NationalWatch

President Biden on Thursday falsely claimed he had never spoken to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as president, despite having a meeting with him at the White House two years ago.

Biden, during a speech to the Economic Club of Washington, said, “Unlike my predecessor, I respect the Federal Reserve’s independence as they pursued a mandate to bring inflation down.”  

“And that independence has served the country well. And by the way, I’ve never once spoken to the chairman of the Fed since I became president,” Biden added. “We’ll also do enormous damage to our economy if that independence is ever lost.” 

However, in May 2022, Biden met with Powell in the Oval Office in what Bloomberg described in a report as his “third in-person session with Powell” since becoming president. 

FEDERAL RESERVE CUTS RATES FOR FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 

“My plan is to address inflation. That starts with a simple proposition: respect the Fed, respect the Fed’s independence, which I have done and will continue to do,” Biden said at the time. 

“The president underscored to Chair Powell in the meeting what he has underscored consistently including today — that he respects the independence of the Federal Reserve,” then-White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese said after the meeting, according to Reuters. 

IRAN TRIED TO INFLUENCE ELECTION BY SENDING STOLEN MATERIAL FROM TRUMP CAMPAIGN TO BIDEN’S CAMP, FBI SAYS 

President Biden met with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 31, 2022. (Reuters/Leah Millis)

Before that, in November 2021, Biden also introduced Powell during a news conference to announce his nominees for chair and vice chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. 

President Biden announced the nomination of Jerome Powell for a second four-year term in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building’s South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 22, 2021. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

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During his time as president, Donald Trump once called Powell “clueless” in a tweet, writing, “We should easily be reaping big Rewards & Gains, but the Fed is holding us back. We will Win!” 

A new statewide poll in California found that nearly three-quarters of Golden State residents support making changes to “Prop 47” – the 2014 public referendum that reduced penalties for larceny, forgery and drug offenses. 

Critics have blamed the current policy – which includes the provision deeming shoplifting under $950 a misdemeanor – for the crime wave gripping urban areas of the state.

In the poll, conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California, 71% of likely voters say they will vote “yes” on “Prop 36” – the ballot initiative that seeks to make such revisions.

The highest support came from residents of the Inland Empire east of San Diego and bordering Arizona – at 79% – with the lowest coming from the Bay Area at 64%.

KAMALA HARRIS PLAYED ‘CRITICAL ROLE’ IN CALIFORNIA CRIME LAW

Sixty-three percent of Democrats and 85% of Republicans support Prop 36, according to the poll, which met Fox News’ polling standards.

Prop 36 will allow felony charges for certain types of drug possession and thefts under $950, if the defendant has two such prior convictions, according to the California Department of State. It will also apply more serious penalties for fentanyl dealers.

The department said approving Prop 36 could also lead to millions of dollars in “state criminal justice costs,” according to its “Fiscal Impact” section.

Prime supporters include Crime Victims United and the California District Attorney’s Association, while opponents include Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton, according to CDOS.

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS ‘PLAYING DIRTY TRICKS’ TO KEEP PROP 47 REFORM OFF BALLOT, GOP LEADER SAYS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks to journalists in the media center before the debate in Philadelphia between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The poll surveyed more than 1,000 likely voters and was conducted from Aug. 29 to Sept. 9.

Prop 36 was originally introduced in part by two Democrats, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, in July, according to reports.

“Californians want safer, stronger communities, and we’re delivering exactly that with this commonsense approach,” McGuire said in a statement.

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A Southwest Airlines plane approaches San Diego International Airport over traffic on Interstate 5 on June 28, 2024. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

“These are a methodical set of measures that will crack down on retail theft and hold offenders accountable for hardcore drug crimes, without enacting the Draconian policies of the ‘80s and ‘90s that devastated communities of color and cost taxpayers billions of dollars.”

In response, the California legislature’s two Republican leaders called the poll results a sign of pushback against the Democratic majorities’ policies:

“Gavin Newsom and his Democratic politicians tried to stop Prop 36, but regular Californians – even Democrats – are revolting against the far left’s pro-criminal policies and demanding real reform. People are fed up with the lawlessness and poverty that have become California’s trademarks and want accountability to turn things around,” said Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City.

“Governor Newsom and Democrat leadership in the Legislature spent this year working overtime to block desperately needed Prop 47 reforms. The latest poll proves just how out of touch they are – over 70% of Californians disagree with them,” added Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, R-San Diego.

“This is not a partisan issue. People are fed up with the rampant crime, homelessness, and lawlessness. In November, Californians will have a real chance to turn things around and fix our state,” he said.

The PPIC’s survey director told the Sacramento Bee that of the 10 ballot initiatives primed for November, Prop 36 is getting the most attention:

“Proposition 36 on crime sentences currently leads in support, interest, and importance among the 10 state propositions,” Mark Baldassare said.

Warning: Graphic Materials

Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson denied involvement in an alleged pornography scandal that surfaced Thursday, vowing to remain in the race to become the Old North State’s next governor. 

CNN published a report Thursday afternoon alleging Robinson’s previous use of a pornography site, called “Nude Africa,” where he allegedly messaged with fellow users regarding peeping on women in locker rooms as a teenager, describing himself as a “black NAZI” and declaring a fondness for transgender pornography. 

Just before the report was published, Robinson posted a video to his X account vowing to stay in the race while calling the then-anticipated report “tabloid trash.” 

“Let me reassure you, the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before. Folks, this race right now, our opponents are desperate to shift the focus here from the substantive issues and focus on what you are concerned with to salacious trap, tabloid trash,” he said in the X video. 

NC GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE MARK ROBINSON FACING CALLS TO DROP OUT AMID RUMORS OF LOOMING BOMBSHELL

Mark Robinson, lieutenant governor of North Carolina, arrives during a “Get Out The Vote” rally with former President Trump in Greensboro, on March 2, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CNN’s report alleged that Robinson used a pseudonym on the porn site, “minisoldr,” to discuss how he enjoys watching transgender pornography, as well as recounting how he allegedly peeped on women in a locker room as a 14-year-old.

“I came to a spot that was a dead end but had two big vent covers over it! It just so happened it overlooked the showers! I sat there for about an hour and watched as several girls came in and showered,” Robinson allegedly wrote on Nude Africa of peeping on women as a teenager.

In another post in 2010, CNN reported Robinson allegedly stated, “I’m a Black Nazi!” while discussing Black Republicans. 

The alleged use of the chat forums played out between 2008 and 2012, according to CNN, well before Robinson entered the political arena in 2019, when he announced his run for lieutenant governor. 

REPUBLICAN MARK ROBINSON ON HISTORIC LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR WIN: ‘THIS PARTY IS OPEN TO EVERYBODY’

Robinson pinned blame on his Democratic opponent, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, for leaking the allegations to the media. 

“North Carolinians already know Mark Robinson is completely unfit to be Governor. Josh remains focused on winning this campaign so that together we can build a safer, stronger North Carolina for everyone,” Stein’s campaign told Fox News Digital. 

In comments to CNN, Robinson again denied the report. 

“This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not anything that is characteristic of me,” Robinson said. “I’m not going to get into the minutia of how somebody manufactured this, these salacious tabloid lies.”

Reports mounted early Thursday that Robinson was allegedly facing pressure from Republican allies to drop out of the race after word spread that he was facing a damning news article related to his alleged use of adult websites in the 2000s.

Before the CNN report was published, Robinson’s campaign communications director patently said the reports were false. 

“Whomever your sources are here, it is complete fiction,” comms director Michael Lonergan told the Carolina Journal earlier Thursday. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Robinson on Thursday, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

NRA SUPPORTS GOP CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR WHO WENT VIRAL FOR PRO-GUN SPEECH: ‘I’M THE MAJORITY’

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton on June 21, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) released a statement following CNN’s report, arguing it is the “latest proof that Mark Robinson is unhinged, dangerous, and completely unfit to be governor.”

“Now, as many Republicans warn against the damage Robinson would do as governor, it’s clear that the stakes have never been higher and we must keep our foot on the gas to defeat him in November,” DGA deputy communications director Izzi Levy said. 

North Carolina Republican Rep. Richard Hudson told Fox News that the “the allegations are very concerning,” but that he is not calling on Robinson to drop out of the race, as he needs to “have the opportunity to explain to the people in North Carolina exactly how these allegations aren’t true.”

“My hope is that the governor can reassure the people of North Carolina that the allegations aren’t true,” Hudson said. 

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks at a campaign event at Harrah’s Cherokee Center on Aug. 14, 2024, in Asheville, North Carolina. (Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)

North Carolina outlet The Assembly published a separate and lengthy report on Sept. 3 alleging Robinson routinely visited porn shops, viewing materials in a private booth, according to former employees and customers. Robinson’s alleged visits to adult stores unfolded in the 1990s and 2000s, before his transition into the political sphere, according to the report. 

Lonergan denied the findings in The Assembly’s report, calling it “complete and total fiction.”

“This false and personal attack on my boss is complete fiction,” Lonergan told the outlet. 

Robinson assumed office as North Carolina lieutenant governor in 2021, becoming the first African American to hold the office. He announced last April he would run for governor. 

NORTH CAROLINA’S REPUBLICAN LT GOV MARK ROBINSON LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE DEMOCRAT GOV ROY COOPER

Robinson went viral in 2018 when he delivered an impassioned speech regarding gun laws during a city council meeting in Greensboro, before he was elected to political office. His speech came in response to local leaders debating whether to cancel a gun show following the Parkland school shooting in Florida that same year. 

‘I Voted’ stickers sit on a table at a polling station. 

“I’m a law-abiding citizen who’s never shot anybody,” Robinson said at the meeting, which was viewed 200 million times. “Every time we have one of these shootings, nobody wants to put the blame where it goes, which is at the shooter’s feet. You want to put it at my feet. You want to turn around and restrict my right.”

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He previously worked as a furniture factory employee in North Carolina and is an Army veteran, before climbing the GOP’s political ladder, including earning endorsements from former President Trump and the NRA. 

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

A former Border Patrol sector chief told lawmakers that he was blocked from informing the public about migrants who may be potential terror threats, as he says the Biden administration wanted to downplay the threat.

“In San Diego, we had an exponential increase in Significant Interest Aliens [SIAs]. These are aliens with significant ties to terrorism,” former San Diego Sector Chief Patrol official Aaron Heitke told lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee.

“Prior to this administration, the San Diego sector averaged 10-15 SIAs per year. Once word was out that the border was far easier to cross, San Diego went to over 100 SIAs in 2022, way over 100 SIAs in 2023 and more than that this year,” he warned. “These are only the ones we caught.”

‘OUR PEOPLE ARE DYING’: RACHEL MORIN’S MOM SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AFTER DAUGHTER’S MURDER

Immigrants line up at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Lukeville, Arizona, on Dec. 7, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Heitke says he was told he couldn’t release information about that increase.

“At the time, I was told I could not release any information on this increase in SIAs or mention any of the arrests. The administration was trying to convince the public that there was no threat at the border,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Heitke’s remarks.

EX-BORDER CHIEF WARNS OF ‘SIGNIFICANT THREAT’ AFTER MIGRANT NUMBERS SKYROCKETED UNDER BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN

The remarks came as part of a House Homeland Security Committee hearing called “A Country Without Borders: How Biden-Harris’ Open-Borders Policies Have Undermined Our Safety and Security.” 

Immigration is a top 2024 election issue, and Republicans have blamed Biden administration policies and the rolling back of Trump-era policies for the crisis.

“As we continue to witness Biden and Harris’ resistance to doing anything meaningful about this disaster, we have to ask — why? Why did they let this crisis take place and why have they let it continue,” Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., told the committee.

Heitke also told the committee that he would release illegal aliens “by the hundreds” each day, and flights were provided to send migrants from San Diego to Texas, at approximately $150,000 per flight. He also testified that he had to shut down San Diego traffic checkpoints to divert resources to the border, and that those checkpoints are crucial for the interdiction of drugs like fentanyl.

TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE SHREDS BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN ON BORDER CRISIS IN NEW REPORT: ‘ASSAULT ON THE RULE OF LAW’ 

Migrants walk along the highway through Suchiate, Chiapas state in southern Mexico, on July 21 during their journey north toward the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)

Democrats and the administration have accused Republicans of failing to back funding and reform bills — including a bipartisan Senate bill released this year — and say that recent moves by the administration are working to bring down border encounters and secure the border.

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“While you probably won’t hear it from those on the other side, border encounters are at their lowest level in years since the president’s proclamation on June 4, and encounters along the border and ports of entry have decreased by 55%, with Border Patrol recording the lowest number of border encounters since September 2020,” ranking member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said at the hearing.

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

Here’s what’s happening…

– Senator Hawley rips Secret Service boss after exposé…

– Harris and Trump deadlocked in battleground state…

– Haitian Ohio community leader says America should be an ‘open country’…

Demanding Loyalty

Several Democrats responded overnight to news that the Teamsters, under General President Sean O’Brien, decided against issuing a presidential endorsement.

“Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before big business,” O’Brien said in a statement.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. who, like O’Brien, hails from the Boston area, called former President Trump the “most anti-labor president we have ever had.”

“It’s clear that these workers are misinformed or uninformed about Trump’s record on labor,” McGovern told the Washington Times. “His allegiance isn’t toward working people.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House speaker, meanwhile, called the Teamsters’ decision “disappointing.”

The Teamsters have not made a non-endorsement since the 1996 contest between former President Clinton and Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan. Their last GOP endorsement went to former President George H.W. Bush over then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1988….Read more

General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Sean O’Brien speaks during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 15, 2024. Days after he survived an assassination attempt Donald Trump won formal nomination as the Republican presidential candidate and picked right-wing loyalist J.D. Vance for running mate, kicking off a triumphalist party convention in the wake of last weekend’s failed assassination attempt.  (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

White House

SECURITY BREACH: Iran envoy Malley may have been on ‘classified White House call’ after clearance suspended, …Read more

1.3 MILLION ARRIVALS: Biden admin’s use of parole under scrutiny as numbers increase …Read more

‘DANGLING FREE MONEY’: Black think tank to blast Biden admin for ‘dangling free money’ while low-income households ‘suffer most’ …Read more

Joe Biden pauses as he speaks during the AARP and The Des Moines Register Iowa Presidential Candidate Forum at Drake University on July 15, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Capitol Hill

‘FREE AND FAIR’: Pelosi says Dem primary process was ‘open’ and Harris ‘won it’ …Read more

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: Top Republican details level of Secret Service resistance …Read more

CLOSE TIES: Top Dems have had long history with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs …Read more

‘IMMEDIATE ACTION’: Rick Scott leads effort to up Secret Service protections after 2nd assassination attempt on Trump …Read more

‘UNACCEPTABLE ANTISEMITIC BEHAVIOR’: House letter demands information regarding any reports of antisemitism on NIH funded universities …Read more

HAWLEY HELL: GOP senator unleashes on Secret Service boss after whistleblower’s Trump golf course exposé …Read more

Sen. Hawley sent a letter to USSS Director Ronald Rowe on Wednesday asking about whistleblower claims regarding vulnerabilities at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, FL. (Joe Raedle and Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg)

Tales from the Trail

BOLD PREDICTION: Trump offers his prognosis on the 2024 presidential election …Read more

NECK AND NECK: Harris and Trump deadlocked in battleground state as he trails in other ‘blue wall’ states: poll …Read more

‘STRUGGLING’ BUSINESSES: Hispanic voters in key swing state say economy making voters consider Trump …Read more

STOLEN GOODS: Harris campaign ‘not aware’ of any Trump docs taken by Iran sent ‘directly’ to Biden campaign …Read more

BADGER STATE BATTLE: The election kicks off today in a vital swing state …Read more

ALL EYES ON PENNSYLVANIA: Polls show Harris tied – or slightly leading – Trump in key swing state …Read more

NOT GOOD: Majority of Black swing-state voters back Harris, as Trump makes inroads with Black men: poll …Read more

Across America

WELCOMING CITY: Ohio Haitian community leader argues ‘America should be an open country’ …Read more

‘EPSTEIN 2.0’: How Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ demise could expose wider web of dark secrets …Read more

Sean “Diddy” Combs pleaded not guilty to federal charges. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg, Getty Images)

PRESIDENT’S PERIL: Second assassination attempt against Trump shows he’s still in danger, experts warn …Read more

‘PRESIDENTIAL LEVEL’: Trump had security on par with Biden’s during attempted assassination on golf course, lawmakers told …Read more

STRETCHED & STRESSED: Secret Service squeezed as threats, protectee lists both expand …Read more

‘THREATS OF ASSASSINATION’: Alaska man arrested over threats against 6 SCOTUS justices …Read more

BUYER’S REMORSE?: California voters support rollback of crime law: poll …Read more

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

NEWFIELDS, N.H. — A new poll in New Hampshire, home to the only competitive gubernatorial election this year, indicates a close race in the battle to succeed popular Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.

And the results of the survey and another poll released in the Granite State earlier in the week suggest former President Trump’s standing in New Hampshire in the White House race may be a drag on down-ballot Republicans.

According to a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig holds a razor-thin 47%-46% edge over former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican nominee.

A poll released earlier this week from the Saint Anselm College Survey Center also indicated a coin-flip race, with Ayotte holding a slight edge.

NEW HAMPSHIRE MAKES PRIMARY PICKS IN 2024 ELECTION 

Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican gubernatorial nominee in New Hampshire, speaks with voters at the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival Sept. 7, 2024. (Kelly Ayotte campaign)

Ayotte, thanks to her six years in the Senate and her tenure as a state attorney general before her service on Capitol Hill, has far greater name identification than Craig and has a sizable campaign cash advantage over her rival.

But the new polls suggest Trump may be doing Ayotte no favors.

WHAT AYOTTE TOLD FOX NEWS ALONG THE NEW HAMPSHIRE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

“Kelly’s very popular, but I do think Trump’s a burden,” longtime Granite State-based GOP consultant and former state attorney general Tom Rath told Fox News.

Trump came within roughly 3,000 votes of carrying New Hampshire in his 2016 presidential election victory. But four years ago, President Biden topped Trump by over seven points in New Hampshire.

Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, delivers remarks alongside supporters, campaign staff and family members during his primary night rally at the Sheraton Jan. 23, 2024, in Nashua, N.H. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The UNH poll indicates Trump is down by 11 points to Vice President Kamala Harris. And the Saint Anselm College survey points to an upper single-digit lead for Harris in New Hampshire.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 ELECTION POLLING 

“If this were a straight-up election without the presidential race on it, I think Kelly would have a lead outside the margin of error,” argued Rath, who stayed unaffiliated in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race and served as a top adviser to Trump rival and then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the 2016 GOP nomination battle.

A New Hampshire-based Republican strategist told Fox News “Trump is definitely an anchor on Kelly and her campaign right now, and she’s the flagship.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, arrives to speak during a campaign stop at the Throwback Brewery in North Hampton, N.H., Sept. 4, 2024.  (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, noted that Ayotte’s “status as a flagship means everybody’s taking shots at her. There’s not a lot of evidence of activity in New Hampshire by the Trump campaign, so it’s really Kelly versus the world right now.”

And another Granite State-based Republican consultant also pointed to meager involvement and resources in New Hampshire coming from the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

“Kelly’s out fighting this thing all by herself. That’s not a good place to be. You need other people drawing fire,” said the consultant, who also asked for anonymity. “[Trump’s] not focusing on New Hampshire. His bad poll numbers and lack of enthusiasm is dragging the whole ticket down.”

Craig, who served three two-year terms steering the Granite State’s largest city, narrowly topped Cinde Warmington, the only Democrat on the state’s five-member Executive Council, to capture their party’s nomination in last week’s state primary.

Ayotte, a former state attorney general before winning election to the Senate in 2010, soundly defeated former New Hampshire Senate President Chuck Morse to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Sununu, who decided against running for re-election this year after winning four straight two-year terms as New Hampshire governor (New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only states in the nation that elect governors every two years) endorsed Ayotte this summer in her primary race.

And Ayotte pledges to continue the Sununu agenda if elected to succeed the popular GOP governor.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire is interviewed by Fox News Digital July 11, 2024, in Newfields, N.H.  (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

Ayotte was a rising star in the Republican Party in 2016 with a burgeoning profile on national security as she was running for re-election.

But just ahead of the 2016 election, she withdrew her support for Trump over the “Access Hollywood” controversy, when Trump made crude comments about grabbing women without their consent.

“I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women,” Ayotte said at the time. 

Ayotte lost re-election by a razor-thin margin of just over 1,000 votes to then-Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.

Ayotte stayed neutral in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary, but she endorsed Trump in early March, right after he clinched the GOP nomination.

Rath, pointing to Ayotte’s backing of Trump, said “her position, which was to embrace him and not create space, I understand why she’s made it, and you take the consequences of it … if that’s the top of the ticket, and you’re the next level down, it’s really hard to get around that problem in a race.”

Also working against Ayotte is an avalanche of negative ads that have been running against her all summer, courtesy of national Democratic groups.

The attacks have helped to raise Ayotte’s negative ratings in both the UNH Survey Center and Saint Anselm College polls.

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

It was a “show vote” of a different kind in the House of Representatives Wednesday night. 

The vote showed which Republicans opposed a combination bill to avoid a government shutdown and require that people prove they are citizens to vote. It’s known as the SAVE Act.

“You’ve got to own your votes,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tex., who advocated the two-step strategy to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “I have no problem with my votes or what I’m standing up on or trying to accomplish for the American people.” 

The vote also showed that Republicans can’t advance any semblance of a spending bill on their own. The vote showed long-standing divisions in the House Republican Conference. Some GOPers voted no for a panoply of reasons. Some oppose interim spending bills – known as “Continuing Resolutions” or “CR’s – to start with. Others opposed attaching the citizenship/voting mandate to a bill like this. Some didn’t think there was any way to implement the citizenship requirement for voting before the election.

THE SPEAKER’S LOBBY: THE SAME QUESTIONS ARISE AFTER SECOND ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP

It’s about the math. And the vote tally revealed that Johnson had little to show for his work.

Johnson’s plan crashed to defeat, 220-202. 14 Republicans voted no. Two Republicans voted present. Two Democrats voted aye. 

And the vote showed that the only way to avoid a government shutdown on October 1 is for Republicans to team up with Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is prepping an interim spending bill which will command bipartisan support. It’s likely the Senate adopts that measure, presenting the House with a take it or leave it proposition.

Wednesday night’s vote also showed that former President Trump is intent on forcing a government shutdown. He posted the following on Truth Social: “If Republicans don’t get the Save Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape or form.” Mr. Trump accused Democrats of “registering Illegal Voters by the TENS OF THOUSANDS.” The former President then warned that Republicans have “BEEN PUSHED AROUND LONG ENOUGH BY THE DEMOCRATS.” 

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., wants to trim spending. But this bill failed to do that, simply renewing all existing funding through late March. He also doubted it was feasible to put the citizenship provision into effect before November 5. Yours truly asked Mills if it was a “mistake” for Johnson to forge ahead with this vote.

“I think it is. I think that what we should be doing right now is that we’ve seen where these policy riders, this attempt to quote, unquote ‘jam the Senate,’ has continued to fail,” said Mills. “I’m disappointed with the way the 118th Congress has handled this entire session.”

Roy wasn’t in much of a better place than Mills – even though he supported the Speaker’s maneuver.

“We’re going to end up with a CR into December because certain people wanted to force this and be able to go out on Twitter and go down to the floor and pound their chest, that somehow, they’ve got the magic solution. But they’ve literally proposed no solution,” said Roy.

TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

This was a “show” vote of another form for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. Greene was one of the two GOP members to vote “present” on the bill. To her, the vote was Johnson showing what he might to do next – even though Johnson had a pretty good idea the bill would implode. Greene opposes Johnson’s probable next move: avoiding a government shutdown with the assistance of Democrats.

“I think many of us have expected him to do that the entire time. You set up your expectations based on history of action. And that’s what his history of action is,” said Greene.

Greene knows of what she speaks.

Congress voted on six CRs or “omnibus” spending bills since September 30 last year. Most of those were under the stewardship of Johnson. That’s why some like Greene aren’t impressed with Johnson. This is the same playbook that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., ran last year.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene listens as former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo testifies before the House Oversight Select Subcommittee’s hearing on the Coronavirus Pandemic, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.  (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Perhaps voting to avoid a government shutdown last fall was the ultimate “show” vote. Shortly after that tally, House Republicans “showed” McCarthy the door.

Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, has criticized Johnson’s Speakership. But Davidson characterized Johnson’s decision to forge ahead with the vote on this CR as “smart.” However, Davidson lamented fellow Republicans who wouldn’t go to the mat on this issue. Davidson suggested that other members were involved in “showing” where they stand on the issue. 

“I’m disappointed that you’ve got what I sort of informally call the surrender caucus. There’s no formal designation of who that is. But it’s a combination of bedwetters who won’t fight for anything. And purists who won’t fight for anything unless it’s perfect,” said Davidson. “What ends up happening is deals keep getting cut with Democrats and everything that gets funded by Congress turns left. I think we’re likely to see another surrender now with a hollow promise to fight later.”

“This is a complete failure of the Speaker’s strategy. Again, we weren’t here in the entire month of August. We could have finished our 12 separate appropriation bills,” piled on Greene. 

VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR’S CLAIMS ABOUT ‘FIGHTING’ LOBBYISTS COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM IN NEW REPORT

But House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said Johnson’s actions since last fall showed him something. Just as Greene observed, Cole noted Johnson’s past performance. And that track record showed that Johnson isn’t interested in government shutdowns.

“If he ever wanted to shut down the government, he’s had a lot of opportunities to do that since he’s been Speaker. He’s never let it happen. I don’t think he ever will,” said Cole. 

“We ran the play. It was the best play. It was the right one. So now we go back to the playbook, drop another play and we’ll come up with a solution,” said Johnson after the failed vote Wednesday.

So there’s an impasse. But Johnson must show that he has a really good new play. But if his members didn’t bite on the first play, why is the second one going to be much better? There are the beginning stages of a short-term bill which would run through mid-December. 

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the other GOP member who voted “present” on Johnson’s original bill. Massie believed it was a “show vote” from the start.

“It’s a fake bar fight with balsa wood chairs and sugar bottles,” said Massie. “I was in the bar and I saw theater on both sides.”

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At some point next week, the Senate will skip through the parliamentary mechanics of an interim spending bill which runs through late fall or early winter. The provision about voting requirements drops by the wayside. The Senate will likely show the House that, despite reservations from some Republicans, it can pass a spending bill. It will then be up to the House to accept that bill or shut down the government just before the election.

That will likely be the last vote in Congress before the election. The shutdown is averted. And despite all the political gymnastics, the House will have little to show for it.

Several newly released polls have illustrated a tightening Senate race in Wisconsin, where Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., is fighting for her seat in a state that could very likely swing for former President Donald Trump in the presidential race. 

Likely voters in Wisconsin split 51% for Baldwin and 48% for Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde in a new Marist poll on Thursday. A new Quinnipiac poll similarly showed the Democrat leading Hovde by only a few points, 51% to 47%, and an AARP poll showed Baldwin at 50% and the Republican candidate at 47%, with 3% undecided.

In the AARP’s survey of voters over 50, Hovde managed to take the lead from Baldwin, beating her 50% to 49%. 

SCHUMER COINS ‘TRUMP SHUTDOWN,’ SLAMMING GOP AMID SPENDING FIGHT

Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde will face off in the election in November. (Getty Images)

As days dwindle down to the general election, with less than seven weeks to go, Hovde has continued to increase his name identification, and voters have increasingly started to lock in on their chosen candidates. The latest polls have subsequently demonstrated a close race for Baldwin’s Senate seat, despite her status as an incumbent. 

In prior polling from May by Quinnipiac, Hovde posted 42% to Baldwin’s 54%, with a double-digit gap between the two. By early August, he had climbed to 44% to the incumbent Democrat’s 51%, per a New York Times/ Siena College poll. The latest data continue this trend as Hovde appears to gain ground among Wisconsin voters. 

The Senate race is considered “lean Democrat” by top political handicapper the Cook Political Report, despite the shrinking gap. 

The close polling from three different organizations also comes as Baldwin faces increased scrutiny over her years-long relationship with private wealth adviser at Morgan Stanley, Maria Brisbane. She isn’t bound by Senate rules to disclose any information regarding Brisbane’s clients or finances because the two are not married. 

Hovde and groups backing the Republican have pointed to her partner’s position as a potential conflict of interest and called for it to be investigated. Baldwin was prompted to release her own ad, slamming the charges as “complete lie(s).” 

Notably, Wisconsin is a toss-up state in the Fox News Power Rankings forecast of the presidential election, giving neither Trump nor Vice President Kamala Harris a particular edge in the battle. This holds weight in the Senate race, too, as split-ticket voting becomes increasingly rare. 

RICK SCOTT LEADS EFFORT TO UP SECRET SERVICE PROTECTIONS AFTER 2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP

Hovde is backed by Trump.  (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, file)

“Wisconsin is often a pivotal state in the Electoral College count,” said Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, whose new poll showed Harris at 50% and Trump at 49%. “2024 is no exception and is shaping up to be a tight contest.”

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

Baldwin has lost some ground in recent polls. (Drew Angerer)

During the 2016 election, every single Senate race went in the same direction as their state voted in the presidential contest. In 2020, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was the only occurrence of a Senate race diverging from the state’s presidential choice. Collins has established herself in the upper chamber as a bona fide moderate, to which many attribute her victory. 

HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL

Trump and Harris are both vying to win toss-up Wisconsin.  (Brandon Bell/Getty Images.)

HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL

In Baldwin’s case, she voted with President Biden more than 99% of the time in the beginning of the 118th Congress, according to FiveThirtyEight. Collins’ separation from her Republican Party colleagues was far more prominent than Baldwin’s from the Democrats, which was virtually nonexistent. 

Hovde also boasts the backing of Trump, who could boost the Republican Senate candidate’s campaign if he manages to beat Harris in Wisconsin.

The latest Quinnipiac poll was conducted over Sept. 12-16 using randomized phone calls with live interviewers of 1,075 likely voters in Wisconsin. It had a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points. The AARP poll was taken over Sept. 11–14, with live interviewers speaking to 1,052 likely voters. The margins of error for the poll of Wisconsin voters was ±4.0% and ±3.5% for the sample of voters over 50 years old. The Marist poll surveyed 1,431 likely voters in the state during Sept. 12-17 over the phone, by text, and online. The margin of error was +/- 3.6%. 

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

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., placed blame on former President Trump and Republicans for a potential partial government shutdown after the House failed to pass a stopgap spending measure on Wednesday. 

He filed cloture on Thursday in a procedural move in order to act as quickly as possible once the House passes a continuing resolution (CR), which is a short-term measure that would keep spending levels steady. 

“By filing today, I am giving the Senate maximum flexibility for preventing a shutdown,” Schumer explained in remarks on the Senate floor. Because he filed the vehicle sooner, a vote on a forthcoming CR could also take place sooner. 

RICK SCOTT LEADS EFFORT TO UP SECRET SERVICE PROTECTIONS AFTER 2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP

Schumer slammed the inclusion of the SAVE Act in a CR. (Reuters/Cheney Orr)

“Democrats and Americans don’t want a Trump shutdown,” he said, dubbing a potential partial shutdown with the moniker of Trump’s name. “I dare say most Republicans – at least in this chamber – don’t want to see a Trump shutdown. And the American people certainly don’t want their elected representatives in Washington creating a shutdown for the sake of Donald Trump’s claims, when it’s clear he doesn’t even know how the legislative process works.”

The New York Democrat made the decision to file the legislative vehicle after the Republican-backed CR brought to the floor by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., failed, 202 to 220, with two members of his party voting “present.” Nine Republicans also voted against the six-month stopgap spending bill, which included a measure to require proof of citizenship in order to vote. Three Democrats voted in favor of it. 

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

Johnson brought a six-month CR with the SAVE Act for a vote. (Getty Images)

Lawmakers must pass a CR before the beginning of October to avoid a partial government shutdown. 

While Republicans in both the House and Senate have called for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to be included in a spending bill, Schumer and Democrats have made it clear that they aren’t willing to get on board with a package that includes what they consider a “poison pill.” 

HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL

Sen. Mike Lee has been a vocal proponent of including the SAVE Act. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump has sounded off on the spending fight, writing on Truth Social, “If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form.”

Schumer slammed the former president in his floor remarks, asking, “How does anyone expect Donald Trump to be a president when he has such little understanding of the legislative process? He’s daring the Congress to shut down.”

He further urged that “our Republican colleagues should not blindly follow Donald Trump.”

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., on Wednesday responded to Trump’s post, telling reporters, “the one thing I will tell you is I don’t think it’s to anybody’s political benefit, you know, this far out from an election to have a government shutdown.” 

In Schumer’s statement following the House’s failed vote and several times during his floor speech, he labeled a potential partial government shutdown as a “Trump shutdown,” foreshadowing how Democrats plan to cast blame on the presidential candidate and Republicans if a shutdown does ultimately take place. 

GOP SENS CALL ON SCHUMER, DEMS TO TAKE UP BORDER BILLS AS THEY TOUT IMMIGRATION VIGILANCE

Trump urged Republicans not to accept anything but a CR coupled with the SAVE Act. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republicans have privately expressed concerns that any potential partial shutdown would reflect poorly on the GOP, more so than the Democrats. 

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Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., recently told reporters that he didn’t believe Republicans had much leverage in the CR discussion. He also claimed, “I don’t think Chuck Schumer cares one bit if the government gets shut down, so long as Republicans can be blamed for it.”

“And if the government gets shut down, Republicans will be blamed for it,” he predicted. 

A conservative legal watchdog group is heading to court to get the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to explain how gunman Thomas Crooks had been able to “fire a relatively simple shot that came within an inch of killing President Trump and struck fellow Americans.”

In a lawsuit filed Thursday, America First Legal alleges that the Secret Service and DHS illegally concealed government records related to the attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The organization claims it submitted multiple public records requests about the incident but still has not received any documents.

“On July 13, the American people watched in horror as a lunatic attempted to assassinate former President, and current candidate for President, Donald Trump,” Gene Hamilton, AFL senior counsel said in a statement. 

WATCH ON FOX NATION: THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATIONS OF DONALD TRUMP

Thomas Matthew Crooks crawling on a roof moments before he attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. (DJ Laughery (background))

“Today, there is widespread and bipartisan acknowledgment that there were catastrophic failures that tragic day and in the weeks and months ahead of it. We are committed to obtaining these records so that the American people can see for themselves exactly what senior DHS leadership was prioritizing in its mission, and why more resources were not devoted to the protection of President Donald J. Trump,” Hamilton said.

AFL requested documents pertaining to the Secret Service’s staffing shortages, hiring and employment standards and all communications to or from Secretary Alejnadro Mayorkas and two senior DHS official Kristie Canegello and Jonathan Davidson.

According to AFL, the Secret Service said it would not process their expedited public records’ requests, because there was “no threat to the life or safety of anyone” and that there was no urgency to grant their request. 

NEW WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS ON FIRST TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ‘HIGHLY DAMAGING’ TO SECRET SERVICE: HAWLEY

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill – both Republican and Democratic – have also been trying to obtain documents from government agencies related to the events that unfolded that day and what security lapses may have occurred.

“Politicians on both sides of the aisle and the American people both agree that USSS and senior officials at DHS are failing to provide well-deserved and well-needed transparency,” AFL said in its news release.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal recently told reporters on Capitol Hill that he is “reaching the point of total outrage,” because the DHS response has been “totally lacking.” 

“In fact, I think it’s tantamount to stonewalling in many respects,” the Connecticut Democrat said.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., also recently told Fox News Digital that the Secret Service had refused to release documents about Crooks’ autopsy report, saying, “We don’t have any of the trajectory reports.”

“So, where’d the bullets go? We don’t even know how they handled the crime scene,” he said. “We haven’t been able to interview the sniper who took out Crooks,” Johnson said. Crooks is the would-be assassin that, during the July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, opened fire, grazing the former president’s ear, killing a rally attendee and critically injuring two others.

TRUMP BLAMES BIDEN-HARRIS ‘RHETORIC’ FOR LATEST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, SAYS HE WILL ‘SAVE THE COUNTRY’

Former President Trump was injured during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

In light of the second attempted assassination of former President Trump’s life at his golf course in Florida last week, AFL said in it statement: “There is no denying that President Trump currently faces genuine threats, and AFL’s requests would help to ensure that USSS and DHS leadership are suffcieintly trained and staffed to ensure the safety of President Trump.”

“The American people and Congress need total transparency,” the group said.

FIRST ON FOX: The head of immigration enforcement under former President Trump is seeking to sound the alarm about Kamala Harris’ “open borders” policies and the truth about the crisis at the southern border — just as Harris is claiming she is the right candidate to tackle the border.

Tom Homan, a Fox News contributor who previously served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under former President Trump, is preparing to engage in a series of virtual town halls with his nonprofit, Border911.

He intends for the town halls to bring awareness to the facts about the consequences of the ongoing crisis at the southern border, including sex trafficking and the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.

MEXICAN GOVERNMENT BUSES MIGRANTS TO US BORDER AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BECOMES TOP ELECTION ISSUE

As part of that, he is challenging the narrative by Vice President Kamala Harris that she is tough on border security. A recent ad by Harris said that “fixing the border is tough, so is Kamala Harris.”

President Trump and acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thomas Homan talk during a law enforcement roundtable on sanctuary cities in the Roosevelt Room at the White House March 20, 2018, in Washington, D.C.  (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Border911, which is led by experts on border and national security from both Republican and Democratic administrations, is releasing a video that instead points to past comments by Harris that it says conflict with that narrative. 

They include her saying she was open to “starting from scratch” with ICE, decriminalizing illegal crossings, saying she supported “sanctuary” city laws and comparing ICE to the Ku Klux Klan as a senator.

“Kamala Harris wants everyone to believe she’s some border hawk now. But going all the way back to her days as DA in San Francisco, her statements and policies make it clear where she stands,” Homan, who served under multiple administrations, told Fox News Digital. “The fact is, she’s an open borders radical and, along with Joe Biden, she’s personally responsible for the current crisis.”

HARRIS SHIFTS POSITIONS ON BORDER, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AS CAMPAIGN PROMISES ‘PRAGMATIC’ APPROACH

Republicans and the Trump campaign have zeroed in on the border, including Harris’ role in tackling root causes of migration. They have linked the historic highs seen during the border crisis to the policies of the Biden-Harris administration, including the ending of Trump-era policies they see as having successfully brought the border under control.

Conservatives have sought to paint Harris as a radical on illegal immigration, pointing to many of the same remarks featured in the video, just as the Harris campaign has sought to present her as the right candidate for border security.

A Harris campaign adviser told Fox News last month that Harris’ positions have been “shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute leadership conference Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Her campaign said she believes illegal border crossings are illegal and supports “continuing to ensure sufficient resources to enforce our laws and prioritize detention and removal for individuals who pose threats to public safety and national security, as well as ensure compliance with immigration proceedings and decisions, including removal.”

More broadly, it has pointed to her backing of the bipartisan Senate package that emerged from negotiations in the chamber earlier this year, which increases funding for the border, including ICE bed space and a mechanism to limit asylum entries into the U.S. Conservatives said that bill would only serve to codify high levels of illegal immigration.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“The only ‘plan’ Donald Trump has to secure our border is ripping mothers from their children and a few xenophobic placards at the Republican National Convention. He tanked the bipartisan border security deal because, for Donald Trump, this has never been about solutions, just running on a problem,” spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement. 

“Like everything with Donald Trump, it’s never been about helping the country, it’s only about helping himself. There’s only one candidate in this race who will fight for bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security, and that’s Vice President Harris,” he said.

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Homan, however, says he isn’t trying to tell voters who they should pick in November, just to present the facts.

“We want to show the American people the truth so they can make their own decisions,” he told Fox News Digital.

Former Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi insisted on Wednesday that her party’s presidential nominating process after President Biden dropped out was “open,” and Vice President Kamala Harris “won it,” despite the absence of any such contest. 

Prior to Biden stepping down as the Democratic Party’s nominee in mid-July, Pelosi reportedly said she favored a competitive open primary process to replace him if needed. On Wednesday, Semafor’s Kadia Goba asked Pelosi if she had changed her mind after seeing all the “excitement” Harris generated when she was tapped to replace Biden.

“No, I didn’t change my mind. We had an open primary and [Kamala Harris] won it. Nobody else got in the race,” Pelosi said. “Yes people could have jumped in – there were some people who were sort of preparing, but she just took off with it, and actually it was a blessing because there was not that much time between then and the election and it sort of saved time.”

“But it wasn’t that we didn’t have an open primary,” Pelosi added. “It’s just that nobody got in because she had a running start.”

NANCY PELOSI GRILLED FOR TAKING SWIPE AT 30% OF REPUBLICANS: ‘NASTY, UNTRUE AND CRUEL’

Amid intra-party pressure, Biden dropped out of the race for president on July 21 and endorsed Harris as his successor the same day. Harris was the informal nominee from that point forward until the Democratic National Committee decided to implement an unprecedented virtual roll call ahead of its national nominating convention in August. The first-of-its-kind roll call vote ended with Harris getting 99% support from the party’s participating delegates. Harris was the only candidate who qualified for the virtual roll call vote, despite three challengers who wanted to run against her. The failed challengers were reportedly unable to collect the 300 delegate signatures necessary to gain access to the virtual ballot, according to Politico. 

Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy holds a sign that says “Coach Walz” during the Democratic National Convention.

Conservatives focusing on the election called Pelosi’s comments about Harris’ nominating process a “joke” and a “lie.” 

“The votes of 14 million Americans who voted for Joe Biden were thrown away as Harris was installed as the Democrats’ nominee for president – a job for which she has never received a single vote,” said Ryan Walker, executive director at Heritage Action For America, a conservative political advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., affiliated with the Heritage Foundation. “Saying she won an open primary is a joke.” 

‘PAISANS FOR KAMALA’ EVENT FEATURES DE NIRO, PELOSI BLASTING TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION

“Listening to Nancy Pelosi’s comments about Joe Biden, you could almost forget that she was one of many who lied to us about his condition, right up until the moment it was no longer to her political advantage to do so,” Jenny Beth Martin, president of Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund, added. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that she’d now to try to lie about what she calls the ‘open nomination’ process that led to Kamala’s ascension.”

Meanwhile, academic elections experts told Fox News Digital that nothing illegal or undemocratic took place because ultimately it is each party’s purview how they go about nominating their candidate. 

“You could probably sue the party for a civil tort and say, you know, ‘They did something wrong to me here.’ But it wouldn’t be a violation of election law,” said Jeremy Mayer, a professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Public Policy and Government. “It’s not a coup, as some would say.”

American University professor Leonard Steinhorn, a political communications expert, questioned what other options the party had at that point with the election being less than four months away.

“One has to ask themselves: What else would a party do?” he asked. 

Voters fill out their ballots at a polling station during Massachusetts state primary voting on Tuesday.

Mayer and Steinhorn also argued that the Republican Party would likely have done something similar with Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Trump’s vice presidential running mate, if the GOP nominee faced some sort of hurdle preventing him from running. 

PELOSI SUGGESTS ‘30%’ OF REPUBLICANS ARE RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC: THEY’D ‘NEVER’ VOTE DEMOCRAT

“You can always talk in ideal circumstances about what’s best and what ought to be. But you know, as there’s that old 1980s expression, ‘Reality Bites,’ and you have to be able to adjust and adapt to the circumstances that you have,” Steinhorn said. “In an ideal world, you may want to have the candidates vetted by the public more, whether it’s an open primary – which might have been impossible to set up in any number of critical mass states – or forums that would allow people to sort of evaluate different candidates. But at that point, Vice President Harris moved quickly with Joe Biden’s support, to consolidate her support and get the majority of the delegates. In which case, why would anyone else run?”

Mayer and Steinhorn also pointed out that, while the process did go against contemporary norms, it is not entirely unprecedented.  

“She was picked in the way that we picked our candidates from 1832 to 1968 – the convention – and that produced some pretty good presidents, but we expect today for a president to be picked by the people of the party in an open primary process. And that’s not what happened with Harris,” Mayer said. Meanwhile, Steinhorn pointed to former President Gerald Ford, who he said “did not once face any primaries or any national referendum at all.”

A new poll ahead of Tuesday’s ABC News Presidential Debate shows Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump by eight percentage points among likely voters in Virginia. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images.)

Last week, Pelosi also responded to questions on the fairness of the Democratic Party’s nomination process during an episode of ABC’s “The View.”

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“It was an open [process],” Pelosi insisted. “Anybody could have gotten in. She got in, and she won, and a president of the United States had endorsed her who was very respected. So, that meant a lot, but people don’t understand, other people could have gotten in. She just locked it up. Politically astute, as I said to you before.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Pelosi’s office for comment but did not receive a response. 

Several Democrats responded overnight to news that the Teamsters, under General President Sean O’Brien, decided against issuing a presidential endorsement.

“Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before big business,” O’Brien said in a statement.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. who, like O’Brien, hails from the Boston area, called former President Donald Trump the “most anti-labor president we have ever had.”

“It’s clear that these workers are misinformed or uninformed about Trump’s record on labor,” McGovern told the Washington Times. “His allegiance isn’t toward working people.”

McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, said it is obvious that Trump supports “rich people” over the working class.

The Teamsters have not made a non-endorsement since the 1996 contest between former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan. Their last GOP endorsement went to former President George H.W. Bush over then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1988.

Meanwhile, Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., tweeted that Harris had cast the tie-breaking Senate vote to “protect Teamsters pensions.”

TEAMSTERS BOSS HAS NO REGRETS ON TIFF WITH SEN. MULLIN: ‘SOUNDED LIKE HE WANTED TO DATE ME, NOT FIGHT ME’

House Rules Committee ranking member James McGovern of Massachusetts

Horsford shared that Nevada’s Teamsters councils had bucked the national organization and independently endorsed Harris.

“She’s fighting for us,” Horsford said.

Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., echoed Horsford, saying the Silver State’s Teamsters “know that Kamala Harris is a fighter for our union workers.”

“I learned it from my father who was a Teamster in Las Vegas: when we stand together, we win,” Cortez-Masto said.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House speaker, meanwhile, called the Teamsters’ decision “disappointing.”

“Donald Trump refused to support a pension bill for Teamsters. It was Biden-Harris and Democrats who saved Teamsters pensions in the Butch Lewis Act of our American Rescue Plan — without one Republican vote,” she said on X, formerly Twitter. 

Trump, however, called the non-endorsement of Harris a “great honor” for him.

AUTO WORKERS FOR TRUMP LEADER SAYS THOUSANDS POISED TO BREAK FROM DEMS OVER GREEN POLICIES, JOB-KILLING REGS

Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., speaks with President Joe Biden. (Getty Images)

“They’re not going to endorse the Democrats. That’s a big thing,” Trump said while campaigning in New York City. The GOP nominee added that the internal Teamsters vote showed about 60% of national membership support his bid.

A leading progressive in Congress, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, called the non-endorsement “unfortunate” while adding that the Evergreen State’s sub-council still supports Harris.

“I think you’re going to see more of that across the country,” she told the Times.

In a more direct shot at O’Brien, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., claimed the national leader has been “boosting Republicans all year while supporting anti-worker, anti-choice Senate candidates.”

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O’Brien has reportedly reached out to some Republican lawmakers, like Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. And JD Vance, R-Ohio, per the BBC, but it was the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation union that recently gave the conservatives their endorsement.

Two U.S. Senate candidates whom the union did endorse, however, are Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.

A spokesman for Harris’ campaign said in a statement reported by multiple outlets that Trump believes striking workers should be fired, while Harris “literally walked the picket line.”

“The Vice President’s strong union record is why Teamsters locals across the country have already endorsed her — alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor,” Lauren Hitt said.

In that regard, a council representing 35,000 Teamsters in the key swing state of Pennsylvania ignored O’Brien’s non-endorsement and threw their weight behind Harris. 

The board of Teamsters Joint Council 40, covering Pittsburgh, Erie, State College and Washington, held a separate vote, where they unanimously selected Harris.

“She is the best for our locals and best for our unions,” council president Carl Bailey told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

O’Brien has also not been afraid to tussle with Republicans, as he and Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., nearly came to blows during a 2023 hearing in which Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had to intervene as Mullin rose from his chair — after the men told each other to “stand your butt up.”

Former President Donald Trump has faced two known assassination attempts against his life across a roughly two-month span, and he may still be in danger of others, experts warned Fox News Digital.

“This is not the last attempt that there’ll be. They’re going to keep coming at him,” Gene Petrino, a retired SWAT commander for Florida’s Plantation Police Department for 26 years and an expert on active shooter incidents, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. 

“Other people are gonna see it that way, and the only responsible thing to do is now increase, even more, his security footprint,” Petrino added. 

Trump was safely escorted from the green at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday after suspect Ryan Routh allegedly pointed a rifle towards the 45th president just outside the perimeter of the club. Routh fled the scene but was apprehended shortly thereafter on I-95. 

TRUMP BLAMES BIDEN-HARRIS ‘RHETORIC’ FOR LATEST ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, SAYS HE WILL ‘SAVE THE COUNTRY’ 

Former President Donald Trump, left, and Ryan Routh. (Getty Images)

Authorities are investigating the incident as an apparent assassination attempt against Trump.

On July 13, Trump held a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear by 20-year-old Matthew Crooks. Crooks opened fire on the president while perched on a nearby roof, injuring two others attending the rally, and killing local dad and volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore. 

The attack in July unfolded just two days ahead of the Republican National Convention kicking off in Milwaukee. Trump attended the convention despite the attack and was seen wearing a bandage over his ear when he accepted the GOP’s presidential nomination. 

“The amazing thing is that prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark and I would not be here tonight. We would not be together,” Trump said at the RNC in his acceptance speech. 

Former President Donald Trump was injured during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“Bullets were flying over us, yet I felt serene. But now the Secret Service agents were putting themselves in peril. They were in very dangerous territory,” Trump continued. “Bullets were flying right over them, missing them by a very small amount of inches. And then it all stopped. Our Secret Service sniper, from a much greater distance and with only one bullet used, took the assassin’s life. Took him out.”

“This is my fear. When it rains, it pours … I don’t think it stops at two.”

— Bill Stanton, former NYPD officer and security expert

The apparent failed attempted assassination in Sunday’s attack did not fire a shot off – unlike Crooks – as a Secret Service agent spotted him and shot at him first.

RYAN ROUTH, ARMED MAN ARRESTED AT TRUMP GOLF COURSE, POSTED PROLIFICALLY ABOUT TRUMP, POLITICS 

Former President Donald Trump looks on during the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Monday, July 15, 2024. (Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Petrino lauded the actions of the Secret Service and other law enforcement on Sunday for protecting Trump before the unthinkable unfolded, but the attempt has sparked concern among security experts. 

“They did a great job this time. They seemed to be on the ball,” he said before adding he believes “there should have been more” effort on the part of Trump’s security detail to catch Routh before he was located just roughly 300 yards from the 45th president. 

FBI investigators carry a box of evidence from the perimeter of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Ryan Routh was arrested earlier this week after allegedly attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump while hiding in the bushes along the golf course. (Mega for Fox News Digital)

Bill Stanton, a former NYPD officer and an executive protection expert, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he also fears bad actors will make another attempt on Trump’s life. 

“This is my fear. When it rains, it pours … I don’t think it stops at two,” Stanton said.

Both Stanton and Petrino called for an increase in security surrounding Trump, which echoed calls from Capitol Hill that Trump be offered heightened protection following the second attempt. 

“It is imperative that the USSS detail assigned to President Trump be afforded additional protective resources, including greater staffing capabilities that would allow agents to secure a broader perimeter,” Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., wrote in a letter to acting Director Ronald Rowe on Tuesday. 

Marshall and Tuberville, joined by Sens. James Risch, R-Idaho; Mike Lee, R-Utah; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.,;Bill Cassidy, R-La.; Rick Scott, R-Fla.; and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., requested that Rowe and the Secret Service “designate President Trump as a protectee with the same level of protective resources afforded to a sitting president.” 

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT LAUGHS, SMILES DURING FIRST COURT APPEARANCE IN FLORIDA

Ryan W. Routh, suspected of attempting to assassinate Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course, stands handcuffed after his arrest during a traffic stop near Palm City, Florida, on Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via REUTERS)

Trump, as well as Petrino and Stanton, pinned blame for the second attempt on inflammatory political rhetoric, with the former president specifically pointing to comments from the Biden-Harris administration. 

“[The suspect] believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” Trump told Fox News Digital on Monday. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out.” 

WHITE HOUSE CONTINUES TO CALL TRUMP ‘THREAT’ TO DEMOCRACY DESPITE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS ON FORMER PRESIDENT’S LIFE 

In the interview, Trump pointed to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ past comments describing him as a “threat to democracy,” while telling Americans they are “unity” leaders. 

“It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat,” Trump said.

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department patrols outside of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Ryan Routh was arrested yesterday after an alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at the Florida golf course. (Mega for Fox News Digital)

During the White House press briefing on Tuesday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked if the administration planned to drop using words such as “threat” to describe Trump, considering the second assassination attempt. Doocy noted in his question that Trump has lobbed similar attacks against Biden and Harris. 

HOUSE DEM LEADER RAILS ‘WE MUST STOP’ MAGA AMID NEWS OF 2ND TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the use of the word, citing Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol. 

Trump is back on the campaign trail this week, heading to Long Island for a campaign rally on Wednesday. False reports spread across social media ahead of the rally that explosives had been found in a car near where Trump was set to speak. 

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The reports were quickly dismissed by local officials as false, but underscore ongoing concerns and potential threats against Trump. 

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

The Harris campaign addressed the revelation by federal agencies that individuals tied to the Biden campaign were targeted by Iranian actors with emails containing stolen Trump campaign materials, stating that they do not know of any materials sent “directly” to the Biden campaign, but that some people received emails on their personal accounts.

“We have cooperated with the appropriate law enforcement authorities since we were made aware that individuals associated with the then-Biden campaign were among the intended victims of this foreign influence operation,” Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein said in a statement.

“We’re not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like a spam or phishing attempt,” Finkelstein added. “We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections including this unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity.” 

In a joint statement released Wednesday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said, “Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails.” 

PAKISTANI MAN WITH IRAN TIES PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN ALLEGED MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT TO ASSASSINATE US POLITICIANS

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

“There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied,” the statement continued. “Furthermore, Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.” 

The agencies said such “malicious cyber activity” served as the latest example of Iran’s multipronged approach “to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our electoral process.” 

“As the lead for threat response, the FBI has been tracking this activity, has been in contact with the victims, and will continue to investigate and gather information in order to pursue and disrupt the threat actors responsible,” the statement said. “Foreign actors are increasing their election influence activities as we approach November. In particular, Russia, Iran, and China are trying by some measure to exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit, and see election periods as moments of vulnerability.” 

Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s campaign spokesperson, said the development “is further proof the Iranians are actively interfering in the election to help Kamala Harris and Joe Biden because they know President Trump will restore his tough sanctions and stand against their reign of terror.”

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump raises his fist as he departs a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“Kamala and Biden must come clean on whether they used the hacked material given to them by the Iranians to hurt President Trump. What did they know and when did they know it?” she said in a statement.

A Harris campaign official told Fox News Digital that “the material was not used.”

IRAN TRIED TO INFLUENCE ELECTION BY SENDING STOLEN MATERIAL FROM TRUMP CAMPAIGN TO BIDEN’S CAMP, FBI SAYS

President Biden, left, holds up the arm of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, while on stage at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Federal authorities said they have thwarted Iranian assassination plots against U.S. politicians in recent months. U.S. officials say Trump, as well as President Biden and Nikki Haley, were among the targets. Earlier this week, a Pakistani man with deep ties to Iran was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court for alleging paying undercover agents he believed were hitmen to carry out the assassinations this summer. 

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Within two months, Trump has faced two assassination attempts at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and while golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida, though authorities haven’t publicly linked either plot to Iran. 

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., led several Republicans in a bid to increase U.S. Secret Service (USSS) protections for presidential nominees in the wake of the second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

“Over the course of just 65 days, two deranged individuals have tried to kill President Donald Trump, and one was able to shoot him in the head,” Scott wrote of his introduction of the Protect Our Presidents Act.

“It is unthinkable that this could happen in America today and demands the immediate action of Congress,” he said. 

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS LEVEL OF SECRET SERVICE ‘LACK OF COOPERATION’

Sen. Rick Scott’s bill would codify that presidential nominees are entitled to the same protection as the sitting president. (Reuters)

“Today, I am leading my Republican colleagues to introduce the Protect our Presidents Act, which mandates that the USSS provide the same level of protective services to presidential nominees that it affords to sitting presidents.”

“President Trump has great officers and agents working around the clock to keep him safe, but it’s clear that the vile rhetoric on the left toward President Trump has made him a target and more resources are required to ensure the safety of him and his family. I urge Senate Democrats to join Republicans to quickly pass this bill that will support the protection of President Trump and all future presidential nominees.”

The Florida Republican was joined by cosponsors Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., James Risch, R-Idaho, Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

HARRIS AND TRUMP DEADLOCKED IN PENNSYLVANIA AS FORMER PRESIDENT TRAILS IN OTHER ‘BLUE WALL’ STATES: POLL

The measure would require that the Secret Service give nominees for president a level of protection on par with the current president. However, a nominee is free to decline this. 

It would additionally extend that presidential-level protection to vice presidential nominees, in this case to Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn.

GOP SENS CALL ON SCHUMER, DEMS TO TAKE UP BORDER BILLS AS THEY TOUT IMMIGRATION VIGILANCE

FBI investigators carry a box of evidence from the perimeter of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Mega for Fox News Digital)

Additionally, the bill led by Scott would require regular reporting from the Secret Service to leaders of the House and Senate on the status of candidates’ protection. Such reports would include threat levels, security measures, costs, amount of personnel assigned and any needs that are unmet. 

On Wednesday, the Secret Service told Fox News Trump actually had the same level of protection on Sunday during the second assassination attempt, as he did when he was president. In fact, they told Fox News that not only had Trump’s security increased from the first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, but that it was part of what helped thwart the attempt on Sunday. 

SECRET SERVICE TOLD LOCALS THEY WOULD ‘TAKE CARE OF’ BUILDING USED BY THOMAS CROOKS TO SHOOT TRUMP

Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. of the U.S. Secret Service addresses the media at a press conference with updates on the investigation into the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Mega for Fox News Digital)

The USSS revealed that President Biden, Trump, and Vice President Kamala Harris are all outfitted with counter snipers, counter assault, counter surveillance, protective intelligence and drone teams. 

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This high level of protection for presidential candidates would be codified by Scott’s bill. 

The House is set to vote on a similar bill, which has gained bipartisan backing in the lower chamber, on Friday. It would also grant major presidential candidates the same protection as sitting presidents.

New data from the Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion offers insight into black voters’ support heading into the 2024 presidential election.

The Howard University poll shows an overwhelming majority of black voters in the seven swing states support Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump.

A whopping 82% of respondents told pollsters that they supported Harris compared to just 12% that backed Trump.

NEW POLL INDICATES WHETHER HARRIS OR TRUMP HAS THE EDGE IN THE MOST IMPORTANT BATTLEGROUND

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a Fox News Town Hall with Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Approximately 5% of respondents indicated they are undecided and the final 1% said they intend to vote for a candidate other than Harris or Trump.

The data shows a significant difference between age groups.

Approximately 89% of black voters over 50-years-old backed Harris, while only 8% backed Trump and 4% backed an alternative candidate.

AMERICANS FAVOR TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION, SUPPORT MASS DEPORTATION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, POLL FINDS

Among young black voters, the majority still overwhelmingly backed Harris (75%) but support for Trump doubled to 16% and support for alternative candidates shot up to 9%.

This age difference was most obvious among men — men under fifty-years-old broke 72% to 21% in favor of Harris, contrasted against 88% to 10% among men over fifty.

The Howard University poll surveyed black voters over the age of 18 and registered to vote in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

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Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) leadership conference in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The poll was conducted between Sept. 4 and Sept. 11 with a total of 1,000 respondents and a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.

Individuals were surveyed via landline, cellphone, and text-to-web. 

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A Haitian community leader in an Ohio town that burst into the national spotlight over longtime residents’ claims about disturbing incidents involving refugees argues that America’s history means the country should be open to taking in more migrants.

“America is a beacon of the world in terms of democracy, where they say that human [rights] have to be respected and where they say that they treat people with respect and dignity,” Viles Dorsainvil, the executive director of Springfield’s Haitian Community Help and Support Center, told Fox News Digital. “I think the American forefathers made that clear, that America should be an open country for everybody.”

The comments come as Springfield, Ohio, which sits about 50 miles west of Columbus, has recently been thrust into the national spotlight, most notably after comments last week by both people on the top of the Republican presidential ticket, former President Trump and running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

“Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country,” Vance wrote in a post on X last week. “Where is our border czar?”

HAITIAN REFUGEES ‘DON’T UNDERSTAND THE LAWS,’ FORMER LAWMAKER SAYS AMID FATAL WRECK, CULTURAL CLASHES

Viles Dorsainvil is the executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, Ohio. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Trump made a similar claim during last week’s debate when answering a question about immigration.

“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

While the claims about eating pets have yet to be verified and have been fiercely denied by local leaders, many longtime locals have expressed frustrations with the situation in Springfield.

The town, which had previously experienced decades of population decline and had a population of under 60,000 in the 2020 census, has suddenly grown by thousands of Haitian migrants in just a few years, straining resources and causing some tensions between longtime residents and those new to the community.

“We’ve got an influx of folks that have come in, and I think we were a little bit shocked that it was close to 20,000 people in a community of 60,000, and that’s caused some issues between the folks that live here and the folks that are coming in,” former Republican state Rep. Kyle Koehler, who is now running for state senate, told Fox News Digital.

HAITIAN INFLUX CAUSING ONE MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AMONG SPRINGFIELD RESIDENTS

Rose Groute Creole Restaurant in Springfield, Ohio, is a popular Haitian food establishment that opened in August 2023. (Michael Lee/Fox News Digital)

Locals have especially expressed frustrations over road safety, arguing that immigrants who have no to little experience driving in their home countries have been allowed to take to the streets with ease, causing a dangerous situation on the roads.

“We do have a really abnormal number of car accidents that are happening,” Koehler said. “And it’s not only the number but the severity of them. When you go on a street that is a 35-mile-an-hour speed limit, and there’s a car sitting on its hood, and I’m not talking about one, I’m talking about five or six accidents a week like that, you begin to wonder.”

SPRINGFIELD PASTORS SPEAK OUT ON HAITIAN REFUGEE CHALLENGES: ‘THE SUFFERING IS REAL’

Those tensions seemingly peaked in August 2023 when a bus carrying dozens of local schoolchildren collided with a minivan, injuring more than 20 students and killing one, 11-year-old Aiden Clark.

Dorsainvil acknowledged that the incident increased tension in Springfield, though he expressed optimism that things had “started to get back to normal.” That is until the community was thrust back into the spotlight by Trump and Vance.

Nevertheless, Dorsainvil admitted some tensions do remain in the community.

“There is a group of people who believe that we are here to take away their benefits or whatever belongs to them or take away their job or whatever,” Dorsainvil said, arguing that much of the disconnect between members of his community and longtime locals boils down to cultural differences.

The Haitian community center in Springfield, Ohio, is shown here. (Michael Lee/Fox News Digital)

“This is why … in this nonprofit we work on implementing a cross-cultural education … to put on some events to help Americans understand our culture,” Dorsainvil said. “We have this kind of Q&A from time to time with some American friends and trying to see if we can implement more programs to educate the American friends that we have here. We also have programs to educate Haitians about American culture and what they should do to integrate in the community.”

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But Dorsainvil also stressed that most members of the community have been friendly and welcoming, while local leaders have worked hard to address any tensions in Springfield.

“Officials have been working to address it, and they also have an inclusive approach,” Dorsainvil said. “The city is a welcoming city. We have officials who are willing to work with the immigrants and local leaders as well. … Springfield is a very welcoming city apart from a group of people who believe that we shouldn’t be here.”

Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.

The presidential race begins for thousands of voters today as Wisconsin starts mailing ballots to eligible voters.

With one point separating Vice President Harris and former President Trump in the Badger State, the campaigns are set to spend the next 47 days fighting for every ballot.

Voting begins in some form for many voters in more than half of all states by the end of the month, including Michigan and North Carolina.

Wisconsin is one of the most competitive states this cycle

Wisconsin is one of three Rust Belt states that voted for Trump in 2016, then flipped back to the Democrats in 2020. President Biden won the state by just 20,682 votes or 0.7 points.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: TRUMP LOSES HIS EDGE AS WE BRACE AGAIN FOR POST-DEBATE IMPACT

Like the other competitive midwestern states, it is defined by its White working class population. Fifty-eight percent of the state’s voters are White without a college degree according to the Fox News Voter Analysis. That is fifteen points higher than the national electorate.

Those voters favored Trump by 11 points in the last presidential cycle, and he will look to build on that margin to put this state back into the GOP’s column.

Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign rally in Savannah, Georgia, U.S., August 29, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

For Democrats, the goal is to keep turnout high in the cities and surrounding areas by activating Black and suburban voters. There are highly populated pockets of deep blue vote in Milwaukee and Madison, and the counties that those cities call home make up nearly a quarter of the statewide vote.

Key races in Wisconsin

Wisconsin also has a Senate race and eight U.S. House races on the ballot. The most competitive include:

• Senate: Democratic senator Tammy Baldwin will face Republican banker Eric Hovde as she seeks a third term. The race is ranked Lean D on the Fox News Power Rankings.
• Wisconsin’s 1st district: Republican Rep. Bryan Steil has held this southeastern district including Kenosha since 2019; this time, he’s up against local Democrat Peter Barca. This race is Likely R on the Power Rankings.
• Wisconsin’s 3rd district: GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden was one of a handful of Republicans to flip a seat in the midterms, and his district includes a handful of blue-leaning areas like Eau Claire and La Crosse. He faces Democratic small business owner Rebecca Cooke. This race is also Likely R on the Power Rankings.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: VOTERS’ APPETITE FOR TICKET-SPLITTING WILL DECIDE THE SENATE

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally held with Republican vice presidential nominee Senator JD Vance, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., August 3, 2024.  REUTERS/Megan Varner

How to vote in Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin elections website.

Registering to vote

Wisconsin allows voters to register online or by-mail until the end of October 16.

Voters who miss that date can still register by printing, signing and delivering their registration form with proof of evidence to a municipal clerk or a polling place on Election Day. 

RFK JR SUES NORTH CAROLINA TO REMOVE NAME FROM BALLOT BEFORE ELECTION

Voting

Like most states, Wisconsin allows voters to cast an early ballot either in person or by mail, or in person on election day.

Early voting

Voting by mail

Any Wisconsin registered voter can cast an absentee ballot. No excuse is required.

Voters must request an absentee ballot, fill it out with an eligible witness and place it in a signed, sealed certified envelope. Voters can find the full list of steps online.

Ballots can be returned by mail, at a clerk’s office, or at an assigned polling place or absentee counting location on Election Day.

Once a voter submits their ballot, they can track its status online.

Voting in person

Wisconsin also allows voters to cast their absentee ballot at locations such as a clerk’s office or local library starting October 8.

Voting on election day

Voters can also cast a ballot in person on election day at their assigned polling place.

Upcoming early voting dates

With absentee ballots out to a wide group of voters, Wisconsin is the first state to kick off election season in earnest. Alabama and Kentucky started sending ballots to voters who have an excuse to vote by absentee last week.

Tomorrow, Virginia will be the first state to allow its voters to cast a ballot early in-person, and seven more states will make absentee ballots available.

By the end of the month, 26 states and DC will have begun some form of voting.

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For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the Wisconsin elections website.

The Biden administration’s use of humanitarian parole to bring in migrants through “lawful pathways” as a strategy to end the crisis at the southern border remains under scrutiny amid an ongoing debate about Haitian migration — and as officials reveal how many have been allowed in under the programs.

The Biden administration, as it sought to control a spiraling border crisis last year, expanded two avenues for migrants to enter legally and be paroled into the U.S. One allows migrants to schedule appointments at the ports of entry using the CBP One app, and allows up to 1,450 migrants to enter daily. 

The other is the parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. Under that program, migrants with sponsors can apply for authorization without heading to the border and fly or transport themselves into the U.S. once approved and vetted. Up to 30,000 a month are allowed in under that program.

TRUMP REVEALS NEW PLEDGE AMID HAITIAN REFUGEE CONTROVERY: ‘I WILL SAVE OUR CITIES’

CIUDAD JUAREZ , MEXICO – MAY 23: Migrants wait in line to enter the shelter set up by the authorities for migrants as migrants wait for an appointment through the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) one application in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on May 23, 2023.  ((Photo by Christian Torres Chavez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))

The administration released statistics on Monday showing that nearly 530,000 nationals from those four countries have been granted parole through the end of August 2024.

That is after the program was briefly suspended in July after an internal report found multiple instances of fraud from sponsors offering support to migrants coming in on the program. DHS announced last month that it had resumed processing of authorizations after it implemented new safeguards.

The fraud discovery led to fresh calls from Republicans for the administration to shut down the program. Republicans have said that the Biden administration’s use of parole is unlawful, saying it is in breach of the law — which limits the use of parole to a “case by case” basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

DHS has defended its use of parole, and has said it has been tied to a sharp drop in encounters when used.

“All CHNV beneficiaries continue to be thoroughly screened and vetted by CBP prior to their arrival to the United States and must meet other eligibility criteria authorization to travel to the United States in a safe, orderly, and lawful way once they purchase their own commercial airline tickets,” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Monday.

“Since DHS has implemented these safe, orderly and lawful processes, encounters of CHNV nationals in between POEs are down 99%,” the statement said.

Separately, CBP says that approximately 813,000 individuals have scheduled appointments to be paroled into ports of entry using the CBP One app. In August, there were 44,700 appointments made. 

BIDEN ADMIN RESTARTS CONTROVERSIAL MIGRANT FLIGHT PROGRAM WITH ADDITIONAL VETTING AFTER FRAUD REVELATIONS 

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 17: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, is interviewed by David Rubenstein, co-founder of Carlyle Group Inc, during an Economic Club of Washington event at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on May 17, 2024 in Washington, DC.  ((Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images))

It means that more than 1.3 million have been paroled in via the two programs since they began less than two years ago.

Those who are brought in are vetted, and are then allowed to stay for up to two years and can work in the U.S. But multiple Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sources have told Fox News that they do not have the workforce or resources to find and deport such a large population of people if they overstay.

ICE FINDS, ARRESTS HAITIAN MIGRANT WHO WAS RELEASED ON $500 BOND AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH RAPING CHILD IN MA

The administration says that its strategy of expanding lawful pathways while implementing “consequences” for illegal entry has led to a sharp decrease in encounters at the southern border. There were 107,503 encounters at the border in August, down from 232,963 in August last year. Encounters have dropped by more than 50% since June, when President Biden signed an executive order that limited arrivals across the border when encounters reach a certain level. Officials have urged Congress to provide more funding and broader reforms to help fix what it says is a “broken system.”

President Joe Biden withdrew from his re-election bid in late July, endorsing Vice President Harris as his replacement. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“CBP continues to enforce the Securing the Border interim final rule and deliver strong consequences for illegal entry, and encounters between ports of entry remain at their lowest level in years,” acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement on Monday.

But the use of parole has come under fresh scrutiny not just due to the discovery of fraud in the CHNV program, but also due to the debate over the surge of Haitian migrants into towns like Springfield, Ohio, where 12-15,000 migrants have moved in recent years into the town of just over 60,000.

The use of parole was criticized by House Republicans in a report on Wednesday, obtained first by Fox News Digital, which accused the administration of having “wantonly flouted this law by granting parole to millions of illegal aliens and creating parole programs for various nationality groups, neither of which are consistent with the law.”

DHS has consistently defended its use of parole, and won a case against a coalition of Republican-led states challenging the law in March.

“These processes — a safe and orderly way to reach the United States — have resulted in a significant reduction in the number of these individuals encountered at our southern border,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “It is a key element of our efforts to address the unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere, and other countries around the world see it as a model to tackle the challenge of increased irregular migration that they too are experiencing.”

Additionally, there have been a number of crimes allegedly committed by those brought in via parole, including a Haitian migrant accused of molesting a boy in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, Mexico last week put out a video of buses transporting migrants with CBP One appointments to the U.S. border. Former President Trump this week also renewed his pledge to end the CBP One app and the various uses of parole by the Biden administration.

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“As President I will immediately end the migrant invasion of America,” Trump said in a social media post on Sunday.

“We will stop all migrant flights, end all illegal entries, terminate the Kamala phone app for smuggling illegals (CBP One App), revoke deportation immunity, suspend refugee resettlement, and return Kamala’s illegal migrants to their home countries (also known as remigration),” he said.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.