Campaign

The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden closes in on vice presidential pick

by Julia Manchester - 07/29/20 4:46 PM ET

Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, your daily rundown on all the latest news in the 2020 presidential, Senate and House races. Did someone forward this to you? Click here to subscribe.

We’re Julia Manchester, Max Greenwood and Jonathan Easley. Here’s what we’re watching today on the campaign trail.

LEADING THE DAY: Biden closes in on vice presidential pick

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is getting close to announcing his running mate.

The decision is expected to be the first week in August, several weeks before the Democratic National Convention starting on Aug. 17.

The vetting process is completed and interviews are done. Now, the final contenders are engaged in furious last-minute jockeying, The Hill’s Amie Parnes reports.

We know a few things about the kind of person Biden will pick.

The former vice president says he will pick someone he is comfortable around. And he’s pledged to pick a woman. Many are expecting Biden will select a woman of color, although Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is very much in the running.

Others being considered include Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), former national security adviser Susan Rice and Reps. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Val Demings (D-Fla.).

— Jonathan Easley

FROM THE TRAIL:

Senate Republicans left out funding for mail-in and early voting during the COVID-19 pandemic in their stimulus bill rolled out Monday, prompting backlash from Democrats, election officials and advocacy groups. Maggie Miller reports.

A spokesman for President Trump’s reelection campaign argued that public opinion surveys are “skewed to the left” and do not fully account for the president’s support ahead of the November election. The Trump campaign in recent days has ramped up its efforts to question the polls as surveys find Biden leading nationally and in the battleground states with less than 100 days to go before the election. Jonathan reports.

FROM CONGRESS AND THE STATES:

The Lincoln Project, a GOP anti-Trump group, on Wednesday launched a $4 million ad buy targeting Senate contests in Maine, Alaska and Montana. Julia Manchester reports.

Democrat Jaime Harrison hit Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday for running a Facebook ad that features an apparently darkened image of the Senate hopeful, suggesting that the ad carries racist undertones. The controversy comes as Graham faces his toughest reelection bid in years. Max Greenwood reports.

The Brady PAC, which promotes gun control reforms, has new polling out showing Biden running strong in Texas, Colorado, Iowa and North Carolina. The survey also finds majority support in those states for a national gun registry, trigger locks, a federal assault weapons ban and a ban on high capacity magazines. See the poll HERE.

POLLS:

GEORGIA PRESIDENTIAL – MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY

Trump: 47%

Bide: 47%

CNBC/CHANGE RESEARCH – PRESIDENTIAL BATTLEGROUNDS

ARIZONA

Biden: 47%

Trump: 45%

FLORIDA

Biden: 48%

Trump: 45%

MICHIGAN