Politics
Arizona police org endorsing Trump crosses aisle to back progressive Dem in close Senate race
![Arizona police org endorsing Trump crosses aisle to back progressive Dem in close Senate race Arizona police org endorsing Trump crosses aisle to back progressive Dem in close Senate race](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2167281175-scaled.jpg)
The Arizona Police Association (APA) turned heads recently by endorsing liberal Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego in Arizona’s U.S. Senate race, despite Gallego’s controversial history on law enforcement issues and the APA’s simultaneous support of former President Donald Trump.
“Congressman Gallego has continually fought for robust, increased funding for America’s Law Enforcement, and specifically Arizona Law enforcement,” the APA said in a statement Monday, arguing that Gallego helped secure $168 billion in “direct support of police officers so that they have the personnel and equipment needed.”
The move to back the Democrat over Republican Kari Lake comes despite the organization endorsing Lake’s bid for governor during the last election cycle and just days after it announced its endorsement of Trump in the presidential race.
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U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake speaks during a campaign rally of former President Donald Trump at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images)
“As a Marine combat veteran, we know Congressman Gallego understands the complexities of modern policing in American society today, while at the same time recognizing the public’s expectations,” APA President Justin Harris said in a statement posted to X.
“I am proud to have the APA’s support and look forward to working with them in the Senate to ensure Arizona’s law enforcement officers have the resources necessary to combat fentanyl trafficking, train the next generation of officers, and, above all, keep Arizona families safe,” Gallego said in a statement attached to the APA release.
The move also comes as Gallego’s record on police issues has come under increased scrutiny, including an Arizona Sun Times report last week that detailed the lawmaker’s record and statements on law enforcement.
In one instance detailed by the report, Gallego argued for restrictions on police use of certain weapons because they “don’t know how to use” them in a “safe manner.” In another instance, he posted on social media about his effort to restrict police departments from being able to access military gear.
![Kari Lake at podium of 2024 RNC, closeup shot](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/07/1200/675/RNC-Donald-Trump-Day-2_26.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake speaks during Day 2 of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
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The report also detailed Gallego’s history of social media posts in support of Black Lives Matter in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in 2020, including one post in which he argued that protesters “aren’t the bad guy” and that “the bad guys were the one behind the police line.”
“Signing major reforms into law & transforming the culture of law enforcement remains a matter of life & death, especially for Black communities,” the Arizona lawmaker said in a separate post on the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death. “We cannot stop fighting for racial justice.”
The APA’s decision was blasted by Lake’s campaign, which has made public safety a centerpiece of the race in Arizona.
“Ruben Gallego supported defunding the police and vilified law enforcement while serving in Congress,” a Lake spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “He supports open borders and is weak on crime. Kari Lake will always back the blue and support law enforcement and safe communities.”
![Democratic Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/01/1200/675/gallego.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. (ill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Nevertheless, the APA opted to back Gallego, noting his support for legislation such as the Invest to Protect Act and Enhancing COPS Hiring Program Grants for Local Law Enforcement Act.
“The APA does not take our endorsements lightly; we recognize the importance of having a U.S. senator that can bring people together to improve society for all,” he added. “We believe Congressman Gallego will be that U.S. Senator.”
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Gallego referred Fox News Digital to the lawmaker’s statement in the APA release. The APA did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Politics
Where Kamala Harris' campaign saw most support from new donors
![Where Kamala Harris' campaign saw most support from new donors Where Kamala Harris' campaign saw most support from new donors](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/83b4f55/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3744x1966+0+265/resize/1200x630!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1b%2F3f%2F473140044e8e9ffd6ee4b871e4f0%2F1472058-la-pol-dnc-rcg561.jpg)
More than 1.5 million donors opened their wallets for the first time in July to support Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the early days of her campaign.
Nearly $184 million flooded into Harris’ presidential campaign committees from individual donors since President Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, according to a Times analysis of Federal Election Commission filings released last week. Harris raised nearly a third of Biden’s total with more than 2.6 million contributions averaging $69, $41 less than Biden’s average contribution.
July 21 and 22 were the biggest fundraising days in the entire campaign cycle. Most of that boost came from small dollar contributions, under $200.
Biden’s exit and Harris’ ascendance sparked an immediate wave of enthusiasm. On the night of the 21st, members of Win With Black Women held a Zoom in support that attracted an estimated 90,000 viewers. Younger generations that the Democrats had struggled to engage flocked to the Harris campaign with viral memes that have flooded social media platforms such as TikTok. Both women and young voters are critical groups that Harris needs to vote to win in November.
Nearly 70% of her support was from donors who had not given previously to President Biden in this election cycle, according to a Times analysis of July fundraising reports released Aug. 20.
Every single state saw more than half of its contributions come from new donors. The biggest increases were in the South and Midwest.
Overall the most money came from large metropolitan areas on the coasts. The New York, San Francisco, Washington and Los Angeles metro areas donated a combined $48.7 million to Harris from July 21 to 31.
In Los Angeles, heavily Latino areas on the Eastside and white neighborhoods in Silver Lake and Echo Park had many first-time donors. Many Asian-majority neighborhoods in Long Beach and the Valley stepped up for the first time for the first major presidential candidate of Indian heritage. Around the county, South Asian donors gave $2.4 million in the first days of her campaign. A similar pattern of excitement can be seen in Little Indias across the country, in Edison, N.J.; Queens, N.Y; and areas around Devon Avenue in Chicago.
![Map of share of new Harris donors in the San Francisco / Bay area](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7f6fd5a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5001x5001+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Faf%2F56%2F151ded8845e1ac2e612aa61bc9c0%2Fsmall-maps-san-francisco.png)
In San Francisco, 70% of donors were new in Noe Valley, which is home to many young white families. Some Latino and Black majority ZIP Codes near San Leandro saw a similar shift towards new donors. Harris seems to be drawing on renewed enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket in majority Black areas: ZIP codes around Compton in L.A. and Oakland saw big increases in new donors.
In the first 11 days that Harris was endorsed as presidential nominee, she raised almost half of what Biden raised since the beginning of 2023 from Atlanta. Areas with high percentages of Black residents saw big increases in new donors. The swing state of Georgia is a critical voting bloc, with a large proportion of Black voters and working-class families.
Donors from the Charlotte metro area in North Carolina poured in more than $745,000 for Harris in new donations. These areas are majority Black and mostly lower income. Seventy percent of donors in the state were new and they brought in a total of $3.3 million for Harris.
Share of Harris donors that had not contributed this campaign cycle
ZIP Code demographics
More than a third Black residents
More than a third Latino residents
Majority Black and Latino areas in the South and West sides of Chicago gave heavily to Harris. New donors nearly tripled in the majority Black Hyde Park area.
In New York, majority Latino and Black ZIP codes in the Bronx, Harlem and Brooklyn saw three new donors for every returning donor. In the South Bronx ZIP Code 10454, where the population is 70% Latino and 25% Black, 86% of Harris donations were from new donors.
In neighboring New Jersey, a comparable pattern can be seen in the eastern part of Newark. The area is home to young lower- to middle-income Latinos.
This boost in new donors is especially important in swing states like Arizona, where a wave of new donors from middle-class, majority Latino communities in the Phoenix area showed their support for Harris. South of Phoenix, in Laveen, 83% of support came from new donors. Some contributions came from Republican-leaning areas.
Texas is a majority Republican state with blue pockets in Austin and Houston. Just west of Houston, near Katy, Harris donations spiked in areas that voted heavily for Donald Trump in 2020. The Latino and Black area south of Houston, around Rosharon, previously gave less than $1,000, but new support for Harris grew to more than $10,500.
Since the filings only include contributions through July, the data won’t show the impact that running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has had fundraising in working-class areas. Both Madison, Wis. and the Minneapolis area had twice as many new donors as returning donors. On Aug. 20, Harris and Walz visited left-leaning Milwaukee, an area that’s given $520,000 in new donations.
After the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week, it seems like the energy is only growing. The Harris campaign said it’s raised $540 million in August, with a surge of support after her DNC speech. The campaign said nearly a third of contributions during the convention week were first-time contributors.
Politics
Trump threatens to quit Kamala debate after RFK backs him, denounces media
![Trump threatens to quit Kamala debate after RFK backs him, denounces media Trump threatens to quit Kamala debate after RFK backs him, denounces media](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/trump_harris_rfk.jpg)
The debate over debates tells us a great deal about the state of the presidential race.
If only we could figure out what it is.
Donald Trump, by slamming “ABC FAKE NEWS,” suggested he may pull out of the Sept. 10 faceoff. He said yesterday at a Vietnamese restaurant in Virginia that it was Kamala Harris who is trying to back out of the debate.
A top Harris campaign official, Michael Tyler, responded on MSNBC that the vice president is actually anxious to debate and he thought all the issues had been worked out.
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My best read is that the debate will happen and that this is the kind of last-minute negotiation for which Trump is renowned.
Remember, this debate was worked out with Joe Biden, whose first encounter with Trump, which the president demanded, was such a disaster that it knocked him out of the race. That led to Harris as the substitute nominee, which was not a “coup” – it’s clear that Trump misses Biden – because nobody ran against Kamala.
A good rule of thumb is that the candidate who is perceived to be behind, or to have lost momentum, wants the debate more urgently.
With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abandoning his longshot presidential bid to join team Trump, the state of the race is anybody’s guess – and incredibly hard to gauge. (Left: Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Right: Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images; Inset: Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
At the CNN debate, Biden insisted that the microphones be muted for the candidate who wasn’t recognized to speak. He was obviously trying to avoid a repeat of their first 2020 encounter, when Trump constantly talked over him.
But now Kamala is insisting that the mikes be kept live no matter who is speaking. Her campaign says this will demonstrate that Trump isn’t capable of acting “presidential” for 90 minutes.
Another way to look at it: If the former president does constantly interrupt her, it will remind people what they don’t like about him – and could seem more rude when up against a woman of color. Then she can complain that he trampled on her.
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In fairness, though, what Harris wants now is the way it’s been in virtually every presidential fall debate. It was the CNN debate, at the insistence of the 81-year-old Biden, that was the exception.
Is this dispute enough to derail the thing? Again, I doubt it.
Here’s what Trump had to say (and he’s back tweeting!):
“I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning, both lightweight reporter Jonathan Carl’s (K?) ridiculous and biased interview of Tom Cotton (who was fantastic!), and their so-called Panel of Trump Haters, and I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?…
![Republican Presidential candidate, former U.S. president, Donald Trump.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/Trump-Vegas.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Trump slammed ABC and other mainstream outlets in a Truth Social tirade suggesting he may not participate in his scheduled Sept. 10 debate with Vice President Harris. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Will panelist Donna Brazil[e] give the questions to the Marxist Candidate like she did for Crooked Hillary Clinton? Will Kamala’s best friend, who heads up ABC, do likewise.” After making fun of the name of George Stephanopoulos – who will not be involved in the debate – Trump says: They’ve got a lot of questions to answer!!! Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!”
The ABC panel that drew Trump’s ire was Karl, Politico’s Jonanthan Martin and Rachael Bade, and contributor Donna Brazile.
The 45th president, who is facing an overwhelmingly hostile press corps, may also be trying to grab some attention after a month of pro-Kamala coverage. The Democratic convention was successful by almost any measure, including Harris’ speech, but when Rachel Maddow said that she and others at the MSNBC mothership “stood up and cheered” over Tim Walz’s appearance, that was rather striking.
What’s equally fascinating is how many pundits defended Biden’s mental acuity, but now, with Trump running against a 59-year-old woman, are trying to portray him as having lost a few steps.
Most journalists and commentators have displayed little interest in Harris’ refusal to do interviews, with some even saying she shouldn’t because things are going so well. Her deputy campaign manager told me on “Media Buzz” that the first one would be by Aug. 31, and we’ll see if it’s with a sympathetic liberal.
Trump, meanwhile, did two lengthy news conferences in about a week – and MSNBC refused to take the second one live, with their pundits saying he lies all the time anyway.
RFK JR QUITS, DENOUNCES MEDIA
RFK Jr. stepped on Harris’ post-convention vibe fest by dropping out and endorsing Trump, which certainly could help him at least marginally in such a close race. MSNBC, again, refused to take Kennedy’s presser live. Now does anyone seriously believe that if RFK had endorsed Kamala Harris, the network wouldn’t have aired it live – and immediately invited him on?
Kennedy fans are welcome to vote for him, although his siblings called his Trump endorsement the ultimate betrayal. His response was to scapegoat the media:
“ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC and CNN combined gave only two live interviews. Those networks instead ran a continuous deluge of hit pieces with inaccurate, often vile audios and defamatory smears …
“Your institutions have made themselves government mouthpieces and stenographers for the organs of power.”
![RFK Jr.](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/05/1200/675/GettyImages-2150540423.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
RFK Jr.’s withdrawal from the race effectively neutered the post-convention morale bump anticipated for Harris. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Many interviews are pretaped, but the reason the networks gave RFK little airtime is he was a fringe candidate with no plausible hope of winning a single state. He was certainly a colorful candidate – saying he had a brain worm, covering up how he put a dead bear carcass in his car that he planned to eat for dinner – but that’s something entirely different.
And consider this: RFK ran as a Democrat, then an independent. He tried to make a deal with both Kamala and Trump to trade his endorsement for the promise of a top health care job if either won. That didn’t work out.
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So he endorsed Trump anyway without a job promise, unless there was a wink and a nod.
Doesn’t that raise questions about what Kennedy actually stands for?
Now, as such speakers as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama warned, Harris faces a tough two months where Republicans will relentlessly attack her record and particularly the left-wing positions from 2020 that she changed without explanation.
Some analysts say she calls herself the underdog as a way of positioning herself as the change candidate, but she is in fact the underdog.
Politics
Trump keeps flip-flopping on abortion. American women are so over that
A friend of mine is having problems with her ex.
Charismatic, rich and famous, and also can’t commit.
Back in 1999, when he was first infatuated with my friend — let’s call her “Choice” — he went on “Meet the Press” and told the nation over and over that Choice was the one for him.
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LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports and navigating life in America.
Then, when he started thinking about public office again in 2011, he split up with Choice and started dating Pro-Life.
It happens. And breakups can be ugly. But this guy went to an extreme.
By 2016, Donald Trump (you guessed the guy was Trump, right?) was suggesting women should be punished for exercising their right to choose. After the House passed a national ban on abortion in 2017, this guy not only applauded the bill but also spent a good chunk of 2018 trying to get the Senate to follow suit. In fact he was the first sitting president to address the March for Life convention, saying “send it to my desk for signing.” It was a handful of votes short.
Hard to believe. I don’t know what Choice ever saw in the guy, because he’s all over the place.
“American women are not stupid,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said recently about this presidential election, noting that 14 states have essentially banned abortion since Roe vs. Wade was overturned by Trump-appointed justices. “We are not going to trust the futures of our daughters and granddaughters to two men who have openly bragged about blocking access to abortion for women all across the country.”
In 2022, he crowed about what his Supreme Court had done. Now it’s 2024, and he’s struggling to meet younger women at the polls, so he’s back to making empty promises to impress Choice — with his campaign claiming he would veto any national ban. This from the guy who almost managed to push one through.
Total user.
He had his wingman, Sen. JD Vance, go on “Meet the Press” on Sunday to clarify the former president’s history with Choice — something that had to be done only because he has been in and out of the relationship for 25 years.
“It’s important to step back and say, ‘What has Donald Trump actually said on the abortion question?’ ” Vance said.
OK, let’s do it.
In 1999, on “Meet the Press” when Trump was considering a run for the White House, then-host Tim Russert asked him whether he would ban abortions, and he said he would not.
In fact, Trump repeatedly said he was pro-choice. Even “very pro-choice.”
But to win the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, he couldn’t be. So, he dumped Choice and said those who seek an abortion should have “some form of punishment.” One Trump term later, and that is the reality facing 2 in 5 women in this country. That’s why I keep wondering why Choice would trust him again.
Or anyone like him. Because it must be said: The chaos that has ensued since Roe was overturned is not only Trump’s fault.
Republicans targeted that decision for 50 years, and for the most part, with the same amount of critical thinking and thoughtfulness demonstrated by Trump. One member of Congress, Todd Akin, infamously said pregnancies caused by rape need not be excluded from abortion bans, because “if it’s legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” That was in 2012. A decade later, to receive an abortion, a 10-year-old rape victim in Indiana was reportedly forced to travel to Ohio.
Vance, who will never be in a position to make that choice himself, wasn’t happy about it.
“Look, I think two wrongs don’t make a right,” he said regarding exceptions for rape or incest. He also used the word “inconveniences” when characterizing the decision. As if carrying a pregnancy to term would be a mere “inconvenience” to a fifth-grader.
This weekend on “Meet the Press,” Vance also said: “No Republican with any reasonable power is saying that we should have a complete national abortion ban,” despite the fact that for 40 years a federal abortion ban has been part of the Republican Party’s platform.
It was removed just last month, at the request of Trump. He is trying to get back together with my friend Choice so he can get back in the White House.
But Choice needs more than talk. Choice needs a partner who is willing to commit.
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