NationalWatch

Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s argument that the U.S. needed to “stop the bleeding” at the border during Tuesday’s debate elicited a mixed response from voters,

“Before we talk about deportations, we have to stop the bleeding,” Vance argued during Tuesday’s debate. “We have a historic immigration crisis because Kamala Harris started and said that she wanted to undo all of Donald Trump’s border policies.”

According to Fox News debate dials, which measure how Republican, Democrat, and Independent voters are responding to particular answers by candidates during the debate, the response by Vance received mixed responses.

WALZ REPEATS GEORGIA ABORTION DEATH FALSEHOOD DECRIED BY DOCTORS AS ‘FEARMONGERING’

Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) participates in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. This is expected to be the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 general election. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

While Republican views of Vance’s answers had an immediate positive response, Democratic viewers of the debate went in an opposite direction, the dials showed. Independents, meanwhile, hovered around 50% approval with Vance’s answer.

Voters began to see Vance’s response in a more positive light when he touched on former President Donald Trump’s border policies, arguing that the next administration should return to handling the border similar to how Trump did during his four years in office.

NEW YORK – OCTOBER 01: Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, participate in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. This is expected to be the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 general election. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

DISGRACED EX-CBS NEW ANCHOR DAN RATHER SAYS OLD NETWORK LOOKING TO AVOID ‘BLOWBACK’ ABC RECEIVED

“You’ve gotta reimplement Donald Trump’s border policies, build the wall, reimplement deportations,” Vance said, garnering an improved response from independent voters and a very positive response from Republicans. Meanwhile, Democratic voters remained sour on the Ohio Senator’s answer.

Voters also responded well to Vance’s remarks on deportation, where the Ohio Senator argued in favor of focusing on those who have committed crimes in addition to crossing the border illegally.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News, with Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We start with the criminal migrants,” Vance said on deportations, gaining a strongly positive response from Republicans, a mostly positive response from independents, and an improved response among Democratic voters. “About a million of those people have committed some form of crime in addition to crossing the border illegally, I think you start for deportations on those folks.”

A focus group of Republicans, Democrats and independents reacted to former President Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance’s microphone being cut off during the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate on Tuesday night.

Independent and Republican voters disapproved of the interjection, but independent voters dipped significantly when Vance began explaining his stance.

Despite CBS announcing that it would not allow live fact-checking during the debate, moderator Margaret Brennan interjected to correct Vance after he suggested that illegal immigrants are overwhelming public resources in Springfield, Ohio.

JD VANCE REMINDS CBS MODERATORS OF DEBATE RULES AFTER THEY TRY TO FACT-CHECK HIM

NEW YORK – OCTOBER 01: Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, participate in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. This is expected to be the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 general election. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

ABC DEBATE MODERATORS SPARK FURY FOR AGGRESSIVE FACT-CHECKING OF TRUMP, EASY TREATMENT OF HARRIS

“Just to clarify for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status, temporary protected status,” Brennan said.

“The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check,” Vance reminded them. “And since you are fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on.”

When Walz tried interjecting, independent approval also decreased for a brief moment. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

While explaining the process of obtaining legal status and tying it to a Harris-backed immigration policy, the moderators again spoke over Vance, thanking him for “describing the legal process” before they cut off his microphone as Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attempted to argue with him.

When the microphones were cut off, the independent voter dial line can be seen moving in the approval direction as Republican approval decreased slightly. 

Fox News Digital’s Yael Halon contributed to this report. 

Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, faced off Tuesday night in their first and only debate, sparring over issues like foreign policy, border security, abortion and climate change and introducing themselves and their records to the American people with just five weeks to Election Day. 

Vice presidential debates are traditionally seen as second-tier, but with former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris unlikely to debate again before voters cast their ballots Nov. 5, the stakes were raised for their running mates as they attempted to tackle the most important issues facing the nation. 

WALZ FORCED TO CORRECT RECORD ON WHETHER HE WAS IN CHINA FOR THE TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTS

CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan moderated the debate in New York City Tuesday night, which was filled with more substantive policy discussion than personal jabs, on a day that began with nearly 50,000 unionized dockworkers going on strike from Maine to Texas and ended with Iran launching its largest attack on Israel in history, firing nearly 250 ballistic missiles at the Jewish State. 

The first question for Walz and Vance was whether they would support a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran. 

JD Vance and Tim Walz (Getty Images)

A visibly shaky Walz had a rough start to the debate, pausing and stumbling over his words as he spoke about the need for “steady leadership” from the White House. Instead of answering the question, Walz took a shot at Trump. 

“What’s fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter,” Walz said, pointing to Trump’s debate performance against Harris last month.  “It’s clear, and the world saw it on that debate stage a few weeks ago. A nearly 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes is not what we need in this moment.” 

But Vance, in his first answer, defended Trump, saying Trump “delivered stability to the world, and he did it by establishing effective deterrence.” 

“People were afraid of stepping out of line,” Vance said. “Donald Trump recognized that for people to fear the United States, you needed peace through strength. They needed to recognize that if they got out of line, the United States’ global leadership would put stability and peace back in the world.” 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

As for a preemptive strike, Vance said, “It is up to Israel what they think they need to do to keep their country safe. And we should support our allies wherever they are, when they’re fighting the bad guys.”

Walz fired back. He slammed the Trump administration for pulling out of the Iran Nuclear Deal, saying Iran is “closer to a nuclear weapon than they were before because of Donald Trump’s fickle leadership,” adding Harris is providing “steady leadership.” 

Vance fired back. 

“You blame Donald Trump, but who has been the vice president for the last 3½ years? And the answer is, your running mate, not mine,” Vance said. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, debates Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, during a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Vance, again defending Trump, said he “consistently made the world more secure.” 

“Gov. Walz can criticize Donald Trump’s tweets, but effective, smart diplomacy and peace through strength is how you bring stability back to a very broken world,” Vance said. “Donald Trump has already done it once before.” 

Vance also urged voters to ask themselves, “When was the last time that an American president didn’t have a major conflict break out?” 

“The only answer is during the four years that Donald Trump was president,” Vance said. 

The debate shifted to the ongoing crisis at the southern border, a top issue for voters. 

Vance said he has already been to the border more than “border czar” Kamala Harris, while touting Trump’s plan to secure the border. 

VANCE, WALZ SPAR ON IMMIGRATION DURING VP DEBATE: BEEN TO THE BORDER ‘MORE THAN OUR BORDER CZAR’

But Walz blasted Trump for his alleged efforts to get Republicans to vote against a border bill. 

“As soon as it was getting ready to pass and actually tackle this, Donald Trump said no. told [lawmakers] to vote against it, because it gives him a campaign issue,” Walz said. “What would Donald Trump talk about if we actually did some of these things?”

On the same topic, moderators asked Vance whether he and Trump would support family separation as part of Trump’s proposed “mass deportation” should he be elected. 

“We have 320,000 children that the Department of Homeland Security has effectively lost,” Vance explained. “Some of them have been sex trafficking. Some of them, hopefully, are at homes with their families.

“Some of them have been used as drug trafficking mules. The real family separation policy in this country is, unfortunately, Kamala Harris’s wide open southern border. And I’d ask my fellow Americans to remember when she came into office, she said she was going to do this. Real leadership would be saying, ‘You know what, I screwed up. We’re going to go back to Donald Trump’s border policies.’ I wish that she would do that. It would be good for all of us.” 

CBS debate moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan (Screenshot: Fox News simulustcast of CBS News Vice Presidential Debate)

Walz pushed back, saying children have not been used as “drug mules,” and defending Harris, saying she was attorney general in California and “prosecuted transnational gangs for human trafficking and drugs.” 

Walz also hit Vance over claims he had made about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, saying he had demonized them.

“Look, in Springfield Ohio, and in communities all across this country, you’ve got schools that are overwhelmed. You’ve got hospitals that are overwhelmed. You’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans,” Vance said.

At that point, moderators tried to correct Vance, but the GOP vice presidential nominee pushed back, reminding that the moderators said they would not fact-checking the candidates.

The moderators said many Haitian residents in Springfield, Ohio, have temporary legal status. Vance jumped in to “say what’s actually going on.”

While explaining the process and tying it to a Harris-backed process, the moderators spoke over him, sarcastically thanking him for “describing the legal process” before they cut off his microphone as Tim Walz attempted to argue with him.

“We have so much we have to get to. Thank you so much for explaining the legal process,” Margaret Brennan said before asking her O’Donnell to ask the next question.

As for the issue of abortion, another top issue for voters this cycle, Walz maintained that he and Harris are pro-choice, while Vance said Republicans need to “do so much better of a job at earning the American people’s trust back on this issue, where they, frankly, just don’t trust us.” 

“And I think that’s one of the things that Donald Trump and I are endeavoring to do. I want us, as a Republican Party, to be pro-family in the fullest sense of the word. I want us to support fertility treatments. I want us to make it easier for moms to afford to have babies,” Vance said. “I want to make it easier for young families to afford a home so they can afford a place to raise that family. And I think there’s so much that we can do on the public policy front just to give women more options right now.” 

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks during a campaign rally at the Prairie Du Chien Area Arts Center in Prairie du Chien, Wis., Sept. 28, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Vance echoed Trump’s view of abortion, supporting the Supreme Court’s decision to return the issue of abortion to the states, while supporting exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. 

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: TRUMP MAINTAINS LEAD ON 2 TOP ISSUES AHEAD OF VP DEBATE

“The proper way to handle this, as messy as democracy sometimes is, is to let voters make these decisions,” Vance said. “Let the individual states make their abortion policy. And I think that’s what makes the most sense in a very big, a very diverse — and let’s be honest — sometimes, a very, very messy and divided country.” 

Meanwhile, the moderators switched to questions of leadership, pressing Walz on whether he was actually in China for the Tiananmen Square protests as he has previously claimed. 

A visibly nervous Walz attempted to explain the discrepancy, ultimately saying he “misspoke” and was not there until later that year. 

And the question for Vance was about his past criticisms of Trump. 

Vance said, at the time, he disliked Trump because he “believed some of the media stories that turned out to be dishonest fabrications of his record.” 

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally in Douglas, Ariz., Sept. 27, 2024.  (Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images)

“Donald Trump delivered for the American people rising wages, rising take-home pay, an economy that worked for normal Americans, a secure southern border. A lot of things, frankly, that I didn’t think he’d be able to deliver on. And, yeah, when you screw up, when you misspeak, when you get something wrong and you change your mind, you ought to be honest with the American people about it,” Vance said. 

Meanwhile, Vance offered his sympathies to Walz during the section of the debate focused on gun violence, when he learned Walz’s son had witnessed a shooting.

Walz said his 17-year-old son “witnessed a shooting at a community center playing volleyball.”

“I didn’t know that your 17-year-old witnessed a shooting. I’m sorry about that. Christ, have mercy,” Vance said.

The two spoke about school shootings and their plans to solve gun violence.

“We have to make the doors locked better. We have to make the doors stronger. We’ve got to make the windows stronger, and, of course, we’ve got to increase school resource officers. Because the idea that we can magically wave a wand and take guns out of the hands of bad guys, it just doesn’t fit with recent experience,” Vance said.

Walz said the conversation was a good start but had to go further.

“Even though they have a high gun ownership rate in the country, there are reasonable things that we can do to make a difference. It’s not infringing on your Second Amendment. And the idea to have some of these weapons out there, it just doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

Vance was pushed on past comments in which he said he would not have voted to certify the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Vance fired back at the assertion that Trump could pose a “threat to democracy,” saying he believes “we actually do have a threat to democracy in this country.” 

“But, unfortunately, it’s not the threat to democracy that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz want to talk about. It is the threat of censorship. It’s Americans casting aside lifelong friendships because of disagreements over politics. It’s big technology companies silencing their fellow citizens,” Vance said. 

Walz redirected the discussion to Jan. 6, 2021, blasting Trump and Republicans for allegedly denying the events of that day. 

“I will tell you this, that when this is over, we need to shake hands this election, and the winner needs to be the winner. This has got to stop. It’s tearing our country apart,” Walz said. 

Vance replied, saying it is “really rich for Democratic leaders to say that Donald Trump is a unique threat to democracy when he peacefully gave over power on January the 20th.” 

“As we have done for 250 years in this country, we are going to shake hands after this debate and after this election. And, of course, I hope that we win, and I think we’re going to win,” Vance said. “But if Tim Walz is the next vice president, he’ll have my prayers. He’ll have my best wishes, and he’ll have my help whenever he wants it.” 

But Vance reminded Americans that “for years in this country, Democrats protested the results of elections.” 

“Hillary Clinton in 2016 said that Donald Trump had the election stolen by Vladimir Putin because the Russians bought like $500,000 worth of Facebook ads. This has been going on for a long time, and if we want to say that we need to respect the results of the election, I’m on board,” Vance said. “But if we want to say, as Tim Walz is saying, that this is just a problem that Republicans have had, I don’t buy that, governor.”

As the debate came to a close, Vance and Walz both promised voters a new direction for the United States. 

“Kamala Harris is bringing us a new way forward,” Walz said. “She’s bringing us a politics of joy. She’s bringing real solutions for the middle class. And she’s centering you at the heart of that, all the while asking everyone, join this movement. Make your voices heard.”

Vance also gave a message of change to the voters.

“We need change. We need a new direction. We need a president who has already done this once before and did it well. Please vote for Donald Trump,” Vance said. “And whether you vote for me or vote for Tim Walz, I just want to say I’m so proud to be doing this, and I’m rooting for you.

Walz came into the debate with better poll numbers than Vance.

According to the latest Fox News national poll, Walz was slightly above water with a 43% favorable rating and a 40% unfavorable rating. Vance stood in negative territory, at 38%-50% favorable/unfavorable.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Heading into the debate, Vance had been very talkative, sitting for scores of interviews and taking plenty of questions from reporters on the campaign trail. 

Both running mates get right back on the campaign trail Wednesday in two of the key seven battleground states that will likely determine whether Harris or Trump succeed President Biden in the White House.

Vance holds campaign events in Auburn Hills and Marne, Michigan. And Walz takes part in a campaign bus tour swing through parts of central Pennsylvania, which kicks off at the airport in Harrisburg, the state capital.

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

As Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced off in the Vice Presidential debate in New York City Tuesday, both parties took to social media to express support for their candidate, with Democrats fact checking Vance on every point. 

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg claimed Walz was “laying down facts” and that Vance was “unaware” that the U.S. energy production was up. 

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News, with Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“Remarkable to see JD Vance pretend to be unaware that US energy production is up and US manufacturing is up dramatically right now, much higher than under Trump. Glad Tim Walz is laying down the facts here,” Buttigieg wrote on X.

David Plouffe, campaign manager and White House Senior Advisor for Barack Obama and Senior Advisor for Kamala Harris for President called out Vance and said Walz hit his strongest win during the immigration portion. 

“Gov Walz dominating JD Vance on the immigration exchange with undecided voters in a western battleground state. Reminding these voters Donald Trump built only 2 percent of the wall and Mexico didn’t pay a dime strongest moment of the debate,” Plouffe wrote. 

TIM WALZ REVISES NUMBER OF TIMES HE WENT TO CHINA

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also fact checked Vance and said if he and Donald Trump were elected, American families would pay a high cost. 

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Vance made “false” claims about the Middle East.  

“Vance says Trump “restored deterrence” in the Middle East. Totally false. Iran and its proxies weren’t shooting at U.S. troops UNTIL Trump became President,” Murphy wrote.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer applauded Walz for “standing up for American workers.” 

“Michigan remembers what happened under Donald Trump. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost across all industries, including manufacturing. The Biden-Harris administration was critical to bringing jobs back to Michigan.” 

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., alleged that Trump and Vance’s “Project 2025 agenda will raise costs on Arizona families while giving more tax breaks and power to big corporations.” 

“@KamalaHarris and @Tim_Walz will lower costs and build an economy that works for all Americans.” 

Project 2025 refers to a set of conservative policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation and has turned into a right-wing-‘boogeyman’ style Democratic talking point and fodder for Trump critics. 

TRUMP BLAMES BIDEN, HARRIS FOR IRAN’S ATTACK ON ISRAEL: ‘VERY CLOSE TO GLOBAL CATASTROPHE’

Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wrote on X that “housing and homeownership will be the most accessible under a Harris-Walz administration.” 

“They want to equip the next generation of homeowners with the support they need to achieve the American dream.” 

Ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod wrote on X that Vance was “doing well” in the debate, but then ran “like a bat out of hell” when asked “a direct question about the 2020 election.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Brian Fallon, a former aide to Hillary Clinton, also took aim at Vance’s response to questions about the 2020 election. 

“A top moment of the debate comes in the closing minutes: Vance refuses to say Trump lost the 2020 election. ‘Damning non-answer,’Walz says,” he wrote on X.

Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz sparred on the issue of immigration in their debate Tuesday night, and Vance called out the immigration policies of VP Kamala Harris. 

“First of all, the gross majority of what we need to do to the southern border is just empowering law enforcement to do their job,” Vance said during the Tuesday night debate on CBS during a discussion on the Haitian migrant surge in Springfield and immigration overall. 

“I’ve been to the southern border more than our ‘border czar’ Kamala Harris has been. And it’s actually heartbreaking because the Border Patrol agents, they just want to be empowered to do their job.”

Vance continued by saying that, “of course, additional resources would help,” but that the issue is mostly about the Biden administration not empowering law enforcement to say “if you try to come across the border illegally, you’ve got to stay in Mexico” and “go back through proper channels.”

TIM WALZ SAID HE WENT TO CHINA ‘DOZENS’ OF TIMES, NOW HIS CAMPAIGN SAYS ITS ‘CLOSER TO 15’

JD Vance and Tim Walz squared off in their first and only debate Tuesday night. (Getty Images)

“Now, Gov. Walz brought up the community of Springfield, and he’s very worried about the things that I’ve said in Springfield,” Vance said. “Look, in Springfield, Ohio, and in communities all across this country, you’ve got schools that are overwhelmed. You’ve got hospitals that are overwhelmed. You’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes.

“The people that I’m most worried about in Springfield, Ohio, are the American citizens who have had their lives destroyed by Kamala Harris’ open border. It is a disgrace, Tim, and I actually think I agree with you. I think you want to solve this problem, but I don’t think that Kamala Harris does.”

Walz repeatedly made the case that Trump shut down the Senate immigration bill earlier this year that VP Harris has said she will sign in a move he believes would have made strides at the border.

UNEARTHED PHOTO SHOWS TIM WALZ APPOINTEE DECORATED HOUSE WITH POSTERS OF MURDEROUS COMMUNIST DICTATORS

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, speaks with U.S. Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, during the vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City Oct. 1, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

“It is law enforcement that asked for the bill,” Walz said. “They helped craft it. They’re the ones that supported it. It was because they know we need to do this. Look, this issue of continuing to bring this up, of not dealing with it, of blaming migrants for everything.

“On housing, we could talk a little bit about Wall Street speculators buying up housing and making them less affordable, but it becomes a blame. Look, this bill also gives the money necessary to adjudicate. I agree it should not take seven years for an asylum claim to be done.

“This bill gets it done in 90 days. Then, you start to make a difference in this, and you start to adhere to what we know, American principles. I don’t talk about my faith a lot, but Matthew 25:40 talks about to the least amongst us, you do unto me. I think that’s true of most Americans. They simply want order to it. This bill does it. It’s funded. It’s supported by the people who do it, and it lets us keep our dignity about how we treat other people.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the Republican vice presidential candidate, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, participate in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center Oct. 1, 2024, in New York City. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Vance referred to the Biden-Harris record on immigration as a “disgrace.”

“Look, what Tim said just doesn’t pass the smell test,” Vance said. “For three years. Kamala Harris went out bragging that she was going to undo Donald Trump’s border policy. She did exactly that. We had a record number of illegal crossings. We had a record number of fentanyl coming into our country.

“And now that she’s running for president or a few months before, she says that somehow she got religion and cares a lot about a piece of legislation. The only thing that she did when she became the vice president, when she became the appointed border czar was to undo 94 Donald Trump executive actions that opened the border. This problem is leading to massive problems in the United States of America. Parents who can’t afford health care, schools that are overwhelmed. It’s got to stop. And it will when Donald Trump is president.”

A Harris campaign official told Fox News Digital that its focus group of undecided voters watching the debate reacted more strongly in favor of Walz’s comments.

“Overall, Gov. Walz outperformed JD Vance in the immigration section, and the highest rating for Gov. Walz of the night so far was when he reminded viewers of Donald Trump’s failed promise to build a wall, only building 2% of it,” the campaign said. 
 

It all comes down to Pennsylvania.

That is not an exaggeration.

If Kamala Harris loses Pennsylvania, Donald Trump is the 47th president of the United States.

Now you could say the same about Michigan or Wisconsin, but it especially seems that a Democratic candidate should be able to carry the Keystone State.

HARRIS CAMPAIGN ‘UNDERWATER’ IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE, DEM REP WARNS DONORS

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump (Getty Images)

And that’s why, in my view, Kamala should have picked Josh Shapiro, its popular governor.

I have nothing against Tim Walz, of football coach fame, but I don’t see what he’s done for the ticket. There’s a reason the campaign hasn’t let him do any solo interviews – a stark contrast with JD Vance, who is constantly doing interviews and holding press conferences.

In fact, Vance now frequently takes reporters’ questions in front of supporters, who boo the journalists, sometimes even before they start speaking.

We’ll find out whether Walz can think on his feet when he faces off against Vance in tonight’s VP debate. The most generous thing I can say is that the Coach will be rusty.

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

Let’s look at the latest numbers.

The Real Clear Politics average has Trump leading Harris by a miniscule margin, 48.1% to 47.9%, which of course is a statistical tie.

At 538, the micro-margin in Pennsylvania is flipped, with Harris averaging 47.9% and Trump at 47.1%, another tie.

Now imagine that Shapiro, who is more of a moderate liberal than the uber-progressive Walz, was the running mate. And let’s say Shapiro had brought in another 50,000 votes as the home-state guy. You can see where that would tip the balance.

Kamala didn’t pick Josh for two reasons. They had a rough conversation when she interviewed him, with the governor insisting on an influential role if he were to relinquish his current job. But so what? Presidents and their veeps often don’t see eye to eye. She preferred the image of Walz, hunter and fisherman, to the prospect of two East Coast lawyers.

But the more important reason is more troubling. Harris was under pressure from the anti-Israel faction in her party not to tap Shapiro, who is Jewish and a strong supporter of the Jewish state.

So the vice president effectively handed veto power to this minority faction, which basically backs the Hamas terrorists who would wipe out Israel, and would have faced a week or two of controversy as a result. I said at the time this would be a world-class mistake if she lost Pennsylvania.

An anti-Israel protester, in straw hat, interrupts Vice President Kamala Harris in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. (Charlie Creitz/Fox News)

The reason Harris has spent so much time in the Pittsburgh area is that the western end of the state is much more conservative than the eastern section anchored by Philadelphia. Her goal is to hold down Trump’s margin in a part of the state that he’ll easily win.

KAMALA HARRIS IS GETTING ‘OUTHUSTLED’ AND ‘OUTCLASSED’: JESSE WATTERS

One problem Harris faces right now is that she makes little news. By picking “friendly” interviewers, such as MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle, who has trashed Trump as a danger to democracy, she avoids tough questions and followups. 

Visiting the Mexican border was a smart move, not just because Trump has a major lead on immigration, but because Harris broke into the news cycle, where images can count more than words, and attempted to position herself as tougher than Joe Biden on the issue.

Otherwise, I’m just hearing chunks of her stump speech in response to questions, starting with how her mother raised her. Repetition is important in politics, but if you don’t throw in a few new lines, the press is left without a headline.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a rally on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Meanwhile, Trump over the weekend called Harris “mentally impaired,” saying Biden just got old but she was born that way. He also said Harris should be impeached, and maybe prosecuted, for the way she helped run the country.

Now that is classic Trump. By using over-the-top rhetoric, he sparks a media debate about whether he’s gone too far, and that debate revolves around the words “Kamala” and “mentally impaired.” 

IN HYPERPARTISAN ENVIRONMENT, MSNBC DRAWING FIRE FOR ANTI-TRUMP, PRO-HARRIS PROGRAMMING

Harris has wisely not responded to every Trump jab. But remember, Trump benefits from negative coverage as much as positive coverage because he’s driving the news agenda.

Here’s a pool report from Harris at a West Coast political event over the weekend: “She then switched her remarks to talking about the need for comprehensive immigration reform. VP Harris remarks on the issue were very similar to her remarks in Arizona on Friday.” In other words, no news.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Think about this: Trump has been absolutely pummeled by a hostile press corps, is a twice-impeached convicted felon and carries the burden of Jan. 6. Harris has been riding an extraordinary wave of positive press, and yet she’s slipped slightly in the polls and is tied in Pennsylvania.

And there’s no question that if she loses there, the election is over.

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

DEBATE DAY: Live coverage begins today at 8 p.m. ET for the Fox News Simulcast of the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate. Learn more.

What’s happening…

– Trump edges Harris in North Carolina Poll, state that hasn’t voted Democratic since 2008

– Mast demands VA fire staffers over Vance, Walz medical record breach, FBI probe possible foreign interference

–  Fox News Power Rankings: Trump maintains lead on 2 top issues ahead of VP debate

Final Face-off?

NEW YORK CITY – With a second face-to-face showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump unlikely – and with a margin-of-error race with five weeks until Election Day in November – there’s a lot on the line in the vice presidential debate.

While debates between the running mates are the undercard of a White House race and have rarely moved the need much in the past, when Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats’ nominee, face-off on Tuesday, there will be heightened stakes.

Any major knockout blow – or agonizing misstep – could turn what’s traditionally seen as a second-tier event into an impactful showdown…Read more

JD Vance and Tim Walz FOX News VP Debate Graphic (Fox News Media)

Mideast on the Brink

HEZBOLLAH IN SYRIA: Hezbollah terrorists engaged in sex slavery, rape, mass murders of Syrians…Read more

ISRAEL ATTACKED BY IRAN: American Jewish leaders say Islamist regime will pay for missile strike…Read more

Capitol Hill 

NRA VS SEN BROWN: NRA targets Sen Sherrod Brown in 7-figure ad buy in Ohio: ‘Vote like your life depends on it’…Read more

CHILD TAX CREDIT: Johnson to push for ‘strong child tax credit,’ restrictions on China investment in Wall Street speech…Read more

SHEEHY TAKES ON TESTER: Montana GOP Senate Candidate Sheehy says he was in Afghanistan while Jon Tester was ‘eating lobbyist steak’…Read more

Tales from the Trail

BY THE NUMBERS: Trump edges Harris in North Carolina Poll, state that hasn’t voted Democratic since 2008…Read more

MAOIST TO THE CORE: Unearthed photo shows Tim Walz appointee decorated house with posters of murderous communist dictators…Read more

POWER RANKINGS: Trump maintains lead on 2 top issues ahead of VP debate…Read more

TRIPS TO CHINA: Tim Walz said he went to China ‘dozens’ of times, now his campaign says its ‘closer to 15’…Read more

HARRIS’ WEAKNESS: Pennsylvania survey finds Harris leading Trump narrowly, identifies her ‘biggest weakness’ pollster says…Read more

RECORD BREACH: Mast demands VA fire staffers over Vance, Walz medical record breach, FBI probe possible foreign interference…Read more

ABSENTEE VOTING: Pennsylvania absentee voting underway in some counties…Read more

DEBATE NIGHT ALLEGATIONS: Walz, Vance debate to kick off in NYC amid fresh lying allegations against Harris’ running mate…Read more

Across America

PORTS ON STRIKE: Trump blames port workers strike on ‘massive inflation’ caused by ‘Harris-Biden regime’…Read more

MUSK VS NEWSOM: Elon Musk compares Newsom to ‘The Joker’ after voter ID requirements banned in California…Read more

MIGRANT CRIME: 2 Martha’s Vineyard Illegal immigrants arrested on same day in latest ICE bust on wealthy, liberal island…Read more

NYC MAYOR: Eric Adams calls out alleged collusion of feds and mainstream media, asks judge for ‘consequences’…Read more

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

Hours before the vice presidential debate, former President Donald Trump addressed a crowd at his campaign rally in Wisconsin and bashed the Biden administration over Iran’s historic attack on Israel. 

“A short time ago, Iran launched 181 ballistic missiles at Israel… I’ve been talking about World War III for a long time, and I don’t want to make predictions because the predictions always come true. We’re not going to make [predictions]… but they are very close to global catastrophe,” Trump said. “We have a non-existent president and a non-existent vice president who should be in charge, but nobody knows what’s going on.”

Trump’s comments come after Israel said Iran launched 181 ballistic missiles at the country, marking the largest ballistic missile attack in history. 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, in an Israeli airstrike late last week and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, according to Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst.

IRAN ATTACK ON ISRAEL ‘INEFFECTIVE’ BUT A ‘SIGNIFICANT ESCALATION’: WHITE HOUSE

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump listens at a town hall campaign event at Macomb Community College, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Warren, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned in a statement released by Iranian state media that if Israel responds to the missile barrage, “it will face crushing attacks.”

Trump accused President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of weak leadership on the world stage.

“That’s why Israel was under attack just a little while ago. Because they don’t respect our country anymore. The so-called enemy doesn’t respect our country any longer,” Trump said.

IRAN FIRES MULTIPLE MISSILE STRIKES ACROSS ISRAEL

Trump blasted President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris after Iran launched a massive ballistic missile attack on Israel.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump claimed Biden and Harris made Iran rich in a very short period of time.

“They have $300 billion now. They’re rich. I mean, they pay 6 billion every time they have somebody that was kidnaped, it’s always $6 billion,” Trump said.

“Iran was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had no money left. They had no money for Hamas. They had no money for Hezbollah. The people they’re fighting now, they would have been willing to make any deal. You could have made any deal. But Kamala flooded them with American cash and everything. Now, I mean, they’re flooding them with cash. It’s honestly not even believable,” Trump continued.

PENTAGON SENDING A ‘FEW THOUSAND’ PERSONNEL TO MIDDLE EAST DAY AFTER BIDEN SAID HE WOULDN’T ADD COMBAT TROOPS

Tracers from firearms fired into the air in celebration for Iran’s missiles barrage on Israel, are seen over Beirut, Lebanon, October 1, 2024.  (REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki)

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Iranian missile attack on Israel was “defeated and ineffective” and that the U.S. military coordinated with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to repel the strikes. 

“U.S. naval destroyers joined Israeli Air Defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles. President Biden and Vice President Harris monitored the attack and the response from the White House Situation Room, joined in person and remotely by their national security team,” Sullivan said. 

Sullivan characterized the attack as a “significant escalation” while speaking at a White House briefing on Tuesday.

Sullivan said no deaths were reported on the Israeli side, although the White House is monitoring the reported death of a Palestinian civilian in Jericho in the West Bank.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We do not know of any damage to aircraft or strategic military assets in Israel. In short, based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective. The word fog of war was invented for a situation like this. This is a fluid situation,” he said.

Many missiles were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense systems, while others did hit the ground. 

The Pentagon says the U.S. fired approximately 12 interceptors against Iranian missiles.

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Stephen Sorace, Liz Friden, Nicolas Rojas, Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK – Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley is confident that Sen. JD Vance of Ohio is “absolutely prepared” for Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate showdown.

Vance, former President Trump’s running mate on the GOP 2024 ticket, will face off in New York City with Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota in the one and only debate between the two running mates.

“You look at everything he’s done since he was named as the candidate. He’s been preparing, he’s been talking with the press, he’s been out there, he’s been moving around and talking to the American voters. So, he’s very ready to have this conversation,” Whatley emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview hours ahead of the debate.

A source familiar with Vance’s debate prep told Fox News Digital that over the last month, the senator took part in a series of murder board sessions with his team, where a group of people ask tough questions and have candid discussions to help someone prepare for a difficult examination or test, or in Vance’s case, a vice presidential debate.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE, AND WHEN OF TUESDAY’S JD VANCE-TIM WALZ VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio speaks during a campaign rally on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)

According to the source, Vance conducted a mock debate over the past week, with Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the House majority whip, playing the role of Walz. Former Trump administration Treasury Department assistant secretary Monica Crowley played the role of one of the moderators from CBS News, which is hosting the debate in New York City.

Halfway through the mock debate, the power went out, as a strong storm slammed through the vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio, where Vance lives and where the prep session was held. But according to the source, who shared the details first with Fox News, Vance and the team continued on, using lanterns for lighting and cellphones for timers.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE VP DEBATE

Heading into the 2024 vice presidential debate, the 40-year-old Vance has been very talkative, sitting for scores of interviews and taking plenty of questions from reporters on the campaign trail. 

Walz, who is 60, has been much more reluctant to speak with the national news media. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee, speaks to supporters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sept. 12, 2024. (Detroit Free Press/Adam Vander Kooy/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

The governor was in debate camp ahead of the showdown to prepare. Walz huddled with advisers and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg – who played the role of Vance in mock debates – in Harbor Springs, Michigan, near the northern tip of the state’s lower peninsula.

Also helping out – Walz’s wife – Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz.

Asked on the eve of the showdown with Vance how his wife had been helping him with debate preparation, Walz told reporters, “She wins every one.”

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 ELECTION POWER RANKINGS SHOW

With a second face-to-face showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump unlikely – and with a margin-of-error White House race with five weeks until Election Day in November – there will be heightened stakes at the running mate debate, which is traditionally seen as a second-tier event in the presidential campaign.

“Given that we’re only likely to have one head-to-head match-up between the principal candidates and this is the last meet-up between the two tickets directly before the election, it heightens the importance and significance of this debate,” longtime Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams, a veteran of multiple presidential campaigns, told Fox News.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump debate, in Philadelphia on Sept. 10, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Most political pundits said Harris bested Trump last month in their first and likely only debate. And flash polls of debate watchers agreed. 

So a strong showing by Vance in Tuesday’s vice presidential debate could give Trump a boost. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

And there’s a precedent from 12 years ago.

After a shaky first debate by then-President Barack Obama against 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, then-Vice President Joe Biden’s well-regarded performance in the running mate debate against Romney running mate Rep. Paul Ryan gave the Democrats’ ticket a big boost.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota (Getty Images )

Whatley, the former RNC general counsel and former North Carolina GOP chair who’s a close ally of Trump, told Fox Digital that Vance’s debate mission is to “deliver the message” to voters across the country.

Whatley argued that “if you look at the Democrats, they don’t just have messenger problems, they have message problems. The polices that they’re pushing right now are not popular with the American people…. I think on every single one of these issues, the Republican ticket is the ticket of strength, the ticket of common sense, and I feel really great about where we’re going into tonight.”

The RNC chair also said that when it comes to Vance’s game plan for the debate, “I think he’s going to talk about the issues that the voters care about and those are the issues like inflation, like the southern border, like prices at the grocery store and at the gas pump. That’s really what people care about. That’s what we’re going to talk about.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Part of the Harris campaign’s strategy ahead of the debate is to raise expectations for Walz.

For weeks, they’ve painted Walz as a regular guy who will be facing off with the Ivy League-trained Vance. What they don’t mention is that Walz won six House races and two gubernatorial elections.

The Trump campaign’s playing the same game.

“Walz is very good in debates. I want to repeat that. Tim Walz is very good in debates. Really good. He’s been a politician for nearly 20 years. He’ll be very well-prepared for tomorrow night,” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told reporters on Monday.

But Trump seemed to undercut this campaign’s argument, charging in an interview with Kellyanne Conway’s Fox Nation program “Here’s the Deal with Kellyanne” that Vance is “going up against a moron. A total moron, how she picked him is unbelievable.”

Walz comes into the debate with better poll numbers than Vance.

According to the latest Fox News national poll, Walz was slightly above water with a 43% favorable rating and a 40% unfavorable rating.

Vance stood in negative territory, at 38%-50% favorable/unfavorable.

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

North Carolina remains a dead heat in the presidential race as the November elections draw ever nearer. 

The state – which is now undergoing serious recovery efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Helene – has been consistently close in its political polling.

A new poll conducted by the Washington Post finds former President Trump leading with 50% of likely North Carolina voters compared to Vice President Harris’ 48%.

BIDEN TO VISIT NORTH CAROLINA DAYS AFTER HELENE’S PATH OF DESTRUCTION LEAVES MANY DEVASTATED

Former President Trump arrives at Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump’s slim lead is within the poll’s +/- 3.5% margin of error, but the former president won the state in 2020 with a similarly tight 1.3% lead. The poll contacted 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a statewide database.

North Carolina has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since former President Obama’s 2008 victory, but the Democratic National Committee sees the state’s Republican majority as fragile, with a possibility to tip the other way.

Because the majority of the survey was conducted before the full impact of Helene on the state, it does not reflect any possible shifts the storm may cause in public opinion.

NORTH CAROLINA REVEALS SHOCKING DAMAGE TO TOURIST TOWN: ‘ALL OF IT WAS WASHED INTO THE LAKE’

Boats, parts of businesses and homes all washed away following the torrential downpour of Helene on western North Carolina. (James Broyhill)

More than 120 people have been killed by Helene since the hurricane made landfall in Florida late Thursday before tearing a path of destruction through the interior Southeast.

The storm caused millions to suffer power outages and billions in property damage as it smashed through the southern Appalachian Mountains and into the Tennessee Valley. 

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, holds a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Biden announced Monday that he will visit North Carolina on Wednesday after Hurricane Helene ravaged the state. 

The president’s announcement comes after critics slammed him for a lack of leadership following the monster storm’s devastating impact on the southeastern portion of the country. 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Pennsylvania remains one of the tightest contests in the nation as November’s presidential election approaches. 

Vice President Kamala Harris remains ahead of former President Donald Trump by a razor-thin margin, according to new data from AARP. 

Harris maintains 49% of likely voters, while Trump maintains approximately 47%, according to the survey. Three percent reported being undecided.  

FOX NEWS POLL: HARRIS, TRUMP LOCKED IN TIGHT RACE IN BATTLEGROUND PENNSYLVANIA

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

The AARP poll was conducted by landline, cell phone and text-to-web by a bipartisan team from Sept. 17 to Sept. 24. 

Harris’ weakest point is with senior citizens, AARP’s response data shows.

Seniors aged 65 years and older broke for Trump by seven points, according to the data. 

ROLLING STONES TOUR SPONSORED BY AARP AS 80-YEAR-OLD ROCKER MICK JAGGER SET TO HIT THE ROAD

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

It is a major shift after Trump was trailing previous Democratic candidate President Biden by one point before he dropped out and Harris became the party’s nominee.

The AARP survey found that 50% of likely voters approve of Trump’s performance as president from 2016 to 2020. About 49% disapprove of his job performance in the Oval Office.

Approximately 45% approve of Harris’ performance as vice president, while 52% disapprove.

Vice President Kamala Harris is pictured during a campaign event at the Philip Chosky Theatre in Pittsburgh. (Rebecca Droke/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The AARP survey spoke with 1,398 likely voters in Pennsylvania and has an overall margin of error of four percentage points. 

An over-sample of 470 likely voters within the state who are 50 years old and up was included in the data with a margin of error of three and half percentage points.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance are hours away from the first and only vice presidential debate.

As the latest Fox News Power Rankings reveal, Vance starts the evening with a lead on the economy and immigration, while Walz has an advantage on abortion.

Fox News Power Rankings’ issues and qualities tracker. (Fox News)

Policy key to a debate win

Vice presidential hopefuls do not attract as much attention as their bosses when they debate, but as Fox News’ Arnon Mishkin argued Monday, they have changed the direction of at least six elections in the last 50 years.

In most cases, these debates are won on policy. Voters are not as familiar with these nominees as they are with former President Donald Trump or even Vice President Kamala Harris, and they do not need to make their choice.

The smart play for these vice presidential candidates is to focus on the major issues at stake and how their administrations would solve them.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: HARRIS TICKS UP AND SENATE REPUBLICANS TAKE CHARGE

That is especially true for Walz on the economy and immigration, since the Harris campaign continues to lag on those issues. Vance, meanwhile, has struggled with poor favorability ratings, so his challenge is to hammer the popular parts of the Trump agenda and avoid wading into the culture war trenches.

There are also style points up for grabs. Many voters will only ever see this debate in short clips on social media, so acting like a policy wonk is less likely than ever to get the job done.

Trump has clear leads on the economy and immigration; Harris strong on abortion

Former President Donald Trump leads on the economy in the Fox News Power Rankings. (Fox News)

Trump continues to hold an advantage on two of the top three issues in this campaign. He leads on the economy by nine points and immigration by 11.

Those numbers have barely budged since Harris and Trump debated. In August, when the Power Rankings last looked at the major issues, the former president led on the economy by eight and immigration by 13.

Former President Donald Trump leads on immigration in the Fox News Power Rankings. (Fox News)

Harris is far out in front on abortion. She leads by 17 points on that issue, also a negligible movement since the last tracker (Harris +18).

Vice President Kamala Harris leads on abortion in the Fox News Power Rankings. (Fox News)

This tracker includes polls from Fox News, Quinnipiac, CNN/SSRS, NBC News and the New York Times/Siena.

Trump lost a point in the horse race after his debate with Harris while the vice president gained one; these modest shifts mirrored those after the first debate in 2020.

Together, these results suggest that the cause of Trump’s slight decline was style rather than substance.

Conversely, while Harris won the debate and held on to her advantage on abortion, she has not consistently closed the issues gap, particularly on immigration.

Top three issues in the latest Fox News Poll. (Fox News)

That is not ideal for her, given the economy (38%) and immigration (17%) are two of the top three issues for voters. A recent Fox News national survey showed those issues and abortion (16%) were the only three that a double-digit percentage of voters called their “most important” issue in deciding their vote.

Harris leads on most non-marquee issues but Trump in front on security and foreign policy

According to the same survey, Harris has strong leads in issues outside the top three. That includes health care, helping the middle class and climate change. These are “bread and butter” issues that the left has relied on to drag out base voters in previous elections.

More issues and qualities from the Fox News Poll.

The Democratic candidate also has a lead in uniting the country and, as consistent with previous trackers, having the right temperament for the job.

The candidates are evenly divided on national security. Neither has an advantage in handling a crisis that puts the country at risk, being commander in chief or decisions about using nuclear weapons. Trump’s temperament deficit should give Harris an opportunity to lead on some of these qualities, but that has not materialized.

Polls on national security. (Fox News)

ARNON MISHKIN: JD VANCE IS AN EXCELLENT DEBATER AND PRACTICES FOR THE DEBATE EVERY SUNDAY

Finally, voters prefer Trump on foreign policy. He has a six-point lead in handling the Israel/Hamas war and an eight-point lead on the Ukraine/Russia war. 

Polls on foreign policy. (Fox News)

Five weeks until election night

Tuesday is debate night. Walz and Vance will face off at an event hosted by CBS News in New York City. Fox News will simulcast the debate with special coverage anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum at 8:20 p.m. ET.

Fox News Media has proposed a second Harris-Trump debate to be moderated by MacCallum and Baier in October.

Voters can now cast a ballot in more than half of all states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

While many voters are expected to cast a ballot early, Election Day itself is just five weeks away. 

FIRST ON FOX – Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., is demanding that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) immediately fire the at least a dozen employees who reportedly improperly accessed the medical records of vice presidential candidates Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz this summer.

Mast, chairman of Veterans For Trump, penned a letter urging VA Secretary Denis McDonough for a “swift response and action to prevent such egregious violations of privacy within the VA from occurring again.” The Florida Republican is also calling for the FBI to get involved to investigate the possibility of foreign election interference. 

“I urge you to buck the employee union of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and immediately fire the employees who were caught snooping into the private medical records of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz – who are both running to be vice president. VA employees know this is not permitted,” Mast wrote in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital. “As a combat-injured veteran, I rely on the VA for my medical care. This isn’t just a legal misstep; it’s a breach that undermines veterans’ confidence in the VA and raises serious questions about the professionalism of VA personnel.” 

The Washington Post first reported Monday that at least 12 VA employees within the agency’s health administration were under criminal investigation after VA investigators discovered they improperly accessed the medical records of Vance and Walz. VA Inspector General Michael Missal’s office reportedly informed both candidates’ campaigns and shared evidence with federal prosecutors related to several of the health system employees, including a physician and a contractor who “spent extended time” viewing the files of former President Trump and Vice President Harris’ running mates. 

VA EMPLOYEES IMPROPERLY ACCESSED JD VANCE, TIM WALZ’S MEDICAL RECORDS, PROMPTING CRIMINAL PROBE: REPORT 

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., speaks at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 9, 2024, regarding competing reports on the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.  (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“Dismissing these employees and referring them to the Justice Department for prosecution, provided there is evidence that laws were broken, is the first step the VA must take to restore credibility,” Mast wrote. “Furthermore, I urge you to fully brief Congress on how this violation of privacy transpired and implement new guidelines to prevent such acts from occurring in the future.” 

Mast, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, implored McDonough to coordinate with the FBI. 

The letter comes a week after Trump’s campaign said he was briefed on “real and specific threats” from Iran to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee. 

“Given the recent foreign meddling in our elections – like Iran’s assassination plots against President Trump – I also request your department coordinate with the FBI to ensure Senator Vance and Governor Walz’s medical information was neither shared with foreign operatives nor accessed on their behalf,” Mast, who served in the U.S. Army for 12 years and lost both legs to catastrophic injuries endured while working as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan, wrote. “Safeguarding sensitive information about our public officials is critical to national security and the integrity of our democracy.” 

TRUMP REACTS TO ASSASSINATION PLOTS WITH BIG WARNING TO IRAN

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

Last month, experts from the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a summary of the current threat environment citing how the “big three foreign influence actors, Russia, Iran, and China are all trying by some measure to exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit, and see election periods as moments of vulnerability.”  

“Like Russia, Iran has a multi-pronged approach that looks to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our electoral process. Tehran has also sought cyber access to individuals with direct ties to the presidential campaigns of both political parties, while elements have also denigrated the former president,” they said. “Iran has a suite of tools at its disposal, as demonstrated in recent reports outlining Iran’s cyber operations, including the hack-and-leak operation against the former president’s campaign. Iran is also conducting covert social media operations using fake personas, and is using AI to help publish inauthentic news articles.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to the VA and the FBI regarding Mast’s letter. 

Regarding the Post’s reporting on Monday, VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement that the agency “reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records” and takes “the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records.” 

“Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Hayes wrote. 

The potential motive for accessing the medical records is under investigation, and investigators are still trying to determine if Vance and Walz’s information was shared as a result of the breaches, the Post reported. 

JD Vance and Tim Walz will debate each other Tuesday night in New York City.  (Getty Images )

The VA employees under investigation, including the physician and contractor, accessed the medical records using their VA computers and did so mostly from their government offices, sources told the newspaper. Some of the staffers in question reportedly told investigators they were simply curious to see the files of Vance and Walz given both candidates have defended their military records on the campaign trail. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Department of Justice declined to comment about the report. The breach reportedly did not include access to any disability compensation, which has more security protocols than health information. 

Montana U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, a Republican, ripped his opponent, incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, for his ties to lobbyists during a debate on Monday.

Tester is seeking to hold onto his Senate seat to continue representing the red state of Montana in a race that could determine which party controls the upper chamber of Congress, and recent polling shows that Sheehy is leading just weeks before Election Day.

During the debate on Monday, Sheehy knocked his Democrat opponent for his relationship with lobbyists in Washington, D.C.

“Sen. Tester knows all about backroom meetings, he’s been taking them for 20 years … While I was fighting in Afghanistan, he was eating lobbyist steak in D.C.,” said Sheehy, a former U.S. Navy SEAL.

‘WHOEVER GETS ELECTED’: VULNERABLE DEM TESTER DIGS IN HEELS ON NOT ENDORSING HARRIS

Tim Sheehy prepares to debate U.S. Sen. Jon Tester on campus at the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (The Missoulian via AP)

Lobbyists have donated more heavily to Tester during this election cycle than to any other member of Congress, according to the non-partisan group OpenSecrets.

Tester is the last remaining Democrat to hold high office in Montana, where Republicans, including former President Trump, supported Sheehy’s campaign with the hope that he could defeat the vulnerable Democrat and help the GOP win back control of the Senate.

Republicans need to gain only two seats in next month’s election to win the Senate majority. GOP West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is considered a lock in his state’s Senate race against Democrat Glenn Elliott, meaning the Senate majority could run through Montana.

Trump won Montana by about 17 percentage points in 2020 and, given that the state is overwhelmingly Republican, Sheehy has often sought to tie Tester to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as the Republican candidate looks to take advantage of public dissatisfaction over the administration’s struggles to address the influx of illegal immigration at the Southern Border.

JON TESTER CASTS DOUBT ON UNFAVORABLE POLL IN MONTANA SENATE RACE: ‘GIVE ME A BREAK’

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester prepares to debate GOP challenger Tim Sheehy on campus at the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (The Missoulian via AP)

“Democrats on the Hill refused to hold the administration accountable for the largest mass migration in the history of this country,” Sheehy said.

Tester, however, has declined to endorse Harris and has attempted to distance himself from her on the campaign trail, and he skipped the Democratic National Convention in August, when she was named the party’s nominee for president after Biden dropped out.

The Democrat has also criticized some of the administration’s policy decisions. This includes his opposition to the move for tighter pollution rules for coal plants and his calls for more to be done on immigration.

“Look, I’ll be the first person to tell you that President Biden has not done a good job on the southern border,” Tester said Monday.

Sheehy and Tester also addressed abortion, in which the Democrat said he wants to reinstate Roe v. Wade after the landmark ruling was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court two years ago, returning the power to make laws regarding abortion back to the states.

Tim Sheehy, left, prepares to debate U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, right, on campus at the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (The Missoulian via AP)

The Republican acknowledged that remarks he made last year about Native Americans were “insensitive,” but refused his opponent’s request to apologize. Sheehy had told a group of laughing supporters about bonding “with all the Indians … while they’re drunk at 8 a.m.,” while working cattle at a ranch on the Crow Indian Reservation.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Yeah, insensitive,” Sheehy said. “I come from the military as many of our tribal members do. You know, we make insensitive jokes and probably off-color jokes sometimes.”

Tester pressed his opponent, “Tim, the statement you made degrades Native Americans across this country. You’re a big guy, just apologize.”

“Will you apologize for opening the border?” Sheehy shot back.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pennsylvania’s 19 Electoral College votes are up for grabs in the 2024 presidential election with absentee voting in the Keystone State underway for some voters there.

Pennsylvania is one of the most competitive states this cycle

Pennsylvania was one of three Rust Belt states that flipped from the Democrats to former President Trump and Republicans in 2016, then back to President Biden four years later. In each case, the margin was thin with less than 100,000 votes separating the main candidates.

The state has also been critical to each president’s pathway to victory. It has the largest population and the most Electoral College votes of the seven most competitive states in the Fox News Power Rankings.

A recent Fox News survey has the race tied, with Democrat nominee Vice President Harris and Trump each receiving support from 49% of likely voters.

The bulk of the Democrat vote comes from the “bookends” of the state, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where Harris will likely perform well among Black and suburban voters.

Trump makes up for that with White rural and non-college-educated voters who live in the middle of the state. The former president has brought these voters out to the ballot box twice, and a Pennsylvania-heavy rally schedule shows he is looking to do that again.

Pennsylvania is ranked “Toss-Up” in the Fox News Power Rankings.

The Keystone State also has a U.S. Senate race on the ballot. Democrat Sen. Bob Casey has won three elections before, but securing a fourth will be more difficult with White working-class voters drifting away from his party. Republicans are hoping businessman Dave McCormick will connect with them. That race is ranked “Leans Dem.”

Key House races in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is also home to a handful of competitive U.S. House races led by:

• 7th District: Democrat Rep. Susan Wild has represented this eastern Pennsylvania district since the 2018 midterms, a wave year for House Democrats. It’s been a very close race since then, with Wild winning by 3.8 points in 2020 and two points in the most recent midterms. This time, she faces Republican state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. This race is a “Toss-Up” in the Fox News Power Rankings.
• 8th District: In the northeast, longtime Democrat Rep. Matt Cartwright has served this district for more than a decade. His margins have also shrunk over a decade of elections and through redistricting, down to 2.4 points in the last cycle. Cartwright’s opponent is local businessman and Republican Rob Bresnahan. The district includes Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. This race is also a Power Rankings “Toss Up.”
• 10th District: Moving south to the 10th district, rural voters in Cumberland and York counties give Republican Rep. Scott Perry the edge. He has represented the region since 2013. Perry won by 7.6 points in the midterms, but Democrats hope that Perry’s deep ties to the MAGA movement will make their candidate, former local news anchor Janelle Stelson, competitive. This race is ranked “Leans GOP.”
• 17th District: Freshman Rep. Chris Deluzio kept this western Pennsylvania seat in Democrat hands by 6.8 points in 2023, but the combination of red-leaning Beaver County and parts of Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, make this another hard-fought battleground district. Deluzio faces Republican State Rep. Rob Mercuri in November; the district is ranked “Leans Dem.”

How to vote in Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania.

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)

Voting by mail/early in-person voting

Pennsylvania has what it describes as “On-Demand Mail Ballot Voting,” which allows registered voters to apply for mail ballots while at their county election office or other designated locations and then complete and submit the ballots while there.

A sign highlights efforts to sign up voters at the Bayfront Convention Center on Sept. 29 in Erie, Pa. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Mail ballots can be submitted in-person until 8 p.m. on Election Day, while the deadline to apply for one is 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 29.

Pennsylvania certified its official candidate list on Sept. 16, and counties are still “finalizing their ballots, proofreading them, and ordering printed ballots,” the state said. Mail ballots are currently available in 15 of the state’s 67 counties.

Counties were required to begin sending absentee ballots to military and overseas voters by Sept. 21.

Vice President Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, telephone prospective voters from a campaign field office in Rochester, Pa., on Aug. 18, 2024. (Kevin Lamarque/AFP via Getty Images)

Voter registration

Pennsylvania residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 21.

NEW YORK – With a second face-to-face showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump unlikely – and with a margin-of-error race with five weeks until Election Day in November – there’s a lot on the line in the vice presidential debate.

While debates between the running mates are the undercard of a White House race and have rarely moved the need much in the past, when Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats’ nominee, face-off on Tuesday, there will be heightened stakes.

Any major knockout blow – or agonizing misstep – could turn what’s traditionally seen as a second-tier event into an impactful showdown.

“Given that we’re only likely to have one head-to-head matchup between the principal candidates and this is the last meet up between the two tickets directly before the election, it heightens the importance and significance of this debate,” longtime Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams, a veteran of multiple presidential campaigns, told Fox News.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE, AND WHEN OF TUESDAY’S JD VANCE-TIM WALZ VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio (left) and Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota (right). (Getty Images )

Most political pundits said that Harris bested Trump last month in their first and likely only debate. And flash polls of debate watchers agreed. 

So a strong showing by Vance in Tuesday’s vice presidential debate could give Trump a boost. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

And there’s a precedent from twelve years ago.

After a shaky first debate by then-President Barack Obama against 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, then-Vice President Joe Biden’s well-regarded performance in the running mate debate against Romney running mate Rep. Paul Ryan gave the Democrats’ ticket a big boost.

Heading into the 2024 vice presidential debate, the 40-year-old Vance has been very talkative, sitting for scores of interviews and taking plenty of questions from reporters on the campaign trail. 

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks during a campaign rally Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Newtown, Pa. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson) (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)

Walz, who is 60, has been much more reluctant to speak with the national news media. 

The governor has been in debate camp ahead of the showdown, to prepare. Walz huddled with advisers and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg – who played the role of Vance in mock debates – in Harbor Springs, Michigan, near the northern tip of the state’s lower peninsula.

Also helping out – Walz’s wife – Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz.

Asked on the eve of the showdown with Vance how his wife had been helping him with debate preparation, Walz told reporters “she wins every one.”

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 ELECTION POWER RANKINGS SHOW

A source familiar with Vance’s debate prep tells Fox News Digital that over the last month, the senator took part in a series of murder board sessions with his team, where a group of people who ask tough questions and have candid discussions to help someone prepare for a difficult examination or test, or in Vance’s case, a vice presidential debate.

According to the source, Vance conducted a mock debate over the past week, with Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the House majority whip, playing the role of Walz. Former Trump administration Treasury Department assistant secretary Monica Crowley played the role of one of the moderators from CBS News, which is hosting the debate in New York City.

Halfway through the mock debate, the power went out, as a strong storm slammed through the vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio, where Vance lives and where the prep session was held. But according to the source, who shared the details first with Fox News, Vance and the team continued on, using lanterns for lighting and cellphones for timers.

Governor Tim Walz speaks to supporters at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, MIchigan on Sept. 12, 2024. (Detroit Free Press/Adam Vander Kooy / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Emmer and Walz overlapped for four years in the House before Walz won election in 2018 as Minnesota’s governor. “I do know him probably as well or better than most on the Republican side,” he said.

And Emmer, taking a shot at his fellow Minnesotan, argued “the hardest part of playing Walz… is trying to tell lies with a straight face, because that’s what he does. He’s good at the debate game, but there isn’t substance there. There’s a lot of air.”

Former President Trump, asked Monday if he had given his running mate any advice, told reporters, “No, he doesn’t need it.”

But he added that he and Vance had “been speaking a little bit back and forth” and that he thought the senator was in “good shape.”

Former President Trump (left) and Vice President Kamala Harris (right) faced off in their first and likely only debate, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sept. 10, 2024. (Reuters)

Part of the Trump campaign’s strategy ahead of the debate is to raise expectations for Walz.

“Walz is very good in debates. I want to repeat that. Tim Walz is very good in debates. Really good. He’s been a politician for nearly 20 years. He’ll be very well prepared for tomorrow night,” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told reporters on Monday.

Walz comes into the debate with better poll numbers than Vance.

According to the latest Fox News national poll, Walz was slightly above water with a 43% favorable rating and a 40% unfavorable rating.

Vance stood in negative territory, at 38%-50% favorable/unfavorable.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The senator arrived in New York City on Monday afternoon, and in the evening took a break from debate preparations to headline a gathering of GOP mega donors.

Walz was scheduled to fly to New York City on Tuesday, ahead of the debate.

The vice presidential debate is being moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” host and chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan. 

The 90-minute debate, which kicks off at 9pm ET, will take place at the CBS News broadcast center in New York City.

The Fox News Channel, FOX Business Network, Fox News Digital, Fox News Audio and Fox Nation will air special programming of the debate. 

Both the Harris and Trump campaigns agreed to two four-minute commercial breaks during the debate. Campaign staff are not allowed to interact with the candidates during those breaks.

The other rules  – including no studio audience – are similar to September’s Harris-Trump debate and June’s debate between Trump and President Biden.

But there is one major difference – a candidate’s microphone won’t be muted when the opponent is speaking.

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

FIRST ON FOX – The Democratic National Committee projected images on Trump Tower in New York City on Monday evening, on the eve of the vice presidential debate between former President Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.

The images being projected by the DNC – which were shared first with Fox News Digital – include an eight-year old critical comment of Trump that Vance wrote on social media.

“Vance on Trump: ‘What an idiot’” read the projection, which was a portion of a direct quote from Vance’s 2016 social media post.

Vance was a one-time Trump critic when the former president first won the White House. But Vance became a major supporter, and after winning election to the Senate in 2022 with Trump’s support, has become a top Senate ally of the former president and his America First agenda.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE, AND WHEN OF TUESDAY’S JD VANCE-TIM WALZ VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 

The Democratic National Committee projects images critical of former President Trump on Trump Tower in New York City, on Sept. 30, 2024, on the eve of the vice presidential debate. (Democratic National Committee)

Another projection charges that “Trump is a chicken,” as the DNC continues its attacks on the former president – launched recently on mobile and stationary billboards – for saying he won’t debate Harris a second time. 

Trump has said that it’s too late for another debate because early in-person and absentee voting is already underway in a growing number of states across the country. 

FOX EXCLUSIVE: POWER OUTAGE DOESN’T SLOW DOWN VANCE’S DEBATE PREP

A third projection from the DNC being illuminated on Trump Tower says “Project 2025 HQ.”

Project 2025 is a political initiative published by the well-known Heritage Foundation, a top DC-based conservative think-tank. While some of the authors who worked on the initiative – which includes some controversial planks – are veterans of the Trump administration, the former president and his campaign have pushed back vehemently against repeated attempts by Democrats to link him to Project 2025.

Another projection from the DNC is less controversial. It merely says “Go Coach Walz!”

Walz was a longtime high school teacher and coach in Nebraska and then Minnesota before entering politics.

Former President Trump and vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio appear on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“These projections on Trump Tower NYC are a reminder that Trump and Vance are out for themselves while Trump remains afraid to go back on that debate stage and be held accountable by Vice President Harris for his failed record and his dangerous agenda,” DNC deputy communications director Abhi Rahman argued in a statement.

And Rahman predicted that “America will reject their self-serving, extreme Project 2025 plans this November.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Responding to the gimmick, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News that “President Trump is living rent-free in Kamala Harris and the Democrats’ addled pea brains infected by a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

This is the second time in a month that the Democrats have projected images on a Trump Tower.

The Democratic National Committee projects images on Trump Tower in Chicago, on the eve of the Democrats’ national convention, on August 18, 2024. (DNC)

The DNC also shined images on Trump Tower in Chicago ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August.

Trump Tower in New York City – at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 57th Street – has long been a staple of the Midtown Manhattan skyline for nearly four decades.

The commercial and residential tower serves as the headquarters for the Trump organization and was also the nerve center for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

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

President Biden announced on Monday that he will visit North Carolina on Wednesday after Hurricane Helene ravaged the state. 

The president’s announcement comes after critics slammed him for a lack of leadership after the monster storm’s devastating impact on the southeastern portion of the country. 

More than 120 people have been killed by Helene since the hurricane made landfall in Florida late Thursday before tearing a path of destruction through the interior Southeast.

The storm caused millions of power outages and billions in property damage as it smashed through the southern Appalachian Mountains and into the Tennessee Valley. 

ASHEVILLE RESIDENTS BATTLING ‘APOCALYPTIC’ AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE HELENE AFTER DEADLY FLOODING, LANDSLIDES

While days have passed since the storm struck the region, Biden has not visited the area nor had plans to until now.

“On Wednesday, I’ll travel to North Carolina for a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center and to participate in an aerial tour of Asheville,” Biden said in a post on X. “I’ve ensured my travel will not disrupt the ongoing response. I plan to travel to Georgia and Florida as soon as possible.”

But the president’s announcement was followed by harsh criticism from the public, with one person writing, “Joe Biden’s visit is too little, too late.”

Another person wrote, “Don’t come to Florida we got hit ground zero. The governor is covering it,” referring to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Still, several people wrote that Biden is only visiting because former President Trump had already gone to areas damaged by Helene.

BIDEN GETS DEFENSIVE WHEN PUSHED ON WHO’S ‘COMMANDING’ HURRICANE HELENE RESPONSE

President Biden speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sept. 29, 2024. (REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden )

Trump stopped in Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday where he was briefed on the devastation left by the storm, but he also assisted with relief distribution and delivered remarks.

“I’ve come to Valdosta with large semitrucks, many of them filled with relief aid. A tanker truck filled up with gasoline, a couple of big tanker trucks filled up with gasoline, which they can’t get now. And we’ll be working to distribute it throughout the day,” Trump said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for more information about the president’s visit to North Carolina this week.

HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN: HURRICANE HELENE IN EYE OF THE CAMPAIGN STORM

A van drifts in floodwaters near Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

During a press conference about the federal response to Hurricane Helene on Monday, Biden vowed to visit some of the most devastated areas.

At the end of the press conference, he got defensive when a reporter pressed him about who was in command over the weekend to direct hurricane response as he spent the weekend at his Delaware beach home.

The reporter yelled as the president walked out of the Roosevelt Room, “Mr. President, why weren’t you and Vice President Harris here in Washington commanding this this weekend?”

BIDEN ADMIN’S FEMA ‘EQUITY’ PLAN FACES BACKLASH AMID HISTORIC HURRICANE DAMAGE: ‘WHAT AN EMBARRASSMENT’

Heavy rains from Hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage in Asheville, N.C. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

In response, Biden said he was commanding it, explaining he was on the phone for “at least two hours” on Sunday and the day before.

North Carolina and Georgia were among the hardest-hit states. They are also two of the seven key battleground states where razor-thin margins decided Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump and are expected to determine the outcome of the 2024 showdown between Harris, the Democrat nominee, and Trump.

At the start of his remarks during the press briefing earlier in the day, Biden assured that he and his team were “in constant contact with governors, mayors and local leaders” regarding Hurricane Helene. 

The president noted that Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell was on the ground in North Carolina and would remain in the Asheville area.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Biden also said he directed the Federal Communications Commission to help establish communications capability and the National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Defense “to provide all the resources at its disposal to rescue and assist in clearing debris and delivering lifesaving supplies.” 

So far, more than 3,600 personnel have been approved. Biden has also approved requests from the governors of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama for an emergency declaration.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Vulnerable Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., is continuing to defend his decision not to endorse in the 2024 presidential race ahead of his tough re-election, but the Democrat’s opponent suggests his “record” signals support for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Tester recently revealed that he would not be making an endorsement in the presidential race in order to focus on his re-election, despite being a key player in Harris’ recruitment to the Senate.

Tester served as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) from 2015 to 2017, leading the efforts of the campaign arm to elect Democrats to the chamber when Harris first announced her senatorial aspirations. And after Harris launched her California Senate bid, the Los Angeles Times reported in January 2015 that, according to an adviser, Tester was one of the players who encouraged her to run.

Asked again about withholding an endorsement, Tester’s response was that he would work with or hold accountable whichever presidential candidate gets elected.

KAMALA HARRIS ISN’T ALONE: VULNERABLE DEMS WANT CURRENT FILIBUSTER GONE

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is seeking a fourth term. (William Campbell/Getty Images)

“Unfortunately, my opponent would rather talk about a national race that will be decided by the people of Montana. Whoever gets elected to the U.S. president, I can guarantee you one thing, just like all previous ones, I’ll work with them when they’re doing good things for Montana, and I’ll hold them accountable when they’re not,” Tester told MTN News in an interview.

NEW YORKER SPENDS LARGE PART OF KAMALA HARRIS ENDORSEMENT REBUKING BIDEN: HE ‘STOOD IN THE WAY’

Tester endorsed Harris when she was selected as President Biden’s 2020 running mate. “My friend @KamalaHarris is a proven fighter and an excellent pick for Vice President. As VP, I’m confident she will continue to fight for working families across this country. Looking forward to supporting her and @JoeBiden in November,” Tester wrote in an August 2020 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Vice President Kamala Harris poses during the “Unite for America” livestreaming rally in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on Sept. 19, 2024. (Saul Loeb/Getty Images)

Montana Republican nominee and Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, who endorsed former President Trump in the presidential race, suggested that Tester’s voting record is his endorsement for Harris.

“Jon Tester votes with Kamala Harris 95% of the time. His voting record is his endorsement of the failed Harris agenda, and every time Montanans needed him to stop the insanity in Washington, he was the deciding vote to further her progressive liberal agenda,” a spokesperson for Sheehy for Montana told Fox News Digital. 

“That same agenda has made costs for things like groceries and gas skyrocket, it’s brought us record high inflation, and has given us a wide-open southern border that has brought crime and deadly drugs into our communities. Tester also voted to allow benefits for illegal immigrants paid for by the American taxpayer – a hallmark of the Harris agenda. We can’t afford to re-elect Jon Tester because his voting record in Washington proves he’s changed and is and will continue to support the radical America Last agenda.”

Tester is running for re-election in red state Montana, a race that could likely determine which party controls the chamber, and recent polling and political forecaster predictions suggest that Sheehy is currently leading the race just weeks before Election Day.

Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

A recent AARP survey found that Sheehy is leading by six percentage points in a head-to-head matchup against Tester. His lead against Tester widened to eight points in a multi-candidate field that included the state’s Green Party and Libertarian candidates.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Cook Political Report, an independent nonpartisan elections handicapper, recently shifted the race from “toss-up” to “lean Republican,” while Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics moved the race to “leans Republican.”

Tester’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time of publication.

Democratic Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for a Senate seat this cycle, recently warned donors that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is “underwater” in the key battleground state, according to a report. 

“I’m not feeling my best right now about where we are on Kamala Harris in a place like Michigan,” Slotkin told donors during a virtual campaign event with Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker last Wednesday, according to Axios. 

“We have her underwater in our polling,” Slotkin added, according to audio Axios obtained from the event. 

TRUMP NARROWS HARRIS’ SMALL LEAD IN BATTLEGROUND MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN, POLL FINDS

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who is running for Senate, is reportedly concerned President Biden being atop the ticket will keep her from wining the state’s open seat.  (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Latest polling shows former President Donald Trump closing in on Harris in the key battleground states of both Michigan and neighboring Wisconsin. Harris received 48% of support among likely Michigan voters in a New York Times/Siena College poll this week, while Trump garnered 47% support in the poll — effectively locking the pair in a tie well within the poll’s margin of error. 

‘HE IMPREGNATED HIS KID’S NANNY’: PSAKI RIPPED AFTER CLAIMING EMHOFF ‘RESHAPED’ MASCULINITY

Rep. Elissa Slotkin reportedly told donors that Michigan, one of the most important swing states that will likely determine the 2024 presidential election, is showing low enthusiasm for Vice President Harris. (Getty Images)

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll of likely voters in the Great Lake State released last week found Harris was up three points over Trump. That poll had a 4.4% margin of error.

ROGERS ADDRESSES ABORTION AMID SLOTKIN ATTACKS: ‘MICHIGAN VOTERS HAVE ALREADY DECIDED’

Michigan is once again a key battleground state this year, as Harris and Trump zigzag campaign events across the state, as well as in other key states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin. 

US Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign event at the Philip Chosky Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Axios article noted that if Trump secures votes from the Sunbelt States across the southern portion of the U.S., he would only need to win either Michigan, Wisconsin or Pennsylvania to declare victory. While Harris’ easiest path to victory is locking down Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Trump won Michigan in his 2016 election against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a 0.23% margin. President Biden won by 2.78% in the state in 2020 when he faced off against Trump. 

TRUMP-ENDORSED HOUSE CANDIDATE SOUNDS ALARM ON CHINA’S GROWING INFLUENCE IN BATTLEGROUND STATE

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump listens at a town hall campaign event at Macomb Community College, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Warren, Michigan. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Slotkin, who has served in the U.S. House since 2019, announced her Senate run last year after Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow said she would not seek re-election. Her remarks that Harris is “underwater” in Michigan could have been campaign rhetoric to drum up donations, but the campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry for additional comment on the campaign event.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on the report, but did not receive a reply. 

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