Sunday shows preview: Harris, Trump battle for battlegrounds; Hamas leader killed

With just 17 days to go until Election Day, Vice President Harris and former President Trump are ramping up their campaigning in key battleground states. Tensions in the Middle East and fears of a widening conflict in the region also aren’t slowing down, even with the death of Hamas leader and Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar earlier this week.

Both topics are likely to be discussed on this week’s Sunday shows. 

Vice President Harris will sit down with Al Sharpton on MSNBC’s “Politics Nation” where she will likely discuss the upcoming election. National polling averages from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ show Harris leading Trump, 49.5 percent to 47.4 percent.

Georgia State Secretary Brad Raffensperger is set to appear on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday” and CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” The crucial Peach State made headlines earlier this week as Georgia residents began to go to the polls in record numbers, casting more than 300,000 ballots on the first day of early voting. 

A key state for Trump and Harris, a polling index from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) shows Trump leading Harris by less than 2 percentage points, 48.8 percent to 47.2 percent, in Georgia. 

Another Georgia figure, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D), is set to appear on “Face the Nation,” where he will likely talk about voting in the state and the November election. The senator made the news earlier this month after saying large numbers of Black men voting for Trump is “not going to happen.”

CNN’s “State of the Union” will host House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has consistently made headlines talking about aid in the wake of Hurricanes Milton and Helene, avoiding a government shutdown, and, more recently, the death of Sinwar. 

As Republicans hope to maintain control of the House, Johnson announced a $27.5 million fundraising haul for the third quarter of the year this week.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) will go on both ABC News’s “This Week” and NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” where he will likely discuss the “blue wall” blitz that he, alongside Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D), announced last week. The bus tour is aimed at garnering support in the crucial swing states. 

Whitmer and Evers are set to appear on ABC News’s “This Week,” where they will likely discuss the blitz, as well. 

The Hill/DDHQ’s polling index shows Trump and Harris with a less than one percentage point difference in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Here’s the full list of appearances on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R); Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.)

“Sunday Morning Futures”: Eric Trump; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R); Gen. Jack Keane 

ABC News’s “This Week” — Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.), Tony Evers (D-Wis.) and Chris Sununu (R-N.H.)

MSNBC’s “Politics Nation”: Rev. Al Sharpton interviews Vice President Harris at 5 p.m.

MSNBC’s “The Weekend”: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.); North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (D)

MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki”: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)

NBC News’s “Meet the Press” — Shapiro; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

CBS News’s “Face the Nation” — Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.); Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.); Raffensperger; Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson; Paul Whelan, an American who was jailed by Russia on espionage charges and was freed in August in a prisoner swap.

CBS’s “Sunday Morning”: Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride (D), who is likely to be the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.); Sanders; Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.)

Fox’s “Fox News Sunday” — Govs. Wes Moore (D-Md.) and Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.)