3dfoto/iStockBy LIBBY CATHEY and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News
(WASHINGTON) — With three days until Election Day, and President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden racing toward Nov. 3, more than 90 million Americans have already cast their ballots — an early voting record.
On Saturday, Biden’s top surrogate, former President Barack Obama, will join him for the first time on the trail with drive-in rallies in Flint and Detroit to encourage Michiganders to vote.
Trump has four rallies in Pennsylvania as both candidates plan to “barnstorm” the state they deem critical in the final days before the election with the contest overshadowed by coronavirus cases rising there and in nearly every battleground territory.
Vice President Mike Pence has a pair of rallies in North Carolina — a state Trump won by four points in 2016. California Sen. Kamala Harris is campaigning in Florida as Democrats vie for the state’s 29 electoral votes key to Trump’s pathway to the White House.
Oct 31, 2:51 pm
Melania Trump on COVID-19: US has ‘made great progress’
First Lady Melania Trump made a campaign visit to Wisconsin Saturday, stressing that the pandemic “is not a partisan issue” and claiming “the Democrats want to project feelings of fear and doubt, purely for political reasons.”
As the U.S. reaches its highest number of daily coronavirus cases, the first lady said, “We have made great progress in our fight against COVID-19… When COVID-19 invaded our country, we first had to learn what it was, how it spreads and how to prevent it.”
“Joe Biden said this will be a dark winter … his solution is to move backwards and to shut things down,” she said. “When my husband talks about the future, it is filled with continued possibility and forward thinking.”
Oct 31, 2:44 pm
Obama joins Biden, slams Trump’s COVID-19 response
Former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are campaigning in Detroit and Flint, Michigan, Saturday in their first in-person appearance together on the 2020 campaign trail.
At the first event in Flint, Obama removed his “VOTE” mask to tell the drive-in crowd, “this Tuesday, everything is on the line.”
“Our jobs are on the line, our health care is on the line,” Obama said.
Obama bashed President Trump’s response to the pandemic, saying, “If Trump were focused on COVID from the beginning, cases wouldn’t be reaching new record highs.”
“Trump cares about feeding his ego,” the former president said.
“Joe’s not going to call scientists idiots,” Obama said. “He’s not going to host super-spreader events.”
“Tweeting at the TV doesn’t fix things,” Obama said, but “Biden has concrete plans.”
“Joe’s plan will guarantee paid sick leave for workers and parents affected by the pandemic. He’ll make sure the small businesses in every community … can reopen safely,” he said.
Biden then joined Obama, telling the crowd, “It’s time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home. We’re done with the chaos … the failure, the refusal to take any responsibility.”
“Imagine where we’d be if we had a president who wore a mask instead of mocking it,” Biden said.
Both Detroit and Flint are Democratic strongholds. But in 2016, declines among some of the Democrats’ core constituencies helped Trump win Michigan by under 11,000 votes.
Hillary Clinton won both Wayne and Genesee counties, home to Detroit and Flint, but her margins were significantly less than Obama in 2012.
-ABC News’ Kendall Karson
Oct 31, 1:36 pm
Pence says vaccine ‘just a short time away’
Vice President Mike Pence jogged to the stage for his first rally of the day in Elm City, North Carolina, where he asked supporters to repeat the 2016 outcome and vote to reelect President Donald Trump.
Pence wore a mask before and after his remarks, only taking it off to speak. There were a few hundred supporters in attendance, but the majority were not wearing any face masks and were not social distancing.
Pence said that a COVID-19 vaccine is “just a short time away” and that nurses and doctors would have the supplies needed to continue treating patients as cases rise across the country.
Although Trump said the U.S. is “rounding the turn” Saturday, Pence admitted, “we continue to contend with this pandemic, we see cases rising in communities around the country.”
“We are just a short time away, before the end of this year, of having the first safe coronavirus vaccine, and tens of millions of doses for the American people,” Pence said. “We’re gonna continue to move heaven and Earth to make sure that our doctors and nurses have all the supplies and resources they need.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Oct 31, 1:27 pm
Trump supporter disrupts Kamala Harris’ remarks in Miami
When vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris spoke to supporters in Miami on Saturday, she was interrupted by a male protester who shouted pro-Trump and anti-Biden slogans.
Biden supporters tried to intervene by putting Biden signs in the protester’s face. The protester was escorted out by security.
Amid the disruption, Harris urged those in the audience not to be distracted.
“We’re not gonna be distracted by what’s at hand,” Harris said, as the crowd cheered. “We’re not gonna be distracted by the stakes…. We know what we have to do.”
Supporters listen as Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks during a drive-in rally at Florida International University in Miami, Oct. 31,2020.
“You gotta ask, why are these powerful people trying to make it so difficult for us to vote?” she said.
Harris also has stops in Fort Lauderdale and Lake Worth, Florida, Saturday.
-ABC News’ Averi Harper
Oct 31, 1:25 pm
Trump says Pennsylvania ‘will save the American dream’
At the first of his four Saturday rallies in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump told the crowd, “this is the state that will save the American dream.”
“A great red wave … is forming,” Trump said in Bucks County. “And there’s not a thing they can do about it.”
Supporters say the pledge of allegiance before President Donald Trump holds a rally in Newtown, Penn., Oct. 31, 2020.
When Trump brought up Democratic nominee Joe Biden, some in the crowd yelled “lock him up!”
“I fought harder for you than any president,” Trump said.
“Nobody has done in three-and-a-half years, nobody, no administration, no president what we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished… Nobody even challenges that,” Trump said, without mentioning the coronavirus pandemic.
Supporters applaud as President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Keith House, Washington’s Headquarters, Newton, Pa., Oct. 31, 2020.
Trump, in a calm, subdued, voice, continued, “Do not be intimidated by our opponent’s angry and menacing tone. Because if we were, we would never have been able to accomplish what we’ve accomplished. In truth, they are actually terrified of you, the people.
Trump later mentioned COVID-19, saying “we’re rounding the turn,” even though the U.S. on Friday set a new daily case record for the second straight day.
The Bucks County rally was held outside but social distancing was not enforced. Many were seen without masks.
In 2016, Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes – less than 1% of the total ballots cast in the state.
Oct 31, 1:13 pm
Trump says Pennsylvania ‘will save the American dream’
At the first of his four Saturday rallies in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump told the crowd, “this is the state that will save the American dream.”
“A great red wave … is forming,” Trump said in Bucks County. “And there’s not a thing they can do about it.”
When Trump brought up Democratic nominee Joe Biden, some in the crowd yelled “lock him up!”
“I fought harder for you than any president,” Trump said.
“Nobody has done in three-and-a-half years, nobody, no administration, no president what we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished… Nobody even challenges that,” Trump said, without mentioning the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump, in a calm, subdued, voice, continued, “Do not be intimidated by our opponent’s angry and menacing tone. Because if we were, we would never have been able to accomplish what we’ve accomplished. In truth, they are actually terrified of you, the people.
The rally was held outside but social distancing was not enforced. Many were seen without masks.
In 2016, Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes – less than 1% of the total ballots cast in the state.
Oct 31, 11:57 am
Obama to campaign in Georgia and Florida on Monday
Former President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail solo on Monday, visiting the battleground states of Georgia and Florida, the Biden campaign announced Saturday.
In Atlanta, Obama will campaign with U.S Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock.
Obama’s plans for Florida were not released, but the Biden campaign said the former president will be in South Florida.
-ABC News’ John Verhovek
Oct 31, 11:03 am
Absentee ballot rate of return in 11 competitive states
As Americans are urged by election officials to return their absentee ballots as soon as possible, several states have begun reporting the number of mail-in ballots they have received to date.
Using data collected by United States Elections Project, ABC News calculated the absentee ballot rate of return for 11 states deemed as competitive.
Arizona rate of return: 68.1% (as of Oct. 29)
Florida rate of return: 72.5% (as of Oct. 30)
Georgia rate of return: 68.88% (as of Oct. 29)
Iowa rate of return: 92.8% (as of Oct. 30)
Michigan rate of return: 79.94% (as of Oct. 30)
Minnesota rate of return: 80.27% (as of Oct. 30)
(Minnesota does not distinguish between mail and in-person ballots on their state reports. The statistics reported here thus combine all in-person early and mail ballot votes.)
North Carolina rate of return: 60.8% (as of Oct. 30)
New Hampshire rate of return: 80.7% (as of Oct. 27)
Nevada rate of return: 26.5% (as of Oct. 29)
Pennsylvania rate of return: 74.2% (as of Oct. 29)
Wisconsin rate of return: 83.9% (as of Oct. 30)
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Oct 31, 10:02 am
Harris County, Texas sets new record for early voting
In Harris County, Texas, a new record has been set for early voting numbers, with 1.43 million ballots cast early for the presidential election.
Harris County has already exceeded the total voter turnout from 2016, County Clerk Chris Hollins said Thursday, ABC Houston station KTRK reported.
Harris County’s early voting started on Oct. 13 and has now come to an end, KTRK said.
Early voting data is hitting record numbers across the country. In the states reporting data, at least 85.7 million ballots have been cast in the 2020 general election. In 2016, 43 million people voted early.
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh
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