SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO KILLED BABY

Soccer ball (Getty Images)

Prosecutors allege Jacques shared child sexual abuse material online

According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Jacques pleaded guilty to one charge of distribution of child pornography.

In February 2022, authorities began investigating multiple CyberTips reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) by MediaLab/Kik, prosecutors wrote in court documents. The platform flagged that a user named “wayne9985” had uploaded 49 files that appeared to depict child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to other users through private messages between Nov. 24 and Dec. 6, 2021.

Investigators identified Jacques as the user behind the Kik account after tracing IP addresses linked to some of the uploads, including one from his home in Newbury and another from his girlfriend’s residence in Hopkinton. Further inquiries revealed that Jacques’ residential IP address had been associated with over 40 prior CyberTips reported by Reddit, Google, Tumblr, and sendvid from 2018 to 2022. A search of Jacques’ Kik account showed he had disseminated at least 26 files of CSAM via private messages on various dates in November and December 2021.

ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH

 Protestors during a rally at Churchill Square in support of trans youth in Alberta following the ‘Sing With Love’ concert at McDougall United Church, on February 11, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Maëlle’s high-profile battle with New Hampshire law

Maëlle, a student at Kearsage High School in New Hampshire, is nearly 6-feet in height, according to multiple reports. Jacques was allowed to play for Kearsage’s Regional despite a state law in New Hampshire that restricts transgender inclusion in girls’ sports. However, a federal judge’s ruling in September put Maëlle right back onto the field and into the locker room with the other girls’ athletes.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed House Bill 1205, also known as the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” into law in July, which prohibits trans girls and women from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. But then Maëlle’s family, along with the family of another transgender athlete, sued to block it. 

A federal court granted a preliminary injunction on Sept. 10, which meant that the two athletes would be allowed to play until a final ruling is made. A final ruling has not been made, so they have continued to play despite the state law. 

The judge who made the ruling, Landya McCafferty, is a liberal who was appointed to her seat by former President Obama in 2013. 

Jacques’ re-arrest

Jacques was re-arrested on Friday, according to a local report, and is accused of obtaining more illegal images after his sentencing.

A probation officer reported that pretrial internet monitoring reports showed Jacques accessed a data storage device, which appeared to contain more videos of child sexual abuse material, around Aug. 10 and Sept. 16.

Court documents reportedly show that an arrest warrant was issued for Jacques, leading to his re-arrest on Friday. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday at the U.S. District Court in Concord.

Fox News Digital’s Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

A group of House Democrats is protesting proposed GOP-led voting restrictions cracking down on overseas ballots, arguing that the measure – the latest in a string of GOP-led efforts to strengthen election security – is overly restrictive and risks disenfranchising thousands of U.S. service members stationed abroad. 

Their protest comes just weeks after six out of eight House Republicans from Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month, aiming to get the Keystone State to add additional vetting processes for U.S. residents living overseas. 

Republican plaintiffs argued that current law makes it possible for these residents to register and vote in elections without proper identification. They can then “receive a ballot by email and then vote a ballot without providing identification at any step in the process,” the group alleged.

FLURRY OF PRE-ELECTION LEGAL CASES IS NOW ‘STANDARDIZED’ STRATEGY, EXPERTS SAY

The town of Charleroi, Pennsylvania. (Adam Shaw/Fox News Digital)

But that contention has been met with fierce resistance by the half-dozen Democrats in Congress, who argued that the level of vetting sought by Republicans would disenfranchise “tens of thousands” of overseas voters in their states – including, importantly, U.S. service men and women stationed abroad.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, six Democrats, all of whom served in the U.S. military, voiced deep concern over the lawsuit and its potential for discounting the votes of U.S. service members in key battleground states.

The letter, sent by Reps. Pat Ryan of New York, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Chrissy Houlahan and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, and Mike Thompson and Salud Carbajal of California, and shared with Fox News, argued that the GOP-led push is an unfounded attempt to discount the votes of a once-Republican demographic, which has shifted in recent years to favor Democratic candidates. 

The lawsuit, they added, threatens to disenfranchise “tens of thousands” of service members abroad.  

And in a neck-and-neck election, this group of voters could play a decisive role. 

More than 1.2 million overseas ballots were cast in the 2020 election, according to data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. In Pennsylvania alone, there are roughly 25,000 registered U.S. voters living abroad. 

“Election-denying extremists, afraid they are losing this election, are actively working to disenfranchise members of our military deployed outside of the United States,” Houlahan, an Air Force veteran, told Fox News. 

NEBRASKA HIGH COURT RESTORES VOTING RIGHT FOR THOUSANDS OF CONVICTED FELONS

Six House Republicans from Pennsylvania filed a federal lawsuit to push the Keystone State to add additional vetting processes for U.S. residents living overseas. (iStock)

All six Republicans named in the lawsuit had also voted against certifying Pennsylvania’s electoral votes in the 2020 election, she added.

But in the final sprint to Election Day in a dead-heat presidential race, these court battles aren’t confined solely to Pennsylvania. 

In recent weeks, the Republican Party has filed similar lawsuits challenging the overseas registration process for voters in North Carolina and Michigan, each considered “toss-up” states in the 2024 election, and where Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump are tied nearly neck-and-neck.

GOP plaintiffs argued in both states that the overseas voters do not meet the necessary criteria to register and vote in the election.

Asked for comment, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, one of six Pennsylvania Republican plaintiffs, told Fox News that the case “is simple.” 

The Pennsylvania Department of State is “unlawfully diluting the rightful ballots of the brave men and women who serve our nation and their family members,” he said in a statement. “Unelected career bureaucrats have no right to ignore federal laws that secure our elections.”

“In the Navy JAG Corps, I made daily trips into the red zone in Baghdad, this is personal to me,” he added. “I will always stand up for those in uniform who deserve to have their right to a secure election protected.”

Houlahan dismissed the lawsuits in a statement of her own, however, describing them to Fox News as an “assault on the patriotism of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and guardians who have taken an oath to defend and protect the United States,” and on their spouses and families also living overseas. 

SOLDIERS WERE FIRST: HOW AND WHY THE STATES STARTED AND NOW HANDLE EARLY AND ABSENTEE VOTING

“It is desperate, cynical, and unconstitutional to attempt to deprive American citizens – no matter where they live – of their right to vote and to have their votes counted,” Houlahan said. 

There are also important questions of standing in each of the cases. 

Though federal law defers to individual states to establish their own election rules, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA, tasks the secretary of defense with implementing the registration and voting for U.S. service members and government employees living abroad. 

The UOCAVA, passed in 1986, states that the voting process for Americans living overseas should not be “overly burdensome.” It has also twice been significantly revised and modernized to improve the process of overseas voting, according to a Congressional Research Service report. 

These changes were ordered in 2001, in response to controversy over the 2000 presidential election, including ballots cast by U.S. voters in Florida and overseas, and then in 2009, as a result of new efficiency standards included in the 2010 NDAA. 

Vice President Kamala Harris greets members of the military at the North Carolina Air National Guard in Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP/Chris Carlson)

“While some of our colleagues are actively seeking to sow discord and misinformation, we urge you to carry out President Biden’s executive order and Federal Law to the best of your ability and ensure that all Americans have their constitutionally guaranteed right to participate in federal elections,” the lawmakers told Austin in their letter. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

It’s unclear how the lawsuits will turn out, though a judge in Michigan said last week that the Republican plaintiffs waited too long to bring their claims before the court, noting that the court “shouldn’t be changing the rules for this election two-and-a-half weeks ahead of time.”

North Carolina, for its part, will hear from Republicans this week. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

EXCLUSIVE: A right-leaning research group is claiming that the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Biden administration back paid more than $130 million to 1,700 people fired under a Trump-era law that allows for easier accountability for federal employees.

Through Freedom of Information Act filings, the America First Policy Institute will soon release the results of its probe.

Its investigation also found the VA reinstated more than 100 terminated employees who were fired for indiscretions ranging from negligence to sleeping on the job. Dozens of dismissals accounted for in documents reviewed by Fox News Digital did not have other specific offenses listed with them.

Following the passage of the 2017 law, the VA reportedly failed to bargain with its public employee union and was ordered to attend arbitration. Because of this, according to a source familiar, the VA could have been required to rehire all previously terminated employees, including those fired for “grievous misconduct” like patient abuse or harassment.

The agency ultimately reached a settlement with the union in 2023 and only 106 out of 1,700 employees offered financial compensation so far have been reinstated.

GOP VETERAN LAWMAKER DROPS SCATHING ‘STOLEN VALOR’ LETTER TO WALZ AS TRUMP CAMP RIPS ‘FREAKISH TIMOTHY’

The Department of Veterans Affairs building is seen in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2019.  (ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images)

The investigation found that of the more than 4,000 terminated employees, more than 1,700 received back pay or compensation.

At that rate, back pay to the entire group of former employees would total $300 million, a statement from AFPI read.

Former Trump VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said the current administration has “let down American veterans and taxpayers” with such actions.

“Those fired for mistreating American veterans should not even be allowed near the VA, much less reinstated,” said Wilkie, now a fellow at AFPI’s Center for American Security. 

“Instead of litigating these baseless grievances or working with Congress to strengthen the Accountability Act, the Biden-Harris administration surrendered to the government employee union. Taxpayers and veterans who receive care from poor performers will pay the price.”

ARMY VET PREDICTS FIRST RED FLIP OF ‘POOREST’ NC DISTRICT SINCE 1883, CITING BIDEN-ERA ‘MALAISE’

A U.S. Army and Vietnam War veteran attends a Memorial Day event at the Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe, N.M. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

In 2017, under the previous administration, VA failed to bargain with AFGE on the implementation of this law — as legally required by VA’s contract. As a result, the agency was repeatedly court-ordered to reinstate fired employees, the source said.

But current VA leadership is adamant that no employee previously fired for serious offenses like patient abuse has been reinstated.

“VA has ensured that bad actors cannot return to work and saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars,” a department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

“The [Trump] administration’s implementation of the 2017 law was repeatedly struck down by the courts, putting VA at risk of having to rehire individuals who committed patient abuse, harassment, and criminal activity — and putting taxpayers on the hook for more than $1 billion.”

The spokesperson said the VA will continue to hold employees accountable who mistreat patients or commit other transgressions, and that anyone who is reinstated will be held to that high standard or be dismissed. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Veterans trust VA at the highest rate in history — and we are delivering more care and more benefits to more veterans than ever before,” they said.

The law Trump signed, authored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act — meant to do what its title laid out.

It gave the agency new authority to terminate employees for poor performance or misconduct more quickly, and led to multiple grievances being filed by the public employee union AFGE.

Some of the reinstated employees were originally terminated for sleeping on the job, unauthorized access to employee medical records and failure to follow procedures, according to FOIA documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

Welcome to the Fox News’ Politics newsletter, with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

Here’s what’s happening…

– New report shows a clear front-runner in Harris, Trump campaign cash race

–Nathan Wade admitted to multiple White House meetings during Trump Georgia probe, transcript suggests

-Supreme Court rejects lawyer Michael Cohen lawsuit against Trump over alleged retaliation

‘Tragic and Shocking’ Breakdown

The deadly shooting at former President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on July 13 was a “preventable” incident stemming from a lack of proper planning and communication between law enforcement agencies, according to a new report.

The House Task Force investigating the attempts on Trump’s life is releasing their interim findings on Monday, with a final report expected by Dec. 13.

“Although the findings in this report are preliminary, the information obtained during the first phase of the Task Force’s investigation clearly shows a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally,” the report said…Read more

An interim report was released on the deadly shooting at former President Trump’s July 13 rally in Pennsylvania (Getty Images)

White House

‘BLANKET AMNESTY’: 11 million illegals would have become citizens under bill that Kamala Harris promoted…Read more

‘YOU CAN TOO’: Harris invokes Jimmy Carter in bid to get supporters to vote early…Read more

‘RIGHT CALL’: First Lady Jill Biden tells ABC that President Biden dropping out of the race was ‘right call’…Read more

‘BAD POLICY’: Harris death tax reform could impact more than just the ultra-wealthy, experts say…Read more

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: Pentagon lacks counter-drone procedure leading to incursions like at Langley, experts say…Read more

‘HISTORICALLY BAD’: Critics drag Harris for ‘cringe’ pre-recorded video aired during Catholic charity dinner…Read more

An video of US Vice President Kamala Harris is playing on screen as former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with his wife Melania Trump, Archbishop of New York Timothy M. Dolan, Majority Leader of the US Senate Chuck Schumer and many politicians attend the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Hilton Midtown in New York, October 17, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Capitol Hill

SHROUD OF SECRECY: How a secret ballot could undermine a potential Trump endorsement in race to the top…Read more

‘WINDOW’ OF OPPORTUNITY: Graham says Israel has window to ‘replace Hamas forever’ after Sinwar killing: ‘Door is now open’…Read more

‘HEAD OF THE SNAKE’: Speaker Johnson says now is the time for US, Israel to go after Iran: ‘Head of the snake’…Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 24: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to speak at a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. Standing behind him are House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) left, and Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.)(Photo by Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images) ( Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Tales from the Trail

WHO’S MORE ACCESSIBLE?: Trump-Vance ticket has done combined 87 interviews since August compared to 48 for Harris-Walz…Read more

‘JESUS IS KING’: Vance takes faith approach after Harris mocked pro-life protesters at rally…Read more

MAKE A WISH: What Donald Trump said he’s getting Kamala Harris for her birthday…Read more

MC’DONALD’ TRUMP: Trump makes fries at Pennsylvania McDonald’s: ‘I’ve now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala’…Read more

FEASTERVILLE-TREVOSE, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 20: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump works the drive-through line as he visits a McDonald’s restaurant on October 20, 2024 in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania. Trump is campaigning the entire day in the state of Pennsylvania. Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris continue to campaign in battleground swing states ahead of the November 5th election. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

‘BELITTING AND INSULTING’: New ‘insulting’ Harris ad target’s Black men’s love lives…Read more

PARTING WAYS: Harris campaign abandons Biden in final weeks before Election Day…Read more

WISCONSIN SENATE: GOP challenger ties Sen Baldwin’s remark about Trump voters to Clinton’s infamous ‘deplorables’ moment…Read more

‘SOULS TO THE POLLS’: Harris makes pitch to Black churches after telling protester praising Jesus ‘you’re at the wrong rally’…Read more

‘1M TO SOMEONE IN SWING STATES’: Here’s how Elon Musk’s $1 million a day give-away to battleground voters works…Read more

NECK AND NECK: Trump, Harris neck and neck as Dems lose ground among Latino, Black voters…Read more

ELECTION THREATS TASK FORCE: DOJ deploys district elections officers to handle ‘threats and intimidation’…Read more

A side-by-side of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (AP Images)

Across America

CATCH AND RELEASE: Blue state, ICE battle over releasing illegal immigrants as expert warns politicians put ideology over safety…Read more

‘VITRIOLIC HATRED’: Elon Musk to upgrade security after Der Spiegel labels him ‘Public Enemy No. 2’…Read more

‘HURRICANE HELENE FIRSTHAND’: Trump plans to tour the devastation left by Hurricane Helene in latest battleground state stop…Read more

‘DELAYING THE TRANSPARENCY’: Pressure grows on Georgia Secretary of State to release results of non-citizen voter roll audit…Read more

PEACH FIGHT: Georgia casts over 1.4M ballots as critical battleground shatters early voting records…Read more

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MARCH 12: A voter holds up her sticker after casting her ballot for the Primary election on March 12, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. President Biden (D) and Former president Donald Trump (R) are the front runners. (Photo by Megan Varner/ Washington Post)

GOV GRILLED: Dem battleground gov has no answer when pressed for policy difference between Harris, Biden…Read more

DEMOCRACY ’24: Early In-person voting begins for Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas…Read more

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Sunday brought a stark split screen to the 2024 presidential race – Vice President Kamala Harris marking her 60th with Stevie Wonder singing “Happy Birthday” in Georgia, while former President Trump worked the drive-thru at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.

Celebrities have been flocking to support Harris’ 2024 campaign since she entered the race over the summer, and battleground states are seeing their fair share of A-lister visits as early voting kicks off.

Among the places where star power has been most pronounced is Georgia, which has seen a litany of famous faces.

GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE

Stars like Julia Roberts and Stevie Wonder have gone to Georgia in support of Vice President Harris. (Getty Images)

It comes as both campaigns work to generate support in the state that President Biden won by less than 1% in 2020.

The winner will likely need a significant amount of support from the state’s Black population and middle-class suburban voters outside of Atlanta.

For his part to win over working voters, Trump cooked and served french fries to customers at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on Sunday, while accusing Harris of lying about once working at the fast-food restaurant.

“I’ve now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala at McDonald’s,” Trump said through the drive-thru window as he handed out orders. 

Former President Trump works the drive-thru line at a McDonald’s restaurant on Oct. 20, 2024, in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, part of Harris’ strategy to win over voters appears to be reaching out to Hollywood celebrities. Before Wonder’s appearance on Sunday, Georgia also saw rally appearances by Grammy-winning artists Meghan Thee Stallion and Usher.

In September, music icon John Legend appeared at a fireside chat event aimed at engaging young Georgia voters, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts also returned to her hometown of Smyrna, Georgia, to campaign for Harris. 

TRUMP VS HARRIS ROUND 2? VOTERS IN KEY GA COUNTY REVEAL IF THEY WANT SECOND DEBATE

Usher appeared at a rally in Georgia for Harris over the weekend. (Getty Images)

Musical artist MAJOR, stars of Bravo’s “Married To Medicine,” “Orange Is The New Black” actress Uzo Aduba, and “The Walking Dead” actress Danai Gurira have all traveled to Georgia to help Harris.

Georgia is not the only state where Harris received celebrity support – band Bon Iver performed for her campaign in Wisconsin, singer Lizzo appeared in Detroit and actress Jennifer Garner is holding events in Arizona.

But the concentrated flow of celebrities to Georgia reflects the state’s critical status in the election.

The Peach State has also already shattered previous voter turnout records, with more than 1.4 million early and absentee ballots recorded so far.

TRUMP VS HARRIS ROUND 2? VOTERS IN KEY GA COUNTY REVEAL IF THEY WANT SECOND DEBATE

Actor Dennis Quaid campaigned for Trump in California. (Getty Images)

Celebrity support is not a new phenomenon in presidential races by any stretch, but it’s worth noting Harris has seen much more high-profile public support from Hollywood than Trump.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump’s campaign won endorsements from NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, who appeared with Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, in North Carolina; actor Dennis Quaid, who spoke in support of Trump in California; Grammy winner Kanye “Ye” West, and country singer Jason Aldean, among others.

Harris’ endorsers also include Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. 

MALVERN, PA – The most high-profile GOP politician who is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Trump in the presidential election says that there are plenty of fellow Republicans who will quietly support the Democratic nominee.

“They’re going to vote the right way on Nov. 5. They might not be public about it, but they’ll do what they know is right,” former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming said on Monday, as she teamed up with Harris at a campaign event in suburban Philadelphia in battleground Pennsylvania.

While Trump retains vast sway over the GOP, even a small sliver of Republicans supporting Harris could make a consequential impact in what will likely be a race within the margins in the key swing states.

As she turns up the volume on her efforts to court disgruntled Republicans in the closing stretch of the presidential campaign, Harris on Monday was teaming up with the most visible anti-Trump Republican, not only in Pennsylvania, but also in two other crucial swing states – Michigan and Wisconsin.

HARRIS-TRUMP CASH DASH: NEW FILINGS SHOW WHICH CANDIDATE IS THE CLEAR FUNDRAISING FRONT-RUNNER

Vice President Kamala Harris listens as former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney speaks during a town hall at The People’s Light in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Cheney, a one-time rising conservative star in the GOP who, in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, has vowed to do everything she can to prevent the former president from returning to power.

“We have the opportunity to tell the whole world who we are, and we have the chance to say, you know, we’re going to reject cruelty. We’re going to reject the kind of vile vitriol that we’ve seen from Donald Trump. We’re going to reject, the misogyny that we’ve seen from Donald Trump and JD Vance,” Cheney argued.

CRUNCH TIME: HARRIS TO TEAM UP WITH THE OBAMAS IN THESE CRUCIAL SWING STATES

And she emphasized that “we have the chance in this race to elect somebody who… is going to defend the rule of law. You know, Vice President Harris is going to defend our Constitution.”

Cheney said her endorsement of the vice president was “not at all a difficult choice” and she reached her decision in part as a mother. Harris is hoping Cheney’s support will help her win support from Republican women who may hesitate on backing their party’s presidential nominee.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Liz Cheney team up for campaign town-halls in three key battleground states, starting with Malvern, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Cheney, the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, once rose within the ranks of House Republican leadership.

But she was the most high-profile of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Trump in early 2021 on a charge of inciting the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, which was waged by right-wing extremists and other Trump supporters who aimed to disrupt congressional certification of President Biden’s Electoral College victory in the 2020 election.

The conservative lawmaker and defense hawk immediately came under verbal attack from Trump and his allies and was eventually ousted from her No. 3 House GOP leadership position.

Cheney, who has been vocal in emphasizing the importance of defending the nation’s democratic process and of putting country before party, was one of only two Republicans who served on a special select committee organized by House Democrats that investigated the riot at the Capitol.

In 2022, she lost the GOP congressional primary in Wyoming to Harriet Hageman, a candidate backed by Trump.

At a speaking event in early September at Duke University in swing state North Carolina, Cheney announced that she would vote for Harris in the presidential election. Cheney’s father also endorsed Harris.

Vice President Kamala Harris teams up with former Rep. Liz Cheney, as the high-profile anti-Trump Reupblican formally endorses Harris, on Oct. 3, 2024, in Ripon, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

And Cheney formally backed Harris as they teamed up on the campaign for the first time earlier this month, at an event in Ripon, Wisconsin.

Cheney was not always a fan of Harris.

The Trump campaign has repeatedly pointed to a social media post by Cheney during the 2000 election in which she said, “@KamalaHarris has a more liberal voting record than Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Her radical leftist views-raising taxes, banning gun sales, taxpayer $ for abortion & illegal immigrant health care, eliminating private health insurance-would be devastating for America.”

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION

Trump, speaking with Fox News’ Bill Melugin during a rally in Michigan earlier this month, charged that Cheney was “terrible” and “a stupid war hawk. All she wants to do is shoot missiles at people.”

On Cheney’s backing of Harris, Trump argued, “I think they hurt each other. I think they’re so bad, both of them.”

Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

And ahead of Monday’s event, Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley argued in a statement that “Liz Cheney is just as unpopular as Kamala Harris is to Pennsylvania voters – bringing her to the Keystone State to try to catch up to President Trump’s lead is not a winning strategy.”

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLS IN THE 2024 ELECTION SHOW 

Cheney and her father are part of a growing list of prominent Republicans who are supporting Harris.

Two other high-profile anti-Trump Republicans, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, had speaking roles at the Democratic National Convention, which was held six weeks ago in Chicago.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event with leading Republican supporters, on Oct. 16, 2024, in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

And Kinzinger and Duncan joined other prominent Republicans who are backing the vice president at an event with Harris last week in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, at the historic park where George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 – a turning point moment in the American Revolutionary War.

The lifelong Pennsylvania Republicans who introduced Harris at last week’s event – Bob and Kristina Lange – were part of a group sitting on stage behind Harris and Cheney at Monday’s event.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Langes, who own a family farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, have also starred in a Harris campaign commercial. The Langes say they’ve seen a barrage of hateful and derogatory messages following their appearance in the Harris ad.

But in an interview last week, they noted that their Republican friends say “that they’re on the same page that we are. They’re approaching us and telling us ‘We’re behind you.’ They’re thanking us for what we’re doing. They’re thanking us for being brave because many people are afraid to speak out against Trump because of revenge and other things like that.”

Harris, as she and Cheney took moderated questions from the audience at a theater in the outer suburbs of Philadelphia, reiterated that her administration “will not be a continuation of the Biden administration. I bring to it my own ideas, my own experiences.”

And while the town hall style event was aimed at speaking to suburban women, the vice president also made an appeal to younger voters, after answering a question from a college student.

“I love Gen Z,” she highlighted.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

A super PAC associated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is pouring millions behind new ads in the Texas Senate race, which Democrats see as their best pickup opportunity this cycle. 

With about two weeks until Election Day, the Senate Majority PAC announced a new multimillion-dollar digital and radio ad purchase in Texas going against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. 

Cruz is a two-term senator seeking a third term this cycle. 

GOP CHALLENGER TIES SEN BALDWIN’S REMARK ABOUT TRUMP VOTERS TO CLINTON’S INFAMOUS ‘DEPLORABLES’ MOMENT

A Schumer-linked super PAC is putting last-minute money against Ted Cruz. (Reuters)

In the 30-second spot, a woman identified as Dr. Nancy O. claimed, “Texas women are in danger because of Ted Cruz.”

According to her, it is illegal to “provide care” to pregnant rape survivors and pregnant women with “severe complications.” 

“Colin Allred will restore a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions,” she said. 

HOVDE SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON TAMMY BALDWIN’S WALL STREET PARTNER DURING WISCONSIN DEBATE

Democrat Texas Rep. Colin Allred (Emil Lippe/Getty Images)

“The stakes of Texas’ Senate election couldn’t be higher. Ted Cruz has spent his time in office relentlessly pursuing a deadly agenda and self-enriching politics, utterly indifferent to the needs of Texans – and voters know it,” said SMP President JB Poersch in a statement. 

“That’s why Senate Majority PAC is going on offense, reaching voters where they are and working to elect a true, bipartisan leader to represent Texas in the Senate, Rep. Colin Allred.”

Abortion is illegal in most cases in Texas following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which allowed the states to determine their own laws on the procedure. 

SENATE SHAKE-UP: HOW A SECRET BALLOT COULD UNDERMINE A POTENTIAL TRUMP ENDORSEMENT IN RACE TO THE TOP

Abortion is illegal in most cases in Texas. (iStock)

There is an exception if the life of the mother is in danger, in which case abortions can be performed. However, critics have noted that there is little clarity on what qualifies as a medical emergency under the Texas laws. 

The state doesn’t have exceptions for rape and incest, which are frequently supported by Republicans. 

Former President Trump has advocated for the issue to remain at the state level, and Republicans have largely gotten behind his stance. In a recent interview, Cruz indicated that abortion policies should be determined by individual states. 

National Democrats have conversely planned to codify Roe v. Wade into law if they are granted the presidency and congressional majorities. 

JUDGE ORDERS MORE JACK SMITH TRUMP INVESTIGATION DOCS TO BE MADE PUBLIC AHEAD OF ELECTION

Cruz is seeking a third term. (Getty Images)

Cruz’s campaign did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The ad campaign comes as the race between Cruz and Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, tightens, with a top political handicapper shifting its rating to “Lean Republican” from “Likely Republican.” 

In the latest Marist Texas Poll, Cruz defeated his Democrat challenger 51% to 46%. The poll was conducted between Oct. 3 and 7 and surveyed 1,500 Texas adults. The margin of error for likely voters was ±3.6 percentage points.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Under former President Donald Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the federal estate tax – often referred to as the death tax – can only apply to estates passed on to heirs valued over $13.61 million. 

If that exemption threshold were to expire or lapse, as Vice President Kamala Harris has signaled she would allow if she becomes president, some experts say it could impact more than just the ultra-wealthy.

“It creates monopolies,” one conservative economist said. 

“It’s going to impact a lot of our clients,” a New Jersey estate planning attorney insisted. 

“The exemption is meant to reduce the double taxation of income,” another economist said. “In a way, it’s like the capital gains tax, where people are like, ‘Oh, it’s to [tax] privileged capital.’ No, it’s actually to reduce the double taxation of income.”

The Harris campaign told The New York Times in August that the vice president supports President Biden’s proposed tax increases laid out in the most recent federal budget plan put together by his administration, which would reduce the threshold at which the death tax kicks in from roughly $13 million to around $5 million. 

Meanwhile, Harris reportedly endorsed the death tax reforms outlined in the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act of 2024, which would reduce the threshold even further to $3.5 million. While running for the presidency in 2019, Harris wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post that raising the estate tax was a solution to poor teacher wages.

HARRIS SAYS WEALTHY AMERICANS, CORPORATIONS WILL PAY HIGHER TAXES TO FUND ECONOMIC PLAN

Signage outside the Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Critics of letting the TCJA’s current exclusionary threshold for the death tax expire told Fox News it will promote monopolies, impact small businesses and create an additional tax for a meaningful portion of the country. However, others strongly disagree. 

“If estate tax parameters revert, that will only affect a tiny sliver (about two-tenths of 1%) of estates – those with estates over the (now lower) threshold,” Kimberly Clausing, an economist with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement. “Those affected will be quite well off and easily able to pay the tax, and without an estate tax, much capital income would escape tax entirely.”

KAMALA HARRIS WANTS AMERICA TO HAVE THE WORLD’S HIGHEST DEATH TAX

Garrett Watson is a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit aimed at helping Americans understand the tax code. He said under the new death tax threshold, only an additional 0.13% of heirs will be impacted. He added that under the $13 million threshold provided under the TCJA, about $206 billion in revenue would be lost from 2025 to 2034.

Some economists say that under Vice President Kamala Harris’ plan, thousands more families will be impacted by the death tax when a parent dies. (iStock)

However, Michael Kulzer, an estate planning attorney from New Jersey, argued the move will impact “a lot” of his clients. “You bought a shore house 30 years ago for $500,000, it’s probably worth $3 million today,” Kulzer said. He noted that when adding other assets, like pensions, “you don’t have to be really wealthy today” for an estate to reach a $3.5 million, or even $5 million, valuation.

NUMBERS SHOW HARRIS TAX PROPOSALS WOULD GIVE TO SMALL BUSINESS WITH ONE HAND, TAKE WITH THE OTHER

Meanwhile, Heritage Foundation economist Richard Stern pointed out that “it’s really the business part of this where it will affect a lot of people.”  

Stern pointed to hopeful McDonald’s franchise owners as an example, who, on average, must have $1.5 million to $2.5 million in start-up costs to get going. “If the price to buy the franchise for one McDonald’s is a million and a half dollars, you don’t need to have a lot of restaurants under your belt to reach $3.5 or $5 million in value.” Family farms and family-owned construction companies, Stern added, are other examples of potentially vulnerable targets. Family-owned companies have gone public about being forced to sell, at least in part, due to estate taxes.

A new website released by the Trump campaign tabulates how much voters can expect to pay in increased taxes if former President Donald Trump’s tax cuts expire next year. (KamalaTaxIncrease.com)

Stern added that a small business does not need to be far over the threshold to face a big tax bill when the owner dies and tries to pass it on to one of his heirs. This, Stern argued, would force the heir to start selling off parts of their business, and, in turn, serves to “create monopolies.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The people who are going to be affected the most are often those whose income is not held in cash. It’s often held in stocks. In a company. And in order to pay it, it means you have to sell it,” Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, added. “So, in a way, I don’t really care how many people it affects. It’s just a bad – it’s a bad policy.”

Oprah Winfrey, who has endorsed Harris for president, blasted the federal estate tax in 1997 as a “double tax” and blamed it for “why you always hear about people where their aunts left them houses, or left them stuff, and they can’t keep the house because the taxes are so much.” 

“In a way, it’s like the capital gains tax, where people are like, ‘Oh, it’s to [tax] privileged capital.’ No, it’s actually to reduce the double taxation of income,” echoed de Rugy in talks with Fox News Digital.

The Harris campaign declined to provide an on-the-record response for this article.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is making waves on the Pennsylvania campaign trail in support for former President Donald Trump’s re-election, including offering $1 million a day to swing-state voters who sign his political action committee’s petition backing the Constitution.

“Every day, from now through Nov 5, @America PAC will be giving away $1M to someone in swing states who signed our petition to support free speech & the right to bear arms! We want to make sure that everyone in swing states hears about this and I suspect this will ensure they do,” Musk, the wealthiest individual in the U.S., posted to X early Sunday morning. 

The night prior, Musk granted a $1 million sum to a Pennsylvania man named John Dreher during an event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 

“The only thing we ask for the million dollars is that you be a spokesperson for the petition, and that’s it, really,” Musk said at the rally, as Dreher explained he “had no idea” he was selected. 

ELON GOES ON CAMPAIGN BLITZ AGAINST GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS, VOWS TO REVEAL BIZARRE ALLEGED SCHEMES

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks at a town hall with Republican candidate U.S. Senate Dave McCormick at the Roxain Theater on October 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

Fox News examined the legality surrounding the initiative and found that it’s a legal gray zone that appears to be open to interpretation, also finding similar Democratic initiatives in the Keystone State and nationally.

Under federal law, it is a crime to pay someone to register to vote, however, Musk’s giveaway is not enticing voters to register, but instead sign a petition. 

Musk’s rules surrounding the $1 million award include that voters sign his PAC’s petition, which backs the First and Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The initiative outlines that it only applies to registered voters in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina, implying that non-registered voters do not qualify for the program. 

“The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments,” the petition reads. 

FETTERMAN ISSUES WARNING TO DEMOCRATS AFTER ELON STUMPS FOR TRUMP IN PENNSYLVANIA

The America PAC website details that a petition signer in the Pittsburgh area will be awarded the sum for Oct. 20, and another signer from Pennsylvania at-large will be awarded the sum for Oct. 21. 

“Oct 22 – Nov 5: Each day, one petition signer from either PA, GA, NV, AZ, MI, WI, or NC will earn $1,000,000,” the website continues, detailing which states are considered battlegrounds. 

The petition does not require a resident to register to vote to sign the petition, only prompting users to answer whether they are registered voters. 

The Washington Post detailed in a piece earlier this month, titled “Massive influx of shadowy get-out-the-vote spending floods swing states,” that a nonprofit in Philadelphia was sending more than 100,000 comic books to voters under the age of 32 in the area to increase voter turnout in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. The outlet explained that the nonprofit also “has tried to juice voting” with $1,000 Target gift cards, $2,000 rent checks and $10,000 grants to community groups this cycle. 

While a youth-focused nonprofit, The Civic Center, is running a promotion for high schoolers: $150 gift cards to students who help ready their schools for High School Voter Registration Week.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk listens as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The $1 million a day amid a close and highly-anticipated election has spurred some criticisms and legal concerns from Democrats, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who previously served as the state’s attorney general. 

“I think there are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing, not just into Pennsylvania, but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians. That is deeply concerning,” Shapiro said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

He continued, “Look, Musk, obviously has a right to be able to express his views, and he’s made it very, very clear that he supports Donald Trump, and we have a difference of opinion. I don’t deny him that right, but when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at.”

“You think it might not be legal, yes or no?” Welker followed.

Shapiro responded, “I think it’s something that law enforcement can take a look at.”

Musk brushed off the concern on X: “Concerning that he would say such a thing.” 

FETTERMAN ADMITS ELON MUSK ‘ATTRACTIVE TO A DEMOGRAPHIC’ DEMOCRATS ‘NEED’ TO WIN PENNSYLVANIA

Earlier this month, Musk’s PAC announced that individuals seeking to increase voter registration and turnout are offered starting wages of $30 an hour – far above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour – with the PAC also offering battleground state voters $47 for each registered voter they refer to sign the PAC’s petition. In Pennsylvania, Musk’s PAC is offering residents $100 to sign the petition and $100 for every referral. 

Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

ELON MUSK TO UPGRADE SECURITY AFTER LEFT-WING MAGAZINE LABELS HIM ‘PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 2’

The PAC, which bills itself as promoting “free speech, free markets, and a merit-based society,” was officially formed earlier in the summer, with Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings from late last month showing the America PAC has already invested at least $2.4 million in more than a dozen key congressional races. Musk said in July he planned to commit about $45 million a month to the super PAC. 

Musk officially endorsed Trump over the summer, when the 45th president survived the first assassination attempt on his life this election cycle, and has since joined the campaign trail, most notably in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania to rally support and encourage people to vote. 

TRUMP SUPPORTER ELON MUSK OFFERS MASSIVE HOURLY PAY TO THOSE WORKING TO INCREASE VOTER TURNOUT

He has made the First Amendment, Second Amendment, cutting government red tape and ending overregulation on businesses hallmarks of his campaign speeches. Trump has meanwhile lauded Musk for his support, and said that the tech billionaire behind SpaceX and X is willing to take on the role of “Secretary of Cost-Cutting” for the federal government if Trump is re-elected to the White House. 

Elon Musk jumps on the stage as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Musk’s campaign tour has apparently worried Democrats amid Trump’s effort to claim the Keystone State.

ELON MUSK RESPONDS TO GOV. SHAPIRO’S COMMENT HIS SUPER PAC PETITION WAS ‘DEEPLY CONCERNING’

Pennsylvania is viewed as the state that will likely determine the final outcome of the election, with both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly zigzagging the state to rally support among city dwellers, suburbanites and farmers alike. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman warned party members to not discount Musk’s influence with Pennsylvania voters. 

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump hugs Elon Musk at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“Not even just that he has endorsed [Trump], but the fact that now he’s becoming an active participant and showing up and doing rallies and things like that,” Fetterman told the New York Post this month. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I mean, [Musk] is incredibly successful, and, you know, I think some people would see him as, like, a Tony Stark,” said Fetterman. “Democrats, you know, kind of make light of it, or they make fun of him jumping up and down and things like that. And I would just say that they are doing that at our peril.”

FIRST ON FOX: Republican businessman Eric Hovde is using Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s previous comments on Trump supporters against her as he looks to unseat her in the critical swing state of Wisconsin. 

In a new ad by the Hovde campaign, Baldwin says, “Donald Trump might be one of the most offensive, hateful and unacceptable presidential candidates we’ve ever had. So what does that say about the people who support him?”

The remark, which is from a 2016 speech, is cut next to former Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” comment, which was credited by some with costing her the election to then-Republican nominee Donald Trump. 

SENATE SHAKE-UP: HOW A SECRET BALLOT COULD UNDERMINE A POTENTIAL TRUMP ENDORSEMENT IN RACE TO THE TOP

Hovde compared Baldwin’s remark to Hillary Clinton calling Trump voters “deplorables.” (Reuters)

The ad will run on television across Wisconsin starting Tuesday and is part of an ongoing multimillion dollar statewide ad campaign. 

“Tammy Baldwin hates Trump and Trump voters, just listen to her own words when it comes to what she thinks about them. Much like Hillary Clinton, the disdain Baldwin has for Wisconsin’s Trump voters will haunt her on Election Day,” Hovde spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement. 

HOVDE SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON TAMMY BALDWIN’S WALL STREET PARTNER DURING WISCONSIN DEBATE

Hovde and Baldwin are facing off for a competitive Wisconsin Senate seat. (Reuters)

In response, a Baldwin spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Tammy Baldwin fights for all Wisconsinites no matter who they are, who they vote for or where they live. That stands in stark contrast to her opponent Eric Hovde who has literally called Wisconsinites deplorable, Democrats a ‘curse to society’ and insulted our farmers, seniors, young people, women, Black men, Native American communities and more.”

The Democrat senator’s campaign also pointed to an interview on “The Jerry Bader Show” in 2016, in which Hovde used the word “deplorable” to describe the level of civic knowledge among average Americans, with many not knowing the year of the country’s founding or who the vice president is. 

JUDGE ORDERS MORE JACK SMITH TRUMP INVESTIGATION DOCS TO BE MADE PUBLIC AHEAD OF ELECTION

A woman dons a cheese hat with an American flag on it in Wisconsin. (Reuters)

In a recent Quinnipiac University poll of the Senate race, Baldwin beat Hovde 50% to 46%. The small, single-digit lead marks a significant closure of the initial polling gap between the incumbent Democrat and her GOP challenger. 

The survey was conducted between Oct. 3 and 7 and included 1,073 likely voters. It had a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

A top political handicapper, the Cook Political Report, recently shifted its Wisconsin Senate rating from “Lean Democrat” to a “Toss Up.” 

HARD-LINE GOP EFFORT TO DECENTRALIZE SENATE LEADER AUTHORITY DASHED BY MCCONNELL ALLY

Trump rallied in the traditionally blue enclave of Dane County, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)

In the latest Fox News Power Rankings, Wisconsin’s Senate race was considered “Leans Democrat,” with Baldwin still having an advantage. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Split-ticket voting across parties has become increasingly rare, and with the Senate race coinciding with a presidential election, the winner could very well rely on which party takes the White House. 

With roughly two weeks until Election Day, many have already cast their ballots early and by mail. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Former President Trump will visit the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina as part of a series of campaign stops across the battleground state on Monday.

The former president will travel to “see the devastation of Hurricane Helene first-hand” and deliver remarks to the press in Asheville at noon, according to a press release from the campaign. Trump is also scheduled to make another stop in Greenville, North Carolina, before attending an “11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting” with Eric Trump and Ben Carson in Concord, North Carolina, on Monday evening.

The visit marks one of several campaign stops by Trump to the Old North State since the deadly hurricane swept across the southeast, which had the greatest impact on mostly red counties won by Trump last cycle.

The state is expected to play a crucial role in determining the results of the 2024 presidential election – where 16 electoral votes are on the line come Nov. 5.

BALANCE OF POWER: HELENE COULD SHIFT POLITICAL WINDS TOWARD TRUMP, NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS SAY

Former President Trump listens to a question as he visits Chez What Furniture Store, which was damaged during Hurricane Helene on Sept. 30, 2024, in Valdosta, Georgia. (Michael M. Santiago)

While Trump visits North Carolina, Vice President Kamala Harris will make campaign stops in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Monday.

Harris visited North Carolina following the deadly storm, attending a barbecue in Raleigh before packing aid supplies, such as diapers, for victims of the hurricane in October. 

‘CAN’T WAIT TIL THE LAST MINUTE’: NC CONGRESSMAN RAISES ALARM ON VOTER ACCESS IN AREAS HARD HIT BY HELENE

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, was joined by former President Bill Clinton at a recent campaign stop in the battleground state, which was narrowly won by Trump in 2020.

Vice President Kamala Harris greets a supporter as she helps pack supplies for those affected by Hurricane Helene during a campaign stop at The Pit Authentic Barbecue restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Oct. 12, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

President Biden has been working across the aisle to deliver diaster relief to states impacted by the storm, visiting North Carolina and ordering an additional 500 active-duty troops to the western counties in the state.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The North Carolina Elections Board passed a bipartisan emergency resolution that reformed the state’s early voting process in 13 counties. The adjustments include changing or adding voting sites and maintaining their availability, extending the hours when a voting site is open, and adding or reducing days that any site is open within the early voting period, according to the election board.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are neck and neck in recent polling as they enter the final leg of the presidential race, as the Democratic nominee appears to be losing ground among Latino and Black voters. 

A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll places Harris at 45% and Trump at 44%. 

In August, the same poll found that Harris was ahead of Trump 48% to 43% on the heels of the Democratic National Convention. The new survey released Monday questioned 1,000 likely voters by landline and cell phone from Oct. 14-18. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Harris has fallen back in support among Latino and Black voters in the seven weeks between surveys. The new poll found Latino voters now back Trump by 49% to 38%. Black voters prefer Harris by 72% to 17%, but that 55-point edge is significantly less than the advantage Democrats traditionally enjoy. 

BLACK GROUP FIRES BACK AT OBAMA FOR ‘INSULTING’ HARRIS PITCH: ‘WORST KIND OF IDENTITY POLITICS’

GOP presidential nominee former President Donald Trump smiles during a Hispanic roundtable at Beauty Society on Oct. 12, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

For the subsamples of Latino and Black voters, the survey’s margins of error are plus or minus 9 points, signaling possible repositioning of up to 18 points in one direction or the other. 

President Biden benefited from staggering support from Black and Latino voters four years ago. A Pew Research Center analysis found 92% of Black voters and 59% of Latino voters supported Biden in the 2020 race. 

Trump has made inroads among Black and Latino voters in the 2024 race by courting men, as he campaigns on the economy and crime. 

‘PROPAGANDA’: HISPANIC REPUBLICANS BLAST MEDIA ATTACKS ON THEIR RACE, IDEOLOGY

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event on Oct.18, 2024 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Observing the shift in Democrats’ traditional edge, the Harris campaign unveiled an economic agenda for Black men last week. It promised small business loans and the legalization of recreational marijuana. 

Her campaign also ramped up events targeting Latino and Black voters in battleground states, and former President Barack Obama chastised Black men, claiming they could be hesitant to vote for a woman as president. 

In a separate poll conducted across seven battleground states, 47% of respondents said they would definitely or probably back Harris, while 47% said they would definitely or probably support Trump. According to the Washington Post-Schar School survey, 49% of likely voters support Harris, while 48% support Trump. 

Among swing states, Trump is performing well in Arizona, while Harris fares best in Georgia.

The poll also surveyed a portion of the electorate in the swing states dubbed “deciders” – people who have not fully committed to a candidate. About 74% of voters in the swing states said they would definitely vote for Harris or Trump – an increase from the 58% who said they had already decided in the spring. 

Over a five-month period, uncommitted voters narrowed from 42% to 26%. The latest survey showed 21% of likely voters across the seven states were not fully committed to either Harris or Trump. 

According to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research (AP-NORC) poll released on Monday, most registered voters are divided on whether Trump or Harris are better equipped to handle specific economic issues, including unemployment, the cost of groceries and housing, or tariffs.

 CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The survey found only 38% of registered voters say the national economy is doing well, while 62% of respondents expressed believing the economy is in poor condition.

Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro had no answer when asked to list one policy difference between President Biden and presidential candidate Vice President Harris during Sunday’s “Meet the Press” on NBC.

“Our latest NBC News poll shows that more voters are concerned that Vice President Harris will continue Joe Biden’s approach than Donald Trump will continue his approach from his first term,” host Kristen Welker pointed out to Shapiro before asking if Harris has “done enough to distance herself from President Biden?”

“You know, Kristen, I think what is clear is this is a race not between Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, but between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. And on that, there are clear contrasts,” Shapiro said, while going on to discuss some of the differences between the presidential candidates, rather than between Harris and Biden. 

“I understand what you’re saying, Governor, but polls do show that more Americans feel as though President Biden’s policies have hurt them rather than help them,” Welker responded, before asking, “So can you name one key policy difference between Vice President Harris and President Biden? How would her administration look different?”

KAMALA HARRIS DOWNPLAYS DIMINISHING SUPPORT FROM MALE VOTERS: ‘IT’S NOT THE EXPERIENCE I’M HAVING’

Josh Shapiro speaks at a Harris-Walz rally in Pennsylvania. (Associated Press)

“You know, I’ve been really encouraged by the amount of energy that Kamala Harris, Vice President Harris, has put into focusing on how she will cut taxes for small businesses, the focus on child care, tax credit expansion,” Shapiro said.

“Can you name one policy difference?” Welker pressed again. 

“Well, listen again, the contrast I am focused on, Kristen, is between her and Donald Trump,” he said. “And on that, I think it is clearly different.”

DAVID MARCUS: SORRY KAMALA, VOTERS AREN’T BUYING YOUR TRUMP HAIL MARY

One of the biggest questions during this presidential election cycle is how a Harris administration would look different from a Biden one.

The exchange was brought up later in the show, by guest Brenden Buck, who is a former adviser to House speakers Paul Ryan and John Boehner.

“It was remarkable that Josh Shapiro was here as a surrogate for the campaign, and they still can’t think of an answer to what she would do differently than the president,” Buck said during a roundtable discussion.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 21, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Shapiro will continue to campaign for Harris, he said during the show.

“We are used to close elections here in Pennsylvania,” he said. “We understand that this election likely will come down to tens of thousands of votes.”