Fox News 2024-10-17 12:09:14


VP Harris avoids questions on Biden’s mental decline in FOX News interview with Bret Baier

Vice President Kamala Harris was confronted with questions about her knowledge of President Biden’s mental decline during her interview Wednesday with Fox News’ Bret Baier. 

“You told many interviewers that Joe Biden was on his game, that ran around circles on his staff. When did you first notice that President Biden’s mental faculties appeared diminished?” Baier asked. 

After a brief pause to the question, Harris continued touting Biden’s ability in office.

“Joe Biden, I have watched from the Oval Office to the Situation Room, and he has the judgment and the experience to do exactly what he has done in making very important decisions on behalf of the American people,” Harris said. 

KAMALA HARRIS REPEATEDLY PIVOTS TO TRUMP WHEN GRILLED ON IMMIGRATION RECORD IN FOX NEWS INTERVIEW

“There were no concerns raised?” Baier followed. 

“Bret, Joe Biden is not on the ballot… and Donald Trump is,” Harris responded. 

The “Special Report” anchor then cited comments made by actor George Clooney, who said in the now-infamous New York Times op-ed that the president wasn’t the same Joe Biden he once knew after spending time with him at a fundraiser earlier this year. 

HARRIS RIPPED FOR RESURFACED CLAIMS PRAISING BIDEN’S FITNESS AMID AGE CONCERNS: ‘COMPLICIT IN A COVERUP’

“You met with him at least once a week for three-and-a-half years. You didn’t have any concerns?” Baier pressed. 

“I think the American people have a concern about Donald Trump,” Harris responded. “Which is why the people who know him best, including leaders of our national security community have all spoken out, even people who worked for him in the Oval Office, worked with him in the Situation Room and have said he is unfit and dangerous and should never be President of the United States again, including his former vice president, which is why the job was open for him to choose another running mate. So that is a fact. That is a fact.”

KAMALA HARRIS DODGES COLBERT’S QUESTION ON WHAT ‘MAJOR CHANGES’ SHE’D BRING VERSUS BIDEN PRESIDENCY  

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President Biden’s critics have long drawn scrutiny towards his mental acuity throughout his presidency, which was flatly rejected by Democrats and members of the legacy media

However, that all changed following Biden’s disastrous performance in the CNN presidential debate against former President Trump, resulting in his dramatic exit from the 2024 race and the sudden emergence of Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket.   

NYT plagiarism consultant says Harris scandal ‘more serious’ than he thought after close look

New York Times’ plagiarism consultant Jonathan Bailey released his “full analysis” of the allegations against Vice President Kamala Harris and found them “more serious” than he initially believed. 

“At the time, I was unaware of a full dossier with additional allegations, which led some to accuse the New York Times of withholding that information from me. However, the article clearly stated that it was my ‘initial reaction’ to those allegations, not a complete analysis,” Bailey wrote on Plagiarism Today Wednesday. “Today, I reviewed the complete dossier prepared by Dr. Stefan Weber, whom I have covered before. I also performed a peer review of one of his papers in 2018.”

“With this new information, while I believe the case is more serious than I commented to the New York Times, the overarching points remain. While there are problems with this work, the pattern points to sloppy writing habits, not a malicious intent to defraud,” he added. 

KAMALA HARRIS ACCUSED OF PLAGIARIZING IN 2009 BOOK ABOUT BEING ‘SMART ON CRIME’

“Is it problematic? Yes. But it’s also not the wholesale fraud that many have claimed it to be. It sits somewhere between what the two sides want it to be,” he said.

While Bailey continued to argue the examples were more akin to sloppy work or negligence rather than malice from Harris, he conceded some, specifically two paragraphs copied directly from Wikipedia, were clear examples of plagiarism.

“To be clear, that is plagiarism. It’s compounded by the fact that Wikipedia is typically not seen as a reliable source, and, according to Weber, there was an error in the information,” Bailey wrote.

He concluded, “Ultimately, I recognize that this view will make absolutely no one happy. I don’t feel that the book is a product of wholesale malicious plagiarism, nor do I think it’s free from problems. No matter your side, this will be an unsatisfactory answer.”

In a New York Times article dissecting the claims, Bailey claimed the examples amounted “to an error and not an intent to defraud.” He accused conservative activist Chris Rufo, who reported the story, of taking minor infractions and trying to “make a big deal of it.”

However, he later revealed on X that he had only reviewed the five examples provided to him by the New York Times and had not looked at the full analysis. 

“For those coming here from the NY Times Article. I want to be clear that I have NOT performed a full analysis of the book. My quotes were based on information provided to me by the reporters and spoke only about those passages,” he wrote.

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Rufo first reported Monday on so-called “plagiarism hunter,” Austrian professor Stefan Weber, finding 27 times that Harris and her co-author allegedly committed some form of plagiarism, writing, “24 fragments are plagiarism from other authors, [and] 3 fragments are self-plagiarism from a work written with a co-author.”

“Taken in total, there is certainly a breach of standards here. Harris and her co-author duplicated long passages nearly verbatim without proper citation and without quotation marks, which is the textbook definition of plagiarism,” Rufo wrote.

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Harris claims she won’t be another Biden after saying she wouldn’t do anything differently

Vice President Kamala Harris insisted Wednesday she would “not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency” after previously being unable to name anything she would have changed about his administration.

Harris told “The View” last week, “There is not a thing that comes to mind” that she would do differently from Biden and dodged the question again on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Fox News’ “Special Report” host Bret Baier pressed Harris again during their exclusive interview about how she would be different from President Biden.

“My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency, and, like every new president that comes in to office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh and new ideas. I represent a new generation of leadership,” Harris answered.

KAMALA HARRIS AVOIDS QUESTIONS ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL DECLINE: ‘JOE BIDEN IS NOT ON THE BALLOT’

She continued, “I, for example, am someone who has not spent the majority of my career in Washington, D.C. I invite ideas, whether it be from the Republicans who are supporting me, who were just on stage with me minutes ago, and the business sector, and others who can contribute to the decisions that I make.”

BIDEN SAYS HARRIS HANDLED ‘EVERYTHING FROM FOREIGN POLICY TO DOMESTIC POLICY’ UNDER HIS ADMINISTRATION

Baier followed up, “We’ve heard a lot about those plans in recent days. Your campaign slogan is ‘a new way forward’ and ‘it’s time to turn the page.’ You have been vice president for three and a half years, so, what are you turning the page from?”

“First of all, turning the page from the last decade in which we have been burdened with the kind of rhetoric coming from Donald Trump that has been designed and implemented to divide our country and have Americans literally point fingers at each other. Rhetoric and an approach to leadership that suggests that the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of what we all know the strength of leadership is based on who you lift up,” Harris said.

Baier attempted to interject, but Harris continued, “The strength of an American president which is one who understands that the vast majority of us have more in common than what separates us.”

She emphasized, “That is about turning the page on rhetoric that people are frankly exhausted of, Bret. People are exhausted.”VP KAMALA HARRIS RESPONDS TO WHY MORE AMERICANS TRUST TRUMP ON THE ECONOMY

Baier asked why, after 3 and a half years of the Biden-Harris administration, 79% of people say the country is on the wrong track. “If you’re turning the page, you’ve been in office for three and a half years,” he prompted.

“And Donald Trump has been running for office since-” Harris replied as Baier again noted she had been in office.

“Come on,” she said. “You and I both know what I’m talking about.”

“I actually don’t, what are you talking about?” he asked, before Harris pivoted again to Trump. 

Harris similarly dodged questions about her immigration record to turn the issue to Trump.

Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement following Harris’ interview with Baier, calling the sit-down a “train wreck,” and that Harris “couldn’t give a straight answer to a single question because she has no answers. Kamala’s entire campaign is based on lies about President Trump. Kamala can’t handle the pressure of an interview with Fox News — she certainly can’t handle the pressure of being President of the United States.”

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Trump shows best numbers in FOX News Poll since Harris became the nominee

Former President Trump is ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential contest 50%-48%, according to a new Fox News national survey. That’s a reversal from last month, when Harris had a narrow advantage.

Harris, however, is ahead by 6 points among voters from the seven key battleground states, and the candidates are tied at 49% each among voters in close counties (where the Biden-Trump 2020 margin was less than 10 points). Trump’s advantage comes from a larger share in counties he won by more than 10 points in 2020 (64%-35%) than Harris has in counties Biden won by more than 10 points (58%-39%).

That raises the question of whether the Democrat could win the Electoral College while losing the national popular vote. In 2000 and 2016, it was the GOP candidate who lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College.

Trump’s 2-point edge among likely voters falls well within the margin of error. The results are identical among the larger group of registered voters. Last month, Harris was up by 2 points (50%-48%) among both likely and registered voters. 

WALZ SILENT ON SUPPORT FOR ELIMINATING ELECTORAL COLLEGE AFTER HARRIS CAMP SAYS IT DOESN’T BACK BAN

A Flourish chart

This analysis uses registered voter results for apples-to-apples trend comparisons.

These are Trump’s best numbers since Harris became the nominee in August. The movement toward him mainly comes from an increase in support among White voters, who now favor him by 10 points, up from 4 points last month and 6 points in August. He is also at record highs among voters 65 and over (49%) and those with a college degree (48%).  

At the same time, Harris receives her lowest support since becoming the nominee among Black voters (67%), college graduates (49%), voters 65 and over (47%) and Whites with a college degree (46%). 

TRIO OF NEW POLLS AGREE ON WHERE TRUMP AND HARRIS STAND WITH 3 WEEKS TO GO UNTIL ELECTION DAY

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Yet on the surface, the race has stayed within a small range. In August, Trump was ahead by 1 point, then Harris was up by 2 points in September, and now Trump has a 2-point edge.  

“Overall, the movement toward Trump is subtle but potentially consequential, especially if he is making gains among college-educated voters,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts Fox News surveys with Republican Daron Shaw. “However, the race has been well within the margin of error for three months and the outcome will likely hinge on which side is more effective at getting their voters to the polls as opposed to persuasion.” 

The 20-point gender gap remains, as men back Trump and women go for Harris.

The good news for Harris is she gets 52% of new voters (those who haven’t voted in the last two presidential elections) and 20% of non-MAGA Republicans.

She is also maintaining her double-digit lead over Trump among independents. That keeps the contest close, as each candidate receives backing from over 9 in 10 of their respective partisans. On the other hand, more voters nationally identify as Republican than Democrat, and that is what gives Trump the edge in this race.

While the vice president gets majority support among Hispanics (52%) and voters under age 30 (54%), both numbers trail President Biden’s support in 2020, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis election survey (6 in 10 from each group). 

For Trump, the good news is that he has improved on every issue and character trait since September. And a majority remember his time in office positively: 53% approve of the job he did as president. That is 4 points higher than he ever received while in office. Fully 93% of Republicans approve, as do 74% of non-MAGA Republicans and 45% of independents.

HARRIS RAMPS UP OUTREACH TO BLACK MALE VOTERS AS POLLS SUGGEST TRUMP MAKING GAINS

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By comparison, currently only 40% of voters approve of Biden’s job performance, which matches previous lows in November 2023 and July 2022. 

Only slightly more, 43%, approve of the government’s response to recent hurricanes, with most Democrats approving and most Republicans and independents disapproving.

The economy continues to outrank all other issues, as 40% say it is the most important issue in deciding their choice for president. Less than half as many prioritize immigration and abortion, and far fewer cite issues such as election integrity, health care, climate change, guns, crime and foreign policy.

A Flourish chart

Seven in 10 view the economy negatively. The 30% who rate conditions positively is up from a low of 17% in 2022, and close to the 33% who felt good about the economy at the end of Trump’s term. Half of Democrats give positive ratings, while majorities of Republicans and independents rate economic conditions negatively.

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Overall, 44% say they are falling behind financially, which is worse by 17 points compared to three years ago, when only 27% felt that way. Some 13% feel they are getting ahead financially, while 43% are holding steady.  

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Trump is seen as better than Harris at handling the economy (by 8 points). He also bests her on immigration (+15), crime (+8) and guns (+6). With the expanding conflict in the Middle East, it is noteworthy that Trump is favored by 13 points on Israel and the war, up from a 7-point lead in September. He has improved his standing on every issue compared to September, mostly by small margins.

More voters trust Harris to handle abortion (by 14 points), climate change (+12), and health care (+8). The two candidates are rated about evenly on taxes (Trump +4), Supreme Court nominations (Trump +1) and election integrity (Harris +3).  

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“Sometimes, elections are simple,” says Shaw. “In three weeks, we may be wondering how we thought the sitting vice president would win when only two in five voters think the incumbent administration has done a good job and only one in seven say they are getting ahead financially.”

Democrats and Republicans prioritize the issues differently, with the widest gap (28 points) on immigration. There’s an 18-point gap on abortion and 15 points on the economy.

Some 12% of Democrats see Trump as better at handling the economy and 18% feel that way about immigration, while 17% of Republicans trust Harris more on abortion and climate change.

NEW POLL SHOWS HARRIS, TRUMP SPLITTING 2 KEY STATES

Trump is helped by more voters saying they know a great deal about where he stands on their priority issues than they do about Harris (57% vs. 44%). Fully 78% of Republicans feel they know a great deal about Trump’s stances, while 65% of Democrats say the same about Harris.

Less than half believe Trump (43%) and Harris (48%) are honest and trustworthy, though Trump’s number is a personal best. Voters are also more likely to see him as a strong leader (55% vs. 47% for Harris) and “up to the job” of president (53% vs. 50%). Harris has an edge in having the mental soundness to be president (54% vs. 52% for Trump), but here again Trump is at a personal best. 

Harris has lost ground on some key characteristics. She was seen as better at helping the middle class by 9 points in September, and that has declined to 4 points now. Her 5-point edge on “fighting for people like you” is now 2 points, and her 6-point advantage on “protecting personal rights and freedoms” has disappeared as the candidates are tied. 

A Flourish chart

Voters also narrowly see Trump as the one bringing needed change and protecting free speech, both traits where Harris was favored last month. 

The race continues to be more about Trump than Harris, as most of his backers say their vote is for him rather than against Harris. Among Harris supporters, two-thirds describe their vote as for her, but one-third say it is against Trump. For comparison, in May, nearly half of Biden supporters said their vote was mainly against Trump. Among Trump supporters, 80% say they are voting for him rather than against Harris (18%).

A Flourish chart

When saying in their own words what one issue or factor was motivating them to get out and vote this year, the top response from Harris supporters is dislike of the other candidate, followed by protecting democracy and abortion. For those backing Trump, the economy and immigration are the top two motivators, followed by candidate characteristics. Among men, it’s dislike of the other candidate, the economy and traits (in that order), while for women, the economy and abortion tie as the top motivator, followed by candidate traits.  

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Poll-Pourri

— As red and blue states become shades of purple, it is tough to know what level of a popular vote suggests a win in the Electoral College. In 2016, Hillary Clinton got more votes nationally by a 2-point margin, but lost the Electoral College (by 77 electoral votes), while Biden had a 4-point advantage in the popular vote and won the Electoral College (by 74). 

— About one-third of voters overall and one-third of women say Harris becoming the first female president matters to their vote. Among the 17% saying it matters a great deal, 80% back Harris.

— About 3 in 10 voters say they check the news multiple times a day, and they favor Trump by 10 points. At the other end of the spectrum, 1 in 10 say they don’t pay attention to the news, and these disengaged voters favor Trump by 16 points. The 57% who follow the news regularly but not constantly back Harris by 6 points.

— Most of each candidate’s backers feel certain of their vote, and two-thirds of both Harris and Trump’s supporters say they are “extremely” motivated to vote. 

CLICK HERE FOR TOPLINE AND CROSSTABS

Conducted Oct. 11-14 under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,110 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (129) and cellphones (719) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (262). Results based on both the full registered voter sample and the subsample of 870 likely voters have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error associated with results among subgroup is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data. Likely voters are based on a probabilistic statistical model that relies on past voting history, interest in the current election, age, education, race, ethnicity, church attendance and marital status.

Columbia professor who took a stand against anti-Israel agitators barred from campus

Columbia University assistant professor of business and pro-Israel advocate Shai Davidai was barred from campus Tuesday.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the university confirmed Davidai was suspended, saying he had “repeatedly harassed and intimidated” university employees.

The statement said Davidai’s restrictions were a “direct result of Assistant Professor Davidai’s conduct on October 7, 2024,” though it did not elaborate on the incident in question. 

Davidai blasted the decision, claiming it was in retaliation for “expos[ing]” university employees on video at Oct. 7 anniversary protests on campus.

“[T]he University has decided to not allow me to be on campus anymore. My job. Why? Because of Oct. 7. Because I was not afraid to stand up to the hateful mob,” Davidai said, according to the Columbia Daily Spectator. He recorded himself confronting administrators. 

“Columbia has consistently and continually respected Assistant Professor Davidai’s right to free speech and to express his views. His freedom of speech has not been limited and is not being limited now. Columbia, however, does not tolerate threats of intimidation, harassment, or other threatening behavior by its employees,” University spokesperson Samantha Slater said.

She continued, “Because Assistant Professor Davidai repeatedly harassed and intimidated University employees in violation of University policy, we have temporarily limited his access to campus while he undertakes appropriate training on our policies governing the behavior of our employees.” 

COLUMBIA ALUMNUS LAYS INTO ALMA MATER OVER RESPONSE TO ‘APPALLING’ ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS: ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’

Slater added Davidai is currently not teaching this semester and is only barred from access to the campus. He has not been suspended from his position, and he will still receive his compensation as a faculty member. Davidai can return to campus after completing training on university policies.

“Education, training, access restrictions and other measures are available and used by the University when faculty and other employees violate University policy. As in other cases, our expectation is that Assistant Professor Davidai will successfully complete the training and promptly return to campus,” Slater said.

“I’m the only professor who’s been suspended,” he told The Spectator. “Think about all the professors, everything that they’ve done. You know, people that have said and posted horrible things, and yet I’m the only one suspended.”

“It’s no longer a double standard,” Davidai added. “There’s basically no standard for when it comes to Jewish life on campus.

Davidai also wrote on X after learning the news, “I don’t care about my future. It’s never been about me. I care about @Columbia’s future. I care about what this acceptance of anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, and anti-American terrorism means for the students on campus. Please retweet this so people will know.”

COLUMBIA PROFESSOR CALLS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT A ‘COWARD’ IN FIERY SPEECH ABOUT CAMPUS ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVISM

Fox News Digital reached out to Davidai for comment.

This was not the first time Davidai has reportedly been restricted on campus. In April, he said his keycard to the school’s main campus was deactivated after planning a pro-Israel demonstration against anti-Israel protesters.

“I have, not just a civil right, a civil right as a Jewish person to be on campus. I have a right as a professor employed by the university to be on campus. They deactivated my card,” Davidai told demonstrators in a video at the time.

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Striking workers drown out Democratic lawmaker with boos for bashing Trump

A top Senate Democrat was booed by striking Boeing workers in Seattle on Tuesday after she disparaged former President Trump and blamed him for housing shortages. 

“Housing everywhere in the United States of America is expensive as all get out. We haven’t built enough supply,” Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told striking members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751. 

“I was in a key negotiation five years ago to get a bipartisan bill that would have built millions, hundreds of thousands, up to a million units by now, but Donald Trump came in and squashed that deal.”

LAKEN RILEY ACT SPONSOR BLASTS BILL CLINTON’S CLAIM ABOUT GEORGIA STUDENT’S DEATH

She was drowned out by booing from the crowd in addition to some inaudible remarks. 

“My point is this,” the senator began again after being unable to speak over the disruption. “Everywhere in America we need more affordable housing.”

“When you first hear that audio clip, it appears that they’re booing whatever Donald Trump had done. The exact opposite is true,” IAM 751 union member Dan Zahlman said in an interview Tuesday with “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH Seattle. 

SENATE DEMS TARGET BLACK VOTERS WITH NEW AD AS HARRIS’ SUPPORT FALLS SHORT

“She was trying to interject some left-wing radical politics into what is a very rare labor opportunity for IAM members to be able to try to make real gains in their retirement benefits. And that’s not what we were there for. She did not have a friendly audience to spew that at.

“I don’t think she realizes… but there is a tremendous amount of Donald Trump support from union membership,” he added. “All anybody has to do is go through a union parking lot at a Boeing plant, and you’ll see a lot of Trump stickers on bumpers.” 

‘A LOT OF TRUMP SIGNS’: RESIDENTS IN BLUE STRONGHOLD MILWAUKEE BREAK DOWN 2024 ELECTION

The senator is up for re-election in blue Washington next month. Democrats are heavily favored to hold onto the seat in the state. 

Cantwell’s office and campaign did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

The union voted last month to begin striking, rejecting a contract that would have raised pay for members 25% over a period of four years. The IAM 751 union has about 33,000 members. 

‘I WAS MUCH BETTER OFF’: THESE VOTERS BACK TRUMP IN TOP BATTLEGROUND COUNTY

“This is about respect, this is about the past and this is about fighting for our future,” IAM District 751 President Jon Holden said at the time. 

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In its own statement on the strike announcement, Boeing said, “The message was clear that the tentative agreement we reached with IAM leadership was not acceptable to the members. We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union, and we are ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement.”

The company indicated in a regulatory filing this week it expects to use a stock and debt offering to raise about $25 billion, while also beginning a $10 billion credit agreement to offset losses from the strike as debt payments loom. 

Fears reportedly mounting in Democratic Party over Harris’ performance in key swing state

Fears are allegedly mounting within the Democratic Party that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is failing to effectively connect with voters in Pennsylvania – the battleground state that will likely determine the outcome of the election – a report claimed. 

Alleged poor campaign management and staffers lacking relationships with Democratic political leaders in the Keystone State are allegedly rocking the campaign, according to Politico. The outlet reported that Democrats are worried that the campaign’s state manager lacks an understanding of Philadelphia, the state’s largest city, while campaign staffers have allegedly not invited local Democratic politicians to events in the state, and have not effectively deployed surrogates across the state. 

Politico reported that it spoke with 20 Democratic politicians, allies, and party leaders for the story, who reported they are restless over Harris’ campaigning efforts. 

POPULAR PA DEMOCRATIC MAYOR WARNS TRUMP IS ‘OUT-MESSAGING’ HARRIS: ‘I GET MORE FROM COLBERT’

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on Politico’s report, but did not receive a reply. 

One union leader in the state, Ryan Boyer, pointed to the Harris campaign’s Pennsylvania manager, Nikki Lu, as part of the issue allegedly affecting the campaign in the battleground state. 

“I have concerns about Nikki Lu,” Boyer, who serves as business manager for the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, told the outlet. “I don’t think she understands Philadelphia.”

“We need young African American men to come home. We need African American women… to come out in record numbers, and disaffected African Americans,” he added. “We have surrogates in this area that have tremendous credibility in our communities. And Nikki Lu was slow to get to them.”

HARRIS PLAYS MASHUP OF TRUMP’S ‘ENEMY WITHIN’ COMMENTS AT ERIE RALLY, AFTER CROWD CHANTS ‘LOCK HIM UP’

Lu is a native of Pittsburgh, which sits on the western side of the massive state, and about 300 miles away from Philadelphia. The campaign is focused on amplifying voter turnout in both the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas, the outlet reported. 

During separate closed door meetings last month in Philadelphia, Latino and Black Democratic leaders sounded the alarm about their concerns, including requesting they have a greater presence at events and that the campaign acquire a “more sophisticated understanding” of how to engage with diverse voting demographics, according to five people who attended the meetings. 

“I feel like we’re going to win here, but we’re going to win it in spite of the Harris state campaign,” a Democratic elected official in Pennsylvania who spoke to Politico under the condition of anonymity. “Pennsylvania is such a mess, and it’s incredibly frustrating.”

PA TOWN ROILED BY TALK OF MIGRANT HOUSING IN CIVIL-WAR-ERA ORPHANAGE BUILDING

The Harris campaign told Politico that they have stronger outreach to minority voters in the state compared to Trump’s camp, but did not address the outlet’s question regarding alleged concerns that Lu lacks an understanding of Philadelphia.  

“Our campaign is running the largest and most sophisticated operation in Pennsylvania history,” Harris’ national campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez said in comment to Fox Digital on Wednesday. “While Trump’s team still refuses to tell reporters how few staff they have in the state, we have 50 coordinated offices and nearly 400 staff on the ground,” she said. 

“While the Trump campaign closed its ‘minority outreach offices,’ we invested in targeted advertising to Black and Latino voters starting in August of 2023 and have now spent more than any previous presidential campaign on outreach to these communities. The Vice President is also campaigning aggressively in Pennsylvania – spending 1 out of 3 days in the state in September,” 

The campaign also directed Fox Digital to a recent New York Times story detailing reported GOP divisions in the state’s northwestern area. 

Trump campaign spokesperson Kush Desai told Politico that the Trump campaign has more than two dozen offices in the state. 

“There’s no part of the commonwealth that we’re ignoring,” he said. 

Fox News Digital spoke with Salvatore J. Panto Jr., the longtime Democratic mayor of Easton, which is located near Allentown and about 75 miles north of Philadelphia, who said, “Democrats are being out-messaged by the Republicans.”

“In the one commercial where Kamala Harris is saying, ‘Well, that’s Bidenomics,’ I think that is hurting this because I think the Trump campaign has done a much better job of saying, ‘Things are really bad,’” Panto said during a Monday interview with Fox News Digital.

BIDEN’S OLD BACKYARD NOW A KEY PENNSYLVANIA BATTLEGROUND FILLED WITH ‘PURPLE’ VOTES

“I get more of that on the Stephen Colbert show at night than I do from the Kamala Harris campaign. I think she should be pointing out that his 2025 plan is much different than her plan. And she’s not afraid to talk about her plan. He hasn’t said ‘boo’ about his.”

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Political eyes are locked on Pennsylvania yet again this election cycle, as Keystone State voters are championed as the ones who will likely determine the outcome of the federal election. Trump narrowly won the state in 2016 when he successfully campaigned against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but lost the state in 2020 against President Biden.