The Trail 2016: Hurricane overshadows political storm

by Ben Kamisar - 10/06/16 6:20 PM ET

Welcome to THE TRAIL 2016, your daily rundown from The Hill on all the latest news in the White House, Senate and House races.

Politics took somewhat of a back seat today as the Southeast plans for the likely landfall of the dangerous Hurricane Matthew.

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have sent their best wishes to those facing the brunt of the storm. But like all issues this year, nothing truly escapes politics.

Republicans slammed the Clinton campaign forplanning to air ads on the Weather Channel as people turn to the network for storm updates. Her campaign decided to delay its ads, part of a larger buy on multiple channels and in a handful of battleground states, until after the storm. But Trump’s son, Eric, slammed the decision to schedule ads on the channel in the first place as “evil and sick.”

The Clinton campaign also warned that the storm could prevent those looking to register to vote before the Oct. 11 deadline. Campaign manager Robby Mook called on the state to extend that deadline.

It’s our last newsletter before Sunday night’s second presidential debate, so make sure to stick with us for the latest. Ahead of Trump’s tune-up tonight, read up on five things Trump needs to do to win. We’ll have more from his event tonight, as well as our coverage of everything surrounding the debate, so make sure to stay glued to The Hill.

We also send our best wishes to everyone in the storm’s path this weekend–please stay safe.

RACE TO 1600 PENN

FU-GET-ABOUT-IT: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Bernie Sanders has a message to those who are caught up on Hillary Clinton’s unpopularity: forget about itand vote for her any way.

NO CHANCE: The Hill’s Jonathan Easley reports: Thirty GOP lawmakers swore off voting for Donald Trump in a new open letter that calls on the party to reject him on Election Day.

NOT GOING THERE: The HIll’s Jordain Carney: Sen. Lindsey Graham said Thursday that while he believes Donald Trump is improving as a candidate, he still isn’t able to support the Republican presidential nominee.

HIGH-RISK ADDITION: The Hill’s Peter Sullivan reports: Donald Trump has added to his healthcare plan a “high-risk pool” for sick enrollees — a traditional Republican idea long dismissed by Democrats.

ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE: The Hill’s Tim Devaney reports: The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is out with a new video from an Orlando nightclub shooting victim calling on the two presidential candidates to address gun violence during the next debate.

ODDS AND ENDS

TED CRUZ CALLING: The Hill’s Paulina Firozi reports: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is phone-banking for the Texas Republican Party, which involves him trying to boost turnout for Donald Trump, the man he once called a “sniveling coward.”

WON’T GO THERE AFTER ALL: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday that he will not bring up former President Bill Clinton’s infidelity at the next presidential debate, despite threatening to do so after a shaky performance in the first debate.

ALL FUN AND GAMES: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Donald Trump says many of his comments disparaging women were made “for the purpose of entertainment.”

SOME BITE WITH THAT BARK: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: The political arm of The Humane Society is mobilizing against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump with a new ad campaign warning that a “Trump presidency would be a threat to animals everywhere.”

POLL POSITION

AYOTTE RISING: The HIll’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte leads in her reelection battle against New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, despite an awkward debate waffling over whether she believes Donald Trump is a role model.

THEY CALL THEM BATTLEGROUNDS FOR A REASON: The swing-state map is tight, with Clinton holding slight leads in new polls from Florida, New Hampshire and even the Republican stronghold of Arizona. Trump leads Indiana by 5 points, while Clinton leads in Michigan by 11 points.

THE DAILY TRUMP

NEVA-DUH: The Hill’s Jordain Carney reports: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid bashed Donald Trump for butchering the pronunciation of his home state of Nevada, and later said Trump would be a “miniature Putin.”

IT’S JUST BUSINESS: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: A group of students, alumni and faculty at the University of Pennsylvania’s business school are backing an open letter disavowing Donald Trump and announcing their commitment to an “open and inclusive American society.”

BEST BUDS: The Hill’s Cristina Marcos reports: Donald Trump will campaign with Speaker Paul Ryan this weekend during an event in Ryan’s Wisconsin congressional district.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I don’t think they get what it means to be an American.”

–Trump aide Jason Miller on Wednesday night’s “The Kelly File” on Fox News speaking about Bill and Hillary Clinton

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS

ENDORSEMENTS: The Hill’s Tim Devaney reports: The Log Cabin Republicans are endorsing two gay GOP candidates who are running for Congress–Arizona’s Paul Babeu and Connecticut’s Clay Cope.

WHO IS PERFECT, REALLY?: The HIll’s Jessie Hellmann reports: New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte released an ad on Thursday arguing that she isn’t perfect, and that neither Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are either. It’s an effort to recover from a controversy earlier this week when she said Donald Trump “absolutely” is a role model for her children.

BAYH BASHED: The HIll’s Alexander Bolton reports: A top Republican outside group is targeting former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) with a new ad accusing him of cashing in after leaving Congress.

DAB-ULOUS: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: California Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez celebrated the end of her debate by doing the “dab.” It’s apparently something the kids are doing these days (said the 25-year-old reporter).

UH-OH: The Hill’s Cristina Marcos reports: Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), who chairs a powerful committee overseeing Wall Street, recently headlined an event organized by an official for a group his state considers a “domestic terrorist threat.”

MONEY WATCH

TECH TRANSITION: The Washington Post reports: Technology lobbyists will meet with the Chris Christie-led transition team for Donald Trump’s campaign on Friday in the hopes of continuing to thaw the chill between the campaign and establishment Republicans.

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY, TOMORROW AND THE WEEKEND

(All times Eastern)

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton meet for their second debate, town hall style, at 9 p.m. Sunday in St. Louis, Mo.

Mike Pence holds a rally in Johnstown, Pa., 6 p.m. today. On Friday, he’ll hold a town hall in Strongsville, Ohio at 10:30 a.m. and a rally in Rossford, Ohio at 5:30 p.m.

Tim Kaine campaigns in Las Vegas at 9:30 p.m. today.

Donald Trump holds a town hall in Sandown, N.H., at 7 p.m. today.

Bernie Sanders campaigns for Hillary Clinton in Grand Rapids, Mich., at 6:45 p.m. today. On Friday, he campaigns in Keene, N.H. at 2 p.m. and in Nashua at 5 p.m. On Saturday, he’ll make an appearance with educators in Scranton at 10:30 a.m. and then campaigns for Clinton and Katie McGinty in Philadelphia at 2 p.m.

Elizabeth Warren campaigns for Clinton with Russ Feingold on Friday at 10:30 a.m. in Madison, Wis., and in Milwaukee at 2:30 p.m.

On Sunday, musician John Legend will campaign for Clinton in Southwest Ohio two days before Ohio’s voter registration deadline.

TWEET OF THE DAY

We advise listening to your local officials, not @vanillaice. If you are in an evacuation zone, you should leave now. #HurricaneMatthew https://t.co/Xt1XkH4ftk

— Florida Democrats (@FlaDems) October 6, 2016