Leaders in late campaign surge
President Donald Trump and Democrats are delivering competing closing arguments during the final weekend before Wednesday’s elections, but their messages are complicated by a deadly shooting in a politically pivotal state.
Trump aimed to drum up voter turnout with events yesterday in Belgrade, Montana, and Pensacola, Florida, about 320km west of Florida’s capital, Tallahassee, where two people were shot to death and five others wounded at a yoga studio on Saturday night.
Vice President Mike Pence helped embattled Governor Scott Walker, R-Wis., and then was meeting up with Trump in Florida to rally Republicans behind Rick Scott, who is trying to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, and former Rep. Ron DeSantis, who hopes to succeed Scott as governor.
DeSantis has been in a tight contest against Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who broke off campaigning after the shooting in his hometown. Gillum had appeared earlier with former President Barack Obama.
Democrats were fanning out across the country to help the party stoke turnout in their effort to capture seats in Congress and win several races for governor. Former Vice President Joe Biden was campaigning in Ohio with former Obama administration official Richard Cordray, who is attempting to become governor in a high-profile contest.
The final stretch of the Florida campaign was briefly disrupted by the shooting at a Tallahassee yoga studio.
Scott and Gillum both rushed back to the state capital after the gunman killed two people and injured five others before killing himself.
Shortly before midnight, Gillum and Scott met with victims who had been taken to a hospital near the shopping center where the shooting took place. Gillum, who has clashed with Scott in the past, thanked the governor for his ‘‘care and consideration’’ by visiting the victims.
In Montana, Trump pushed back on criticism that he is focusing too much on immigration rhetoric during the closing days of the election season.
Trump said during his rally that he also talks about economic gains, but can only ‘‘go for 4 or 5 minutes.’’
After that, he said, ‘‘what I do is talk about some of the problems.’’
Said Trump: ‘‘When we’re fixing a problem or fixed a problem there’s no reason to go on about it for 45 minutes.’’
Trump has focused his closing midterm argument on immigration, stoking anxiety about several caravans of Central American migrants travelling to the southern border. He’s also threatening constitutionally enshrined birthright citizenship.
In Georgia, a robocall apparently paid for by a white supremacist group directly injected racism into a governor’s race already fraught with raceladen debates over ballot access and voter suppression.
Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp joined together in condemning the automated telephone call that featured a voice impersonating Oprah Winfrey, the billionaire media star who campaigned in Georgia for Abrams on Friday.
The call concluded by saying it was paid for by The Road to Power, a group organised by Scott Rhodes of Idaho, who has been linked to several other incendiary robocalls, including a recent effort in Florida, where Gillum would become the first black governor in state history.
Kemp issued a statement calling the tactic ‘‘vile’’ and ‘‘contrary to the highest ideals of our state and country,’’ adding a condemnation of ‘‘any person or organisation that peddles this type of unbridled hate and unapologetic bigotry.’’
Abrams’ campaign also blasted the move but criticised Kemp and Trump, who will campaign together in Georgia today. The campaign said Trump and Kemp had contributed to a poisonous atmosphere and Kemp has been silent on previous racially loaded attacks on Abrams.
Campaigning in Wisconsin, Pence pushed back against the notion that Democrats will sweep to victory in Tuesday’s elections.
‘‘I keep hearing about this blue wave,’’ Pence said.
‘‘Let’s make sure that blue wave hits a red wall in the Badger State.’’
Pence and Walker addressed more than 500 supporters in northwest Wisconsin, where the two-term governor told them, ‘‘I need your help now more than ever.’’ Walker noted that recent polls have shown him tied with Democrat Tony Evers.
Pence pointed to the caravan of immigrants travelling through Mexico toward the US southern border and claimed it was ‘‘being driven by the dangerous policies of Democrats.’’ The audience chanted, ‘‘Build that wall!’’