With debate behind them, Trump and Biden begin sprint to finish
President heads Florida, Biden to Delaware
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and rival Joe Biden begin a sprint through the final 11 days of the U.S. presidential race on Friday after battling over the COVID-19 pandemic and personal integrity in their second and final debate.
Trump, 74, will hold two rallies in the battleground state of Florida, where opinion polls show a tight race. Biden, 77, will deliver a speech in his home state of Delaware on his plans for leading a recovery from the pandemic.
More than 49 million Americans already have cast ballots in person or through the mail, according to the University of Florida’s Elections Project. That is more than one-third the total number of votes cast in 2016 - giving Trump, who is trailing in national opinion polls, fewer opportunities to change minds before voting ends on Nov. 3.
Trump has frequently criticized absentee voting as unreliable, and his campaign has fought state efforts to expand the practice, which analysts say is as secure as any other method.
Trump himself has voted by mail in past elections, but plans to vote in person in Florida on Saturday, the White House said.
Analysts gave Trump credit for a relatively restrained debate performance, but said it probably did not change the dynamics of the race in any fundamental way.
The pandemic has upended campaign traditions and its effects still are being felt. Americans may find themselves waiting days or weeks to know who won as election officials count tens of millions of mail-in votes.
Biden enters the final days of the race with more cash than Trump. The Democrat raised about $130 million during the Oct. 1-14 period, about three times the roughly $44 million raised by the Republican Trump’s campaign, according to disclosures filed on Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.
In their debate on Thursday night, Biden renewed his frequent campaigntrail attacks on Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 221,000 people in the United States and cost millions their jobs.
“Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America,” Biden said.