The Economist

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October 17th 2024

A sharp round-up of the most important political news

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The US in brief

A sharp round-up of the most important political news

Kamala Harris sat down for an interview with Fox News in the hope of swaying Trump-sceptical Republicans and independents. She and Bret Baier, the host, talked over one another and fought over the framing of every issue. On immigration, Mr Baier emphasised the crimes that some migrants commit while Ms Harris blamed Donald Trump for scuppering a bipartisan border bill this year. Pressed to defend the Biden administration’s record, the vice-president instead distanced herself from it and pivoted to her populist economic plans. She argued that the American people are tired of Mr Trump’s divisiveness, but declined to explain why half of them—many of them Fox News viewers—support the former president. Clearly uncomfortable behind enemy lines, Ms Harris was defensive and occasionally visibly annoyed. She raised her voice when she claimed that Mr Trump was “unstable” and a threat to America’s democracy, a line she has increasingly relied on in recent days.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, courted Hispanic voters at a town hall organised by Univision, a Spanish-language broadcaster. The former president’s pitch focused on economics; he said that he had created “a lot of jobs” for Hispanics. Mr Trump avoided answering pointed questions from the audience. He repeated false claims that Haitian immigrants are eating pets and called the January 6th riots a “day of love”.

Three Republican attorneys-general filed a lawsuit last week at a district court in Texas asking the Food and Drug Administration to restrict access to mifepristone, an abortion drug. Idaho, Kansas and Missouri want to require clinicians to dispense the pills in person, rather than via post. No press release accompanied the lawsuit. Many Republican politicians have kept quiet about access to abortion in the run-up to elections in November.

Felons in Nebraska who have completed their sentences will be allowed to register to vote. In April the state passed a law saying that people with convictions no longer need to wait two years before registering. Nebraska’s Republican attorney-general opposed the law, saying that it violated the state’s constitution. The state’s Supreme Court upheld the legislation.

Paul Dans, the former boss of Project 2025, called on Kevin Roberts, the chief of the Heritage Foundation, to tone down his “violent rhetoric”. The Heritage Foundation is the think-tank behind Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for government. Mr Dans, who quit in July, told the Washington Post that Mr Roberts is responsible for a backlash against the plan. Mr Trump disavowed the project after Democrats began using it in their campaign attacks.

Maryland maverick

Larry Hogan, the Republican candidate in Maryland’s Senate race, is a long shot. Mr Hogan’s Democratic rival is experienced and popular, and she leads some polls by double digits. The Economist’s election forecast gives him a mere 6% chance of winning. Yet Mr Hogan is no ordinary Republican, and donors aren’t counting him out yet. Read our story to find out why.

A view from elsewhere

If Mr Trump wins, he will call for the “abandonment” of military aid to Ukraine, wrote Sylvie Kauffmann in Le Monde, a French newspaper. Europe “will not be able to compensate” for this loss. Ukraine will “find it harder and harder to resist the Russian offensive”. “Let us not delude ourselves,” she writes. “Defeat for Ukraine would mean defeat for Europe.”

Figure of the day

About half, America’s share of the overall GDP of the G7 group of advanced countries. Read the first chapter of our special report on America’s economy to find out how it has left other rich countries in the dust.

We want to hear from you
Last night’s interview with Fox News was the latest stop on Ms Harris’s recent tour of TV shows and podcasts, and there are rumours she’ll sit down with Joe Rogan, a popular, if divisive, podcaster. Do you think that she will be able to persuade undecided voters, or even win over some from the other side? Please send your views to usib@economist.com. And, of course, we welcome your feedback on this newsletter.

Editor’s picks

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The new president is much less likely than usual to see allies take charge on Capitol Hill

Economic output

American productivity still leads the world

Innovation and a vibrant tech sector continue to give America a competitive edge

Immigration

How to escape from China to America

We travel with Chinese migrants on the deadly journey to America’s border

Today’s poll

Every week YouGov polls Americans on behalf of The Economist. When Ms Harris became the Democrats’ presidential candidate the share of black and Hispanic voters who said that they intended to vote for her was lower than it has been for recent Democratic candidates. Since then she has improved her standing with those groups. Even so, their support for her is lower than it was for Mr Biden in 2020.

Daily quiz

From Monday to Thursday we’ll quiz you on all things American. This week our questions are on Pennsylvania, the state that our model suggests is most likely to decide the election.

Thursday: In 1943 the second world war depleted the rosters of Pennsylvania’s American football teams, the Stealers and the Eagles. So they fielded a joint team. What was it called?

Wednesday: What famed event of American history was planned from a boarding house in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in 1859?

See how to take part in the quiz at the bottom of this page.

If you enjoyed this week’s quiz, play Dateline, The Economist’s history game.

Heard in Pennsylvania

I’ve answered this question directly a million times: No.

—J.D. Vance, the Republican candidate for vice-president, makes his most explicit statement yet that he believes that Mr Trump did not lose the election in 2020.

Read all of our recent coverage of the 2024 election. Confused about a term? Check out our A-Z of American politics.

Also from The Economist

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