A daily snapshot Election Day role for National Guard?
Four days until Election Day
On the trail
President Donald Trump was in Michigan and Wisconsin on Friday; Democratic challenger Joe Biden was in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin; Vice President Mike Pence was in Arizona; Biden’s running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, traveled to Texas.
Biden returns to Iowa
When Biden was last in Iowa, his campaign was on the verge of collapse and he was soundly trounced in the caucuses by a former Indiana mayor nearly 40 years his junior. He returns as the Democratic nominee, believing he’s just days away from becoming president-elect. Biden’s trip reflects the growing confidence among Democrats in the closing days of the campaign.
Referendum on race relations in U.S.
An unprecedented convergence of three crises that disproportionately affect people of color — the coronavirus pandemic, joblessness and police brutality — has led many to believe this presidential election is a referendum on race relations in America. Black voters will be decisive in the outcome. Biden is relying on strong turnout among Black voters in cities such as Detroit, Philadelphia and Milwaukee to tip critical swing states in his direction. The Republican president, meanwhile, is focusing on appeals to his core base of white voters.
Federal laws and long-standing custom generally leave the U.S. military out of the election process. But Trump’s unsubstantiated warnings about widespread voting irregularities have raised questions about a possible military role. If any element of the military were to get involved, it would likely be the National Guard under state control.
Trump, health advisers split up
A multistate coronavirus surge in the countdown to Election Day has exposed a clear split between Trump’s bullish embrace of a return to normalcy and urgent public warnings from the government’s top health officials. It’s the opposite of what usually happens in a public health crisis, because political leaders tend to repeat and amplify the recommendations of their health experts, not short-circuit them.