Welcome to the Fox News’ Politics newsletter, with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

Here’s what’s happening…

-VP Kamala Harris to sit down with chief political anchor Bret Baier for first formal Fox News interview

-Biden warned Iran that killing Trump would be an ‘act of war’

-Trump camp teases Election Day transportation options for voters impacted by Hurricanes Helene, Milton

Former President Bill Clinton said to a group of churchgoers Sunday that Georgia nursing student Laken Riley’s murder would not have happened if the alleged killer, an illegal immigrant, was properly vetted.

While campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris in the Peach State, Clinton accused Harris’ rival, former President Donald Trump, of tanking negotiations over a bipartisan border compromise in Congress because he wanted it to be a campaign issue.

He seemed to suggest that Riley’s death could have been avoided if Congress was able to pass a compromise – despite the alleged killer having already been vetted…Read more

SHOOTING BLANKS: Kamala Harris claims she’s got a gun, but 2nd Amendment supporters say: good luck getting yours…Read more

COLUMBUS DAY FLASHBACK: Harris excoriated European explorers for ‘wave of devastation’ to Native peoples…Read more

TECH CRUNCH: AI sector frustrated by Congress’ slow pace keeping up with advanced tech…Read more

‘LISTEN TO YOUR QUESTION’: NBC News’ Kristen Welker presses House Speaker Mike Johnson on Trump’s cholesterol levels…Read more

FALSE NARRATIVE?: Who is Vem Miller, man arrested outside Trump Coachella rally? 4 things to know…Read more

WHO’S MORE ACCESSIBLE?: Trump-Vance ticket has done a combined 75 interviews since August compared to 39 for Harris-Walz…Read more

‘LITTLE’ KEYSTONE: Trends are good in the swing county GOP chair calls ‘Little Pennsylvania’: It’ll ‘be a repeat of ‘16’…Read more

‘THE LEFT HAS PERFECTED THIS’: Conservatives take page from Obama’s playbook in battleground Wisconsin…Read more

HEALTHY AMERICANS: Harris goads Trump to release medical records after she gets clean bill of health from personal physician…Read more

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Vice President Kamala Harris doubled down on her recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day amid outrage on social media over her unearthed support of renaming Columbus Day. 

“This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I am thinking about the young Indigenous leaders I met in Arizona last week. I am counting on their leadership and looking forward to our partnership,” Harris posted to her campaign X account late Monday afternoon.

The post comes as videos of Harris from both 2019 and 2021 have spread like wildfire across social media platforms, spotlighting Harris’ previous comments supporting the renaming of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and admonishing European explorers for unleashing a “wave of devastation for Tribal nations” when they reached the Americas in the late 1400s.

“Count me in on support,” Harris told a voter in New Hampshire in 2019 when asked if she supports renaming Columbus Day “Indigenous People’s Day,” footage of the event shows. Harris’ remarks came roughly a month after she launched her ultimately failed 2020 run for the White House. 

COLUMBUS DAY FLASHBACK: HARRIS EXCORIATED EUROPEAN EXPLORERS FOR ‘WAVE OF DEVASTATION’ TO NATIVE PEOPLES

The Trump campaign slammed Harris over her unearthed comments in 2019, in an exclusive comment to Fox News Digital on Sunday. 

TRUMP CAMP RIPS HARRIS OVER UNEARTHED COMMENTS ON RENAMING COLUMBUS DAY: ‘STEREOTYPICAL LEFTIST’

“Kamala Harris is your stereotypical leftist. Not only does she want to raise taxes and defund the police — she also wants to cancel American traditions like Columbus Day,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

“President Trump will make sure Christopher Columbus’ great legacy is honored and protect this holiday from radical leftists who want to erase our nation’s history like Kamala Harris.”

DEFACED COLUMBUS STATUE THAT WAS THROWN INTO A VIRGINIA POND FINDS MORE WELCOMING HOME IN NYC SUBURB

Back in 2021, Harris said as vice president that the U.S. “must not shy away” from its “shameful past” of European explorers who she said ushered “in a wave of devastation.”

“Since 1934, every October, the United States has recognized the voyage of the European explorers who first landed on the shores of the Americas,” Harris said during the National Congress of American Indians’ 78th Annual Convention on Oct. 12, 2021. 

“But that is not the whole story. That has never been the whole story,” Harris continued in her 2021 speech. 

“Those explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for Tribal nations — perpetrating violence, stealing land and spreading disease,” she continued. “We must not shy away from this shameful past, and we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on Native communities today.”

Columbus Day is a federal holiday that officially celebrates and recognizes Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a proclamation in 1934 making Columbus Day a national holiday following lobbying from the Italian American and Catholic communities.

Activists in recent years have worked to disassociate the day from Columbus, claiming it celebrates colonialism and genocide of indigenous people, in favor of celebrating Native Americans. Activists have also worked to remove Columbus statues from cities, including toppling such statues during the riots of 2020. 

President Biden became the first president in 2021 to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the same holiday.

Harris has consistently celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day over Columbus Day, with her official vice presidential X account acknowledging the holiday each year since 2021, while searching for “Columbus Day” on her account turns up no results. 

COLUMBUS REMAINS, VERIFIED AFTER 500 YEARS, SHOW HE WAS JEWISH: DOCUMENTARY

Her X post Monday celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day comes as social media commenters slammed her over the unearthed remarks from both 2019 and 2021. 

Fox News Digital has repeatedly reached out to the Harris campaign since Sunday regarding her previous comments, but did not receive a reply. Fox Digital reached out to the campaign again late Monday afternoon asking if the vice president would end the recognition of Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day considering her latest tweet, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.    

Sources close to the White House report an ongoing rift between President Biden and his staff and Kamala Harris and her staff – with issues tracing back to the initial weeks following Harris’ nomination by the Democratic Party. 

The squabbles have ranged from whether Biden’s main surrogates should continue going on TV or be replaced with new Harris surrogates, to debates over whether Biden is undermining Harris’ messaging. Other issues have included complaints from the Harris camp that the White House has not moved quickly enough to add staff to the vice president’s office to help deal with the bigger workload. The revelations surfaced in a new report Axios published Sunday.  

“Everyone from the president on down knows how important the election is, and we always anticipated a number of staff would want to transition from the administration to the campaign for the final stretch,” a White House official told Axios. However, simultaneously, the White House has been frustrated over the Harris camp’s rules around who can be moved to her office and when, other sources inside the White House told Fox News.  

Meanwhile, Biden staffers have also reportedly felt dejected over Biden’s exit from the race, sources said, forcing them to play second fiddle to the vice president. 

PRESIDENT BIDEN PROMOTES PRESS SECRETARY KARINE JEAN-PIERRE TO NEW TOP ROLE

“They’re too much in their feelings,” a Harris ally close to the campaign, told Axios.

One example of Biden not adequately coordinating his message and schedule, cited by Harris campaign aides, came on Friday. Biden held an impromptu press conference from the White House to update the American public on the government’s hurricane relief efforts. Meanwhile, Harris was campaigning in Michigan at the same time, and the dueling events served to effectively lessen the number of eyes on Harris.

Biden was supposed to be out of the country that day, but he reportedly felt it imperative to stay back and oversee response efforts to Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

The infighting did not stop there, either. Last week, Harris criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for playing political games and not doing what was best for the American people, after she claimed that the Sunshine State governor ignored her calls to discuss hurricane relief efforts. On Friday, when Biden was supposed to be overseas, he undercut Harris’ narrative about DeSantis when he praised the Florida governor’s work in the wake of the storm, calling him “cooperative” and acknowledging he was doing a “great job.” 

BIDEN UNDERMINES HARRIS CLAIM THAT RON DESANTIS IS POLITICIZING HURRICANE RESPONSE: ‘DOING A GREAT JOB’       

Sources inside the White House told Fox News that Harris creating a rift with DeSantis was a “dumb thing for her to do,” adding that Biden’s team feels like it has done everything it can to provide Harris with opportunities to demonstrate leadership, but she has fumbled them. At least one source who spoke to Fox News said the Harris campaign’s poor messaging on this was due to its own poor planning, not the White House’s. 

The Harris campaign declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital. But, Andrew Bates, White House deputy press secretary, extolled Biden’s continued support for Harris in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“President Biden endorsed Vice President Harris immediately after leaving the race, rejecting other approaches that would divide the party, and has attested to her leadership abilities and continually made clear his support for her,” Bates said. 

“While ensuring that all critical White House functions are fully staffed, we have made significant changes to guarantee the Vice President’s team has all of the support and resources that they need,” Bates said. “This builds on a strong, trusting relationship between both teams, which has been critical to successfully executing an unprecedented transition to a new candidate.”

It’s not every day that a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus sits down to meet with the Democratic commander in chief, but national crises have a way of creating strange bedfellows.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital she was not expecting a call late last week when her phone screen flashed with an unknown Washington, D.C.-based government number. When she answered, it was President Biden’s voice on the line.

“Well, I did not expect that. So I talked to him on the phone for about 10 minutes. First thing that he asked me was, what did I need for my constituents, and how did I fare with the storm. And then [we] moved forward into talking about the issues that we’re having with FEMA,” Luna said.

The first-term Republican, whose district was hit hard by Hurricane Milton last week, said she also met with Biden when he surveyed storm damage in Florida over the weekend.

POLITICAL STORM: ON TRUMP ‘ONSLAUGHT OF LIES,’ BIDEN URGES FORMER PRESIDENT TO ‘GET A LIFE MAN’

The pair met for an “extensive” discussion on a number of disaster aid reforms, Luna said. 

It’s not uncommon to see political foes work together after a natural disaster, but the congresswoman’s praise for Biden is a stark contrast from her fierce criticism of his administration – which she herself noted to Fox News Digital – including spearheading efforts to hold members of his Cabinet in inherent contempt of Congress.

“I have obviously been very critical of President Biden in the past, but I will say that him stepping in and taking control of the situation to assist for the right reasons was very honestly kind of shocking for me,” Luna said.

HURRICANE MILTON CARVES DEADLY PATH THROUGH FLORIDA, MILLIONS WITHOUT POWER

“Obviously, you know, we’re still going to be holding FEMA accountable… But as far as I am seeing, FEMA has been very helpful, and I’ve been in direct communication with them. And they’re absolutely going to assist, because President Biden has told them to do so.”

Asked about their in-person conversation, Luna said they talked about the situation in Georgia and North Carolina after Helene battered the American Southeast, as well as Florida’s recovery after both storms.

“The one thing that I really wanted to hammer home was obviously, you know, FEMA getting debris cleared and really not holding the cities accountable for not being able to move debris in time,” Luna said. “So we sorted that out.”

She also advocated for reforming the National Flood Insurance Program, which Luna said has been largely unchanged since its inception in the 1960s.

In both of their conversations, Luna said Biden agreed with her that FEMA’s $750 upfront payment to disaster survivors was inadequate.

“He said it was a ‘bunch of malarkey,’ which is 100% true, and that $750 was not enough,” Luna said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for further comment.

CATEGORY 3 MILTON BEARS DOWN ON FLORIDA

Her measured response to federal relief efforts is notable, given the torrent of GOP-led criticism of the administration’s response efforts.

It’s worth noting that Biden also saw praise from the Republican governors of South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia after the storms.

On the federal level, Luna is among the bipartisan chorus of lawmakers calling for Congress to return for an early emergency session to deal with disaster relief – something Biden has also voiced.

But Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has signaled on multiple occasions that he’s unlikely to convene the House before their scheduled return the week after Election Day.

Johnson, who has criticized the Biden administration’s response, argued that the $20 billion that Congress freed up for FEMA last month would be enough to meet immediate needs, and that lawmakers could do little until a formal damage assessment and cost estimate was provided.

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., whose district was among the hardest hit by Helene, echoed Johnson in an interview Friday.

“I believe that what we’re seeing right now with the calls to come back into session to pass funds is more of a distraction from the administration for their inept reaction to getting folks here to help western North Carolina,” Edwards said.

The arrest of an Afghan national accused of planning an Election Day terror plot is fueling concerns from congressional lawmakers that there could be more potential terror threats who arrived as part of the tens of thousands who came to the U.S. in the wake of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“There was a vulnerability that was left that was able to be taken advantage of by, in this case, ISIS. It could be Taliban next time. It could be any other terrorist organization out there. And what I fear… is this is just one of probably tens, I wouldn’t say hundreds, but tens of more individuals that are in the same situation,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Fox News.

Authorities announced last week the arrest of Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national who came to the U.S. in 2021 after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Tawhedi is charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and receiving a firearm to be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism. Authorities say he liquidated his family’s assets to finance his plan, including purchasing rifles and one-way tickets for his wife and child back to Afghanistan.

MAYORKAS REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON AFGHAN ACCUSED OF ELECTION DAY TERROR PLOT

“This defendant, motivated by ISIS, allegedly conspired to commit a violent attack, on Election Day, here on our homeland,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray in a statement. 

Court filings initially stated that he came on a special immigrant visa but have since clarified that he came to the U.S. via humanitarian parole and later applied for SIV status.

A senior administration official told Fox News last week that Tawhedi was screened three times. He was screened first to work security for the CIA in Afghanistan, then for humanitarian parole to enter the U.S. in 2021, when he was vetted and screened in a third country, and then for special immigrant status, for which he was approved. His status has not yet been finalized. Officials believe he was radicalized after coming to the U.S.

AFGHAN NATIONAL CHARGED WITH ELECTION DAY TERROR PLOT REIGNITES VETTING CONCERNS 

There is also no indication that there were any red flags that should have barred his entry at any point in the process. His alleged co-conspirator in the case entered the country in 2018 and also passed vetting to receive a green card.

Tawhedi entered during the mass evacuation effort as the Taliban took back Afghanistan. The U.S. would go on to admit more than 97,000 evacuees, of which about 77,000 were admitted via humanitarian parole, through a program called Operation Allies Welcome. 

Republicans and the Homeland Security internal watchdog have repeatedly raised issues about the vetting process for Afghan nationals, and last week’s arrest has only served to refuel those concerns. 

“After the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, we knew that there was no real vetting process of Afghan nationals coming into the United States. There were major concerns about potential terror plots to the homeland. This is the problem with the Harris-Biden administration,” Rep Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said. “No accountability, no serious planning, covering up crises that, frankly, happen in front of the eyes of the American people.”

AFGHAN MAN IN OKLAHOMA PLOTTED ELECTION DAY TERROR ATTACK IN US ON BEHALF OF ISIS, JUSTICE DEPT SAYS

The Biden administration has repeatedly defended the vetting process, arguing that there is a multilayered process that includes classified and unclassified vetting, including against Pentagon and FBI databases as well as Interpol notices and other information. 

“Afghan evacuees who sought to enter the United States were subject to multi layered screening and vetting against intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism information,” a DHS spokesperson said on Wednesday. “If new information emerges after arrival, appropriate action is taken.” 

The two senators from Oklahoma have both received briefings from the FBI on the matter. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., also stressed the dangers facing the country.

“This is real. And we have people that are trying to be able to kill us that are within our own country, they’re planning,” Lankford told Fox News. “An open border is a danger. We’ve seen that already, that we’re living on borrowed time through this moment.”

Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

Former President Trump’s campaign hinted at Election Day transportation options for those impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton in the southeastern region of the United States. 

“As President Trump said when we were on the ground in Georgia surveying the damage – may I add he went there before Kamala Harris or Joe Biden did – he said we care most about lives, protecting lives, saving people’s livelihoods. Their businesses were destroyed, their homes were destroyed.” Trump Campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends First.”

“With that said, it’s very important that voters are not disenfranchised, and our campaign leadership sent out a letter to state and local officials on the ground in North Carolina saying, ‘You need to provide as many accessible voting locations as possible on the ground.’ Our campaign is reviewing how we can possibly provide transportation for voters who need to get to the polls and ensuring they have access to the ballot box,” Leavitt added. “They have faced this destruction through no fault of their own. And this is Trump country. This is western North Carolina. These are our people. We’re focused on taking care of them and making sure that their right to vote still remains even in the wake of this disaster.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) for more information. The Washington Examiner reported last week that there are nearly 1.3 million registered voters across the 25 countries in western North Carolina designated a federal disaster area after Hurricane Helene. Trump carried North Carolina in the 2020 election by merely 75,000 votes. 

HARRIS CAMPAIGN DEPLOYS BILL CLINTON TO KEY STATES 22 DAYS FROM ELECTION DAY

In an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” last week, RNC co-chair Lara Trump said the committee sent out a memorandum to Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and the North Carolina General Assembly that provided 10 recommendations on ensuring voter access after the disaster. 

“We don’t want people who have gone through a horrific tragedy like a hurricane who have really lost so much already to lose their ability to vote in this election,” Lara Trump said. 

North Carolina State Board of Elections officials announced that 75 of the 80 early voting sites planned across the 25 counties that fall within the federal diaster area of western North Carolina will reopen on Thursday, when early voting is set to begin in the Tar Heel State. 

‘CAN’T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE’: NC CONGRESSMAN RAISES ALARM ON VOTER ACCESS IN AREAS HARD HIT BY HELENE

“This is absolutely outstanding that our county boards of elections have pulled this off in western North Carolina, given the devastation and destruction left by Helene,” State Board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said at a press conference last week, according to the Carolina Journal. “We will be ready even in western North Carolina thanks to the extremely hard work of county election officials across the state and dedicated state board officials as well.”

The state election officials are still coordinating with North Carolina Emergency Management and FEMA to secure portable restrooms, generators and trailers and other support for the 540 polling places located within the 25-county area of devastation ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5. 

The state legislature approved $5 million in emergency funding for the State Board of Elections to deal with the storm’s effects, and state lawmakers also expanded emergency measures put in place by the election board that allow counties to modify early voting days and locations.

On Friday, the Buncombe County Board of Elections approved new times and locations for early voting. 

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., sounded the alarm on voter access in an interview with Fox News Digital last week, expressing concern after his district was one of those badly impacted by Hurricane Helene.

“Folks are still in the process of putting their lives together, desperately trying to get their power back on, trying to get in touch with their loved ones, trying to dig out from the debris and not really thinking that there’s an election coming up here in three weeks or so,” Edwards said. 

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Matteo Cina contributed to this report. 

Vem Miller, the man arrested for possessing firearms outside former President Donald Trump’s rally in Coachella, California, this weekend, claims he is a Trump supporter and has an extensive media and political history.

While some observers speculated he was a threat to the rally or even Trump himself, Miller says he routinely carries his firearms in the back of his truck and never intended to hurt the former president.

Here are four key pieces of information about Vem Miller.

Miller released a video statement more than an hour long on Rumble overnight Monday. In it, he lays out his political and professional history and says he never intended to harm Trump.

Miller told Fox News in a Sunday interview that he has been a 30-year member of the media and started work after graduating from high school. He said he worked on music videos and TV shows with major artists, and launched America Happens Network to combat “censorship” in the media.

He added in his video statement that he worked as a professional music video director from 2001 to 2008 and worked with artists like DMX, John Maher, and even Jerry Seinfeld for the “Bee Movie” music video.

Miller says his career then moved toward television, and he received contracts to work with the History Channel, Discovery Channel, Netflix and others.

“Again, I have contracts and paperwork to verify everything I’ve said is accurate and true,” he said.

Miller did not immediately provide evidence of those contracts when contacted by Fox News Digital on Monday.

COPS NAB MAN ALLEGEDLY CARRYING ILLEGAL GUNS NEAR TRUMP’S COACHELLA RALLY; SUSPECT SAYS HE BACKS EX-PRESIDENT

State records in Nevada show Miller ran for office unsuccessfully in 2022. He is a registered Republican and was running in the party primary for a seat in Nevada’s General Assembly, landing in third place with 1,337 votes.

He claimed in his video statement that he had received an “entry pass” for Trump’s California rally from the Nevada Republican Party. The Nevada GOP did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

“I can prove that I had a special entry pass sent directly to me by officials within the Republican Party of Nevada,” Miller said in his video statement. “I was an actual invitee to that event.”

Miller says he was apprehended when he declared his firearms to security at a checkpoint to get into the Coachella rally. Police arrested him, but he was later released on a $5,000 bail.

Miller claimed in his video statement that he has attended numerous rallies for Trump and met some of the former president’s family members.

“I would say in the last four years, I’ve been to a countless number of Trump rallies and Trump events,” Miller said. “I have been, and this is again verifiable, pretty much this far away from the former president, to the point that I could touch him,” he said, indicating a short distance with his hands. “I’ve talked to Don Jr., I’ve talked to Eric Trump. I know a lot of people within the Trump family and extended family.”

Miller went on to describe himself as a “Libertarian more than anything else.”

Miller says he began receiving death threats from anonymous individuals in 2022, leading him to purchase his firearms.

He repeatedly expressed concern about his safety in his video statement, and he offered details about the threats against him.

“Due to the content I produce, around 2022 I started getting multiple death threats,” Miller said. “Until this point, I had never owned a firearm. And these death threats were either emailed to me with what I would call heinous pictures depicting violence – Scrabble pieces were mailed to me one by one spelling the word, ‘dead,’ and so I became concerned.”

He says the concern led him to purchase a Glock handgun and a shotgun. He added that he has never fired either weapon and has never been to a shooting range with them.

Miller says he made a habit of notifying police or security at Trump events that he had the firearms in the trunk of his vehicle.

“It was simply a common courtesy to police,” he said. “Every time I’ve been to a Nevada rally and notified the police it’s been a non-issue and they thanked me for notifying them.

He added that he felt he made a “critical mistake” in forgetting that he was in California when he declared the firearms at the latest rally.

Fox News’ Stepheny Price and Bryan Preston contributed to this report

WISCONSIN— One conservative group taking Wisconsin by storm is tapping a strategy previously emphasized by former President Barack Obama in order to win the 2024 presidential election for Republicans. 

“It’s narrowing down our organizing to the ward and then mobilizing,” Turning Point Action National Enterprise Director Brett Galaszewski told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

The group’s ballot-chase program involves “neighbors talking with other neighbors.”

‘DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO HE IS’: WISCONSINITES TALK HARRIS’ MIDWESTERN RUNNING MATE, TIM WALZ

He explained that there is more value in approaching people as their neighbor or someone they have a relationship with than as a stranger who may not be from the area. 

“It’s the community organizing model that Obama talked about in 2008,” Galaszewski said. “You know, we laughed at Obama in 2008, as conservatives, when he said, ‘I’m a community organizer.'”

But that strategy, he said, is “going to make a huge difference here.”

FOR WISCONSIN DEMS, A 2024 WIN IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATE IS YEARS IN THE MAKING

Obama stressed his past as a community organizer during his presidential campaign in 2008, cutting an ad in which he referred to his experience organizing after winning the Democrat nomination that summer. 

As Galaszewski noted, Republicans at the time ridiculed Obama’s emphasis on his community organizing as a credential in his bid to be commander-in-chief. 

Turning Point Action is running a robust ground game operation in key states, such as Wisconsin, alongside various other groups, hoping to supplement the Republican Party’s efforts. The group has the largest such operation in Wisconsin, as many expect the state to be crucial in deciding the presidential election. 

SEE IT: WISCONSIN DAIRY FARMER SAYS ‘NO QUESTION’ TRUMP ADMIN WAS ‘MUCH BETTER’ THAN BIDEN-HARRIS

The all-hands-on-deck approach is beneficial for Republicans to make up some of the financial disparity between the former President Trump campaign and Vice President Harris’ and the Democrats’ war chest. 

As Turning Point Action begins its on the ground ballot-chasing, they aren’t racing to knock as many doors as possible. Instead, they are targeting specifically identified people. The group has determined that the best way to turbocharge turnout is to focus on “disengaged and low-propensity conservatives.”

“We no longer see this as a war of persuasion among swing voters,” said Galaszewski. 

TRUMP, REPUBLICANS VENTURE TO BLUE AREAS IN WISCONSIN TO BOOST GOP TURNOUT

Many people don’t value their votes as much as those heavily involved in politics, he explained.

“That’s something that we know the left has really homed in on — targeting those voters with low-ballot value and making it work.”

Conservatives who may not be planning to vote are the ones Turning Point Action thinks can pave the path to a Republican win. “It’s a numbers game in Wisconsin,” he added. 

The group has hundreds of ballot-chasers working statewide in Wisconsin to turn out these potential voters. Some of them are salaried employees, whose full-time job is “to chase ballots in these territories.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is considering running for the top role at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) for the next election cycle. 

A spokesperson for Scott confirmed to Fox News Digital in a statement that the senator is looking into running for the position. 

“The Senator is grateful for the encouragement he has received from colleagues to run for chair of the NRSC,” said Scott spokesperson Nathan Brand. “He is working tirelessly to send Donald Trump back to the White House and take the U.S. Senate, then looks forward to growing the Republican majority in 2026.” 

‘DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO HE IS’: WISCONSINITES TALK HARRIS’ MIDWESTERN RUNNING MATE, TIM WALZ

Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, are up for re-election in 2026.

With North Carolina’s recent polling and electoral moves toward Democrats, Tillis’ seat could become more expensive to defend for Republicans. 

LEAD COUNSEL HITS NEW DEM EFFORT TO ‘DELEGITIMIZE’ SUPREME COURT AMID SENATOR’S REPORT ON KAVANAUGH PROBE

As for Cornyn, he could face primary challenges from other Republicans who have criticized him. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hinted at potentially running against the senator in a social media post earlier this year. 

Collins notably survived her last re-election race, pulling off a shock split-ticket victory despite running alongside Trump. Her seat will likely be seen as a top pickup opportunity for Democrats. 

ALSOBROOKS BACKS COURT-PACKING AS HOGAN FIGHTS GOP, MCCONNELL, TRUMP ASSOCIATIONS

There are also potential opportunities for Republicans to challenge Democrats in 2026, with Sens. Jon Ossof, D-Ga., and Gary Peters, D-Mich.

Scott is currently traveling to swing states ahead of the November election and campaigning to ensure Republicans regain the Senate majority in 2025. He has traveled to both Nevada and Wisconsin and is headed soon to Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. 

FOR WISCONSIN DEMS, A 2024 WIN IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATE IS YEARS IN THE MAKING

A super PAC aligned with the South Carolina Republican is additionally spending seven figures in battleground states in order to further help the GOP. Scott has helped raise six figures for the 2024 Senate campaigns, according to his team. 

If Republicans retake the majority in the Senate, Scott would notably be poised to become chairman of the Banking Committee.

His team noted Scott is one of the best party fundraisers today, with both major dollar contributions and small dollar donations. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno spoke to Fox News Digital on the campaign trail about why he believes that recent polls are showing him essentially in a dead heat within the margin of error with incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown after months of trailing him.

“It’s time for a change,” told Fox News Digital outside the Franklin County Board of Elections where Ohio Republicans encouraged voters to cast their votes early as part of former President Trump’s “Swamp the Vote” platform.

“Give Republicans a chance to govern and we’re going to make your lives better. Look, Sherrod Brown has seen 200,000 manufacturing jobs leave this state in his 30 years in D.C. And I’ll end with this. And I hope it’s the lead story in every one of your reports. Go back to 1992. U.S. Sherrod Brown ran on two promises. He made two promises, think about this, guys, he made two promises to the American people, to the people of Ohio, term limits and restore manufacturing.”

Moreno continued, “200,000 manufacturing jobs lost and he said that anybody who’s in Washington, D.C., for more than ten years is a crook. Take him for his word.”

NRA TARGETS SEN SHERROD BROWN IN 7-FIGURE AD BUY IN OHIO: ‘VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT’

“We started advertising, that’s number one,” Moreno said about why he believes the polls have tightened in the Ohio senate race. 

“Sherrod Brown spent the fortune over the summer saying that he’d cure cancer. The other half said, I cause cancer. Of course. Neither one is true. We started advertising. We didn’t take personal shots because we won’t do that. Our campaign is simple. Look at his voting record.”

Moreno pointed to Brown voting with Biden nearly 100% of the time and said he “stabbed Trump in the back” multiple times when voting for amendments. 

A Washington Post poll released this week conducted between October 3rd and 7th found that Brown leads Moreno 48-47 well within the margin of error of 3.5 points after Brown has led by a greater margin in most of the polling so far.

“He’s somebody who’s completely different in Washington, D.C.,” Moreno said of Brown who has been running ads promising to work with presidents of any party and touting his record on illegal immigration in a state where Trump won by 8 points in 2020.

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“I have senators like Senator Hagerty,” Moreno said while standing next to Sen. Bill Hagerty in front of the Moreno campaign bus. “Who has been with me since the beginning of this campaign during the primary, who look and go, ‘who’s this guy on TV? He looks a lot like Sherrod Brown, but it can’t be Sherrod Brown because the guy I know in Washington, D.C., is a radical liberal. The guy on TV is something completely different.’ But that’s what we see. And I think as people see that exposure. We’re now tied in the polls. But he’s at 46%. Look, we’re going to win.”

Many experts believe the Ohio Senate race will play a critical role in determining which party controls the Senate next year and the Cook Political Report ranks the race as a “toss up.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Brown campaign for comment but did not receive a response.