Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing - August 24, 2020

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August 24, 2020

West knocked off of four ballots   August 24, 2020: The Republican National Convention begins on Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kanye West’s signature petitions in Montana, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin were rejected. Share the latest from the campaign trail.           Notable Quote of the Day “Biden is not the first politician, upon entering the general election phase of the campaign, to pivot towards the center and try to build a broad coalition. And Trump is not the first politician to wield social issues designed to drive wedges through the electorate and complicate attempts by opponents to build a broad coalition. What’s unusual is seeing these two strategies deployed with such force at the same time. Trump has done so little over the course of his 3½ years as president to broaden his appeal that he has little choice but to believe his base can once again thread the Electoral College needle. Biden defied conventional wisdom by talking as much as he did about bipartisanship while winning a partisan primary, so he has every reason to lean in even harder now. The result is a general election where both candidates are fighting over Republican and right-leaning independent voters. – Bill Scher, RealClearPolitics contributor Election Updates Joe Biden, the Democratic National Committee, and their joint fundraising committees raised $70 million during the party’s national convention, according to the Biden campaign. It also said that roughly 122 million people watched the event across television and digital channels over the four days of the convention. Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said on Sunday that Biden has not been tested for the coronavirus and that “moving forward, should he need to be tested, he certainly would be.” The Biden campaign launched an ad on Monday in Ohio and North Carolina focusing on Donald Trump’s call to boycott Goodyear tires because one of the company’s factories banned MAGA hats. The Republican National Convention begins on Monday with virtual speeches and limited in-person events in Charlotte, North Carolina. Each night of the convention has a different theme: Land of Heroes, Land of Promise, Land of Opportunity, and Land of Greatness. Trump and Mike Pence will attend the roll call of delegates on Monday night. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) and Reps. Steve Scalise (La.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), and Jim Jordan (Ohio) are also speaking. The Republican National Committee voted on Saturday to extend the party’s 2016 platform to 2024 because “it did not want a small contingent of delegates formulating a new platform without the breadth of perspectives within the ever-growing Republican movement.” The committee’s resolution also said that the Republican Party would continue to support Trump’s “America First” agenda. Jo Jorgensen held campaign events in Alabama and Georgia over the weekend. Kanye West’s signature petitions in Montana, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin were deemed invalid at the end of last week. What We’re Reading The New York Times: A Glimmer of Hope for Trump? How Bush Mounted a Comeback in 1988 Newsweek: Undecided Voters Were Key to Trump's Win in 2016. Will They Deliver Again? NPR: Older White Voters Who Helped Trump Win May Be In Play Flashback: August 24, 2016 Purple PAC, a group supporting Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson, launched a $1 million national ad buy.