Big dad energy: How Harris got to Walz
Harris had just 16 days to pick someone she could be linked to forever. She ended up going with one of the options that she — and the rest of the world — knew the least.
Walz was a dark horse from the start, left off early lists of potential running mates. But no one used the 16 days since Biden stepped aside more effectively than Walz, who charmed Harris and national Democrats alike with a Diet Mountain Dew-fueled media tour that labeled the opposition as “weird” and won him a spot in history.
The choice will leave an indelible imprint on the image of Harris that is still forming for many Americans, who know her far less than they do Biden or Trump, raising the stakes of a choice that can be difficult in the best of times, let alone under unprecedented time pressure.
GOP group launches attack on Slotkin in Michigan Senate race
A GOP outside group is also hitting the airwaves in Michigan, targeting Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin on pandemic relief spending in the state’s crucial Senate race, according to an ad shared first with NBC News.
One Nation, the nonprofit arm of the GOP super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, is launching its first ad as part of a $9.4 million buy that will run through Labor Day,
The 30-second spot, which will run on television, radio and online platforms, will run in Michgian’s competitive 7th District, which Slotkin represents in the House.
“Elissa Slotkin’s votes for reckless spending have cost Michigan families thousands,” a narrator says in the ad. “Tell Elissa Slotkin ‘no thank you’ to the wasteful spending and to start putting Michigan families first.”
One Nation President and CEO Steven Law said in a statement, “Elissa Slotkin’s constituents trusted her to be a good steward of their hard-earned money, but instead she’s costing them thousands of dollars."
At the time Slotkin supported the relief funds in 2021, she said she had hoped the spending would be more targeted and that the measure was “far from perfect,” but ultimately supported the spending due to the threat of the pandemic.
One Nation joins Senate Republicans’ campaign arm on the airwaves. It also launched an ad today targeting Slotkin over pandemic stimulus checks that were spent to prisoners.
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heads to court in ballot access trial
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be in a courtroom in Albany, New York, today.
An organization is suing him over the address he claims as his home in New York on ballot access petitions.
Kennedy has argued that he has maintained an address in New York "for decades" and that the case shouldn't be cause for striking his name from the ballot.
Where are Trump and Vance today?
Trump's running mate will start the day in Michigan with remarks at a police department before heading to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, for another campaign event.
Trump has no campaign trail events scheduled for today. He said in a Truth Social post last night that he'll be interviewed on "Fox & Friends" at 7:30 a.m. ET.
Here's what's on the schedule for Harris and Walz
Harris and Walz will hit the ground running today, starting in Wisconsin and then ending in Michigan for the second stop of their battleground state tour.
In Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the pair will be joined by Gov. Tony Evers and Sen. Tammy Baldwin. The band Bon Iver, whose members are from Wisconsin, is also set to perform.
In Michigan, Harris and Walz will appear alongside Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Reps. Shri Thanedar, Hillary Scholten, Haley Stevens, Dan Kildee, Elissa Slotkin and Debbie Dingell, as well as United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain.