خفف البنك المركزي المصري من قيود تدبير الدولار لاستيراد السلع غير الأساسية عبر الموافقة للبنوك على تدبير العملة للاعتمادات المستندية لاستيراد قائمة تضم 13 سلعة أبرزها السيارات دون اشتراط الحصول على الموافقة المسبقة من المركزي، وفق مصادر مصرفية.
عندما انطلق السباق الانتخابي الأميركي، كان الجميع يُدرك أنه سيكون استثنائياً لجهة هوية المرشّحَين، وحجم الاستقطاب، وسلسلة الأزمات الدولية العالقة. لكن أحداً لم يتوقّع أن يعجز مراكز الاستطلاعات عن رصد توجّه الناخبين قبل 48 ساعة من موعد الاقتراع العام، وبعد إدلاء أكثر من 70 مليون أميركي بأصواتهم مبكّراً.
بيد أن التقارب الكبير بين ترمب وهاريس، في استطلاعات الرأي على مستوى الولايات المتأرجحة، يفتح الباب أمام عدّة مسارات للفوز بالبيت الأبيض، تمرّ غالبيتها ببعض، أو جلّ، ولايات «حزام الصدأ» الصناعي؛ التي تشمل بنسلفانيا وميشيغان وويسكونسن، و«حزام الشمس» الذي يضمّ الولايتين المتأرجحتين أريزونا ونيفادا.
وفي ما يلي ملفّ يُفصّل مسار كل من المرشّح الجمهوري ومنافسته الديمقراطية إلى البيت الأبيض:
نأت نائبة الرئيس الأميركي والمرشحة الديمقراطية للانتخابات الرئاسية كامالا هاريس بنفسها، الأربعاء، عن تعليقات الرئيس الأميركي جو بايدن التي بدا فيها أنه يصف أنصار المرشح الرئاسي الجمهوري دونالد ترمب بأنهم “قمامة”، ما أثار عاصفة سياسية قبل أقل من أسبوع على الانتخابات الرئاسية الأميركية.
وقالت هاريس، إنها “تختلف بشدة” مع انتقاد الأشخاص بناءً على قرارهم لمن سيصوتون له، وذلك في أول رد فعل علني من قبلها، حسبما ذكرت مجلة “بولتيكو” الأميركية.
وأضافت في حديثها إلى الصحافيين قبل الصعود على متن الطائرة الرئاسية الثانية: “لقد سمعتم خطابي الليلة الماضية، واستمررت طوال مسيرتي المهنية، أعتقد أن العمل الذي أقوم به يتعلق بتمثيل جميع الناس، سواء كانوا يدعمونني أم لا. وبصفتي رئيسة للولايات المتحدة، سأكون رئيسة لجميع الأميركيين، سواء صوتت لي أم لا. هذه مسؤوليتي، وهذا هو نوع العمل الذي قمت به طوال مسيرتي المهنية. وأنا أتعامل مع الأمر بجدية شديدة”.
وقالت نائبة الرئيس إن “بايدن اتصل بها الليلة الماضية، لكنهما لم يتطرقا إلى الموضوع”، وفقاً للمجلة.
وأكدت هاريس في حديثها لشبكة ABC NEWS أنها تهتم بكافة الشعب الأميركي قائلة” إنني أتعامل بجدية شديدة مع التزاماتي وقسمي بالاهتمام أولاً باحتياجات الشعب الأميركي ووضعها قبل أي قضايا أنانية قد تكون لي”.
وفي السياق نفسه، سعت السكرتيرة الصحافية للبيت الأبيض كارين جان بيير للحد من الأضرار التي أحدثها تعليق بايدن، عندما تعرضت لوابل من الأسئلة خلال مؤتمر صحافي، الأربعاء.
وقالت جان بيير:”لا، إنه لا ينظر إلى أنصار ترمب أو أي شخص يدعم ترمب على أنهم قمامة”.
وقال ترمب الأربعاء، إن جو بايدن ونائبته كامالا هاريس لا يمكنهما أن يقودا أميركا “إذا لم يكونا يحبان الأميركيين”.
وأضاف: “ردي على جو وكامالا بسيط للغاية. لا يمكنكما أن تقودا أميركا إذا لم تكونا تحبا الأميركيين. ولا يمكنك أن تكون رئيساً إذا كنت تكره الشعب الأميركي”.
إبعاد بايدن عن الأنظار
وذكر مصدر لشبكة CNN أن بعض مسؤولي حملة هاريس، اقترحوا إيجاد طريقة لإبعاد الرئيس عن الأنظار في الأيام الستة الأخيرة التي تسبق يوم الانتخابات.
وقال أحد المسؤولين السابقين: “إن زلة بايدن كانت مثيرة للغضب الشديد”، فيما رفض أحد مستشاري الحملة أي احتمالية لخسارة ناخب واحد بسبب تلك التعليقات.
وقالت شبكة CNN لا شك أن تصريحات بايدن أصبحت مصدر إلهاء غير مرغوب فيه. فقد استغلها ترمب وحلفاؤه بسرعة لاتهام هاريس وحملتها بالاستهزاء بالأميركيين الذين يدعمون الرئيس السابق.
ويؤكد الديمقراطيون أن بايدن لم يعد المرشح الرئاسي، وأن هاريس كانت واضحة تماماً في أنها تحترم جميع الناخبين بغض النظر لمن سيصوتوا، وفقاً للشبكة.
وفي الوقت الذي كانت فيه هاريس، تلقي خطابها الختامي لحملتها الليلة الماضية، كانت عاصفة سياسية، قد اندلعت بالفعل بسبب تصريحات بايدن خلال مكالمة زووم مع مجموعة “فوتو لاتينو” الليبرالية غير الربحية على الإنترنت.
وفي السياق نفسه، قال موقع “أكسيوس” إن بايدن سلم الذخيرة للجمهوريين المبتهجين، الثلاثاء ، عندما اعتبر أنصار ترمب “قمامة”.
خطأ كلينتون
ونظر كلا الحزبين على الفور إلى هذه الملاحظة باعتبارها، عودة إلى خطأ هيلاري كلينتون في عام 2016، عندما أشارت إلى أنصار ترمب باعتبارهم “ثلة من البائسين”، وهو ما أثار غضب الجمهوريين.
وجاء التعليق خلال مكالمة فيديو، حاول من خلالها بايدن الرد على ممثل كوميدي وصف بورتوريكو بأنها “جزيرة قمامة” في تجمع ترمب في ماديسون سكوير جاردن، الأحد الماضي.
وقال بايدن خلال المحادثة “القمامة الوحيدة التي أراها تطفو هناك هي أنصاره، شيطنته للاتينيين أمر غير مقبول”.
وزعم البيت الأبيض أن بايدن كان يشير فقط إلى الممثل الكوميدي في تعليقاته.
وبعد نشر هذه القصة، قال المتحدث باسم البيت الأبيض لموقع “أكسيوس” إن الموظفين تحدثوا إلى بايدن حول ما كان ينوي قوله، دون الكشف عن المزيد من التفاصيل.
ووصف جيه دي فانس، المرشح لمنصب نائب الرئيس مع ترمب، تعليقات بايدن بأنها “مقززة”، مضيفاً أن “هاريس وبايدن يهاجمان نصف البلاد. لا يوجد أي عذر لهذا. آمل أن يرفضه الأميركيون”، وفقاً للموقع.
تبرير بايدن
ومع تصاعد التداعيات السياسية مع مرور كل دقيقة، قال بايدن على موقع “إكس”: “في وقت سابق من اليوم، وصفت الخطاب البغيض حول بورتوريكو الذي أطلقه مؤيد ترمب في تجمع ماديسون سكوير جاردن بأنه قمامة، وهي الكلمة الوحيدة التي يمكنني التفكير فيها لوصفه، إن شيطنته للاتينيين أمر غير مقبول. هذا كل ما قصدت قوله”.
واستغل فريق ترمب الحادثة، وبدأ بالفعل في جمع الأموال من خلال هذه الملاحظة، حيث أرسل بريداً إلكترونياً بعنوان: “أنت لست قمامة! أنا أحبك! أنت أفضل ما يمكن لأمتنا أن تقدمه”.
وذكر موقع “أكسيوس” أن تعليقات بايدن هي أحدث مثال على السبب الذي دفع فريق هاريس، إلى تجنب المشاركة في الحملة معه، فيما قال مساعدو هاريس إن بايدن غير محبوب وغير منضبط.
وكان مساعدو هاريس يشعرون بالإحباط أيضاً الأسبوع الماضي، عندما ذهب بايدن إلى نيو هامبشاير وقال “علينا أن نسجن ترمب”، مبرراً أنه كان يقصد سجن ترمب “سياسيا”، لكن هذا الأمر جذب عناوين رئيسية أراد فريق هاريس تجنبها، وفقاً للموقع.
أعطى قانون حماية المستهلك الحق للمستهلكين في استبدال السلع أو إعادتها واسترداد قيمتها خلال 14 يوما باستثناء 5 حالات، حيث نصت المادة 17 من القانون على أنه للمستهلك الحق فى استبدال السلعة أو إعادتها مع استرداد قيمتها النقدية، دون إبداء أى أسباب ودون تحمل أى نفقات خلال أربعة عشر يومًا من تسلمها، وذلك دون الإخلال بأى ضمانات أو شروط قانونية أو اتفاقية أفضل للمستهلك، وللجهاز أن يحدد مددا أقل بالنظر إلى طبيعة بعض السلع.
واستثناءً من أحكام الفقرة الأولى من هذه المادة، لا يجوز للمستهلك مباشرة حق الاستبدال أو الإعادة فى الأحوال الآتية:
1 – إذا كانت طبيعة السلعة أو خصائصها أو طريقة تعبئتها أو تغليفها تحول دون استبدالها أو ردها، أو يستحيل معه إعادتها إلى الحالة التى كانت عليها عند التعاقد.
2 – إذا كانت السلعة من السلع الاستهلاكية القابلة للتلف السريع.
3 – إذا لم تكن السلعة بذات الحالة التى كانت عليها وقت البيع لسبب يرجع إلى المستهلك.
4 – إذا كانت من السلع التى تصنع بناء على مواصفات خاصة حددها المستهلك، وكانت السلعة مطابقة لهذه المواصفات.
5 – الكتب والصحف والمجلات، والبرامج المعلوماتية وما يماثلها.
ويجوز للائحة التنفيذية لهذا القانون إضافة حالات أخرى.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Madison Square Garden, in New York, U.S., October 27, 2024.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump delivered his standard lines on topics from immigration to the economy Sunday at a packed rally at Madison Square Garden, an event that was designed to be the start of his closing argument nine days out from Election Day at a venue off the battleground map that he has wanted to campaign at for years.
But Trump’s remarks in his hometown, New York City, which went for more than an hour, were overshadowed by comments made by warm-up speakers in the roughly five hours before his prime-time address. They included a comedian’s racist jokes about Latinos and Black Americans and were condemned by multiple Republican members of Congress, as well as speakers who used increasingly inflammatory language to describe Vice President Kamala Harris.
At the World’s Most Famous Arena and before one of his largest rally crowds of the cycle, Trump railed against opponents he sees as “the enemy from within,” described the media as “the enemy of the people,” referred to Harris’ “low IQ” and described her as a “vessel” for those aforementioned opponents, and said in a potential war with China the U.S. “would kick their ass.”
“It’s just this amorphous group of people, but they’re smart and they’re vicious, and we have to defeat them,” Trump said in explaining his use of “the enemy from within.”
“And when I say the enemy from within, the other side goes crazy. … They’ve done very bad things to this country. They are indeed the enemy from within. But this is who we’re fighting,” he continued.
It was the lesser-known speakers before Trump took the stage, however, who made big waves outside the arena.
Grant Cardone, a conservative influencer and investor, said Harris and “her pimp handlers will destroy our country” and raised his middle finger to the camera to show what message a Trump victory would send to “the elites.”
“It needs to be a landslide,” he said. “We need to slaughter these other people. We need to bring 100 million votes to Donald Trump.”
Tucker Carlson, Host of The Tucker Carlson Show, speaks during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, in New York, U.S., October 27, 2024.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
David Rem, who announced his candidacy for mayor of New York on stage, echoed a rallygoer who called Harris “the devil” and added that she is “the Antichrist.” Conservative media personality Tucker Carlson joked that Harris, who is of Black and Indian descent, would be “the first Samoan Malaysian low IQ, former California prosecutor ever to be elected president.”
But no comments generated more attention than an opening routine from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who spoke early in the afternoon. His jokes included saying Latinos “love making babies” because “there’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.”
Then he targeted Puerto Rico, describing it as “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now.” Then he told a joke about how he and a Black friend “carved watermelons” together. There was an uncomfortable reception to his punch lines in the arena.
Within hours of his remarks, multiple pro-Trump GOP members of Congress condemned him.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe speaks during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, in New York, U.S., October 27, 2024.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., said she was “disgusted” by his “racist comment calling Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage,’” adding the “rhetoric does not reflect GOP values.” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said the joke “bombed for a reason,” was “not funny” and “not true.” And Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said Hinchcliffe’s comments were “completely classless & in poor taste.”
“I’m proud to be Puerto Rican,” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., who is locked in a competitive House race, posted on X. “My mom was born and raised in Puerto Rico. It’s a beautiful island with a rich culture and an integral part of the USA. The only thing that’s ‘garbage’ was a bad comedy set. Stay on message.”
The Trump campaign sought to distance itself from Hinchcliffe’s routine. In a statement, senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
The Trump campaign had hyped up the event as what amounted to Trump’s final pitch to voters in the closing days of the election. And he did offer some new policy positions from the stage, among them that he would “support a tax credit for family caregivers who take care of a parent or loved one,” which comes as Harris has heavily promoted her proposal to expand Medicare to allow it to cover long-term in-home care.
Homing in on his core immigration pitch, Trump also said he wants “any migrant who kills someone in the U.S.” to face the death penalty.” And he offered insight into his thinking about how Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former independent presidential candidate who is backing Trump’s bid, would fit into a future administration.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, in New York, U.S., October 27, 2024.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Kennedy would “go wild on health,” Trump said. “I’m going to let him go wild on the food. I’m going to let him go wild on medicines.”
Trump visited the Manhattan arena amid a stretch that has also seen him campaign in California and Colorado, two additional states that aren’t among the front-line presidential battlegrounds and are virtually assured of going for Harris this fall. Trump has also planned a rally for Virginia on one of the final days of the campaign, visiting another state where Harris is the odds-on favorite to win. His campaign has said such events are “high-impact settings” where his remarks will break through in the key battlegrounds.
But Trump and his supporters made it clear from the stage they actually think they can win New York.
“I had a friend of mine, smart guy, he’s a billionaire, texted me this morning and he said, ‘Why the hell are you guys wasting your time in New York City instead of going to a swing state?’” businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who sought the GOP nomination this year, said in his remarks. “You wonder what I told him? I said: ‘Welcome to 2024. New York is a swing state.’”
Joe Biden won New York by 23 points in 2020. It hasn’t voted Republican at the presidential level since it went for Ronald Reagan 40 years ago. But Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul won by a significantly narrower margin in 2022 than Biden did two years before.
In his speech, Trump, who spent most of his life as a prominent New York real estate magnate, said a victory in the state “would be such an honor,” noting a Republican hasn’t won in decades.
“They all say, ‘Sir, you’re wasting your money,’” he said. “I don’t think so.”
The DNC projects a message reading “Trump = Unhinged” onto Madison Square Garden during his campaign rally on October 27, 2024 in New York City.
Eugene Gologursky | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Democrats for weeks have compared the Madison Square Garden event to a pro-Nazi rally that took place at a previous iteration of the famed arena in 1939. Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly said recently that Trump fits the definition of a fascist and spoke positively about Adolf Hitler. Trump denied having spoken positively of Hitler, but Harris has promoted Kelly’s account, and she has called the account “deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous.”
“I don’t see no stinkin’ Nazis in here,” wrestling star Hulk Hogan said in his speech. “I don’t see no stinkin’ domestic terrorists in here. The only thing I see in here are a bunch of hard-working men and women that are real Americans, brother.”
Hulk Hogan, professional entertainer and wrestler, gestures during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, in New York, U.S., October 27, 2024.
“That’s nice,” Trump said, adding that Adams, a Democrat, “has been treated pretty badly.”
“Very nice,” he said.
Trump expressed a strong desire to shape policy in New York City should he win this fall, promising to work with Adams and Hochul. It was similar to his messaging at a Bronx rally this spring.
But that rally wasn’t at the venue simply known as The Garden, a staple in New York City and a place Trump has long wanted to campaign at. On Sunday, his wish was fulfilled.
“This is unbelievable. I’ve watched the Knicks and Rangers here,” he said, referring to two of New York’s professional basketball and hockey teams. “There’s no place like Madison Square Garden.”
New York City, the US – In Queens, 26-year-old Claudia, a first-generation college-educated Latina born in the United States, sat at her family’s dinner table engaging in heated political debates that switched seamlessly between English and Spanish. She and her immigrant parents from Mexico and El Salvador clashed over the future of the country they all call home.
“It’s not about loving [Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala] Harris,” Claudia said, disappointed with the administration’s handling of Israel’s war on Gaza and immigration, but committed to voting against Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump’s return.
Her parents, US citizens for more than a decade, feel differently. They worry about their economic security – like 52 percent of Latinos, according to a June survey. And they support Trump for his economic policies and in frustration at the inflation the US has experienced in the last few years.
Their resentment is directed towards the support of President Joe Biden’s administration for “new immigrants arriving with benefits, a hotel, and a pathway to documents”, while their own relatives remain undocumented – a population that Trump has threatened to deport.
This generational divide within one family – part of one of the fastest-growing demographics in the US, with 36.2 million eligible voters making up 14.7 percent of the electorate – illustrates the challenges both parties face in appealing to a group that resists simple categorisations.
‘Latinos are not a monolith’
Eligible Latino voters in the US are demographically diverse. About 60 percent are of Mexican heritage, 13 percent are Puerto Rican, while Cubans, Dominicans, and other Central and South Americans each represent less than 7 percent, according to the National Museum of the American Latino.
Latino voters are also, of course, men and women, young and old, and immigrants and US-born.
But despite this diversity, political campaigns and the media often approach Latinos as a single voting bloc. “The biggest misconception is treating Latinos as if they’re the same or can be reached with a single message. It’s about the diversity of ideas, experiences, ideologies,” Julio Ricardo Varela, founder of The Latino Newsletter and an MSNBC columnist, told Al Jazeera.
“The phrase ‘Latinos are not a monolith’ should be eliminated—it’s already mainstream. The real question is, why haven’t political parties realised this?” he asked.
As polls reveal that immigration ranks lower among Latino voter priorities, campaign ads are adjusting their focus to better connect with new voters. Both Trump and Harris have expanded outreach, including town halls with Latino voters hosted by Univision, one of the largest Spanish-language networks in the US.
However, the rise of misinformation on social media, often spreading in Spanish and targeting immigrant communities, complicates these outreach efforts and has shaped perceptions on critical issues.
Misinformation on social media spreads false claims about issues like immigration policies, voting processes, and government benefits. This can foster confusion and mistrust, potentially affecting how Latino voters perceive campaign messages.
Experts agree that campaigns now face a dual challenge: reaching Latino voters with tailored messages while also countering misleading narratives that may distort views.
However, Trump’s strongest appeal lies in fearmongering about communism, a message spread widely on Spanish-language social media by Trump and his affiliates.
This outreach has also resonated with Latino evangelical communities, who make up 15 percent of Latinos in the US and are a fast-growing group among American evangelical Christians, with nearly half leaning Republican, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey.
For many Latino immigrants, especially those from Cuban and Venezuelan communities, Trump’s messaging also resonates with memories of leftist regimes. “Republicans have weaponised the fear of socialism and communism, especially in Florida,” said Paola Ramos, author of Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America.
According to Varela, Trump’s tactics mirror Latin American political strategies that shape election narratives and outcomes.
Recently, Trump shared an AI-generated image of Vice President Kamala Harris addressing a “communist” crowd on X, which garnered more than 81 million views.
Varela also notes that anti-communist ads in Spanish media specifically target working-class, Spanish-speaking men, framing economic security as a defence against ideological threats.
NYU professor and political scientist Cristina Beltran suggested that Trump’s appeal taps into ideals of masculinity and hierarchy, offering a sense of belonging within a nationalist vision of the US.
“Whiteness has historically been a way of understanding American membership as a politics of domination,” she explained to Al Jazeera.
For some Latino men, this framework provides a sense of elevated status, as Trump’s promise of prosperity and stability appeals to those who see themselves positioned above the undocumented. Beltran added that Trump “gives Americans a permission structure to embrace these attitudes”.
Harris moving beyond identity politics
Polling indicates that most Latino voters still favour Harris over Trump.
Under campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the first Latina to lead a general election effort, the Harris team has broadened Latino outreach, expanding efforts September 15 to October 15, during Hispanic Heritage Month.
The campaign has ramped up ad spending directed at specific Latino groups, such as Hispanic women, “Hombres con Harris” [Men for Harris], and 13 diaspora groups like “Boricuas con Kamala” [Puerto Ricans for Harris] and “Mexicanos con Kamala” [Mexicans for Harris]. The campaign also allocated $3m for Spanish-language radio ads.
Harris’s message moves beyond identity politics, with recent ads in Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania focused on economic concerns, high drug prices, and crime.
Political scientist Beltran observed that Harris is balancing her identity as a woman of colour with broader policy appeals. “Nobody wants to be simply reduced to their race or gender,” she explained.
“The Harris campaign recognises this and aims to connect with voters on a range of issues, understanding that identity encompasses much more than demographics.”
Her outreach has included ads tailored to Puerto Rican communities, contrasting with Trump’s recent Madison Square Garden rally, which faced backlash over controversial remarks made by a comedian about Puerto Rico.
Beltran noted that Harris’s approach has been strategic: “It’s been interesting watching Harris run ads where Latinidad [Latino cultural identity] isn’t explicitly mentioned, but the visuals feature people who look identifiably Latino – often brown-skinned individuals with voiceovers in accented English.”
“This is a subtle way to signal that these ads are targeted at Latinos. I actually wish they included voices with and without accents to further reflect diversity.”
Varela pointed out that “the campaign is shifting to recognise it’s about regional diversity”. He also highlighted Harris’s “opportunity economy” plan, which appeals to Latinos by emphasising pragmatic economic growth, through job creation, small business support, and affordable housing, especially in underserved communities.
“Harris positions herself as a ‘pragmatic capitalist’,” he explained, noting that Latinos are reshaping the US economy, contributing $3.6 trillion to the gross domestic product (GDP). This impact is driven by high rates of entrepreneurship, labour force participation, and essential roles in sectors like manufacturing, retail, and construction, though representation issues persist.
A politically independent generation
Analysts agree that campaigns are increasingly leveraging social media to reach a new generation of Latino voters, who may no longer see themselves as defined solely by their Latinidad.
These diverse perspectives are amplified by Latino influencers, some aligning with Harris, others with Trump, each reflecting a spectrum of political allegiances.
“There’s also a growing movement among young Latinos identifying as politically independent,” noted Varela, that has often been overshadowed by traditional party narratives.
Now, more young Latino voters are reasserting this stance, demanding a political representation that speaks to their unique experiences and values.
“Latinos are no longer confined to Democrat or Republican labels,” Varela concludes. “This politically independent movement is not just asking for recognition—it’s reshaping the boundaries of American politics.”
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s election will test whether the state maintains its new reputation as a Republican stronghold, or whether Democrats make some gains by tapping into the support for abortion and marijuana ballot questions and the new energy Vice President Kamala Harris brings to the race.
Gone are the days when Florida was looked at as the biggest prize among swing states. After former President Barack Obama won Florida twice, former President Donald Trump carried the state by a whisker in 2016 and then by a much larger share in 2020. In 2022, Republicans took all five statewide seats on the ballot by landslide margins.
Still, there is a lot of buzz over constitutional amendments that could protect abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana, with both sides of each issue pumping millions of dollars into advertising. Democrats support the ballot measures and hope they boost turnout to give them at least a chance stopping Trump’s third straight Florida victory and keeping U.S. Sen. Rick Scott from winning a second term.
The only statewide office on the ballot is Scott’s Senate seat. Scott is being challenged by former Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Murcarsel-Powell in a race that’s been overshadowed by the presidential election and the abortion and marijuana ballot questions.
Even if Trump and Scott are victorious in Florida, Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said the election will be a huge success if the amendments pass and the party flips enough legislative seats to take away the Republicans’ supermajority.
“Look where we were in of November 2022. We had the largest loss that Florida Democrats have ever experienced,” Fried said. “Nobody anticipated that we would even have this conversation today, that the polls are showing that we are tight, that there was even a possibility that Florida would be in play. Everybody counted us out.”
Still, it’s an uphill climb. The amendments need support from at least 60% of voters, and there’s enough money being spent against them that it could create doubts among voters who normally support the issues, said Florida-based Republican political strategist Jamie Miller.
“As a general rule, amendments pass if there’s no real effort against them and they fail when there are real efforts against them,” Miller said.
Miller also believes Democrats are motivated to vote against the Republicans they don’t like rather than be inspired by their own candidates.
“I see excitement against Donald Trump and against Rick Scott, but that as a general rule in the state the size of Florida is not enough to get you across the line,” he said.
Scott served two terms as governor, winning each with less than 50% of the vote. In 2018, he defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in a race decided by 0.2 percentage points. But Florida politics changed. The last time Scott was on the ballot, Democrats outnumbered Republicans in the state. Republicans now have a million-voter advantage.
Scott, one of the richest members of Congress, pumped millions of dollars of his own money into the race, as he has with his previous three elections. Far outspent, and with little money coming in from national Democrats until the last few weeks of the race, Murcarsel-Powell struggled to gain attention.
While Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis wasn’t on the ballot, he spent time campaigning against the abortion rights and marijuana amendments. DeSantis even used state agencies to fight the amendment, with the Agency for Health Care Administration set up a website and aired TV ads providing information on abortion and the Department of Health tried to stop television stations from airing a pro-amendment ad.
What to know about the 2024 Election
The abortion amendment would protect the rights of women to have an abortion up to the point the fetus can survive outside the womb. Florida now bans abortion six weeks after conception, when many women don’t realize they are pregnant.
Voters overwhelming approved medical marijuana in 2016. This year they’re being asked to legalize recreational marijuana. The marijuana industry has spent tens of millions of dollars on the campaign, while DeSantis has raised money against it and criticized it often during official events.
Very few, if any, of Florida’s 28 congressional seats are competitive, but the state will elect at least one new member to Congress. Former Senate President Mike Haridopolos is favored to replace retiring Republican Rep. Bill Posey. He’s being challenged by Democrat Sandy Kennedy in a strong Republican district.
Republicans will maintain firm control of the Legislature. Democrats will consider it a major victory if they flip enough seats to remove the supermajority GOP hold in the House and Senate.
One of the legislative seats being heavily targeted is held by Republican Sen. Corey Simon, a former Florida State and NFL football star who is being challenged by nationally known civil rights lawyer Daryl Parks, who is the former partner of civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Donald Trump has sued CBS News for $10bn, alleging an interview with Kamala Harris on 60 Minutes was doctored to cast her in a positive light and amounted to “election interference”.
The lawsuit seeking damages was filed in a US district court in Amarillo, northern Texas, which is presided over by a judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk, who has a track record of friendly rulings to rightwing legal filings.
The former president lashed out after the interview, which aired on 7 October, featured a different, more concise version of the vice-president’s answer to a question on Israel and the war in Gaza than had appeared in the trailer.
In the finalised interview, Harris – on being asked if Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, listened to US advice – answered: “We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States – to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
An alternative edit, feature in earlier pre-broadcast promotions, had Harris giving a longer response.
Trump’s court filing alleges that CBS is guilty of “partisan and unlawful acts of voter interference through malicious, deceptive and substantial news distortion”. It says the edit was intended to “confuse, deceive and mislead the public” and “tip the scales in favor of the Democratic party as the heated 2024 presidential election … approaches its conclusion.”
The 19-page legal brief includes a catalogue of politically weighted assertions echoing public statement frequently made by Trump. For example, it states that Harris – whom it repeatedly refers to as Kamala, rather than by her last name – “ousted” Biden in an “anti-democratic political coup”.
“CBS and other legacy media organizations have gone into overdrive to get Kamala elected,” it says.
It is not unusual for broadcast outlets to cut interview answers for reasons of timing and conciseness.
“The interview was not doctored; and 60 Minutes did not hide any part of the vice-president’s answer to the question at issue. 60 Minutes fairly presented the interview to inform the viewing audience, and not to mislead it,” the spokesperson said.
“The lawsuit Trump has brought today against CBS is completely without merit and we will vigorously defend against it.”
Trump’s call for the network to be stripped of its licence was condemned by the Federal Communications Commission, the US broadcast regulator, as a “threat against free speech”. It said licences could not be revoked because candidates disagreed with coverage.
Trump has similarly demanded that ABC be stripped of its license for fact-checking him in his September debate with Harris.
ترمب يتفوق على هاريس في استطلاعات الرأي.. والجمهوريون يخشون سيناريو الانتخابات النصفية
تُوفي لاعب وأصيب 4 آخرون خلال بطولة للهواة، الأحد الماضي، بعد أن ضربت صاعقة رعدية ملعب كوتو كوتو في تشيلكا بمقاطعة هوانكايو في بيرو.
