Rhode Island

Super PAC money flowing into R.I.’s U.S. Senate race leaves even the candidate it benefits confused • Rhode Island Current

Published

2 hours ago

October 31, 2024

Super PAC money flowing into R.I.’s U.S. Senate race leaves even the candidate it benefits confused • Rhode Island Current

A New York-based economic think tank has asked a super PAC with multiple addresses to remove its website from an ad campaign supporting the U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Patricia Morgan against Democratic incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse.

The request from the progressive Roosevelt Institute comes after the group Roosevelt Society Action aired a 30-second TV spot attacking Whitehouse as he seeks a fourth-term on Capitol Hill.

“After 18 years in Washington, Sheldon Whitehouse has left us waiting with wasteful spending and backroom deals,” a stern-voiced narrator says. “It’s time for real change — it’s time for Patricia Morgan.”

That message in support of Whitehouse’s GOP challenger played twice on Rhode Island TV sets during the Oct. 27 Sunday Night Football game that saw the San Francisco 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys. The commercial is slated to air again, twice when the Indianapolis Colts play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Nov. 3 and once during FOX’s college football game Saturday, according to recent filings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Roosevelt Society Action has addresses in Wisconsin and Alabama and one treasurer in Alabama who is listed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). It also has at least $200,000 to spend in the Ocean State, according to an FEC filing.

The group doesn’t have a phone number or any public profile that would indicate why it’s interested in a U.S. Senate race in solidly blue Rhode Island. A Rhode Island Current poll conducted in September showed Whitehouse led Morgan 52% to 37%.

“That is bizarre,” Matthew Ulricksen, an associate professor of political science for the Community College of Rhode Island, said in an interview Wednesday. “It never even crossed my mind that a super PAC would be spending for Pat Morgan — something’s going on here.”

Targeting sports fans

A Rhode Island Current analysis of FCC documents found the group has committed $25,000 toward television ads during NFL and college football matches, as well as slots during the first four games of the World Series. The anti-Whitehouse ads have not aired during New England Patriots games — a team which sits at a 2-6 record.

Filings with the FEC also show Roosevelt Society Action spent over $102,000 for printing, postage, and design on pro-Morgan mailers starting Oct. 17.

Morgan, a West Warwick state representative who chose not to seek reelection to run for the U.S. Senate, told Rhode Island Current the outside spending was a welcome surprise in her uphill funding battle against Whitehouse — who has far and away the biggest campaign fund of any Rhode Island politician.

In the pre-election FEC filing submitted Oct. 24, Whitehouse’s campaign had $2.2 million on hand. Morgan reported around $62,000.

“It’s nice to know that there’s somebody else that understands this is an important race,” Morgan said. “Sheldon is really vulnerable and he has been so stridently hyperpartisan.”

The Whitehouse campaign does not see the super PACs sudden presence as a sign of vulnerability in his re-election bid.

“Out-of-state dark-money special interests are parachuting into Rhode Island because Sheldon is leading the charge to take away billionaires’ massive power in elections and at the Supreme Court,” campaign coordinator Laura Fusco said in a statement. “Rhode Islanders deserve to know who is trying to influence their votes.”

Roosevelt Society Action, a super PAC founded in September, has purchased $25,000 worth of air time on Rhode Island TV screens supporting the Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, according to filings with the Federal Communications Commission. (Screenshot/Roosevelt Society Action)

Super PAC’s origins obscure

Roosevelt Society Action’s statement of organization filed with the FEC lists one name associated with the group: Treasurer Kayla Glaze, an Alabama woman tied to Washington D.C. firm Crosby Ottenhoff Group — where she has worked as a certified public accountant since 2019, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The FEC website lists Glaze as the treasurer of more than 130 political action committees across the nation since 2019, most of which support Republican causes.

Glaze did not respond to multiple requests for comment via phone and email.

The PAC’s third quarter filing with the FEC lists a $200,000 contribution on Sept. 17 from a home in Hudson, Wisconsin — an address associated with Thomas Datwyler, a consultant who has headed up the financial operations for dozens of Republican candidates and political committees in recent election cycles.

Datwyler was accused of wire fraud by a GOP super PAC in Nevada in July and is under investigation by the Mississippi Attorney General for allegedly violating the state’s campaign finance and reporting laws. He was also briefly listed as the treasurer for former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who later attacked Datwyler on X and accused the treasurer of wire fraud in a federal complaint.

“We do a lot of work around the country right from Hudson,” Datwyler said in an email Tuesday.

But he insists he is not behind Roosevelt Society Action. He said the group’s treasurer is Glaze.

Datwyler asked Rhode Island Current to email him with the filing showing his address being used. When forwarded a copy, he wrote back, “Oh man they have my home address!”

“I literally don’t know how they got my own address other than, maybe it’s like, on a bank for something, and then they just went with it,” he said in a phone interview Thursday.

Datwyler does have at least one Rhode Island connection: Timothy Mellon, the banking heir and railroad magnate who is among the top supporters of former president Donald Trump.

That is bizarre. It never even crossed my mind that a super PAC would be spending for Pat Morgan — something’s going on here.

– Matthew Ulricksen, an associate professor of political science for the Community College of Rhode Island

OpenSecrets found Mellon has spent over $165 million into the campaigns of Trump and other GOP congressional candidates this year. The Salt Lake Tribune in 2022 reported Mellon was among the top contributors to Liberty Champions PAC — of which Datwyler was the treasurer — to support the reelection of the U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).

But Datwyler said Mellon has no involvement in the Roosevelt Society Action, though he said it was possible Mellon did contribute to the group after the most recent FEC filing deadline, which was Oct. 16.

Datwyler said the Roosevelt Society Action PAC’s primary funder is a couple from Florida but he could not disclose their identity.

Roosevelt Institute ‘not affiliated in any way’

At the end of the PAC’s anti-Whitehouse ad is the link to a website, rooseveltinstitute.org.

But that website is for a progressive economic think tank in New York City connected to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. The Institute does have a project called the Roosevelt Society, but its listed purpose is to be “a community of people bonded by a pro-equity worldview — fighting for an economy and democracy that are more progressive.”

Institute spokesperson Meredith MacKenzie de Silva said the nonprofit is “not affiliated in any way with the Roosevelt Society PAC.”

“The Institute was not aware of the use of its URL by this PAC and is taking immediate action to stop it,” she said in a statement Thursday.

MacKenzie de Silva told Rhode Island Current the institute does have a PAC, but it’s called “Roosevelt Forward.”

“But we haven’t produced or paid for any political ads this cycle,” she said. “We have done some pretty wonky writing on economic proposals.”

State Rep. Patricia Morgan, a West Warwick Republican, descends a staircase at the Rhode Island State House floor in an ad aired by Roosevelt Society Action, a super PAC formed last September. (Screenshot/Roosevelt Society Action)

Why spend in Rhode Island?

Though perplexed as to why Roosevelt Society Action has a sudden interest in Rhode Island’s U.S. Senate race, Ulricksen, the CCRI professor, has his theory: super PACs make money.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United ruling in 2010, Ulricksen said an industry has grown around super PACs and political nonprofits. OpenSecrets found over 2,400 super PACs have raised over $4.2 billion this election cycle, with $2.5 billion spent as of Oct. 30.

“The amount of money we spend on elections here in the United States is frankly quite sickening,” Ulricksen said. “It’s almost not even about the candidates anymore.”

Instead, he said the industry is more about self-styled consultants who pitch to deep-pocketed people who either know little about politics or might be passionate about a single issue or candidate. Those consultants can then take commission from expenditures from either production studios or printers they own.

“And that’s what makes it so difficult to put this cork back in the bottle — so many people are making money,” he said.

Another reason for the Roosevelt Society’s focus on Rhode Island is that right-leaning groups want Whitehouse to spend more money on his own race instead of transferring funds to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to spend on tighter elections such as the race between Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and GOP challenger Tim Sheehy.

“This could be an unofficially coordinated action,” Ulricksen said. “Never underestimate the banality or drollness of rich Americans to think that they can use their money to influence something.”

The Whitehouse campaign has spent $1.1 million toward TV ads since the summer, according to FCC filings.

The case of the unknown footage

The Roosevelt Society Action ad begins with stills of Whitehouse against a fiery background that shows the U.S. Capitol bathed in red. Glitchy visual overlays and ominous audio accompany the scene, before the voiceover proclaims,“It’s time for real change.”

Enter Morgan, who is seen in a montage of professionally-filmed clips where she strolls the white marble steps of the Rhode Island State House, works at her office desk and meets with constituents, some of them college students. The b-roll has a clearly staged quality and looks crisp in comparison to the Photoshopped inferno the ad uses to depict Whitehouse. But where the footage originated is unclear.

FEC rules prohibit campaigns from directly coordinating with super PACs, though there is some gray area on what can be done. Candidates in the past have uploaded b-roll to their YouTube channels, for PACs to later pick up and edit.

But none of the footage in Roosevelt Society’s ad was on any of Morgan’s social media pages. It’s certainly not from the Rhode Island House Minority Office, Chief of Staff Sue Stenhouse said Thursday.

Morgan, who represented the House District 26 seat from 2011 to 2019, returned to the General Assembly in 2021 after an unsuccessful run for governor. She is one of nine State House Republicans, but has not caucused with the party since her return.

“She’s not part of our caucus and that was by her decision,” Stenhouse said.

Stenhouse said the footage could have been shot for ads during Morgan’s 2018 gubernatorial bid. Morgan lost the primary 56.4% to 40.1% to then-Cranston Mayor Allan Fung (who went on to lose to Gina Raimondo in the general election).

Morgan confirmed the video clips are “older footage” from her time in the State House. But she was clueless as to how the Roosevelt Society obtained it.

“They didn’t contact me, I have no idea,” she said. “I honestly have no idea — I’m just happy that they’re here.”

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Rhode Island

Body Found Near Bike Path In Cranston

Published

10 hours ago

October 31, 2024

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CRANSTON, RI — A body was found near a bike path in Cranston on Wednesday morning, according to police.

Police said the man’s body was found at the bike path near Tongue Pond and Garfield Street. Cranston police have not identified the body.

Police said they called the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.

Find out what’s happening in Cranstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

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Rhode Island

These are the 10 General Assembly races to watch on election night

Published

18 hours ago

October 31, 2024

Press Room

These are the 10 General Assembly races to watch on election night

To find the most compelling Rhode Island General Assembly elections this year, follow Interstate 295.

The House and Senate races in large chunks of the state may be barely contested, but there’s a swath of competitive campaigns in Providence’s western suburbs that roughly trace the path of the highway. Start in Warwick (including some West Warwick) and head north to Cranston (cut through on Route 37 to save some time) up into Johnston and finally Smithfield.

These communities feature moderate to right-of-center electorates and a number of incumbent-free seats opened up by retirements plus one primary upset.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will probably claim all four of Rhode Island’s Electoral College votes, but whether voter enthusiasm favors her or Republican Donald Trump will have a knock-on effect for down-ballot races often decided by a few hundred, or as little as a few dozen, votes.

Of the 113 seats in the General Assembly, 43 are contested on Nov. 5.

Could Republicans gain a foothold in the General Assembly?

The results of those will not shift the House or Senate out of Democratic control, due to the party’s overwhelming majorities.

Republicans are hoping turnout for Trump will help to grow their nine-member House caucus and five-member Senate caucus.

But three GOP House incumbents are not running for reelection, making it likely that Republicans will have to flip a seat or two just to maintain the current head count.

Of course, not all of the close races this year touch I-295.

The House District 39 rematch between Democrat Megan Cotter and Republican Justin Price is taking place in the western woodlands of Exeter, Richmond and Hopkinton.

In Pawtucket, Lori Urso is the favorite and Democratic nominee to replace Sen. Sandra Cano, but being placed on the ballot by allies of Mayor Donald Grebien rubbed some the wrong way. She faces independent Cathyann Palocsik in Senate District 8.

Here are 10 races to watch on Tuesday.

Johnston

Kelsey Coletta (D) vs. Richard Fascia (R) in House District 42

Coletta was the only candidate to oust a General Assembly incumbent in the September primary but she faces a tough battle against Fascia in this fairly conservative district, which narrowly favored Trump in the 2020 presidential race. (It includes a slice of northern Cranston.)

Fascia is a former Providence police sergeant who has served on the Johnston Zoning Board and says his opposition to a 55,000-panel solar farm was “perhaps my proudest moment.”

The top issue on his website is “repealing legislation that has taken all oversight away from local zoning boards.”

Coletta is the daughter of Tiverton Rep. John Edwards and is backed by the progressive Working Families Party and several labor unions, including the Service Employees International Union.

She has not received much help from the town Democratic machine led by Mayor Joseph Polisena Jr., who leans further right.

Policing issues have been central in the race, particularly after Coletta received an early endorsement from the International Brotherhood of Police Officers.

When it was pulled back Fascia argued in a door hanger it was because of her support for safe injection sites.

Coletta noted that the union, now neutral, is still not endorsing Fascia despite him being a former police officer.

Deborah Fellela (D) vs. Nick Grasso (R) in House 43

This neighboring district just to the north is even more Republican-leaning, which could put it in play if there is a big night for Trump.

Fellela, who has been in the House since 2007, is on the conservative side of the Democratic caucus and pro-life.

She beat Grasso by 180 votes two years ago.

Andrew Dimitri (D) vs. Karin Gorman (R) in Senate District 25

The death of former Sen. Frank Lombardo opened this seat, and Dimitri, a lawyer, won a hard-fought three-way primary to get the Democratic nomination.

Gorman is vice president of Rhode Islanders for Immigration Law Enforcement (RIILE), “an organization that helps raise the awareness of the general public and public officials about the financial and social impact of illegal aliens on our state.”

Cranston

Jennifer Caputi (R) vs. Todd Patalano (D) in Senate District 26

Criminal justice policy was a flashpoint in the legislature last session, particularly around the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, and several candidates in key 2024 races come from policing backgrounds.

Patalano is second in command of the Cranston Police Department, a position he has held since 2014, when the department, riven by factional infighting and a ticketing scandal, was briefly taken over by the Rhode Island State Police and the previous leadership regime forced out.

Patalano, who spent nearly two years on paid leave on accusations from the old chief that he’d doctored civilian complaints statistics, later sued the city for mistreatment and won a $300,000 settlement, plus the promotion.

The Senate 26 seat is open due to the retirement of Sen. Frank Lombardi, who contributed to Patalano’s campaign along with Senate President Dominick Ruggerio. Patalano attended a gathering in Ruggerio’s office the week before the election held to show support for his leadership.

Caputi is a lawyer and newcomer to politics.

“I will be a strong conservative voice against progressive policies and one-party control. I proudly support small businesses, law enforcement, the pro-life movement, and the Second Amendment, reflecting the majority of voters in my district,” Caputi wrote in an email.

Maria Bucci (D) vs. Christopher Paplauskas (R) in House District 15

For many State House watchers, this district in Oaklawn and western Cranston will long be connected to former Democratic speaker Nicholas Mattiello and his travails holding a seat in GOP territory.

Of course, the dam broke in 2020 when Mattiello fell to Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung in a year when 46% of the House 15 electorate voted for Biden.

After Fenton-Fung ran unsuccessfully for Cranston mayor, the seat is back up for grabs.

Republican Paplauskas is the Ward 5 city councilman and hoping that turnout for fellow Republican Ken Hopkins, whom he backed in the primary against Fenton-Fung in the mayoral primary, will spill over into the House race.

Bucci ran for mayor herself four years ago and lost to Hopkins by eight points. In 2021 she was elected chair of the Cranston Democratic City Committee and earlier this year was involved in the controversial replacement of a Democratic council member.

West Warwick and Coventry

Jeffrey Fisher (R) vs. Vincent Marzullo (I) vs. Earl Read III (D) in House District 26

Longtime Republican Rep. Patricia Morgan’s bid for the U.S. Senate against Sheldon Whitehouse has created an opening in this boomerang-shaped district split between West Warwick, Coventry and a small chunk of western Warwick.

Despite being held by the GOP for years, the district was narrowly carried by Biden in 2020, making this a potential Democratic opportunity. Former House speaker and now uber lobbyist William Murphy represented the district for years.

Democrat Read is a former Warwick police officer who lives in Coventry.

But independent Marzullo, who has run for the seat twice before and is perhaps best known for volunteer work at Hasbro Children’s Hospital entertaining children as the “Monopoly Man,” is the only candidate endorsed by a gubernatorial candidate.

Former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, who is expected to run again for governor in 2026, was shown smiling beside the mustachioed Marzullo “encouraging you to consider my good friend, Vin Marzullo, as your next RI State Rep,” in a post from Marzullo’s social media. “For more than 50 years, Vin has worked tirelessly in federal/state government with integrity.”

Republican Fisher is from West Warwick, the largest part of the district, and running for office for the first time. He admitted to reckless driving in a 2012 crash on Interstate 495 in Massachusetts while driving a dump truck for National Grid.

Warwick

James McElroy (D) vs. Marie Hopkins (R) in House 21

Republican Hopkins is taking a second crack at winning this House seat in the shadow of Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport, and the Airport Road Trump Store location that was a popular site for rallies four years ago.

In 2022, Hopkins looked like one of the GOP’s best prospects for flipping a non-open House seat, but incumbent Democratic Rep. Camille Vella-Wilkinson pulled out a 38-vote squeaker.

Vella-Wilkinson decided not to run again, and Hopkins, a nurse whose yard signs feature a stethoscope shaped into a heart, hopes this year she’ll break through.

Democrat McElroy is leaving the City Council to run for state representative.

Among his eight donors this year are House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, the Warwick fire and police unions and former Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld.

Anthony DeLuca II (R) vs. Peter Appollonio Jr. (D) Senate 29

The glass-half-full side of being a small legislative minority for Republicans is they don’t have many seats for Democrats to target.

One that could be in play is this seat the GOP flipped in 2022 after former Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey retired.

That year, Senate Democrats’ hand-picked candidate lost in the primary after questions emerged about whether he lived in the district.

But party leadership didn’t lift a finger to help progressive Democrat Jennifer Rourke, and DeLuca won by 5 points.

The Democratic establishment is fully behind Appollonio, a retired West Warwick police officer.

Smithfield

Bernie Hawkins (D) vs. Paul Santucci (R) in House District 53

Hawkins lost this House seat by 89 votes to GOP Rep. Brian Rea in 2022, but Rea decided not to go for a second term.

Santucci, the GOP nominee to replace Rea, ran for state Senate in 2022 and lost a fairly close race to Sen. David Tikoian.

Warren

June Speakman (D) vs. John Hanley (I) in House District 68

This race appears to be all about housing policy.

Speakman chairs the House Affordable Housing study commission from which a number of Shekarchi’s pro-homebuilding bills have emerged.

Hanley is the Warren Town Council president and Pawtucket building inspector who says he wants to roll back at least some of the state’s affordable-housing laws.

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Rhode Island

A fight erupts over ‘garbage’ in the last moments of the presidential campaign • Rhode Island Current

Published

1 day ago

October 30, 2024

Press Room

A fight erupts over ‘garbage’ in the last moments of the presidential campaign • Rhode Island Current

The fallout from a comedian’s racially charged joke at a rally for former President Donald Trump continued Wednesday as the campaign for the presidency raced toward its final weekend, with Democrats on the defensive about President Joe Biden’s reaction to the joke.

Republicans claimed Biden labeled Trump supporters as “garbage,” while Democrats insisted Biden was being misinterpreted, and a battle over the placement of an apostrophe in Biden’s comment spread from the White House briefing room to campaign stops.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday further clarified Biden’s comment, made on a Tuesday evening call to rally Latino voters. Biden brought up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s remark at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage.”

“They’re good, decent, honorable people,” Biden said Tuesday of Puerto Ricans who live in his home state of Delaware. “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”

An initial White House transcript of the call placed an apostrophe after the word “supporters,” making its meaning about multiple Trump supporters. A later transcript placed the possessive inside the word, so it read as “supporter’s,” making it about a single supporter, Hinchcliffe.

Biden posted on X Tuesday evening that was his intent.

“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden’s post read. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, also told reporters early Wednesday that it was wrong to disparage people over political affiliation, while noting Biden clarified he referred only to Hinchcliffe. The flap over Biden’s comments came just as Harris was giving her “closing argument” speech on the Ellipse on Tuesday night before a crowd in the tens of thousands.

“Let me be clear,” she said. “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”

Latino voters in general and Puerto Ricans in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania in particular are seen as a crucial voting bloc in the closing days of the campaign, and both campaigns are trying to get their support.

Jean-Pierre said from the White House briefing room Wednesday that Biden does not think Trump supporters are “garbage.”

“What I can say is that the president wanted to make sure that his words were not being taken out of context,” she said. “And so he wanted to clarify, and that’s what you heard from the president. He was very aware. And I would say I think it’s really important that you have a president that cares about clarifying what they said.”

Trump repeatedly has said the United States is the “garbage can of the world” as a result of Biden’s immigration policies.

Rubio: Harris camp should apologize

But Trump and other Republicans jumped on Biden’s remark, immediately comparing it to 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s comment that many Trump supporters comprised “a basket of deplorables.” That comment was seen as damaging to Clinton’s campaign against Trump.

At a Tuesday evening Trump rally in Pennsylvania, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida disclosed news of Biden’s statement.

“I hope their campaign is about to apologize for what Joe Biden just said,” Rubio said. “We are not garbage. We are patriots who love America.”

“Wow, that’s terrible,” Trump added. “Remember Hillary, she said deplorable, and then she said irredeemable, right? But she said deplorable. That didn’t work out. Garbage I think is worse, right?”

Harris brings closing argument in N.C.

At a Wednesday afternoon rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Harris echoed some of the themes she sounded in the “closing argument” speech she gave Tuesday night.

She urged voters in the battleground state to “turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump, who has been trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other.”

She said Trump was focused on personal grievances and seeking revenge on political opponents, while she would work toward improving voters’ lives.

“There are many big differences between he and I,” she said. “But I would say a major contrast is this: If he is elected, on day one, Donald Trump will walk into that office with an enemies list. When I am elected, I will walk in with a to-do list.”

First on her list would be lowering the costs of health care, child care and other expenses for families, she said.

Harris appealed directly to disaffected Republicans, saying she would seek common ground with those she disagrees with. That approach, she said, was also in contrast to Trump, who used charged language to describe his opponents and pledged to retaliate against them.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy,” she said. “He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table. And I pledge to be a president for all Americans, and to always put country above party and self.”

Harris won another endorsement from a nationally known Republican Wednesday, with former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger saying he would vote for her despite policy disagreements.

Trump also campaigned in North Carolina on Wednesday, in Rocky Mount, a town in a more rural part of the state about 50 miles east of Raleigh.

He said his campaign was a welcoming one to all races and religions and said Harris was the one running “a campaign of hate” toward Trump and his supporters, while lobbing an insult at the vice president.

“Kamala, a low-IQ individual, is running a campaign of hate, anger and retribution,” he said, repeating a term he has used for her before.

Election integrity

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee said Wednesday they won a court case in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, over early voting hours, RNC officials said on a call Wednesday afternoon.

A judge in the key swing county extended the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot after some voters said that long lines forced them to miss the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline.

On the press call, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a Trump supporter had been arrested after telling people in line near the deadline to remain in line.

Party officials, including Trump’s daughter-in-law, RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump, said the result bolstered their confidence in a free and fair election.

“We want to make people all across this country feel good about the process of voting in the United States of America,” Lara Trump said. “It is so foundational to who we are as a country that we trust our electoral process and this type of work allows exactly for that.”

Lara Trump said the party was “incredibly confident” in its staffers dedicated to ensuring the election is fair.

The issue has been a major priority for Republicans since Donald Trump and others claimed, without evidence, that election fraud caused his 2020 re-election loss.

That claim was rejected in scores of courts and a federal grand jury indicted Trump on four felony counts for using the election fraud lie to inspire the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump and allies have also speculated that his political opponents would seek to use illegal means, including voting by noncitizens, this year.

But in a departure from that rhetoric Wednesday, the RNC officials voiced confidence that the 2024 results would be trustworthy.

“I think it’s really important that we get the word spread loud and clear that we are taking this seriously, that you can trust American elections,” Lara Trump said. “In 2024, we want to re-establish any trust that may have been lost previously.”

Ashley Murray contributed to this report.

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