This is the DNC’s Battleground Brief — a weekly wrap-up of Trump’s broken promises and everything you need to know across the path to 270.

BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRATS SLAM TRUMP ON SCHOOL REOPENINGS. This week, as Joe Biden discussed his plan to safely reopen schools, Democrats across the battleground states called out the impacts of Trump’s failed pandemic response on local students, teachers, and families. See for yourself:

In Arizona:

Arizona Democratic Party Chair Felecia Rotellini: “All Arizona families want our kids back in school — but the key is doing so safely. Instead, Trump is demanding schools reopen without the proper equipment and testing — and without a real plan to keep teachers, students, and staff safe. He’s even threatened to withhold federal funding from Arizona’s already-underfunded schools unless they comply with his demands. Without a doubt, Trump, DeVos and Ducey, continue their quest to ruin our public school system by using their pandemic crisis as a reason to scrap it.”

In Colorado:

KDVR: Democrats Call For Stronger Safeguards To Protect Students At School. “Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said going back to school is a national emergency. The party’s chairman told FOX31 Thursday it is making a difficult year even tougher. ‘There are many families in Denver that are multigenerational families, that are living under one roof. You have a Trump administration that said kids can’t spread the virus. That’s incorrect, that is false,’ said Democratic National Chairman Tom Perez.”

In Florida:

FL Democrats: Trump And Desantis Downplay Risk Of Coronavirus As Florida Schools Reopen, Cases Among Children Rise. “As schools across Florida reopen, the state is already experiencing a rise in coronavirus cases among children, with some schools already re-closing its doors. While everyone wants students back in schools, Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos have demanded schools reopen without offering the necessary guidance or resources to do it safely. Instead, they have threatened schools, failed to pass another coronavirus relief package to boost funding for schools, and spread misinformation about the risk coronavirus poses to young people.”

In Georgia: 

WGXA: College Students Across Georgia Speak On Trump, Kemp’s School Reopening Plan. “College Democrats of Georgia held a roundtable discussion on the impacts of President Donald Trump and Governor Brian Kemp’s ‘failed response to COVID-19 and its effects on their collegiate school year.’ The organization consists of representatives from universities and colleges across the state. Students took aim at President Trump saying because of his ‘mismanagement of the pandemic,’ colleges have already experienced high numbers of students testing positive for the virus and case spikes in college towns.”

WSB-TV: “‘The safety aspect of having a traditional college experience has been ruined because of the lack of leadership,’ said UGA student Adrianna Mbunwe, who is also with the Young Democrats.”

REALITY CHECK: While Trump’s chaos convention ignored the reality of a still-worsening pandemic, Democrats are continuing to call out its devastating impacts on Americans across the country.

• (AZ) DNC Speaker Kristin Urquiza on Show Up Arizona: “This virus was not created by Trump, I know that. But his handling of this virus is the reason why we lead the world in the number of cases. This is not a political issue. Public health is not a political issue. This is about life and death.”

• (CO) Tom Perez on Colorado’s Morning News: “Coloradans want a leader in Washington who is going to get a handle on the pandemic, who is going to bring our economy back — who can heal our nation, not divide our nation. That’s why I think the voters in Colorado are going to be strongly with Joe Biden.”

• (VA) Petersburg Progress-Index: State Del. Lamont Bagby: Trump’s pandemic response is his latest act targeting the Black community. “Trump’s mishandling of the problem can’t be separated from the fact that Black Americans are suffering at a disproportionate rate from the virus. It’s hard to imagine Trump saying ‘it is what it is’ to a pandemic that was disproportionately killing thousands of people who look like him. But Trump has insulated himself from the effects while leaving the rest of us — particularly Black Americans — to suffer.”

HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE. Wherever Trump, Pence, and their cronies go, Democrats are calling out their broken promises. Check it out:

In Arizona:

Arizona Republic: “Arizona Democrats later denounced the bus tour, saying Trump has failed Arizona women during the pandemic. ‘Trump wants to move on from the coronavirus, but families across Arizona are still reeling from the fallout of his disastrous leadership, which has disproportionately hurt women,’ said Quiana Dickenson, the Arizona Democratic Party’s political director. ‘He doesn’t have a plan to help the countless women who have lost their jobs during the pandemic or those who are navigating the new school year with no leadership from the White House.”

• CBS News: “‘This careless bus tour is just the latest move to show Arizonans that Trump and his campaign don’t take the science, the experts, or this pandemic seriously,’ Quiana Dickenson, political director for the Arizona Democratic Party, said in a statement.”

In Florida:

Tampa Bay Times: Schools shouldn’t overreact to coronavirus, DeSantis and Trump adviser say. “The Florida Democratic Party spokeswoman Frances Swanson questioned Atlas’ credentials to advise Florida’s public health systems and called DeSantis’ tour of the state on Monday ‘another premature victory lap.’”

• Palm Beach Post: “The Florida Democratic Party blasted Atlas who in recent weeks has upstaged Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, as Trump’s go-to medical advisor. Atlas, the party said in a statement, is a radiologist by training, not an epidemiologist. ‘The last thing Floridians need is another premature victory lap from Donald Trump’s lackeys,’ party spokesperson Frances Swanson said. ‘We know how it ended last time: Coronavirus cases exploded, thousands of people died, and more workers lost their jobs.’”

In Michigan: 

The Detroit News: “The Michigan Democratic Party jumped on Tuesday’s announcement, highlighting Trump’s uneven response to the coronavirus pandemic and his promise in Warren in 2016 that Michigan would not lose ‘one plant.’ ‘Ivanka can try to spin Michigan voters all she wants, but nothing will cover for the fact that Donald Trump has failed our state,’ party spokesman Christian Slater said. ‘Four years ago, Donald Trump promised Warren voters, ‘you won’t lose one plant,’ but since then his failed leadership has tanked Michigan’s economy and shuttered factories throughout our state. Ivanka’s empty promises can’t change that fact.”

In Nevada:

Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Nevada Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II said Trump spreads lies and empty rhetoric as the United States reaches 6 million COVID-19 cases — by far the most of any country in the world. ‘Nothing Trump said tonight will change the fact that his failed pandemic response has cost Nevadans their lives and their livelihoods,’ McCurdy said. ‘Nevadans saw right through Trump’s empty rhetoric four years ago, and they’ll reject his record of broken promises again this November when they send Joe Biden to the White House.’”

• Nevada Current: “Nevada Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy released a statement condemning Trump for ‘broken promises.’ ‘Nevada families need a president with a strategy to contain the virus and to give relief to working families — not more broken promises from so-called leaders phoning it in. Nothing Trump says tonight will change the fact that his failed pandemic response has cost Nevadans their lives and their livelihoods,’ wrote McCurdy in a statement.”

In North Carolina:

Wilmington Star-News: NC Democrats Criticize Trump Ahead Of Wilmington visit. “Amid President Donald Trump’s visit to Wilmington, North Carolina Democrats criticized his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and his reasons for visiting the Port City. During a virtual town hall, senate minority leader Dan Blue, Sen. Harper Peterson and Rep. Yvonne Holley pointed toward last month’s rising unemployment rate and policy decisions made by the current administration that, according to them, have made the [toll] of the pandemic worse.”

• Spectrum News: “Democratic leaders in North Carolina criticized Trump for ignoring the coronavirus pandemic. ‘I’ve never seen our state face such trying times,’ state senate Minority Leader Dan Blue said Wednesday. ‘It didn’t have to be this way. The president should have taken this virus more seriously,’ he said.”

• WXII: “‘Just as he spreads misinformation about phony coronavirus treatments and ignores our public health experts, holding a full-blown, in-person rally is a dangerous dereliction of Donald Trump’s responsibility to protect public health. Instead of offering North Carolinians leadership or help, he’s trying to spin his incompetence with another photo op. Voters in the Tar Heel State don’t want a president who denies science and jeopardizes our safety in a desperate bid to help his own campaign; they want a president who will address this crisis with the clarity and seriousness the moment demands, and that’s Joe Biden.’”

In Pennsylvania: 

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Dems blast Trump policies, ‘chaos’ ahead of president’s Westmoreland County rally. “Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli on Thursday issued a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump ahead of his visit to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. ‘To put it simply, Donald Trump is simply not up for this job. Pennsylvanians have suffered at the hands of a weak and incompetent president. People are sick and tired of the constant crisis, the chaos, the lying and circus of the White House,’ Cerilli said. ‘People understand we need change now, and the United States of America simply cannot afford another four years of a Trump presidency.’”

• Mon Valley Independent: Westmoreland Democratic Party Chair Tara Yokopenic: Trump’s Broken Promises. “But four years later, we’re worse off than ever before. President Trump has given us a lot of chaos and a lot of angry Tweets, but he hasn’t given us leadership, let alone those good-paying union jobs we need. He turned out to be another politician who is more interested in playing politics with our livelihoods than actually helping the working families of our region. As soon as he got to Washington, he forgot about us and spent all of his time helping himself and his wealthy friends. And his record proves it.”

• Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Don’t Fall For Trump’s Broken Promises. “So when Donald Trump came to Pennsylvania during his first campaign and promised that he would bring back manufacturing, strengthen the middle class and take on a corrupt establishment, it’s no surprise that a lot of people here listened. But since he has become president, he has broken those promises at every turn. And it’s a shame that Mike Pence will repeat the same broken promises in Luzerne County today.”

• Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: NEPA Union Leader Blasts Trump’s Record On Workers’ Rights Ahead Of Pence Speech. “‘It is beyond me how Mike Pence can come to speak in northeastern Pennsylvania when this administration has attacked workers’ rights,’ Warren Faust, president of the NEPA Building and Construction Trades Council, said early Tuesday afternoon. During Donald Trump’s presidency, Faust said, the National Labor Relations Board has ‘systematically rolled back’ workers’ rights and the right to engage in collective bargaining, pursuing policies he says leave fewer workers protected by that body and reducing the protections offered to those who are still covered.”

In Texas:

Texas Signal: State Rep. Gene Wu: From Coronavirus to Hurricane Relief, Trump Is Leaving Texans In The Crosshairs Of Disaster. “Much like a pandemic, a hurricane is a public health emergency that demands decisive action, strategic planning, and strong federal leadership. Unfortunately, under President Trump, we’ve witnessed a complete abdication of responsibility when it comes to the dual crises Texans are now facing. Once again, Trump is leaving Texans in the crosshairs of disaster.”

• Univision: “Puro Sombrero Y Sin Ganado”: Los Demócratas Responden A La Campaña De Trump Por Texas. “El representante estatal James Talarico (distrito 52, Williamson County) subrayó este jueves la responsabilidad del presidente Donald Trump en la crisis por la pandemia del coronavirus, que definió como una campaña con muchas palabras pero pocos resultados. ‘O, como decimos en Texas, ‘all hat and no cattle’ [Puro sombrero y sin ganado]”.

In Wisconsin: 

WITI: Wisconsin Democrats Accuse President Trump Of Using Kenosha Trip As Photo-Op. “The Democratic Party of Wisconsin held a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 1 before President Trump’s visit. The county’s Democratic chair says the community needs to focus on healing — and does not need outside distractions. Wisconsin Democrats have accused the president of using the trip as a political photo-op. Instead of a trip to Kenosha, they say there are other ways for the president to be helpful.”

• WDJT: Democrats: Pres. Trump’s Kenosha Visit ‘Doesn’t Help.’ “Democrats said President Donald Trump’s visit to Kenosha is making things worse, not better for a community that needs time to heal, not political division. ‘What has happened here in Kenosha leads directly to Donald Trump’s door,’ Felisia Martin, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s vice chair said at a news conference Tuesday morning.”

MAKE A PLAN! While Trump urges his supporters who vote by mail to “send it in early, then go and vote,” Democrats are focused on arming voters across the battleground states with the information and fair voting access they need to make their voices heard. Check it out:

• (TX) Dallas Morning News: Texas Democrats announce massive voter registration drive aimed at flipping the state. “With the national convention season over, the Texas Democratic Party is launching a massive voter registration drive this week as the country turns its attention toward November. Dubbed ‘Texas Voter Registration Week,’ the state party announced Monday that it will partner with Joe Biden’s campaign for president and MJ Hegar’s campaign for U.S. Senate to contact 1 million unregistered voters across the state this week — focusing their efforts on reaching out to young people and minority communities. The drive will be the largest in the state party’s history.”

• (ME) Bangor Daily News: State Rep. Michele Meyer: Make your plan to vote today. “We can rebuild this nation by electing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. But to get there, we must vote. So, with fewer than 70 days until Election Day, take a few moments now — right now — to make your plan to vote. The soul of our nation depends on it.”

• (NV) This Is Reno: Nevada Democrats launch voter education, protection efforts. “The Nevada Democratic Party and leading Nevada Democratic figures held a press call to announce a new voter education effort ahead of November’s general election. Early voting, voter protection and the details of the education campaign were discussed.”

• (NV) Las Vegas Review-Journal: Sisolak, Dems condemn ‘Republican attacks’ on voting law. “Gov. Steve Sisolak and other state Democrats condemned what they called efforts by the Republican Party to suppress the vote in Nevada as part of the Friday launch of a new website section and push for voters to make early plans to vote by mail, drop off or in person … Participating in the upcoming election couldn’t be more critical to the future of the state, Sisolak said, before lambasting President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as it pertains to Nevada.”

THE PLAYING FIELD: NBC News: Democrats Have Voter Registration Advantage In Four Battleground States. “Even before the COVID-19 outbreak and the economic slump, President Donald Trump faced a big challenge in his re-election effort: a changing American electorate … A look at voter registrations since 2016 in four key battleground states shows how the political age divide could have real impacts this fall … In state after state, the story is the same: Democrats have the high ground among new registrants. Even in states like Wisconsin and Michigan, where voters don’t register with parties, data modeled from existing demographic and geographic patterns shows that Democrats hold an edge among new voters.”

• News & Observer: NC Helped Elect Donald Trump, But This Time A Changing State May Change Its Mind. “‘The electorate is different, more suburban and urban, slightly more diverse and more mobile. And the mood is different,’ Cooper said. ‘In a second-term election, people are going to vote on ‘Am I better off than I was four years ago?’ And clearly that’s a tougher question for Donald Trump to answer right now.’”

• Bloomberg: If Maricopa County Sours on Trump, So Will Suburbs Everywhere. “Maricopa is one of the most heavily suburban counties in the country, growing and diversifying at a more rapid clip than any almost anywhere else. The trends in Maricopa are being replicated in suburbs across the country, particularly in fast-growing, traditionally Republican metro areas such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and Houston.”

THE PLAYBOOK: Yahoo News: How Democrats Are Targeting Voters In Swing States. “In events set up by state Democratic parties in coordination with the Biden campaign and the DNC, a number of activists and local officials who spoke at the convention continued to push for Biden and attempt to outline what they see as the failures of the Trump administration.”

• “Michelle Boyle, a Pittsburgh-area nurse and SEIU member, took part in a roundtable on the opening night of the Democratic convention followed by a virtual press call earlier this week … Steve Gomez became an advocate for protecting the ACA following Trump’s election, telling the story of his son Anthony, who was born in 2015 with a rare heart defect. Both Steve and Anthony joined Biden for a conversation during the convention, and afterward, Gomez was asked to continue telling his story, starting this week with an event set up by the Arizona Democratic Party.”

• Axios: “Democrats also plan to deploy some of the other convention speakers at the state level, playing on their local connections to drive interest. The idea is to turn everyday Americans who shined during the convention into regular Biden surrogates.”

FINALLY, YOUR LABOR DAY READING: Toledo Blade: Sen. Sherrod Brown: In Cri­sis, Ohio­ans Need Biden’s Lead­er­ship. “The President of the United States asked millions of Americans to boycott an iconic American company because his feelings were hurt … This is who Donald Trump is. He has made it clear: He doesn’t care about workers and he’s willing to risk American jobs to try to save his own.”

Make sure to follow the DNC’s War Room (@DNCWarRoom) to get real-time updates on Trump’s abuses of power and broken promises.

Happy Friday!

The DNC Comms Team