NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX: A top official in then-President George W. Bush’s administration, who made history as the nation’s first female Department of Agriculture secretary, is the latest leading Republican to back Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Trump.

And the endorsement of the vice president by Ann Veneman – shared first with Fox News on Wednesday – comes as the Harris campaign continues its efforts to court Republicans who didn’t support Trump during this year’s GOP nomination race – and as the campaign aims to cut into  the former president’s support among rural voters.

“As our nation stands at a critical juncture, the upcoming presidential election presents a stark contrast in leadership and values, particularly for rural communities and agriculture,” Veneman said in a statement.

Veneman, who grew up on a peach farm in California and also made history as the first female U.S. deputy secretary of Agriculture – in President George H.W. Bush’s administration – and the first woman to serve as Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, argued that “Donald Trump’s current tariff proposal is dangerous for rural America. It would raise prices on essential goods, harm farmers by undermining key trade relationships, and increase costs for consumers.”

THIS TOP ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICAN GOES ON A BATTLEGROUND STATES BLITZ WITH KAMALA HARRIS 

File photo of former Secretary of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, who later served as UNICEF executive director, in New York City on Nov. 28, 2006  ( Photo by David X Prutting/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

And pointing to proposals by Harris and her running mate – Minnesota Gov. Tim  Walz – Veneman emphasized that “their plan for rural communities is a bold vision for the future that invests in economic growth, critical infrastructure, and greater access to care for families.  Together, they offer the leadership we need to help agriculture and rural America thrive.”

Walz last week highlighted the Harris campaign’s plans to improve the lives of rural voters, which include proposals to recruit 10,000 new healthcare professionals in rural and tribal areas through scholarships, loan forgiveness and new grant programs. 

The Harris campaign aims to put a dent in Trump’s strong support in rural communities. The former president carried rural voters by a nearly two-to-one margin in the 2020 election, according to a Fox News voter analysis. 

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

Veneman, with her endorsement, also becomes the latest high ranking member of former President George W. Bush’s administration to back Harris. At the top of that lis is former Vice President Dick Cheney.

And Veneman’s endorsement comes two days after Harris campaigned in three key battleground states – Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin – with Cheney’s daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listens as former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney speaks during a Harris campaign town hall in Malvern, Pennsylvania, on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The younger Cheney, once a rising conservative star in the GOP, in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters aiming to disrupt congressional certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory, has vowed to do everything she can to prevent the former president from returning to power.

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.

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The Harris campaign is courting such voters with on-the-ground events and through paid media efforts.

At a campaign event last week in Pennsylvania where Harris was joined by leading anti-Trump Republicans – including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan – the vice president was introduced by lifelong Pennsylvania Republicans Bob and Kristina Lange.

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 a Fox News Digital 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.”

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

A ballot initiative to implement open primary voting across six states is gaining momentum, according to advocates of the proposal who say it will eliminate “polarizing” and “extreme” candidates from making it onto the ballot, allowing a more diverse group of candidates to represent voters.

Proponents hope this year’s success is indicative of future changes to U.S. elections.

Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, Montana and Nevada qualified for an open primary initiative for the 2024 ballot, Unite America – a philanthropic venture fund – found. Other states across the country already have an open primary system, including Alaska, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Virginia, among others.

Research from the Unite America Institute reveals that just 8% of voters elected 83% of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. In 2024, 7% have already elected 84%. Unite America attributed this “primary problem” to the polarization and gridlock hindering Congress and state legislatures from addressing key issues important to voters that often go unnoticed come election season.

Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, told Fox News Digital that an open primary system “would literally enfranchise millions of Americans closed out, and that includes independents.”

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

Maryland Board of Elections poll workers pass by empty booths during the Maryland state primary election at a polling station in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 14, 2024. (Photo by Jim Watson / AFP)

In an open primary system, voters can choose which party’s primary to participate in, regardless of their own party affiliation. This allows registered voters, including independents, to vote in any party’s primary, promoting broader participation.

By contrast, a closed primary system requires voters to be registered with a specific party to vote in that party’s primary. This approach ensures that only party members can influence the selection of their candidates, often leading to more ideologically consistent nominees but potentially excluding independent voters from the process.

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

Signs directing voters are seen outside a polling place on March 5, 2024 in Mountain Brook, Alabama. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

“So this gives voters a lot more freedom to vote for whom they want, you know, regardless of party. And that’s the belief at the end of the day is that our election system should serve voters, not parties as private organizations,” Troiano told Fox News Digital.

Another advocate of the open primary system is former Colorado Congressman Ken Buck. Buck, who retired as a representative earlier this year to work behind-the-scenes on election reform projects, said that many American voters are currently frustrated with their presidential choices. 

He noted that recent election reforms in various states are primarily focused on Senate and gubernatorial races, rather than the presidential election. This discontent may create an opportunity for meaningful reform in the electoral system, he said.

TRUMP OPENS UP LARGEST BETTING LEAD SINCE DAYS AFTER BIDEN’S DROPOUT

“I VOTED” stickers are handed out. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

“AOC beat a member of leadership in the Democratic primary, and she did it again with a very small percentage,” Buck, who endorsed the open primary ballot inititative in his state, told Fox News Digital. “It’s like 12% of the overall registered voters in the in her district, voted for her in that primary, and then, because it’s a blue district, she becomes the member. That’s the example.”

Buck believes that these changes could lead to higher-quality candidates, as current primary systems often allow candidates to win with a small percentage of the vote—sometimes as low as 38%—due to a crowded field. He suggested that such candidates often lack broad support among voters and may prioritize social media appeal over addressing the pressing issues facing constituents. 

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Buck and Troiano said so far, typically the party that is most in control of the state are opposed to the ballot measure.

“So in Nevada, the Democratic Party, and Idaho, it’s the Republican Party,” Troiano said. “But we make the case that this is good for voters today and is good for democracy.”

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

While Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz have drawn backlash over awkward moments during the presidential race, their surrogates have not escaped criticism for their own gaffes. 

In addition to Walz saying he is “friends with school shooters” and Harris calling North Korea “an alliance,” their campaign surrogates have mispronounced the vice president’s name, called Tim Walz “Tom,” told males they are misogynists, attempted to imitate former President Trump, accidentally supported his policies and more.

“Not sure we’ve ever seen such a colossally inept campaign like the one run by Kamala Harris,” Fox Business “Evening Edit” anchor Elizabeth MacDonald said last week.

WALZ EXPLAINS ‘FRIENDS WITH SHOOTERS’ GAFFE FROM THE VP DEBATE WITH VANCE

Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Former President Clinton, for example, committed many of those gaffes. 

During the Democratic National Convention, he was blasted for mispronouncing Harris’ name, referring to her as “Camel-la.” Last week, Clinton continued his gaffes when he confused a crowd of North Carolinians with a very dry imitation of Donald Trump, suggesting at the same time the former president might send him to a “supermax” prison for life. The former Democratic president struck again that same week with yet another gaffe when he suggested college nursing student Laken Riley would still be alive if the Biden-Harris administration secured the border properly. 

“You had a case in Georgia not very long ago, didn’t you? They made an ad about it, a young woman who had been killed by an immigrant,” Clinton said from Georgia. “Yeah, well, if they’d all been properly vetted that probably wouldn’t have happened.”

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Critics roundly mocked the former Democratic president and chimed in following the comments about Riley, pointing out that Clinton was “right.” 

Meanwhile, former President Obama received some backlash of his own after his latest gaffe earlier this month at a campaign event in Pittsburgh. Speaking to a group of Black men, Obama insisted to them that men “just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president.”

Former President Obama (Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Barack Obama — we’re not sexist or misogynist. We’re disappointed and sick of the bullsh—,” responded former professional basketball player and U.S. Senate candidate in Minnesota Royce White.” DO NOT vote for me because I’m Black. Vote for me because you have enough self-respect to think.”

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Another Harris campaign surrogate, Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, has not escaped criticism either. During the Democratic National Convention, Evers awkwardly stammered through his state’s roll call vote after declaring he was “jazzed as hell” that all but a single delegate in his state voted for Harris. More recently, Evers referred to Harris’ vice presidential running mate Tim Walz as “Tom” during a Labor Day stump speech for Harris.

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This week, Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California, was also lumped into the cadre of gaffe-prone Harris camp supporters. The moment came when she was moderating a town hall event in Michigan with Harris and former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. Shriver told the audience at the event that only “predetermined” questions would be allowed to be asked. 

“Are we going to be able to ask a question?” asked a woman in the audience.

“You’re not, unfortunately,” Shriver replied. “We have some predetermined questions, and, hopefully, I’ll be able to ask some of the questions that might be in your head. I hope so.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign but did not receive a response by press time. 

Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes, who is running for re-election in one of the most closely watched House races in the country, is facing questions about her ability to vote for herself in November amid a probe into whether her primary residence is in her district.

The controversy stems from a complaint filed by Republican activist Tom Zawistowski citing a financial disclosure form from Sykes’ husband, Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce, listing Sykes as living with him in Columbus, Ohio, outside of Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.

The Summit County Board of Elections, made up of two Democrats and two Republicans, deadlocked on party lines in a vote on whether to investigate that complaint. The tie-breaking vote went to Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who voted in favor of an investigation, and a hearing will be held on Thursday morning on the issue of Sykes’ eligibility to vote in her Akron district.

“Here, the Democratic members of the Board submitted a four-page position statement laying out arguments that would be presented and considered at a formal hearing,” LaRose wrote in a letter to the board outlining his decision to vote with the Republican members. 

VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM DODGES QUESTION ON VP HARRIS’ RECORD AS ‘BORDER CZAR’: ‘DON’T KNOW WHO KAMALA HARRIS IS’

A hearing will be held on Thursday to determine Rep. Emilia Sykes’ voter eligibility. (Fox News)

“They conclude that ‘[t]he challenger has not alleged that Congresswoman Sykes has abandoned or failed to maintain her Summit County residence, nor has he alleged that she has chosen to make a habitation (i.e., residence) elsewhere her residence for voting purposes.’ Reaching this conclusion prior to a hearing negates the very purpose of the hearing itself, before which the challenged voter is notified of the meeting and afforded a ‘right to appear and testify, call witnesses, and be represented by counsel.’ In advance of a hearing, the Board also would have the opportunity to seek guidance from its own legal counsel, the county prosecuting attorney, regarding the statutory residency requirements of voter registration.”

LaRose added, “Based on my review of the evidence presented to me and the relevant laws applicable to this matter, I have determined that the Board has not fully complied with the challenge process required by state law and administrative directive. Therefore, I join the two Board members who sought to pursue that process and hereby break the tie in favor of the motion to conduct a hearing on the challenge.”

Sykes, whose family history in Akron politics goes back decades, is not legally required to live full-time in her district to run and serve in Congress, but Republicans argue that Sykes is not eligible to vote for herself in Akron, which could mean having to place a provisional ballot. 

OHIO STATE SECRETARY SAYS 100 NON-US CITIZENS VOTED IN RECENT ELECTIONS, BEGINS PROCESS TO PROSECUTE

Democrats were presented a sworn statement from Boyce that Sykes was listed on the form out of “an abundance of caution” over uncertainty about what the form specifically required, and the election board reportedly saw a lease in Columbus without Sykes’ name on it. 

Additionally, Fox News Digital reviewed two documents showing Sykes with an Akron address, including a direct deposit slip from a congressional paycheck in September and a bill from a physical therapy office.

In her 2022 disclosure form, Sykes reported owning property in Columbus. Records also show that since 2018, the Sykes family trust has benefited from an owner occupant tax credit in Columbus.

Ultimately, Republicans and LaRose decided to vote in favor of having Sykes explain to the board where she resides on Thursday morning, although she is not required to attend in person and is allowed to send legal representation. 

“Career politicians like Emilia Sykes think the rules don’t apply to them,” former Ohio GOP State Sen. Kevin Coughlin told Fox News Digital in a statement. “She may not even be able to legally vote for herself. Why should we trust her to vote on our behalf in Congress? Voters want true representation for Northeast Ohio, and that’s why they’ll vote Emilia Sykes out this November.”

NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital, “Northeast Ohioans are dealing with the unfortunate consequences of Sykes’ extreme policies that have led to open borders, unsafe communities and a crippled economy — but she would never know because she’d rather be selling out her constituents with her elitist liberal friends in Columbus and Washington. Northeast Ohio deserves better.”

The Sykes campaign released a statement calling the hearing a “sham partisan hearing” and blasted her opponent, Coughlin. 

‘”Emilia Sykes lives in Akron and this desperate lie is an example of how Kevin Coughlin represents everything the voters of Ohio’s 13th Congressional district hate about Politics,” Sykes campaign manager Maddie Summers said. “Whether it’s the ethics investigation for awarding a government contract to his friend, his obstruction of public record requests or using taxpayer dollars to pay a campaign supporter, it’s no wonder his own colleagues have called him ‘personally repugnant.’ Northeast Ohioans will reject Coughlin’s pathetic attempt to rob them of their voice.”

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Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes delivers the Democrat’s response to Gov. Mike DeWine’s State of the State address at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, on March 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon, File)

Democrat board members in the meeting made the case that the complaint from Zawistowski did not sufficiently show that Sykes did anything wrong and state law permits multiple residences and has been interpreted in the past as allowing individuals to state they “intend” to return to their registered address in order to vote.

“People who are married have the ability to maintain separate residences, and people do that,” Democratic board member William Rich said in the meeting which was posted online. 

“When someone has more than one residence, it’s essentially their choice about which one to use as their voting residence,” Rich said in an interview, according to the Akron Signal. “And there was no allegation that she either didn’t have a residence in Summit County or had chosen to make a residence in Franklin County her residence for voting purposes.”

Sykes, a first-term Democrat who won in 2022 by five points, is defending her seat in a district that includes parts of two counties that former President Donald Trump comfortably won in 2020. The Cook Political Report ranks the race as a “Democrat Toss Up.”

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Joni Ernst sent a letter demanding answers after a government report found the Defense Department (DOD) sent body armor covered in mildew and equipment from the 1980s to Taiwan. 

The Pentagon inspector general found the U.S. had sent “wet and moldy body armor” to Taiwan to shore up its defenses ahead of an impending invasion from China, then spent an additional $730,000 trying to remedy the mistake. 

“Delivering outdated and damaged military equipment to Taiwan is no way to treat a friend. Unfortunately, undercutting our partners and emboldening adversaries has become a staple of the Biden-Harris foreign policy doctrine,” Ernst, the fourth-ranking Republican in the Senate, said in a statement.

“Make no mistake, Beijing is laughing at, and taking full advantage of, the leadership failures of this administration. We need to bring back competency and strength in the White House to restore trust in our allies and partners while striking fear in our adversaries.”

CHINA HOLDS LIVE-FIRE DRILLS NEAR TAIWAN, IN ANOTHER SHOW OF FORCE

More than 340 out of 504 pallets of equipment sustained water damage as they sat at Travis Air Force Base in California. The U.S. Army didn’t facilitate delivery for two months after receiving the equipment.  

The base did not have proper storage facilities, according to the report, and the pallets were exposed to blowing rain, fog, humidity and heat. 

Of the 340 pallets, 120 were sent to Taiwan containing more than 3,000 mildewed body armor plates and 500 wet and moldy tactical vests. 

The inspector general’s office observed the pallets had “visible mold spores, wrapped in plastic that had trapped water, facilitating further deterioration and mold growth.”

Images of moldy equipment given to Taiwan provided by the American Institute in Taiwan via a Defense Department Inspector General’s report September 2024.

Taiwan authorities spent weeks trying to air out the gear, according to the report. 

U.S. personnel told the inspector general’s office they spent $619,000 in labor and materials at the base to clean and dry the wet, moldy armor that had not been sent and another $113,000 to replace some of the equipment before it was sent to Taiwan. 

The DOD inspector general concluded that between November 2023 and March 2024 the Pentagon failed to follow guidelines on delivering the equipment through the presidential drawdown authority, which allows the U.S. to send equipment from current DOD stocks. 

“Had policies been followed, the Defense Department would have been able to provide Taiwan with military equipment in acceptable condition,” Inspector General Robert Storch said in a statement. “Instead, the equipment arrived in Taiwan damaged and moldy. Such performance risks eroding Taiwan’s confidence in the United States as a reliable source of assistance.”  

Ernst noted the Trump administration approved fighter jets for Taiwan in 2019 that still have not been delivered. 

“It took U.S. armed forces less time to plan, launch, and execute the liberation of Europe from the Nazis in World War II,” Ernst said. 

After a two-year delay, Taiwan in July finally received the U.S. shipment of anti-tank weapons it had been promised. But the anti-tank missile launchers arrived without the proper missiles. The missiles Taiwan was forced to use with them had a low accuracy, prompting it to rethink their combat use. 

The damaged equipment was part of a $345 million package the Biden administration announced in July 2023, the first drawdown the U.S. had committed to Taiwan. 

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks with reporters after the Senate Republicans’ weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington March 6, 2024. (Reuters/Bonnie Cash)

Images of guns arriving unwrapped in boxes provided by The American Institute in Taiwan via Defense Dept. Inspector General’s report, September 2024 

ENCIRCLING TAIWAN WAS A SMOKESCREEN FOR CHINA’S REAL GOAL OF CONVINCING US NOT TO INTERVENE, EXPERT SAYS 

The report determined there had been a breakdown in communication about whose responsibility it was to arrange the delivery flights to Taiwan and recommended the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, tasked with providing equipment to U.S. allies, come up with a standard procedure that clarifies responsibilities, timelines and quality control checks for deliveries. 

As of May 31, 2024, the U.S. had not replaced the damaged body armor plates and tactical vests that had not arrived. 

The report also found the shipment contained some 2.7 million rounds of ammunition that were manufactured in 1983. Some of the rounds were “poorly packaged,” while others were expired, the inspector general found. 

Some of the rounds arrived in opened boxes, making it seem to Taiwanese officials that U.S. service members “cleared out stuff they didn’t want.”

Six M240B machine guns from the National Guard in Clovis, New Mexico, included in the shipment were dumped into cardboard boxes without any wrapping, according to the report. 

Ernst demanded answers on what steps were taken to clarify whose responsibility it was to get out such shipments, to improve oversight and to expedite replacement of the damaged equipment. She also asked what the funding source was for the $730,000 used to fix the issue. 

The report warned the mistake risked Taiwan’s confidence in the U.S. at a critical time when China threatens to invade at any moment. 

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China said it would carry out live fire drills in the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, ratcheting up tensions that have reached a fever pitch since the re-election of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan, a sign that voters continue to support resisting mainland China. 

Taiwan’s premier, Cho Jung-tai, said Tuesday the drills, planned for an island about 100 miles from Taipei, risked “unnecessary tension.”

“No matter how large the scale of the drill is, they should not be frequent and close to Taiwan,” he told reporters. “This will only cause unnecessary tension.”

West Virginia kicks off early in-person voting Wednesday, 13 days from Election Day.

In addition to the U.S. presidential race, voting also begins Wednesday in several down-ballot races. For a full list of competitive elections, see the latest Senate and House rankings.

• West Virginia Senate: Republicans will kick off the night strong in West Virginia. The seat is held by Sen. Joe Manchin, who decided not to run for re-election earlier this year. The senator’s enduring relationship with West Virginians helped him eke out a three-point win in 2018, but with Trump’s nearly 39-point win in the last presidential race, this is deep red territory. Democrats needed Manchin on the ballot to put up a good fight. That victory alone would give Republicans 50 senate seats, or one short of a majority. (If Trump wins the presidential race, the GOP would rule the senate even without a majority because the Vice President breaks ties.)

NEW DOJ GUIDANCE MEANT TO SCARE ELECTION OFFICIALS FROM CLEANING UP VOTER ROLLS, SAYS EXPERT

Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., registered as an independent and chose not to run for re-election. (@Sen_JoeManchin)

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How to vote in West Virginia

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for West Virginia.

People arrive to vote in the 2018 midterm elections in Omar, W.Va.., Nov. 6, 2018. (Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

Voting by mail

West Virginia began absentee voting in late September. Applicants must provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The county must receive a ballot application by Oct. 30, and that ballot must be submitted by Nov. 5.

The town sign calls for people to vote in the 2018 midterm elections in Man, W.Va., Nov. 6, 2018.  (Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

Early in-person voting

Early in-person voting begins Wednesday and will continue through Nov. 2. Absentee ballots can be submitted in person through Nov. 4.

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Voter registration

The voter registration deadline in West Virginia was Oct. 15.

A state lawmaker who represents part of North Carolina hit hard by Hurricane Helene said rules on the books of the state’s environmental agency will sandbag recovery.

State Rep. Jake Johnson of the North Carolina General Assembly told Fox News Digital the current regulations by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will hamper rebuilding efforts after Helene ravaged parts of the state’s northwest. 

He said the general assembly already targeted rules on debris removal via burning but said policies like those dictating how close to a river developments can be built up could also impede rebuilding after the storm.

“Where a lot of the rebuilding is going to have to be done — and a lot of the cleanup, obviously, is near the river — one thing we need to look at is, you know, at least temporarily suspending some of the [regulations], how close you can work to a river and making sure that, you know, they’re not cracking down on that,” Johnson said. 

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Parts of North Carolina like Chimney Rock were hit hard by Helene. (Getty Images)

“They’ve got enough on their plate. … You’re going to have people working in areas where they wouldn’t normally be working,” Johnson said of recovery teams in the area. “And, I mean, that would just be insult to injury for them to come in and be cracking down on these contractors when they’re just in there trying to do a good job and clean things up.”

He suggested the GOP-held general assembly would work to roll back several regulations that Johnson sees as barriers to rebuilding.

“But, at the end of the day, the enforcement mechanism and the permitting is still done by a department head that is appointed by Roy Cooper, a very liberal Democrat governor,” he said. “I don’t really see them doing too much of that on their own without us directing it.“

However, Johnson conceded that Cooper would likely put politics aside to sign multiple regulatory rollbacks if they were put on his desk.

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Rep. Jake Johnson, a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, criticized the state environmental agency. (Facebook/Representative Jake Johnson)

“We had, I believe it was, a unanimous vote in both chambers for the first bill, and it did include some rolling back those regulatory boundaries on burning,” he said. “So, yes. I mean, I believe — if anything we have in there to expedite the cleanup, I think he would sign.”

North Carolina state Rep. Ray Pickett did not name a specific policy he was most concerned about but said he was worried about DEQ’s permitting and approvals process in general.

“I absolutely share those concerns,” Pickett told Fox News Digital. “I see it with some of our infrastructure that’s going to have to be replaced. DEQ … has not always been the quickest agency we have.

“We have wastewater treatment plants that are going to have to be rebuilt. They’re going to have to speed those things up, and they’re going to have to get along with the program.”

DEQ told Fox News Digital, however, that it requested the regulatory rollbacks recently passed and would utilize “flexibility” to assess further needs.  

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“The department is utilizing all available flexibility and discretion in regulatory, funding and enforcement decisions to ensure the focus is on restoring critical infrastructure and services to the people of North Carolina. DEQ requested the regulatory changes in the recent legislative package and will continue to do so as needed to support recovery efforts,” an agency spokesperson said.

But Johnson also told Fox News Digital he was “frustrated” by delays in DEQ staff getting to certain parts of the state after Helene, specifically in the first week after the storm, which DEQ denied.

“That’s usually the department — if you’re doing any kind of building or development … if there’s even mud on the road or something, you know, any kind of minor erosion, they’re all over it,” he said. 

Johnson said he did not see DEQ personnel on the ground for at least the first week after the storm.

Johnson said propane tanks in rivers were creating environmental concerns. (Getty Images)

“Ideally, they would have personnel helping clean it up. But even something as simple as taking levels of how, you know, maybe how toxic the water is, the estimated amount of spillage that is in there and helping get quotes for cleanup – I mean, all those things would be great first steps that would certainly at least help,” he said.

Pickett said of his experience the week after the storm, “I had to make a few phone calls to get things moving a little quicker. … I shouldn’t have had to made those phone calls. They should have understood that we’ve got to move fast.”

DEQ, however, told Fox News Digital its staff was “on the ground during the storm and in the days immediately after providing emergency response, support and assessments.”

“Our staff have been working — and will continue to work — directly with water and wastewater systems, along with our federal and state partners, to assess damages, coordinate resources and provide technical assistance to restore services to western North Carolina,” the agency said.

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The DEQ’s mission is “providing science-based environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians,” according to its website.

The agency is dedicated to helping the state improve air and water quality as well as issuing and overseeing permits for development, water storage and other initiatives.

“The governor has taken meaningful action to bolster the state’s unprecedented response to this storm, including issuing an executive order that waives regulations in order to ensure that water systems and environmental needs can be met quickly during recovery,” Cooper’s spokesperson, Jordan Monaghan, told Fox News Digital in response to Johnson’s comments.

Cooper’s executive order empowers DEQ to expedite repairs related to drinking water and wastewater issues. It also grants DEQ the discretion to waive certain requirements related to projects “that require an individual water quality certification” to speed up rebuilding.

More than 1 in 4 Georgia voters have cast ballots in the 2024 presidential election so far.

The Peach State has been smashing pre-Election Day turnout records and is expected to be a critical factor in the White House contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 1.8 million of Georgia’s some 7.2 million active voters cast absentee or early in-person ballots, or 25.2%.

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Early voting in Georgia has broken records this year. (Getty Images)

“Another milestone reached,” Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, wrote on X.

“At 1:30, 25.2% of active voters in Georgia have cast their ballots. That is more than 1 in 4 voters, with 9 more mandatory days of Early Voting to go. These are amazing numbers. Congratulations to our counties for their work and voters for theirs.”

Both the Harris and Trump campaigns have poured enormous time and resources into Georgia, a state President Biden won by less than 1% in 2020.

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

Former President Barack Obama will appear with Harris in Georgia on Thursday. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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.

And the single-day vote total on Sunday wound up being nearly twice the number seen on the first Sunday of early in-person voting in 2022.

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 55.3% to 44.4%.

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

Trump will be in Georgia on Wednesday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Both presidential candidates will also be in Georgia this week. Harris will be in Atlanta on Thursday alongside former President Barack Obama, while Trump will participate in multiple events on Wednesday.

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The former president will partake in a religious event in rural Georgia on Wednesday, according to WRBL, followed by an evening rally in Duluth.

Georgia has seen surging early voter numbers but is not the only state breaking records — both North Carolina and South Carolina broke their previous Day 1 thresholds, according to local reports.

Vice President Kamala Harris criticized former President Trump’s proposal to eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits during a campaign stop on Monday, citing a nonpartisan budget report that claimed Trump’s plan would “dramatically worsen Social Security’s finances.”

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), a nonpartisan policy think tank, published a report Monday claiming Trump’s plans to “eliminate taxation of Social Security benefits, end taxes on tips and overtime, impose tariffs, and expand deportations would all widen Social Security’s cash deficits.”

“What I think most of us know is that we have many, many seniors in our country, their Social Security check is their only form of income,” Harris said during a campaign stop in Michigan Monday. “It’s everything and the only thing they have to live on: to pay rent, groceries, all of that. So we must protect Social Security.”

MOST US ADULTS WORRY ABOUT FUTURE OF MEDICARE, SOCIAL SECURITY, GALLUP POLL FINDS: ‘MAGNITUDE OF CONCERN’

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump  (Getty Images)

If elected, the policy think tank also found that Social Security’s cash shortfall could increase by $2.3 trillion through 2035. This change would push the program’s insolvency date up from 2034 to 2031, meaning the next president will need to deal with this issue sooner than expected. If these changes happen, people could face a 33% cut in their benefits by 2035, compared to a 23% cut projected earlier, the report noted.

Additionally, the annual shortfall is expected to rise by about 50% in 2035, going from 3.6% to 4% of payroll. To fix the long-term funding issues for Social Security, the report suggests there would either need to be benefit cuts by one-third or revenue increases of about 50%.

But a former Trump administration adviser who worked on Social Security policy told Fox News Digital in an interview that “what the Biden Harris folks are doing to mismanage the agency is bleeding money in over payments.”

‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOSTS ANGRILY SUGGEST BIDEN DOESN’T NEED TO ‘LOWER HIMSELF’ TO DEBATE TRUMP

“Every candidate is going to be afraid to touch” Social Security, a former Trump adviser says. (iStock)

“And now sort of waving everyone’s over payment, as what [Commissioner Martin O’Malley] is doing, I think is a lot more reckless and doing a lot more harm to the trust fund than proposing even these ideas,” the source said.

“Obviously every candidate is going to be very afraid to touch it,” he added. “But what I will also say, and I actually helped work on some of these, is that Trump did propose tens of billions of dollars in savings in the Social Security Program generally in his first two budgets. And he did that not by going after seniors, but he did that by trying to modernize disability. And you know, that doesn’t necessarily help the trust fund issue real largely, but it does help sort of fix the Disability Trust Fund and start to bring some of the finances under control a little bit.”

Harris later told CNN she believed Trump was “hostile” toward the “notion and purpose of Social Security” and that it would be “catastrophic” if the SS trust fund was insolvent in the next few years.

Meanwhile, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in an emailed response:

“President Trump delivered on his promise to protect Social Security and Medicare in his first term, and President Trump will continue to strongly protect Social Security and Medicare in his second term. The only candidate who poses a threat to the solvency of Social Security is dangerously liberal Kamala Harris – whose mass invasion of millions of illegal aliens will, if they are allowed to stay, cause Social Security to buckle and collapse. By unleashing American energy, slashing job-killing regulations, and adopting pro-growth America First tax and trade policies, President Trump will quickly rebuild the greatest economy in history and put Social Security on a stronger footing for generations to come, all the while eliminating taxes on Social Security for America’s well-deserving seniors.”

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: VOTER OUTREACH, BALLOT EFFICIENCY AND A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING

Former President Trump participates in a Fox News Town Hall with Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena on Sept. 4, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The annual Social Security trustees’ report over the summer said the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) trust fund is on track to reach insolvency in 2033, at which point benefits would be cut by 21%.

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The U.S. has an aging population, more than 67 million of whom receive Social Security benefits. And the older an American is, the more likely they are to vote, so many politicians shy away from discussing reforms of the program at all.

But if no reforms are made, the same Americans who receive Social Security benefits now – particularly those who rely on the benefits – face a significant threat to their income come 2033.

Fox Business’s Breck Dumas contributed to this report. 

A House Democratic incumbent running in a tight race is touting his agreement with Republicans about President Biden’s responsibility on the border crisis.

Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., released a new ad his campaign called his “closing message” emphasizing his willingness to break from his own party.

“My first commander in the Army always said, ‘You’re not doing your job right if you don’t piss a few people off.’ I guess you could say I took his advice,” Ryan began in the minute-long clip. 

“Even my own party — when I stood with Republicans and demanded Biden take action to secure our border. It’s a mess. He needs to clean it up.”

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

Rep. Pat Ryan called out President Biden in a new ad. (Getty Images)

He then accused Republicans, including his opponent Alison Esposito, of walking in lock-step with former President Donald Trump.

“Their loyalty is to big donors and Trump. The only flag I pledge allegiance to is the one I wore on my shoulder in combat,” Ryan said.

Esposito campaign manager Ben Weiner blasted Ryan in response, “Pat Ryan has been an open-border, pro-sanctuary proponent his entire career.”

“This is a lame attempt from Pat Ryan to run away from his pro-illegal migrant record two weeks before an election. Pat Ryan is wrong on all the issues. He has voted against lifting the SALT Cap, supports the radical Green New Deal, and thinks New Yorkers will not recognize that he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Hudson Valley voters know the real Sanctuary Pat and won’t be fooled,” Weiner told Fox News Digital.

Weiner also pointed out that Ryan signed an order in 2019 as Ulster County executive stopping local agencies from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Local reports from the time suggest Ryan did halt most cooperation of county employees with ICE, but the Mid Hudson News reported his order “avoids controversial ‘Sanctuary’ language,” and the Daily Freeman reported it did not stop law enforcement from working with immigration agents investigating crimes.

SPEAKER JOHNSON RIPS ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’ IN BIDEN ADMIN’S HELENE RESPONSE: ‘ALARMED AND DISAPPOINTED’

NYPD veteran Alison Esposito is running against Ryan. (Getty Images)

New York’s 18th Congressional District includes part of New York City’s northern suburbs and is anchored by the city of Poughkeepsie. It also includes West Point Military Academy, Ryan’s own alma mater.

Republicans, whose 2022 House majority win was driven by victories in the Big Apple’s suburbs, have eyed Ryan’s seat as a prime pickup opportunity.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates his seat D+2.

Esposito is a 25-year veteran of the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Her own campaign emphasized the border in a recent ad warning her district is “paying the price of an open border.”

“DC politicians are funding illegal immigrants. Who’s fighting for us?” she asked.

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

Border Patrol picks up a group of asylum seekers from an aid camp at the US-Mexico border near Sasabe, Arizona, US, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Justin Hamel/Getty Images)

Her campaign also created a website using the “Sanctuary Pat” label to point out Ryan taking softer stances on the border in the past.

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But the issue has become a political lightening rod in this election.

What’s long been a hot-button issue for Republicans has now become a metric of moderation for Democrats who are working to appeal to middle-ground voters.

The paradigm shift shows the effects the border crisis has had on cities and towns throughout the country, with apprehensions between ports of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border hitting record levels under the Biden administration.

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

Vice President Kamala Harris’ top campaign climate adviser is walking back comments she made last week that Harris would not support an expansion of fossil fuel drilling as president.

“I didn’t explain myself clearly,” Camila Thorndike, Harris’ climate engagement director, said in a post on X Monday. “Contrary to Trump’s claims, the VP has not banned fracking, doesn’t support banning fracking, and in fact cast the tie-breaking vote on the biggest pro-climate law ever, which, yes, opened new fracking leases.”

The comments come after Thorndike said in an interview with Politico last week that the vice president would not “promote” new fossil fuel drilling, comments that raised eyebrows as Harris has tried to alleviate fears over her previous positions on fracking.

HARRIS WON’T SUPPORT EXPANDING FOSSIL FUEL DRILLING, CAMPAIGN SAYS

Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University on Oct. 13, 2024 in Greenville, North Carolina. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“Just to be clear, Vice President Harris hasn’t said anything that the administration hasn’t already said. She is not promoting expansion [of fossil fuel drilling]. She’s just said that they wouldn’t ban fracking,” Thorndike said.

Harris has faced continued pressure to clarify her stance on energy production over the last few months, most notably in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where support for fracking is high.

But Thorndike’s comments seemed to go against Harris’ new theme on the trail, which has included boasting that the “largest increase in domestic oil production in history” happened during her time as vice president.

Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris walks out with former US representative Liz Cheney during a rally at Ripon College on Oct. 3, 2024 in Ripon, Wisconsin. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

HARRIS TOUTS OIL PRODUCTION DURING 2024 RUN AFTER SAYING COMPANIES NEED TO ‘PAY THE PRICE’ FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

“We have had the largest increase in domestic oil production in history because of an approach that recognizes that we cannot over rely on foreign oil,” Harris said during a debate with former President Trump in Pennsylvania.

“I am proud that as vice president over the last four years, we have invested a trillion dollars in a clean energy economy while we have also increased domestic gas production to historic levels,” Harris said.

The campaign’s evolving position has drawn the scorn of proponents of fossil fuel production, with the U.S. Oil & Gas Association taking to social media after Thorndike’s initial comments and accusing the vice president of making a “change in her prior, prior, position.”

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at a watch party after a presidential debate with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 10, 2024.  (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

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“So Harris’s new position in Oct is she now opposes fracking and no longer supports her position in July when she changed her position to support fracking, which was subsequently a change in her prior, prior position of June, which was to oppose fracking? Got it,” the organization said.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

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

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other Republicans are coming to the rescue of Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., who faces a legitimate threat to her re-election from independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn, a union leader and mechanic. 

Millions of dollars have been poured into Fischer’s Nebraska Senate race in the last month as Republicans look to prevent an upset that could hurt their chances of taking the upper chamber’s majority. 

The McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund recently launched a $3 million ad buy in the state to shore up the Nebraska Republican’s support. 

TOP REPUBLICANS ACCUSE FTC CHAIR OF HATCH ACT VIOLATIONS OVER ‘CAMPAIGN-STYLE EVENTS’ WITH DEMS

Republicans are coming to the rescue of Deb Fischer in Nebraska.  (Reuters)

“California and New York Democrats are putting crazy money into Dan Osborn’s campaign. They’re not going to succeed, especially as Nebraska voters learn about Osborn’s Democrat ties and Bernie Sanders’ ideology. We’re just closing the gap a bit,” Senate Leadership Fund President and CEO Steven Law said in a statement. 

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has also gotten involved, putting more than $500,000 into ad reservations as of the beginning of October, according to AdImpact.

Additionally, Fischer is getting help from well-known top Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in neighboring Iowa. In a new radio ad, he tells voters, “This is your neighbor Chuck Grassley,” adding, “my friend Deb Fischer needs your vote.”

PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE LABELED ‘TOSS UP’ IN LAST-MINUTE SHIFT BY TOP HANDICAPPER

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

Grassley’s radio ad in Nebraska went out over the airwaves last week and will run through Election Day. The Iowa senator’s five-figure ad buy covers 90% of the state, according to a source familiar with his political operation. 

The ad is on both FM and AM radio and plays during the University of Nebraska’s football games to reach farmers, families and football fans. 

Osborn’s popularity in Nebraska has appeared to take the Fischer campaign by surprise, given the seeming last-minute efforts to fortify her support. It’s frequently difficult for independent candidates to gain traction, especially against an incumbent. However, without a Democratic candidate nominated in the Senate race, Osborn has a much larger pool of potential voters. 

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

Fischer has served two terms as senator. (Reuters)

Republicans are heavily favored to regain the Senate majority in the next Congress, with expected gains in both West Virginia and Montana, as well as several other competitive races that could build a larger advantage for the GOP over Democrats in the upper chamber. 

However, those expectations rely on incumbents in relatively safe races winning their re-election matches. Fischer’s Senate race has been shifted away from Republicans by top political handicapper the Cook Political Report two times in the past month, indicating a quickly tightening battle.

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

Dan Osborn, independent candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during a news conference May 15, 2024, at his Omaha, Neb., home. (Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

In the most recent rating shift by Cook, the race is considered “Lean Republican,” putting it in the same category as Sen. Ted Cruz’s re-election bid in Texas against Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas. 

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Osborn has criticized Fischer in ads as being beholden to lobbyists and special interest groups that have donated to her, likening her to a race car driver with sponsors on her jacket. The independent candidate has claimed he would not caucus with Democrats or Republicans in the Senate if elected. 

Osborn has faced some controversy during his campaign, with revelations that groups backing him heavily in the election are funded in part by a dark money group that has received tens of millions in grants from billionaire George Soros’ group, the Open Society Foundations. 

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

Former Democratic candidate for president and independent Tulsi Gabbard formally announced she is joining the Republican Party at a Trump rally on Tuesday.

The rally was held in Greensboro, North Carolina, a key swing state in the upcoming election.

TULSI GABBARD SAYS SHE WOULD BE ‘HONORED’ TO JOIN A POTENTIAL TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Gabbard cited her admiration for President Trump’s leadership “to transform the Republican Party and bring it back to the party of the people and the party of peace” in part for her decision.

Gabbard announced her official support of the Republican Party during Tuesday nights Trump rally. (Getty Images)

“I’m proud to stand here with you today, President Trump, and announce that I’m joining the Republican Party. I am joining the party of the people,” said Gabbard. “The party of Equality. The party that was founded to fight against and end slavery in this country. It is the party of common sense and the party that is led by a president who has the courage and strength to fight for peace.”

FORMER DEMOCRAT TULSI GABBARD ENDORSES TRUMP IN THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Gabbard represented Hawaii’s Second District in Congress from 2019 through 2021 as a Democrat. She serves in the U.S. Army Reserves with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

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Representatives for Tulsi Gabbard did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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 Fox News Power Rankings: Voter outreach, ballot efficiency and a little housekeeping

– FBI investigating classified docs leak of US intel on Israel’s planned attack against Iran

– Legal experts question Harris’ backing from donors with government ties

Peachy Poll for Former POTUS

Former President Trump holds a slight lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in the key swing state of Georgia, according to a new poll.

The poll, conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the University of Georgia, found Trump at 47% support in the state, compared to Harris’ 43%. A sizable 8% of respondents said they remain undecided, however.

The Georgia poll surveyed 1,000 of the state’s likely voters from Oct. 7-16. The poll advertises a margin of error of 3.1%…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. (Megan Varner/ Washington Post)

White House

‘UNMISTAKABLE MESSAGE’
Harris’ political career full of snubs and swipes at Catholic faithful, critics charge… Read more

‘THE FACTS’: Harris touts growing up in middle class while pushing mandate most ‘won’t be able to afford’: economist…Read more

‘I’VE NOT SEEN THAT’: KJP denies that Kamala Harris has had difficulty distinguishing herself from Biden: …Read more

Capitol Hill

OLD SCHOOL: Anonymous GOP senator concerned about Grassley, 91, reclaiming key judiciary committee chair…Read more

BATTLE BREWING: GOP NY congressman accuses Dem of refusing to let him cosponsor contraception bill for political reasons…Read more

UNITED STATES – MARCH 6: Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., speaks during a news conference with members of the House Republican Conference in Cannon Building on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, ahead of Thursday’s State of the Union address.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Tales from the Trail

‘INDEPENDENT THINKERS’: Swing state GOP chair reveals voter enthusiasm for Trump is something ‘we’ve never seen before’…Read more

FLYING HIGH: : Left-wing climate groups silent after Harris campaign drops millions on private jet flights since July…Read more

VOTING UNDERWAY: Millions of voters have already cast ballots for Nov. 5 election…Read more

EFFICIENT MARKET: What are election betting odds? Expert explains why Trump is the current favorite…Read more

ABSENTEE IMPACT: Jewish American group urges US citizens in Israel to vote as absentee ballots can impact swing states…Read more

An Israeli flag is displayed in front of a building near a road sign for the US embassy in Jerusalem on September 27, 2023. The United States said on September 27 it would start letting Israelis visit without visas, after what it said were successful efforts by its ally to address concerns it discriminates against Arab Americans, an assessment contested by some lawmakers.  (AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Across America

OFF SIDES: Former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft  — who says he’s ‘a conservative’ — plans to vote for Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown…Read more

‘LEFT BEHIND’: ‘Left behind’: Vulnerable Dem incumbent in key swing state slammed for putting ‘knife in back’ of workers…Read more

WEED ON THE BALLOT: Votes for Arkansas ballot measure on medical marijuana will not be counted, court rules…Read more

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple-effects across the country. The DEA’s proposal still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget.  (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

MUM’S THE WORD: Harris senior spokesman silent on whether he still thinks Liz Cheney is ‘crazy,’ a ‘warlord’…Read more

VOTING: Hawaii, Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin kick off in-person early voting…Read more

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

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis lasered in on the high-stakes abortion amendment on the ballot for voters in the Sunshine State, calling the measure a “bait and switch.”

Amendment 4, which would end Florida’s six-week abortion ban by enshrining abortion in the state’s constitution, has been a pressure-point as Election Day nears. 

On Tuesday, DeSantis held a press conference at the Grove Bible Chapel in Winter Garden, called “Doctors Against Amendment 4,” to urge voters to vote “No” on the abortion amendment. The governor was joined by nearly a dozen doctors against the amendment.

“When people actually peel back the onion and see what this amendment is, they don’t like it,” he said. “And it loses a lot of support.”

DESANTIS ADMIN BLOCKED FROM THREATENING TV STATION OVER PRO-ABORTION ADS

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke about Amendment 4 at the Grove Bible Chapel in Winter Garden, FL on Oct. 22, 2024. (WOFL)

DeSantis put the amendment on blast, condemning the legislation’s “vague language,” noting it could be read to allow elective abortion throughout a woman’s pregnancy as deemed necessary by employees of abortion clinics, rather than solely doctors. 

“It’s interesting because it’s written with no definitions,” he said. “It’s intentionally vague and deceptive… All they’re doing is lying about Florida policies and laws about respecting life, both the life of the mother and the health of the mother, of course, but also the life of the child.”

The amendment also does not define viability, typically understood to be around 20 to 25 weeks, DeSantis said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urges voters to vote “No” on Amendment 4. He said that the language in the amendment was “vague” and affects parental rights. (WOFL)

DeSantis also said that the amendment does not define “health care provider.”

“[Amendment 4] It says that an abortion can be greenlit all the way to the moment of birth by a ‘health care provider’,” he said. “That’s the term that they used. Well, a health care provider is not the same as a licensed physician.”

“Florida law has always required that licensed physicians be the ones to be involved in performing these procedures. Some of them are very, very high risk. Sometimes there are a lot of complications that can happen,” he said. “So you will have nonmedical doctors doing this. 

“I don’t know that there’s any other state that has ever gone down that road.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attends the drivers meeting prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida.  ((Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images))

TRUMP’S FLORIDA ALLIES OPPOSE ABORTION AMENDMENT AS FORMER PRESIDENT DECIDES HOW TO VOTE

DeSantis said that another concern brought by the amendment is its language regarding minors getting abortions. 

The text says that the amendment would not change the legislature’s ability to require parents to be notified about a minor’s abortion. However, it leaves out the legislature’s authority to require parental consent for such a procedure.

DeSantis has criticized the proposed amendment as a “bait and switch” when it comes to parental rights. 

“This amendment, if adopted, would be the first amendment in the history of the state of Florida to actually repeal a right. It will repeal the right of a parent to have to provide consent before their child undergoes an abortion,” he said. “Right now in Florida, we have parental consent, not just for abortion, but for anything involving medical treatment for a minor. They can’t give your kid an aspirin unless you consent.”

Pro-abortion rights activists in Florida participate conduct a rally to protect abortion rights for Floridians.  (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

“And that’s the way it should be for parents. And yet, this amendment would permanently take this one issue and say the parents do not have the right to be in that decision-making process or to provide consent.”

DeSantis pointed to the difference between parental notification and parental consent.

“What this amendment does, it gives a little bait and switch. The legislature says it requires parental notification, but that’s not the same as consent,” he said. “Notification can be sent via a postcard.”

“The parent knows this is happening, but the parent can’t stop it,” DeSantis said. “The parent doesn’t have the authorization and is not required to provide authorization. So it is repealing the right of a parent to provide consent for the minor.”

Abortion and the 2024 election

Florida is one of the nine states with a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot to protect access to abortion. In Florida, the hot-button issue has been the most expensive – with about $150 million in ads, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact.

The amendment’s language states, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

Trump and Harris campaign separately in Pennsylvania.  (Getty Images)

Trump

Former President Trump has shifted his stance on abortion during the election cycle, with the Republican nominee hoping to attract independents and some disillusioned Democrats, but running the risk of alienating his pro-life base.

Trump has countered Democratic attacks on the former president’s abortion stance by stating he would leave abortion access to the states, as determined by the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Trump notably opposes a federal abortion ban, but has remained opposed to late-term abortions. In July, the Republican Party abandoned its long-standing position of advocating for abortions. 

Harris

Throughout Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, she has argued that Trump — who nominated three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who later voted to overturn Roe v. Wade — is responsible for worsening medical care for women and that he would seek further restrictions.

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Harris has cast her position on the topic as creating legislation to restore the national abortion right that was eliminated following Roe v. Wade. 

She has also vowed to protect access to the abortion drug mifepristone, calling the drug “essential medication.”

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

President Biden on Tuesday called for his predecessor to be “politically” locked up during an event in New Hampshire’s capital, a phrase similar to former President Trump’s 2016 call to imprison Hillary Clinton, then his Democratic opponent. 

Biden was in Concord to tout his health care and prescription drug cost legislation when he said Trump wants to eliminate his political adversaries and detractors. 

“He thinks he has a version of the Supreme Court ruling on immunity to be able to, if need be, if it was the case, to actually eliminate, physically eliminate, shoot, kill someone who is, he believes to be a threat to him,” Biden told his supporters. 

A TRUMP MYSTERY MAKES ELECTION OUTCOME EVEN MURKIER

President Joe Biden visits a New Hampshire Democratic coordinated campaign office in Concord, NH, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (AP)

“I know this sounds bizarre. It sounds like if I said this five years ago, you’d lock me up,” he added. “We got to lock him up. Politically lock him up. Lock him out. That’s what we have to do.”

Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris have repeatedly warned voters that Trump poses a threat to democracy. Trump’s supporters have blamed similar rhetoric for the two failed assassination attempts on his life.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign. 

HARRIS SUPPORT FOR EVS COULD TANK CAMPAIGN IN CRITICAL SWING STATE, EXPERT SAYS

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 04: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a Fox News Town Hall with Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena on September 04, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Biden’s remarks were similar to Trump’s often-repeated plea during his 2016 campaign against Clinton to imprison her. 

“Lock her up! Lock her up!” chants became commonplace at Trump rallies.

Biden also said that Trump-supporting Republicans have anti-democratic attitudes. 

Trump and Harris campaign separately in Pennsylvania.  (Getty Images)

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“We’re dealing with a totally different breed of cat now,” he said. “That was— the civil rights era was terrible. But we got a group now that is just literally, and I’m not one that is prone to hyperbole, but we have a a group running the MAGA Republicans who are have an anti-democratic attitude toward the way the Constitution functions.”

Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., blasted billionaire X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, calling him a “dip—-” during a rally in swing state Wisconsin on Tuesday with former President Barack Obama. 

“I’m not going to waste all the time on him,” Vice President Harris’ running mate told the crowd in Madison, Wisconsin. 

“I’m going to talk about his running mate,” he said. “Elon Musk.” 

MCCONNELL, GOP DESCEND ON NEBRASKA TO SAVE DEB FISCHER’S ENDANGERED SENATE SEAT

Walz called Musk a ‘dip—-‘ on Tuesday. (Reuters)

The remark was met with laughs from attendees. 

“Seriously? Where is Senator Vance?” Walz asked. 

TOP REPUBLICANS ACCUSE FTC CHAIR OF HATCH ACT VIOLATIONS OVER ‘CAMPAIGN-STYLE EVENTS’ WITH DEMS

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks at a campaign event with Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“Elon’s on that stage, jumping around, skipping like a dip—- on these things,” he said, likely referencing Musk’s appearance at a rally for former President Donald Trump. 

“That guy is literally the richest man in the world, spending millions of dollars to help Donald Trump buy an election,” the Minnesota governor told the crowd. 

PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE LABELED ‘TOSS UP’ IN LAST-MINUTE SHIFT BY TOP HANDICAPPER

Gov. Tim Walz speaks to his supporters at Grand Rapids Public Museum on Sep. 12. (Detroit Free Press/Adam Vander Kooy / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

According to Walz, Trump is “promising corruption” in front of Americans, claiming he has promised to put Musk in charge of the regulatory bodies that oversee his businesses. 

The Minnesota Democrat was seemingly referring to a report that Trump plans to create a government efficiency commission and tap Musk to run it, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

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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)

Trump reportedly said the commission would conduct “a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government.”

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Musk has been increasingly involved in politics and the 2024 election in particular, working to help Republicans win races down-ballot. The billionaire has spearheaded a voter turnout PAC, donated substantial amounts to other groups, and started a controversial million dollar giveaway to battleground voters, among other things.

“Here’s the good news, Madison,” Walz said on Tuesday. “Donald Trump is never going to be president. Elon Musk is never going to run anything.”

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

The U.S. election might hinge on voters currently residing tens of thousands of miles away, according to new estimates from the Democratic National Party – prompting a flurry of new efforts to mobilize voters abroad and, they hope, swing the election in Vice President Kamala Harris’ favor. 

According to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), an estimated 1.6 million U.S. voters living overseas are currently eligible to vote in one of seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin. The states, which carry a combined total of 93 Electoral College votes, are considered to be crucial in deciding the next president in an increasingly tight race. 

Now, with Harris and former President Donald Trump locked in a virtual dead heat just two weeks before Election Day, this bloc could carry more influence than ever. 

Democrats, for their part, are wasting little time in seizing upon what they see as a crucial demographic of U.S. voters overseas. 

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A woman drops off her ballot into a ballot box in Norwalk, California. (Frederic J. Brown)

Earlier this year, the DNC announced a $300,000 investment in the group “Democrats Abroad,” aimed at helping mobilize U.S. voters overseas. 

The investment is a first-of-its-kind donation from the DNC during a presidential campaign cycle, a spokesperson told Fox News. 

It seeks to ramp up voter registration efforts by U.S. voters overseas, educate residents about registration and mail-in voting operations, and widely mobilize the population. They have also taken out ads on social media.

Voters living overseas do face additional challenges in casting their votes, which must be submitted – often by mail – to the state in which they are registered. 

U.S. voters abroad do historically vote at a much lower rate in national elections when compared to their counterparts on U.S. soil.

Additionally, 47% of military voters living abroad participated in the 2020 election but just 8% of non-military voters cast their ballots from overseas – a statistic Democrats are hoping to change.

In an email to Fox News, a spokesperson for the DNC noted that President Biden’s narrow 44,000-vote advantage in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin helped carry him to victory in 2020. 

Georgia is weighing new election measures even as early voting is underway. (Getty Images)

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Abroad voters had a notable difference in at least two of those states – Georgia and Arizona – and also played a key role two years later in the outcome of the close 2022 midterm races.

Now, as the race tightens even further in its final weeks, Democrats see this bloc as potentially offering Harris a winning edge.

“This election will be won on the margins, and every single vote counts,” DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman told Fox News in a statement.

The push comes as Republicans in at least three swing states have sought to crack down on overseas voting in the final sprint to Election Day. The Republican National Party and state-level groups in Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina have filed lawsuits this month seeking additional restrictions on a vetting and verification process they argue is devoid of proper safeguards.

Absentee ballots are prepared to be mailed at the Wake County Board of Elections on Sept. 17, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina will send out absentee ballots to military and overseas citizens by Sept. 20. (Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

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

As of this writing, two judges in Michigan and North Carolina rejected the lawsuits, which they described as devoid of evidence and said risk disenfranchising voters. 

Democrats, for their part, have criticized the legal push as a last-minute effort by Republicans to restrict voter turnout from a demographic that has until recently been a fairly reliable bedrock of GOP support. 

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“We’re going to win this election by engaging every eligible voter, no matter where they live,” Rahman told Fox News, adding that their investment “shows our commitment to leaving no stone left unturned.” 

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

Fox News Exclusive – Republican Sen. Tim Scott, a top surrogate for former President Trump, made a pitch for Republicans to embrace early voting as he cast his own ballot on Tuesday in his home state of South Carolina.

“Donald Trump is for early voting. I’m for early voting. Every Republican should be for early voting. So let’s just go do it, and that’s what I’m doing today,” the senator said in an exclusive national news outlet interview with Fox News Digital before casting his ballot.

Scott emphasized that “we’re going to continue to see more Republicans vote early, vote often, and take advantage of every option on the table to vote.”

The former president was a very vocal early voting critic, blaming it in part for what he has repeatedly claimed – without offering proof – was massive fraud that led to his 2020 election defeat at the hands of President Biden.

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Republican Sen. Tim Scott prepares to cast a ballot in early voting at the library in Hanahan, South Carolina, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Great Opportunity PAC)

As he runs to win back the White House this cycle, Trump has sent mixed messages on early voting, even as the Republican National Committee and the GOP have worked hard the past year to encourage Republicans to embrace the practice of casting their ballots before Election Day. 

But in recent weeks, Trump apparently has listened to his advisers as he’s implored Republicans to vote early. And while Democrats still have the clear edge when it comes to early voting, Republicans appear to be narrowing the gap.

Asked about whether Trump has helped or hurt the GOP effort, Scott emphasized that “this cycle the president has been crystal clear. He wants every Republican voting every single way they can. We’re going to make sure we win this election, and I’m glad that President Trump and I are on the same page once again.”

States vastly expanded early voting – by absentee ballot, voting by mail or early in-person voting – during the 2020 election, due to health concerns amid the coronavirus, the worst pandemic to strike the globe in a century. And four years later, most states have similar rules.

Sen. Tim Scott takes a selfie as he arrives to cast his ballot in Hanahan, South Carolina, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Great Opportunity PAC)

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, last year launched an unsuccessful bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

After ending his White House bid, Scott endorsed Trump in January at a campaign event in New Hampshire, ahead of the state’s first-in-the-nation Republican presidential primary. And Scott became a leading surrogate for the former president.

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Scott was also considered to be among a handful of politicians in contention as Trump’s running mate, before the former president named Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his junior partner on the GOP national ticket.

Former President Trump and Sen. Tim Scott during a Fox News Channel town hall, Feb. 20, 2024, in Greenville, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

The conservative senator, who remains a very popular figure in the GOP, is also known for his fundraising prowess, and has helped raise money for Trump as well as for Republican Senate candidates, as the GOP works to win back the chamber’s majority in the 2024 elections.

Asked about his campaign efforts in the final two weeks leading up to Election Day, Scott said he’ll be campaigning in key battleground states – including Pennsylvania and Michigan – for Trump and Republican Senate candidates.

“I’ll be talking about President Trump and four more years and why that matters and in addition to that, I’ll be talking about the importance of winning the Senate, and I’m excited about where we are,” he emphasized.

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

The Democratic Party is losing its edge over the GOP in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, with Democrats changing their party affiliation at more than twice the rate of Republicans, according to state data released after voter registration ended Monday evening.

A total of 9,088,583 registered voters were tallied across the state when the sign-up period ended at midnight on Monday. Registered Democrats maintained a lead over registered Republicans, at 3,971,607 registered Democrats to the GOP’s 3,673,783. 

More than 1.4 million voters are registered as third-party or independent voters in the Keystone State. 

Though the Democratic Party accounts for nearly 44% of registered voters compared to the GOP’s 40%, it has seen its advantage over Republicans dwindle this year. 

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Kamala Harris and Donald Trump (Getty Images)

In 2020, there were 9,090,962 registered voters across the parties in Pennsylvania, only slightly more than the 9,088,583 voters registered this cycle. 

President Biden won the state in 2020 by 1.17 percentage points​. That year, Democrats had a larger margin of registered voters compared to their Republican counterparts, at 4.2 million to 3.5 million. The data show that Democrats had a registration advantage over Republicans by 685,818 voters during an election Biden won by 80,555 votes.

The GOP has whittled down that lead this year to a 297,824 margin. When comparing registered voters this election year to 2020, Democrats face a net loss of 257,281 voters, while Republicans have a net gain of 428,537 registered voters. 

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More than double the number of previously registered Democrats changed their party affiliation this cycle compared to the number of registered Republicans who left the party: 54,668 registered Democrats changed their party affiliation compared to 25,634 Republicans, Pennsylvania Department of State data shows.

The data is broken down by county, with Philadelphia notably reporting 18,928 Democrats changed their party affiliation compared to just 3,401 Republicans doing the same. Bucks County, which sits outside of the City of Brotherly Love, reported 2,089 Democrats changed their party affiliation compared to 1,624 Republicans. In Allegheny County, home to the state’s second-largest city of Pittsburgh, 6,564 Democrats changed their party affiliation while 2,202 Republicans did the same. 

A voter fills out a mail-in ballot at the Board of Elections office in the Allegheny County Office Building on Nov. 3, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

The registered voter data comes after reports surfaced that concerns were mounting within the Democratic Party that the Harris campaign is failing to effectively connect with voters in Pennsylvania. 

Poor campaign management and staffers lacking relationships with Democratic political leaders in the Keystone State are allegedly rocking the campaign, Politico reported last week. The outlet reported that Democrats are worried that the campaign’s state manager lacks an understanding of Philadelphia, the state’s largest city, while campaign staffers have allegedly not invited local Democratic politicians to events in the state, and have not effectively deployed surrogates. 

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Politico reported that it spoke with 20 Democratic politicians, allies and party leaders for the story, who reported they are restless over Harris’ campaigning efforts. 

“Our campaign is running the largest and most sophisticated operation in Pennsylvania history,” Harris’ national campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez said in comment to Fox News Digital when asked about the report last week. “While Trump’s team still refuses to tell reporters how few staff they have in the state, we have 50 coordinated offices and nearly 400 staff on the ground.”

“While the Trump campaign closed its ‘minority outreach offices,’ we invested in targeted advertising to Black and Latino voters starting in August of 2023 and have now spent more than any previous presidential campaign on outreach to these communities. The Vice President is also campaigning aggressively in Pennsylvania – spending 1 out of 3 days in the state in September.”

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event at Divine Faith Ministries International on Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Vulnerable incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey made national headlines last week when he distanced himself from Democratic Party leaders and launched a campaign ad detailing how he “bucked Biden” and “sided” with former President Trump. 

The ad features a married couple – Republican Marygrace and her Democrat husband Joe – praising Casey as an “independent,” citing his support for Trump’s trade policies and efforts to “protect fracking” from the Biden administration.

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“Our marriage – pure bliss! But on politics, we just don’t agree. Except for Bob Casey. He’s independent,” Marygrace says, with her husband chiming in, “That’s right!”

“Casey’s leading the effort to stop corporate greedflation and price-gouging,” Marygrace continues. “Casey bucked Biden to protect fracking and he sided with Trump to end NAFTA and put tariffs on China to stop them from cheating. So in this house, we agree, it’s Bob Casey who’s doing right by Pennsylvania.”

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

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Casey has served in the Senate since 2007, ultimately becoming a stalwart within the Democratic Party, voting on legislation Biden supported, for example, 98.5% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight data. He is now facing his toughest re-election effort yet, as he squares up against Republican challenger Dave McCormick. 

The Fox News Power Rankings score the presidential contest in Pennsylvania as a toss-up, with the Senate race a lean Democrat designation. The Cook Political Report, this week, however, shifted the Senate contest from a leans Democrat race to a toss-up race, underscoring Casey’s difficult re-election battle. 

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Pennsylvania is touted as the state that will likely determine the outcome of the general election on Nov. 5. A Fox News survey of Pennsylvania voters published late last month found Harris narrowly ahead of Trump by 2 points (50-48%) among registered voters, while the race is tied at 49% each among likely voters. 

Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolofo and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

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