DNC Battleground Brief

September 19, 2020

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.

“RUTH BADER GINSBURG STOOD FOR ALL OF US.” Americans across the country are mourning the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As Vice President Biden noted last night, “Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood for all of us. She was an American hero, a giant of legal doctrine, and a relentless voice in the pursuit of that highest American ideal: Equal Justice Under Law. May her memory be a blessing to all people who cherish our Constitution and its promise.”

MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE! This week, Biden for President and the Democratic National Committee rolled out new features on IWillVote.com — the DNC’s voter participation website — to help voters request and return their ballot by mail, learn important information about the voting process in their state, and make a plan to vote. See for yourself:

  • (AZ) Tucson Weekly: DNC, Biden Campaign Roll Out Online Guide to Voting by Mail. “The Democratic National Committee and Team Biden are expanding the Iwillvote.com website to help you better understand voting in Arizona (or whatever state you happen to be in). While the site previously allowed voters to check their registration status and find polling locations, it has been upgraded to guide voters to online resources to request an early ballot and provide other information about voting in Arizona.”

  • (CO) Colorado Politics: Biden campaign, Democrats roll out enhanced voter participation website. “‘The new suite of features on IWillVote.com will be crucial in helping Coloradans update their registration, get accurate information about registration and voting deadlines, ballot drop box locations in their area and so much more,’ Ernie Apreza, the Biden campaign’s Colorado state director, told Colorado Politics. He added that the site ‘will help ensure that Coloradans will turn out in full force this November.’”

  • (FL) Infobae: La campaña de Joe Biden lanza una herramienta en línea para impulsar el voto por correo. “Hoy, la campaña Biden para Presidente y el Comité Nacional Demócrata (DNC por sus siglas en inglés) han anunciado nuevas funciones de la página VoyaVotar.com, y han elegido a Infobae para informar al respecto en Florida. VoyaVotar.com es la página oficial en español de participación electoral del DNC. A partir de hoy, los electores que así lo deseen podrán entrar a este sitio a solicitar su boleta por correo, además de poder buscar información sobre el proceso de votación con datos de cada estado en particular.”

  • (GA) Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee are beefing up the website to help Georgia voters more easily request mail-in ballots. The IWillVote.com website previously allowed users to check or update their registration and find voting locations. Now it will offer state and county-specific options such as how to request a ballot online; how to print a mail-in form; and how to request a prepaid return envelope.”

  • (NH) Manchester Ink Link: Democrats launch new voting information website. “The New Hampshire Democratic Party, in coordination with the Democratic National Committee, announced a new website that they believe can help more than 5,000 Manchester voters across party affiliations expected to vote by mail for this November’s election. The website, IWillVote.com, provides information on registering to vote, checking voter registration, voting by mail and requirements for voting in person in New Hampshire and in other states. The website is also available in Spanish at VoyaVotar.com.”

  • (PA) Penn Capital-Star: “Late last week, Politico reported that more Democrats than Republicans are requesting mail-in ballots in such key battleground states as Pennsylvania. And that cohort includes voters who didn’t participate in the 2016 election. To leverage that advantage, we can exclusively report this morning that the Democratic National Committee and Joe Biden’s presidential campaign are beefing up the party’s online portal, IWillVote.com, to make it even easier for people to request a ballot.”

“LATINO FAMILIES ARE SUFFERING”: DEMOCRATS CALL OUT TRUMP’S DISASTROUS RECORD FOR LATINOS. As National Hispanic Heritage Month kicked off this week, Democrats highlighted Donald Trump’s record of failure for Latino families and continued ramping up unprecedented engagement with Latino communities across the country.

In Arizona:

Prensa Arizona: Madre de familia inmigrante y líder en la comunidad en Arizona envía fuerte carta a Trump. “Cada vez que se acerca una elección presidencial, mi familia y yo nos reunimos alrededor de la mesa para cenar y nos cuestionamos: ‘¿Estamos mejor que hace cuatro años?’ Nos preguntamos: ¿Si estamos más estables financieramente? ¿Si nuestros hijos tienen mejores caminos hacia las oportunidades del futuro? ¿Si nos sentimos más seguros en nuestras comunidades? Nos preguntamos ¿Si los líderes de nuestro país son honestos, tienen valores morales y son respetados? Con las elecciones de noviembre a solo unas semanas de distancia, está claro que la respuesta a todas esas preguntas es un rotundo ‘no’. Y hay una persona a quien culpar: el presidente Trump.”

  • KAWC: Arizona Latino Leaders Speak in Support of Biden Before Trump Event in Phoenix. “Ahead of a Latinos For Trump gathering Monday in Phoenix, Arizona Latino leaders met on a Zoom call to say President Donald Trump has failed Latino families in his words and actions. State Sen. Rebecca Rios said Trump’s visit shows he is ‘desperate’ … ‘Look, the bottom line that many of us know is that Trump has abandoned Latino families. Joe and Kamala know the Latino community and we know them. Trump has turned his back on Latinos every step of the way.’”

  • Univision Arizona: “‘[A]hora que ve que no puede ganar esta contienda, sin el voto hispano entonces qué hace, nos busca y nos pide el voto diciendo que esta con nosotros y que desde el inicio lucha por nuestro país. Desde ahorita les digo, vamos para adelante y votamos por Biden’, afirmó Yasser Fernando Sánchez, miembro de Republicanos por Biden.”

In Colorado:

Colorado Democrats: As Hispanic Heritage Month Begins, Colorado Latina Leaders Highlight the Challenges Colorado Latinx Families Are Facing Under Trump. “This Hispanic Heritage Month, the consequences of Donald Trump’s chaotic pandemic response have been thrown into sharp relief as Latinos in Colorado and across the country bear the brunt of his failures. Under Trump, Latinos are facing staggering job losses, shuttering small businesses, and higher coronavirus infection and death rates.”

In Florida:

Miami Herald: Democrats detail Hispanic voter data as Biden plans to meet Florida Puerto Ricans. “Ahead of Biden’s first trip to Florida as the Democratic presidential nominee — a Tuesday visit to Tampa and the heavily Puerto Rican city of Kissimmee — Democrats detailed what they said is a state-of-the-art voter database helping them reach and potentially win over Hispanic voters. They said the data helps them track voters who left hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico for Florida and message on a more meaningful level to Latinos descending from other nations.”

In Nevada:

Las Vegas Review-Journal: DNC launches new ad critical of Trump on El Tiempo website. “The Democratic National Committee launched a new digital advertisement Sunday on the homepage of Review-Journal sister newspaper El Tiempo’s website to criticize President Donald Trump’s record with Latinos as the president campaigns in Nevada this weekend. The advertisement shows a picture of the White House and reads: ‘Esta administración nos ha fallado,’ or ‘This administration has failed us.’ It links to a Democratic online petition.”

In Texas:

Rio Grande Guardian: Julián Castro: Latino families are suffering. “Latino families are suffering. We are grieving the loss of our loved ones, while at the same time facing severe economic instability and an uncertain future … Instead of providing a clear model to tackle this health and economic crisis, Donald Trump chose a divisive and gimmick-filled approach. He didn’t lift a finger to help our families stay safe or get back to work. Instead, he spent his time attacking immigrants, trying to deport Dreamers through attempts to repeal DACA and undermining health professionals.”

ON THE AIRWAVES. This week, the DNC War Room released a new television ad, ‘Red Handed,’ contrasting how Trump publicly downplayed the threat the coronavirus poses to children, while privately admitting its dangers to journalist Bob Woodward. The ad aired in key media markets in Florida, Minnesota, and Nevada:

“WHAT DO WE HAVE TO LOSE? A LOT.” Marking the first-ever National Black Voter Day, the DNC rolled out a print ad campaign targeting African American community newspapers across five battleground states:

Buzzfeed News: Democrats Are Taking Their Case Against Donald Trump To Black Newspapers In Battleground States. “The Democratic National Committee is launching a new advertising push against President Donald Trump in five newspapers that serve Black communities in battleground states, part of a concerted effort to ensure Black voters turn out in large numbers in states that could sway the presidential race … The full-page color ads will appear in the coming days in the Charlotte Post, the Michigan Chronicle, the Milwaukee Community Journal, the Philadelphia Tribune, and the Westside Gazette in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.”

IT DIDN’T HAVE TO BE THIS BAD. With 45 days until Election Day, Democrats across the battlegrounds are continuing to slam Trump’s incompetent handling of the pandemic, highlighting the devastating consequences for working families.

  • (AZ) Arizona Republic: “In a ‘fact check’ issued Wednesday morning, the party said the Trump administration had disproportionately helped white, higher-income Arizonans, leaving everyone else to face higher unemployment rates and other consequences … Party spokesman Tyler Cherry also issued a statement saying families throughout the state were still hurting, ‘worrying how they’re going to put food on the table or pay their bills.’”

  • (CO) Greeley Tribune: Colorado Treasurer Dave Young: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will help Colorado’s working families build back better from Trump’s failing economy. “When I look at Donald Trump’s record, I see an administration that is not a friend to working people. In fact, Trump’s prized achievement is passing a massive tax giveaway that’s benefited the wealthiest people and biggest corporations, all while actually raising taxes on middle- and lower-income families … The reality is that thanks to Trump’s botched federal response to COVID-19, we’ve gone from a humming economy with low unemployment to record unemployment, small businesses being hung out to dry and frontline workers risking exposure to the virus on the job.”

  • (NH) Concord Monitor: Rep. Annie Kuster: Trump has failed manufacturers in the Granite State. “Aggressive work to boost American manufacturing during the Obama-Biden administration was beginning to bear fruit, seeing strong growth in New Hampshire and around the country. Unfortunately, New Hampshire’s manufacturers and manufacturers across the country suffered a serious blow: the Trump administration. While President Trump loves to talk about American manufacturing, the results we see today make it clear that he has only delivered broken promises and empty words.”

  • (NH) Valley News: Former U.S. Sen. Gordon Humphrey: Trump put politics ahead of American lives. “This week, the 200,000th American victim of the novel coronavirus will die. We’re in crisis, and tragically, it will get worse before it gets better. As a U.S. senator, I served under three presidents, a Democrat and two Republicans. All three were honest in dealing with crises. Today’s president is not … By knowingly downplaying the pandemic and stifling nonpartisan experts like Dr. Fauci, the president put politics ahead of public health — ahead of American lives — and he wasted months resulting in a frantic, fragmented state-by-state response instead of a coherent national response.”

  • (PA) WESA: Democrats Renew Push On Economic Issues. “Democratic efforts to rally behind the plan will begin later this morning with a Pittsburgh-based ‘virtual roundtable’ focused on Biden’s support for unions and manufacturing. That will be followed by a series of ‘Broken Promises’ events hosted statewide by Pennsylvania Democrats, and intended to remind voters of the economic costs of the failure to contain the coronavirus pandemic.”

  • (TX) McAllen Monitor: Dems, Biden campaign focus on South Texas COVID spread in presidential bid. “The Biden campaign and the Texas Democratic Party highlighted the devastation caused by COVID-19 in the Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday and blamed the president and governor for it … Together, they pointed at ways in which they believe the Trump Administration and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott failed the area, and argued former Vice President Joe Biden would have a better response as president.”

  • (VA) Blue Virginia: “‘Even before the pandemic, the economic situation for far too many people in this country — especially for people of color — was not a good one. We’ve consistently — during the time of this administration — had an unemployment rate for African Americans that has been double that of whites … The importance of this election coming up could not be more clear,’ said Chris Lu, former Deputy Secretary of Labor.”

HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE. Wherever Trump, Pence, and their cronies go, Democrats are calling out their broken promises. See for yourself:

In Arizona: 

Prensa Arizona: Madre de familia inmigrante y líder en la comunidad en Arizona envía fuerte carta a Trump. “Cada vez que se acerca una elección presidencial, mi familia y yo nos reunimos alrededor de la mesa para cenar y nos cuestionamos: ‘¿Estamos mejor que hace cuatro años?’ … Con las elecciones de noviembre a solo unas semanas de distancia, está claro que la respuesta a todas esas preguntas es un rotundo “no”. Y hay una persona a quien culpar: el presidente Trump.”

  • KAWC: Arizona Latino Leaders Speak in Support of Biden Before Trump Event in Phoenix.  “Ahead of a Latinos For Trump gathering Monday in Phoenix, Arizona Latino leaders met on a Zoom call to say President Donald Trump has failed Latino families in his words and actions. State Sen. Rebecca Rios said Trump’s visit shows he is ‘desperate’ … ‘Look, the bottom line that many of us know is that Trump has abandoned Latino families. Joe and Kamala know the Latino community and we know them. Trump has turned his back on Latinos every step of the way.’”

  • Arizona Republic: “Arizona state Rep. Lorenzo Sierra, D-Avondale, said Trump was bringing his ‘snake oil’ to Arizona. ‘He has made our community expendable,’ Sierra said. ‘President Trump, we see through your lies, we see through your incompetence and we’re not going to take that, we’re going to work very, very hard to make sure that you are the one-term, worst president ever in the United States and Joe Biden is the president to do that. Joe Biden understands the Latino community.’”

In Georgia:

WGXA: Georgia Democratic faith leaders: President has failed to ‘represent our values.’ “The faith leaders spoke out ahead of the President’s son’s ‘Evangelicals for Trump’ event that’s taking place in Forsyth. The leaders say that throughout Trump’s administration he has failed ‘to represent our values, including attacks on the Affordable Care Act in the middle of this pandemic, his complete failure to lead on this pandemic despite knowing the potential dangers as early as February, and his attacks on Black and brown communities in Georgia and across the country.’”

  • Atlanta Tribune: Georgia faith leaders call out Trump’s cruel policies. “‘I am appalled that Donald Trump did not recognize the severity of this virus and he failed to tell the truth.’ said Reverend Leela Waller, survivor of COVID-19 and pastor in Marietta, GA … ‘I came this morning to say: it is time for a change, it is time for someone to listen to others and help us fight this crisis.’”

In Maine: 

Portland Press Herald: “Democrats are quick to point out that the highly touted trade relief program wouldn’t have been necessary if Trump had avoided the trade war with China altogether, and that the reopening of Northeast Canyon and Seamounts Marine National Monument does not help Maine lobstermen because it is so far away, and was never closed to lobstering anyway. ‘President Trump’s disastrous leadership and broken promises have wreaked havoc on our economy,’ said Kathleen Marra, the [chair] of the Maine Democratic Party.”

In Michigan:

Detroit News: “‘Here’s the truth: Our state has lost over 57,000 manufacturing jobs under Donald Trump’s disastrous leadership,’ [Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Christian] Slater said. ‘And while Governor Whitmer was taking steps to save lives in Michigan, Trump was lying about COVID-19 to the American people while he called it a ‘killer’ behind the scenes.’”

  • Detroit News: “The Michigan Democratic Party on Monday released a statement on behalf of Democratic U.S. Rep. Andy Levin arguing that Trump has ‘failed Macomb County.’ ‘Don Junior can have all the boat rallies he wants, but Macomb County voters know his dad has failed us,’ Levin said in a statement, noting the loss of tens of thousands of jobs as the result of manufacturing plant closures in Michigan.”

In Minnesota: 

Bemidji Pioneer: ‘The decision should be easy for Minnesotans’: DFL leaders, Bemidjians participate in Zoom call ahead of Trump visit. “Thursday afternoon Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party elected officials, and area community leaders participated in a press call ahead of Trump’s visit to Bemidji set for Friday evening. Major themes of the call were Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Joe Biden’s simultaneous and contrasting Minnesota visit, veterans’ issues, Trump’s relationship with tribal nations and the environment.”

In Nevada:

  • KSNV: DNC chair criticizes Trump Nevada visit, calls pandemic response a ‘colossal failure.’ “Today, a virtual press call between DNC chair Tom Perez and Nevada Democrats called out President Trump on his pandemic response, saying it was a ‘colossal failure.’ They believe his stops in the silver state are further adding to the spread of COVID-19.”

  • This Is Reno: Dems decry President Trump’s visit to Nevada, focus on November. “On Saturday the Nevada State Democratic Party hosted a call with the National Democratic Party [Chair] Tom Perez to focus on the 2020 campaign and activities and issues in Nevada … ‘Nevadans have really taken it on the chin as a result of Donald Trump’s colossal failure to address the pandemic, colossal failure to address the economic collapse, colossal failure to address our civil rights pandemic,’ Perez said. ‘Nevadans won’t be fooled by Donald Trump because they’ve been living with the consequences of his broken promises every single day.’”

  • Reno Gazette Journal: “Democrats staged a call on Saturday pointing out the danger of gathering a large group of people amid the pandemic, especially in a state where there is a 50-person limit on gatherings … ‘Over 190,000 Americans are dead, including nearly 1,500 Nevadans. But still, Trump continues to care more about boosting his own ego through super spreader rallies than about the health and safety of Nevadans,’ [Nevada State Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II] said.”

In New Hampshire:

Union Leader: “New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman Ray Buckley said the Trump administration has been unhelpful in the fight against addiction. ‘Not only was Trump’s opioid commission called a ‘sham’ by its own members, he has repeatedly tried to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from the Medicaid programs currently saving the lives of Americans struggling with addiction,’ Buckley said in a statement Thursday.”

  • Manchester Ink Link: “The stop was one of three in the area made by Eric Trump, with the tour not escaping the notice of New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley. ‘The only valuable contribution Eric Trump could make to Granite Staters today is to give us an explanation of why President Trump has broken promise after promise to New Hampshire veterans,’ said Buckley. ‘They want to know why Trump has farmed out oversight of the VA to his donors at Mar-a-lago, why he used veterans as guinea pigs to test supposed ‘miracle cures’ like hydroxychloroquine at the height of the pandemic, and why he calls them ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’ behind their back.’”

In North Carolina:

Wilmington Star News: “In response to Ivanka Trump’s visit, Austin Cook, communications director for the North Carolina Democratic Party, said her visit ‘won’t provide any comfort to the working families who are struggling to get by right now.’ ‘The Trump administration has left communities like Wilmington behind, and four more years of the same backwards economic policies won’t put our city back on its feet,’ he said.”

In Ohio:

  • WSYX: Democrats React to VP’s Visit. “He goes around and pretends that there are these imaginary auto plants that he helped create. So, enough is enough. We’re tired of the insults. We’re tired of him ignoring us.”

  • Columbus Dispatch: Ahead of Pence visit, Ohio Democrats, union leaders talk about betrayal of workers. “Democrats and union leaders dismiss Vice President Mike Pence’s ‘Workers for Trump’ event Wednesday in Zanesville as ‘another photo op’ from a Republican administration that has ignored Ohio workers. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, and three union leaders spoke at an online news conference Tuesday to claim that President Donald Trump and Pence have allowed Ohio’s working men and women to suffer on their watch. ‘In Ohio, we feel Donald Trump has betrayed us, betrayed the workers,’ Ryan said ahead of Pence’s planned campaign event as the Nov. 3 choice of Trump or Democrat Joe Biden grows nearer.”

  • Cleveland Plain Dealer: “‘Ohioans don’t need Mike Pence parachuting into Zanesville,’ said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper. ‘We need a president who’s prepared to lead us out of this crisis and build us back better. That leader is Joe Biden, and this November, Ohioans are sending him to the White House.’”

In Pennsylvania: 

Philadelphia Inquirer: Trump rewrites the history of his coronavirus response in Philly town hall. “The event was filled with many of Trump’s by now familiar falsehoods, misdirections, and exaggerations. Even before he spoke, Philadelphia Democrats took aim at Trump’s response to the pandemic. State Sen. Sharif Street said Trump had shown little concern for the city and failed to provide the resources Philadelphia needs, all while trying to make it harder to vote with lawsuits attacking voting by mail and ballot drop boxes. ‘He is attempting to frustrate the votes of folks, but especially the votes of Black and brown folks,’ Street said. ‘Our communities have already been hit hardest by COVID-19 and he doesn’t care.’”

  • WPVI: “Meanwhile, a coalition of Pennsylvania Democrats held a virtual news conference ahead of the town hall tonight. The group, led by State Senator Sharif Street and Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, challenged the president on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. They also focused on what they call ‘broken promises’ that Trump made to Pennsylvania’s unemployed workers and struggling small businesses.”

  • WHP: Pennsylvania Democrats release statement on Donald Trump Jr.’s visit to Harrisburg today. “‘The only thing voters in south central Pennsylvania want to hear from the Trump campaign is why the President keeps looking out for his rich friends and large corporations while leaving working families behind,’ said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesman Andres Anzola.”

In Wisconsin: 

WXOW: State Democrats host virtual press conference ahead of President’s visit. “Democrat Tricia Zunker, who is challenging Tom Tiffany again for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District seat … joined a dairy farmer, retailer, and occupational therapist to discuss the effects of Trump’s first term in office and how it impacted people in Wisconsin. Much of the focus centered on the administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘It didn’t have to be bad at all. This pandemic was avoidable. Over 200,000 lives have been lost and that’s 200,000 grieving families.’”

  • Wisconsin Public Radio: “Ahead of Thursday’s event, Democrats focused their fire on the president’s handling of the pandemic. Polling shows most Americans disapprove of Trump’s response to COVID-19. In a press call Thursday morning, Zunker, who will face Tiffany again in November, and others emphasized Trump’s ‘failed’ COVID-19 response. A statement from the Marathon County Democratic Party said ‘the president continues to downplay the severity of the pandemic by hosting super-spreader events for political photo-ops.’”

FIRED UP, READY TO GO! Democrats across the country are turning out and requesting ballots at a record pace. Meanwhile, as the clock ticks toward Election Day, Trump’s vote-by-mail attacks are continuing to haunt him in the battlegrounds.

Politico: ‘A huge risk’: Trump’s allies can’t sway him on mail-in voting. “Now, five Republicans close to the president’s campaign say that if Trump keeps up his vacillating mail-in voting rhetoric, they fear infrequent voters, especially older ones, will simply sit out the election. In an election in which a record number of Americans are expected to cast ballots by mail, that could cost Trump a victory. ‘He should be encouraging people to do it, if that makes them feel more comfortable,’ said Karl Rove, a veteran Republican strategist who has been informally advising Trump’s campaign.”

  • (FL) Palm Beach Post: Democrats lead mail vote requests as parties swap strategy in Florida. “Democrats have requested mail-in ballots at three times the rate of Republicans for the 2020 general election. As of Sept. 10, over 50% of Democrats in Palm Beach County have registered to vote by mail, compared to 30% of Republicans. Statewide, that gap now favors Democrats by 725,000 voters, up from 200,000 in July.”

  • (NH) Concord Monitor: Voters set records despite virus. “[C]ollege towns in many cases saw their highest turnouts in the past four years. Hanover, for example, received 2,394 votes for the Democratic ballot – a 70% increase compared to 2018, when 1,406 people voted … The reasons for the swell in Democratic enthusiasm are likely nationally driven; interest in the presidential election appears to have grown significantly. According to the numbers, that surge has, for now, survived a pandemic.”

  • (OH) Statehouse News Bureau: Democratic Absentee Ballot Requests Still Outpacing Republican Applications. “Secretary of State Frank LaRose reports 1.4 million applications have been received so far, well more than the 1.2 million ballot requests received in all of 2016 … Democrats are dominating those requests, even in Republican counties. An analysis of only mailed-in ballots from all of 2016 compared to absentee ballot applications sent in so far in 2020 shows requests from Democratic-affiliated voters are way ahead of those from voters affiliated with the Republican Party.”

THE PLAYING FIELD. Trump continues to lose ground where he can least afford it. Check out the battleground trends that will drive these final weeks before Election Day:

  • Politico: Trump hails ‘manufacturing miracle’ as factories bleed jobs. “Trump’s anti-trade agenda and a pandemic-induced recession have combined to shutter factories and accelerate decades-old trends toward automation, eliminating hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs, many for good, including in the Rust Belt states he needs to win in November … the White House’s trade wars kicked the sector into another slump in 2019, with Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pennsylvania facing declines or plateaus in manufacturing employment even back in February — well before Covid-19 forced layoffs at dozens of plants. As of July — the most recent month for which data is available — each state is down between 20,000 and 40,000 workers from pre-pandemic levels.”

  • Politico: ‘A heart pumping blue blood:’ How fast-growing Orlando threatens Trump’s reelection. “The president must win Florida to capture a second term. But the increasingly Democratic Orlando region stands in his way as one of the few places in Florida with a bench of Democratic officials and a grassroots infrastructure to go along with it. As a result, the Biden campaign and Florida Democrats think it can help deliver the crowning blow to Trump in November.”

  • Arizona Republic: “The pandemic year has reshaped voters’ priorities as the state and country approach an election that many have described as the most consequential one they’ve participated in their lifetimes. Several big issues are now viewed through the additional filter of COVID-19 … Voters described how their views on health care and governmental management of a public health crisis have changed because of the pandemic, and in some cases taken on more urgency. They discussed how economic impacts from shutting down businesses and uncertainty have affected their pocketbooks.”

FINALLY, YOUR WEEKEND READING: Arizona Mirror: Mr. President: Our veterans aren’t ‘losers’ or ‘suckers,’ and they deserve better. “When I hear our Commander-in-Chief attack our nation’s veterans as ‘losers’ and denigrate the honor of our fallen brothers and sisters, I’m not just outraged. I feel abandoned … Mr. President: Our veterans, fallen or otherwise, are not losers. They are heroes.”

  • News & Record: Hardly ‘A Loser.’ “My brother, 1st. Lt. John Preston Karr, First Platoon, D Company, Second Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, was killed in action in Vietnam on May 25, 1969 … He was doing his job to protect his troops and is a hero. He was not a loser, he was not a sucker, as Donald Trump has labelled such brave men.”

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