This newsletter was originally sent out via email to our Ground Game subscribers on September 02, 2024. You can subscribe at any time at apnews.com/newsletters.
Plus, GOP network angling to boost third-party hopefuls to siphon votes from Harris, and a renewed focus on noncitizen voting
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By Meg Kinnard
September 02, 2024 08:28:01 AM
By Meg Kinnard
September 02, 2024 08:28:01 AM
Donald Trump’s campaign has fully embraced the bravado-filled, macho, often contrarian online spaces popular with a subset of younger men on livestreaming platforms like Twitch and Kick, as well as on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, which is in some ways an evolution of the strategy he used to boost his persona as a playboy, businessman and mogul.
Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game.
THE HEADLINES
Donald Trump dances with Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice during an event at the group's annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump courts conservative influencers
It is unclear how much the Trump campaign’s ventures into online media will boost his campaign. The same social media platforms are filled with content creators highly critical of the former president who go viral by the same algorithms as 23-year-old internet personality Adin Ross and other pro-Trump personalities.
The campaign now hopes to leverage Trump’s celebrity and bombast to garner attention online and in traditional media in ways that implicitly push his message to audiences who may not pay attention to political news. It views men under 50, including many Black and Hispanic men, as key demographics where Trump can make inroads.
Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are competing for voters who increasingly get most of their news from non-traditional sources. Trump’s campaign aides talk to conservative influencers about potential topics and guests, while the Harris campaign credentialed around 200 content creators to the recent Democratic National Convention, with some getting free hotel stays and other perks from aligned liberal groups to be in Chicago. Read more.
Of note:
Harris’ presidential candidacy has ignited an explosion of organic engagement online that the campaign has sought to harness, especially on platforms popular with younger Americans and people of color like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. The campaign is paying close attention to Harris’ online footprint and responding with its own content echoing its newfound online supporters.
Related reads ➤
Moms for Liberty fully embraces Trump and widens role in national politics as election nears
Trump wants to make the GOP a ‘leader’ on IVF. Republicans’ actions make that a tough sell
GOP network aims to prop up third-party candidates
Across the country, a network of Republican political operatives, lawyers and their allies is trying to shape November’s election in ways that favor Trump. Their goal is to prop up third-party candidates such as Cornel West who offer liberal voters an alternative that could siphon away support from Harris.
It is not clear who is paying for the effort, but it could be impactful in states that were decided by minuscule margins in the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden.
This is money West’s campaign does not have, and he has encouraged the effort. Last month the academic told The Associated Press that “American politics is highly gangster-like activity” and he “just wanted to get on that ballot.” Read more.
Of note:
Democrats are exploring ways to lift Randall Terry, an anti-abortion presidential candidate for the Constitution Party, believing he could draw voters from Trump. But the GOP effort appears to be more far-reaching. After years of Trump accusing Democrats of “rigging” elections, it is his allies who are now mounting a sprawling and at times deceptive campaign to tilt the vote in his favor.
Related reads ➤
RFK Jr. sues North Carolina elections board as he seeks to remove his name from ballot
Where have candidates been campaigning? Check out AP’s interactive tracker
New wave of attention on noncitizen voting
Only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in this fall’s election for president and other top offices. While that is nothing new, the potential for noncitizens to register or vote has been receiving a lot of attention lately.
Citing an influx of immigrants in recent years at the U.S.-Mexico border, Republicans have raised concerns about the possibility that noncitizens will be voting and they have taken steps in numerous states to address that prospect, even though cases of noncitizens actually voting are rare.
GOP officials have undertaken reviews of voter rolls, issued executive orders and placed constitutional amendments on state ballots as part of an emphasis on thwarting noncitizen voting. Some Democrats contend the measures could create hurdles for legal voters, are unnecessary and lead people to believe the problem of noncitizens voting is bigger than it really is. Read more.
Of note:
No state constitutions explicitly allow noncitizens to vote, and many states have laws that prohibit noncitizens from voting for state offices such as governor or attorney general. But some municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, do allow voting by noncitizens in some local elections such as for school board and city council.
Related reads ➤
Like other red states, Louisiana governor announces policy aiming to prevent noncitizens from voting
Harris and Trump offer starkly different visions on climate change and energy
TRAIL PHOTO
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Savannah, Ga., Thursday, Aug. 29. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
ON THE CALENDAR
On Monday, Harris is in Detroit and Pittsburgh, where she will make her first joint campaign trail appearance with Biden.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, stumps in Milwaukee on Monday.
Trump tapes a Fox News Channel town hall in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. On Friday, he goes to Las Vegas for the annual gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition before holding a rally on Saturday in Mosinee, Wisconsin.
CANDIDATE CHECK
Harris said former Trump “disrespected sacred ground” in his recent appearance at Arlington National Cemetery, where the GOP nominee took and distributed images despite a federal prohibition on campaign activity on the grounds. Read more.
Trump’s campaign issued a statement Sunday from the Gold Star military families who invited him to Arlington as they defended the Republican nominee and insisted that Harris is the candidate politicizing fallen U.S. service members. Read more.
Walz munched on a pork chop on a stick and washed it down with a vanilla shake Sunday as the Minnesota governor and his family visited his home state fair. Read more.
2024 COUNTDOWN
OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON
North Carolina numbers: GOP nominee for governor has a history of inflammatory words. It could cost Trump
Alert in Arizona: Conservative group plans to monitor voting drop box locations
This newsletter was originally sent out via email to our Ground Game subscribers on September 02, 2024. You can subscribe at any time at apnews.com/newsletters.
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