Welcome to THE TRAIL 2016, your daily rundown from The Hill on all the latest news in the White House, Senate and House races.
Donald Trump left millions of Americans hanging at Wednesday night’s third and final debate when he refused to say whether he’ll accept the election’s outcome.
The possibility of no concession speech the night of Nov. 8 and continuous warnings of a “rigged election” have sparked an outcry from critics and even those within his own party that he is questioning the electoral process and threatening the country’s democracy.
His campaign manager Kellyanne Conway defended him on Thursday, assuring that the GOP nominee “respects the principles of democracy.” And his running mate Mike Pence following the debate said he’s “confident” the GOP ticket will accept the results if the vote is “fair.”
But at his first post-election rally, Trump turned up the heat and showed no signs of backing down. “I will totally accept the result of this great and historic presidential election,” Trump told supporters in Ohio, pausing dramatically to then add, “If I win.”
Meanwhile, Democrats including presidential nominee Hillary Clinton are challenging Trump’s refusal to answer at every turn they get. She told reporters aboard her campaign plane after the debate that Trump’s answer is “part of his whole effort to blame somebody else for his campaign.”
On the campaign trail Thursday, President Obama called Trump’s remarks “not a joking matter,” Vice President Joe Biden called his comments “disqualifying,” and first lady Michelle Obama chided that “you do not keep American democracy in suspense.”
Stay with The Hill tonight as Clinton and Trump will once again share the same stage — though not at the same time — for possibly the last time this crazy, unpredictable election season. And come back tomorrow for more presidential news and down-ballot fundraising numbers.
RACE TO 1600 PENN
REGISTRATION EXTENSION IN VIRGINIA: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: A federal judge has extended the voter registration deadline in Virginia after heavy demand prevented some residents from registering. There were computer glitches that occurred in the hours leading up to the original Oct. 17 deadline, according to The Associated Press.
DIAL IT BACK: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: Hillary Clinton’s ’s top campaign advisers agreed privately that she shouldn’t flaunt her support for Israel during the Democratic primaries for fear of angering the left, according to hacked emails released by WikiLeaks.
ODDS AND ENDS
MORE TRUMP ACCUSATIONS: The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports: Karena Virginia, a yoga teacher and lifestyle coach, is accusing Donald Trump of groping her outside of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in 1998.
BIGGEST WHOPPER OF DEBATE NIGHT: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson says Hillary Clinton uttered the largest falsehood of the final presidential debate. “The biggest hoo-hah of the evening, the biggest whopper, was when Hillary said, ‘Hey, I’m not going to add a penny to the deficit.’”
PARTY IN THE USA: The Hill’s Judy Kurtz reports: Singer Miley Cyrus is taking her act door-to-door, knocking on doors to campaign for Hillary Clinton.
IN THE MIDDLE: The Hill’s Joe Concha reports: Preliminary data for the final presidential debate show that viewership numbers increased from the second debate, but were still well below the record-setting Sept. 26 showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
POLL POSITION
DEBATE WINNER: The Hill’s Kyle Balluck reports: Likely voters in 13 battleground states picked Hillary Clinton as the winner of the third and final presidential debate, a new poll finds.
DEAD HEAT IN OHIO: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are tied in the critical swing state of Ohio just weeks before the election, a new poll shows.
ARPAIO FEELING THE HEAT: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a prominent Donald Trump supporter seeking reelection, is 15 points behind his Democratic opponent, Paul Penzone, according to a new poll.
THE DAILY TRUMP
ALLEGED ADVANTAGE: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Donald Trump claimed that Hillary Clinton had received questions ahead of a debate. “Why didn’t Hillary Clinton announce that she was inappropriately given the debate questions – she secretly used them!” Trump tweeted Thursday.
NO QUALMS: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, said she is comfortable with using information stolen by Russian intelligence against Hillary Clinton.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“He didn’t answer the question like a slick politician. He answered the question like a businessman that was going to have a contract.”
–Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) said to CNN’s “New Day,” defending Donald Trump’s refusal to say whether he’ll accept the election’s outcome.
CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS
ELECTION RESULTS FALLOUT: The Hill’s Jordain Carney reports: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Thursday slammed Donald Trump for saying he may not accept the outcome of the presidential election. Vulnerable Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) also said that Trump needs to accept the outcome of the presidential election regardless of who wins, The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports.
PRESIDENTIAL SMACKDOWN: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: President Obama slammed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and other GOP lawmakers for continuing to support Donald Trump.
MONEY WATCH
DOWN-BALLOT DOLLARS: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Priorities USA, the super-PAC supporting Hillary Clinton will begin putting money into critical Senate races like New Hampshire and Pennsylvania as Clinton’s lead in the presidential election over Donald Trump widens.
RECORD MONTHLY HAUL: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: Priorities USA, a pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC had its best fundraising month to date, raising $24.6 million in September, allowing the group to keep pushing to expand the map for Democrats in 2016.
WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY, TOMORROW AND THE WEEKEND
(All times Eastern)
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will speak at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York city tonight.
Mike Pence holds a rally in Albuquerque, N.M., at 8 p.m. today.
Rob Portman and Ted Strickland square off in a Senate debate today at 7 p.m. in Cleveland.
Early voting begins in North Carolina today.
Hillary Clinton will campaign in Cleveland and attend an event in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., with Joe Biden at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. She will campaign with Tim Kaine in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on Saturday.
Bill Clinton will give remarks at the 2016 Florida Education Association Delegate Assembly at 9 a.m. Friday in Orlando and then holds an early voting rally in Jacksonville at 1:45 p.m. He will also hold two early voting rallies in Florida on Saturday: one in Panama City at 11 a.m. and the other in Pensacola at 4:45 p.m.
Tim Kaine will campaign at Penn State University in State College, Pa., at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. He will also attend events in Alachua County and Orange County on Sunday.
Anne Holton and Jill Biden will hold three rallies on Saturday: two in Fayetteville, N.C., at noon and 2 p.m. and another in Jacksonville, N.C., at 6 p.m.
President Obama will campaign for Clinton and Democratic Senate hopeful Catherine Cortez Masto in North Las Vegas at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday.
Early voting begins in Nevada on Saturday.
TWEET OF THE DAY
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