Six Democratic senators introduced legislation preventing federal civil service positions from being reclassified outside of a merit-based system, protecting tens of thousands of federal employees.
Why it matters: It follows reporting from Axios’ Jonathan Swan on former President Trump’s plans to replace huge chunks of government employees with his own army of tens of thousands of loyalists by establishing a new Schedule F employment category for federal employees.
The details: The new bill would prevent any position in the federal civil service from being reclassified outside of merit system principles without the express consent of Congress.
The bill, led by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), is also co-sponsored by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D- Md.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
In the House, Rep. Gerry Connelly (D-Va.) introduced legislation co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) that was passed this month.
Connelly has consistently raised alarm about the need to protect the civil service. “Congress must assert itself and ensure no future president can repeat what Trump has already tried to do once, and now is reportedly planning to do again,” Connelly wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece citing Axios reporting.
What they’re saying: “Our civil service plays an invaluable role in everything from our national security to the administration of Social Security benefits, and it’s in Americans’ best interest that those positions be filled with the most qualified applicants,” Kaine said in a statement.
“Workplace protections for federal workers exist for a reason: so any one administration cannot fire career employees and install their own political appointees,” Feinstein said in a statement.
The last thing we need is for a president to fire dedicated and experienced public servants and replace them with sycophants and grifters without the skills to carry out the functions of government within the rule of law,” Cardin said in a statement.
“Keeping partisan politics out of our civil service is crucial to upholding its integrity and maintaining an efficient and effective federal government,” Van Hollen said in a statement.
Former President Donald Trump on the eve of the Missouri primaries gave his much-coveted endorsement in the republican primary for Missouri’s open Senate seat, but there was some confusion about who had been selected.
“I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Full Endorsement!” Trump wrote in a statement Monday night.
And with that, Trump apparently rejected anyone in the field of 19 who is not named Eric. There are two leading candidates who share the first name: Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Attorney General Eric Greitensand one candidate trailing them.
The semi-endorsement came as Schmitt has broken ahead in recent polls, including one by Emerson College released in late July where he led Rep. Vicky Hartzler by 12 points. Greitens was third in that poll.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a ‘Save America’ rally in support of Arizona GOP candidates on July 22, 2022 in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Arizona’s primary election will take place August 2.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Greitens, a controversial candidate who resigned in 2018 after a sex scandal and misuse of campaign funds, has been dropping in the polls since June after more than $11 million has been spent on the airwaves by outside groups to keep him from winning the primary and potentially putting this state at play in November’s general election.
Earlier this year, Greitens’ ex-wife has also claimed he abused her and their son, allegations that the Greitens campaign has denied. Sheena Greitens repeated the allegations on Twitter on Monday.
Shortly after Trump’s statement, both Greitens and Schmitt claimed to have Trump’s full support.
“President Trump has looked at the candidates and all that’s at stake in this race, and he has given me his COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!” read a campaign fundraising email from Schmitt.
“Honored to have the support of President Trump! We will MAGA!” Greitens tweeted. Greitens also has ties to Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, and he tweeted a video of Guilfoyle backing him.
Making matters more complicated, there is a third Eric in the race: Eric McElroy. In a statement, Hartzler said “Congrats to Eric McElroy. He’s having a big night.”
Trump said in July that he explicitly would not endorse Hartzler.
Aaron Navarro
Aaron Navarro is an associate producer for the political unit at CBS News, focusing on House and gubernatorial campaigns as well as the census and redistricting.
A possible far-right Trump sweep in Arizona, a Midwestern referendum on the Squad and a Kansas ballot question with implications for abortion rights are some of the big decisions before voters today in closely watched primaries in 5 states.
Driving the news: Former President Trump’s last-minute endorsement of “Eric” ahead of today’s Missouri Senate primary — in a field that includes both the state’s attorney general, Eric Schmitt, and disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens — highlights how disruptive and unpredictable a force the former president remains in the GOP.
Backing Greitens, as Trump was rumored to be considering, would have risked adding a high-profile loss to Trump’s ledger. Polls have shown Schmitt leading the primary field, with Greitens falling to third place in recent weeks.
Publicly, Schmitt and Greitens each claimed Trump’s backing and said they were honored.
why it matters The success or failure of Trump-backed candidates — in both primaries and the general election — is an important barometer of his long-term grip on the party.
Arizona Republicans are poised to nominate a roster of MAGA-aligned candidates.
A Trump sweep in Arizona, one of the most important battleground states, would be an embarrassing rebuke to Gov. Doug Ducey and former Vice President Mike Pence, who spent valuable political capital against several of Trump’s candidates.
But that could actually hurt their prospects of defeating Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) or holding the governor’s office.
Details: Most public polling has shown Trump-endorsed former TV anchor Kari Lake with late momentum against Pence-endorsed businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson in the Arizona governor’s race.
Lake has been badly outspent but boasts considerable grassroots support.
Trump’s slate of downballot candidates — including Blake Masters for the Senate, Mark Finchem for secretary of state and Abe Hamadeh for state attorney general — are favored in their respective primaries. All have sowed doubt about President Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who testified to the Jan. 6 committee about Trump’s efforts to overturn the Arizona election, is expected to lose a state Senate primary to a challenger promoting Trump’s election conspiracy theories. Bowers told ABC’s Jon Karl it would take a “miracle” for him to win.
In other pivotal primaries, Trump’s favored candidates have struggled to gain political traction.
In Washington state, Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse, both of whom backed Trump’s impeachment, have a solid chance at defeating insurgent challengers.
Squad goals: Tuesday’s contests also include a number of key battles in an ongoing struggle between progressives and more moderate, establishment Democrats — which, as Axios reported Sunday, progressives have been mostly losing.
Three members of the Squad—Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) — are facing moderate primary challengers. All are favored to win re-nomination.
Moderate Rep. Haley Stevens is facing progressive Rep. Andy Levin in a primary that has become a proxy battle among Democrats over support for Israel. Stevens, who’s supported by pro-Israel groups, has emerged ahead in independent polling.
Kansas voters will vote in on an amendment to the state constitution on abortion restrictions — the first in a series of ballot measures on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s June decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Kansas, despite its conservative politics, currently protects abortion rights in the state Constitution, allowing the procedure up to 22 weeks into pregnancy.
If the amendment passes, however, it would allow state legislators to restrict or ban abortions.
Former President Donald Trump on the eve of the Missouri primaries gave his much-coveted endorsement in the republican primary for Missouri’s open Senate seat, but there was some confusion about who had been selected.
“I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Full Endorsement!” Trump wrote in a statement Monday night.
And with that, Trump apparently rejected anyone in the field of 19 who is not named Eric. There are two leading candidates who share the first name: Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Attorney General Eric Greitensand one candidate trailing them.
The semi-endorsement came as Schmitt has broken ahead in recent polls, including one by Emerson College released in late July where he led Rep. Vicky Hartzler by 12 points. Greitens was third in that poll.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a ‘Save America’ rally in support of Arizona GOP candidates on July 22, 2022 in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Arizona’s primary election will take place August 2.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Greitens, a controversial candidate who resigned in 2018 after a sex scandal and misuse of campaign funds, has been dropping in the polls since June after more than $11 million has been spent on the airwaves by outside groups to keep him from winning the primary and potentially putting this state at play in November’s general election.
Earlier this year, Greitens’ ex-wife has also claimed he abused her and their son, allegations that the Greitens campaign has denied. Sheena Greitens repeated the allegations on Twitter on Monday.
Shortly after Trump’s statement, both Greitens and Schmitt claimed to have Trump’s full support.
“President Trump has looked at the candidates and all that’s at stake in this race, and he has given me his COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!” read a campaign fundraising email from Schmitt.
“Honored to have the support of President Trump! We will MAGA!” Greitens tweeted. Greitens also has ties to Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, and he tweeted a video of Guilfoyle backing him.
Making matters more complicated, there is a third Eric in the race: Eric McElroy. In a statement, Hartzler said “Congrats to Eric McElroy. He’s having a big night.”
Trump said in July that he explicitly would not endorse Hartzler.
Aaron Navarro
Aaron Navarro is an associate producer for the political unit at CBS News, focusing on House and gubernatorial campaigns as well as the census and redistricting.
Two Erics are top contenders in Tuesday’s GOP primary for an open US Senate seat in Missouri.
But it wasn’t clear who former President Donald Trump backed even after he issued an endorsement in the race where Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Governor Eric Greitens are both running.
On the eve of the election, Trump said in a statement he was “proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
“There is a BIG Election in the Great State of Missouri, and we must send a MAGA Champion and True Warrior to the US Senate, someone who will fight for Border Security, Election Integrity, our Military and Great Veterans, together with having powerful toughness on Crime and the Border,” Trump stated.
“We need a person who will not go back down to the Radical Left Lunatics who are destroying our Country.
“I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when gave me landside victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Both candidates were quick to claim and tout Trump’s support.
Schmitt, in a tweet, wrote, “I’m grateful for President Trump’s endorsement. As the only America First candidate who has actually fought for election integrity, border security & against the Left’s indoctrination of our kids – I’ll take that fight to the Senate to SAVE AMERICA!”
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt was quick to claim Trump’s support after the former president’s confusing statement was released. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File
Greitens also wrote he was “honored to receive President Trump’s endorsement.”
“From the beginning, I’ve been the true MAGA Champion fighting against the RINO establishment backing Schmitt,” I have tweeted.
He also bragged about being backed by Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, media personality Kimberly Guilfoyle, in a separate tweet.
Greitens also claimed he “just had a GREAT phone call with President Trump” and thanked him for the support.
Former Governor Eric Greitens also interpreted Trump’s statement as a sure endorsement of him. AP Photo/Jeff Robersob
Schmitt hit back by reposting a tweet from conservative media personality Dan Bongino commenting on Greitens’ claim.
“Bulls—t. Read the endorsement. This dude is a FRAUD,” Bongino said in reference to Greitens.
Schmitt and Greitens are both vying to replace outgoing Sen. Roy Blunt. Schmitt is the favorite with an Emerson College poll last week showing him with about 33% of the predicted vote. After that, Rep. Vicky Hartzler had 21% and Greitens was in third with 16%.
Many national Republicans want Greitens to lose because of past scandals he was involved in, including charges of domestic abuse by his ex-wife.
While there’s a third candidate named Eric — Eric McElroy — also running, he is a long shot contender.
Still, Hartzler threw congratulations his way Monday.
“Congratulations to Eric McElroy. He’s having a big night,” she said in statement, according to CBS News.
LIV Golf offered a figure between $700 million-$800 million ($A997m-$1.1bn) to Tiger Woods in an attempt to lure the 15-time major winner away from the PGA Tour, according to LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.
“The number has been out there, yes,” Norman said on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Monday night.
“Tiger is a needle move. So of course you got to look at the best of the best. They originally approached Tiger before I became CEO, so yes, that number is somewhere in that neighborhood.”
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Donald Trump backs LIV Golf Series | 00:46
The Saudi Arabia-backed golf league has grown notorious for offering audacious sums of money to pry golfers from the PGA Tour, with Woods’ offer being the most-lucrative total known to date. Norman had previously hinted at the offer, noting that the money was ‘mind-blowingly enormous.’
Few professional golfers have been more critical of LIV Golf than Woods. In July, ahead of the British Open, Woods supported the R&A’s decision to disinvite Norman from its Celebration of Champions exhibition, while also lashing out against the golfers who failed to join the LIV ranks.
Casey has ‘questions’ after joining LIV | 01:08
“The players who have chosen to go to LIV and to play there, I disagree with it,” Woods said.
“I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”
The separate factions have even disintegrated relationships between Woods and other golfers.
Monday, Bryson DeChambeau — who reportedly received more than $US125 million to join LIV Golf — revealed that he has not spoken with Woods since his defection.
LIV Golf just completed its third tournament this past weekend at Trump Bedminster that was one by Henrik Stenson.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post.
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said Monday his investigators found just one dead voter after thoroughly reviewing findings from a partisan review of the 2020 election that alleged 282 ballots were cast in the name of someone who had died.
The finding by the Republican attorney general, who is running for the US Senate in Tuesday’s primary, further discredits the review conducted last year. The review was led by an inexperienced firm, Cyber Ninjas, and conducted largely by supporters of Donald Trump who falsely believe the election was stolen from him.
“Our agents investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninjas reported as dead, and many were very surprised to learn that they were allegedly deceased,” Brnovich wrote in a letter to state Senate President Karen Fann, who used her subpoena power to obtain ballots, tabulators and election data and hired Cyber Ninjas for what she called a “forensic audit.”
For the one substantiated incident, “the facts of the case did not support prosecution,” said Ryan Anderson, a spokesman for Brnovich. He said the dead person’s ballot was not counted. None of the three criminal cases the attorney general has filed over dead voters was connected to the Cyber Ninjas investigation, he said.
Brnovich did not say whether any charges had been filed in connection with the one substantiated incident, and his spokesman, Ryan Anderson, did not respond to a phone call and text message. All other people listed by Cyber Ninjas as deceased “were found to be current voters,” Brnovich wrote.
Combined with other reports of dead voters, Brnovich’s Election Integrity Unit investigated a combined 409 names and produced “only a handful of potential cases.”
Brnovich vouched for the legitimacy of the election immediately after President Joe Biden’s victory but later publicized his investigation of the Cyber Ninjas allegations as he sought Trump’s endorsement for his Senate campaign. Trump ultimately released a scathing statement saying Brnovich wasn’t doing enough to advance his claims of fraud and endorsed businessman Blake Masters.
Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.
The Cyber Ninjas review looked at data, machines and ballots from Maricopa County, the state’s largest. It produced a report that experts described as riddled with errors, bias and flawed methodology. Still, even that partisan review came up with a vote tally that would not have altered the outcome, finding that Biden won by 360 more votes than the official results.
Faced with a growing challenge from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, the US PGA Tour announced a 2022-23 season schedule on Monday offering a record $AUD590 million in prize money.
The PGA increased the prize money at eight invitational tournaments, with The Players Championship set to pay out $35m, and will offer $206m in bonus money, including $107m for the FedEx Cup playoffs, which will be trimmed to 70 players from the current 125.
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The move comes as the LIV Golf Series — spearheaded by Aussie legend Greg Norman — has offered the highest purses in history to lure big-name talent from the PGA to its upstart tour, which is set to rise from eight events in 2022 to 14 in 2023.
LIV Golf has drawn protests and claims of “sportwashing” from critics citing Saudi human rights issues but such stars as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey and Patrick Reed have jumped to the rebel series that debuted in June.
The US PGA, which will return to a season that coincides with the calendar year starting in 2024, tightened its playoffs and boosted select purses after comments from fans, PGA commissioner Jay Monahan said.
“The overwhelming sentiment was they wanted more consequences for both the regular season and the playoffs and to further strengthen events that traditionally feature top players competing head-to-head,” Monahan said. “We feel strongly we’ve accomplished all of these objectives.”
The 2022-23 PGA season will have 47 tournaments, including three playoff events next August with a field of 70 at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis, 50 at the BMW Championship in Chicago and the top 30 in points advancing to the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.
After the season ends, late 2023 will feature events for those outside the top 70 to earn status for the 2024 PGA campaign plus a series of “international events” featuring the PGA top 50 in a limited field, no-cut format. No other details were revealed about those events.
The St. Jude and BMW will see a jump in prize money from $21 million to $28 million.
The January Tournament of Champions will see its purse rise from $12 million to $21 million next year. It will become the lead-off event of the PGA season when the schedule changes in 2024.
Four events will see prize money jump from $17 million to $28 million — the Genesis Invitational in February hosted by Tiger Woods, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March, the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial in June and the WGC Match Play in March.
Prize money will jump from $28 million to $35 million for The Players Championship in March.
The Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship will remain co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour.
The 2022-23 campaign will begin on September 15-18 with the Fortinet Championship at Napa, California, with the Presidents Cup the following week at Quail Hollow.
The CJ Cup has been moved from South Korea to South Carolina and will be played in October with the Bermuda Championship the following week.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic, won Sunday by Tony Finau, will start June 29 next year while the 3M Open moves to the end of July.
From left: Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, former President Donald Trump, and former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens
St. Louis Post Dispatch and AP photos
ST. LOUIS — Former President Donald Trump, declining to make a single endorsement in Tuesday’s US Senate primary, announced he trusted Missouri voters to “make up their own minds” between former Gov. Eric Greitens and Attorney General Eric Schmitt.
The Post-Dispatch and the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis present this guide to the candidates and races on the Aug. 2 ballot.
In a statement posted after 5 pm Monday on Truth Social, a blogging site similar to Twitter, Trump wrote, “I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their minds, much as I did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
The late nod to two of the frontrunners in the Senate race represented an anti-climatic end to the sweepstakes in which Republican candidates sought to ingratiate themselves to the former president, who dominated his Democratic opponents in his two elections here.
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Nationally, political scientists, analysts and journalists are watching the Missouri race to weigh Trump’s impact on midterm elections. But Trump didn’t make a final pick, potentially saving face in what has been a tight three-way contest.
Trump said in July he definitely wouldn’t endorse US Rep. Vicky Hartzler, the third Republican frontrunner, in the race. Asked earlier Monday about expectations that Trump still may endorse a Republican in the race, Hartzler shook off her non-endorsement, acknowledging the unpredictability of the former president.
“President Trump is going to do what he wants to do,” she said. “He may even endorse me.”
Greitens had claimed Trump’s endorsement in a tweet minutes after Trump’s announcement, making no mention of Schmitt.
“Honored to have the support of President Trump! We will MAGA!” Greitens said.
Schmitt followed that with his own tweet that made no mention of Greitens: “Donald Trump endorses Eric Schmitt for Senate. Stand with Trump and vote for conservative Eric Schmitt tomorrow.”
BREAKING: Donald Trump endorses Eric Schmitt for Senate. Stand with Trump and vote for conservative Eric Schmitt tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/geOUGGhq8
— Team Schmitt for US Senate (@Schmitt4Senate) August 1, 2022
Hartzler, meanwhile, issued a statement noting there is a third, lesser-known Eric also is seeking the GOP nomination, a fact that may have escaped the former president.
“Congratulations to Eric McElroy. He’s having a big night,” Hartzler said.
McElroy is a comedian and author who lives in Tunas in Dallas County.
Ending months of speculation
Political observers had for months speculated as to which candidate Trump would back in Missouri’s 21-candidate Republican primary to replace Sen. Roy Blunt, to Republican.
In December, conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt pleaded with Trump not to back Greitens, who resigned in 2018 after being consumed with scandals connected to an extramarital affair he had and his unreported receipt of a campaign donor list from the veterans charity he founded.
“Please don’t endorse Eric Greitens. That’s a nightmare, Mr. President. We’ll lose that seat,” Hewitt told Trump in a radio interview.
Trump made no promises at the time.
“Well, that’s an interesting opinion, that’s true,” Trump said. “He’s right now leading by quite a bit.”
Indeed, the former president had been warming to Greitens, Politico reported in early March. After all, despite scandals other Republicans feared they could hand the seat to Democrats in the fall, Greitens was out front in opposing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, with whom Trump has feuded. (Schmitt and Hartzler also distanced themselves from McConnell last week.)
But two weeks after the Politico article, headlined “Trump’s McConnell obsession leads him toward Eric Greitens,” Greitens’ ex-wife accused the ex-governor of spousal and child abuse in court documents.
After those revelations, US Rep. Billy Long said Trump contacted him and talked about the allegations against Greitens, indicating concern from the former president about Greitens’ viability.
After the phone call, Trump issued a statement signaling he’d like to back Long but wondered if voters had “been considering” the southwest Missouri congressman, indicating Trump wanted to endorse a candidate with strong public support.
Greitens has been the subject of a multimillion-dollar campaign financed by GOP donors and operatives to paint him as unfit for office.
After leading the polls in the early going, Greitens began to fade, with Schmitt appearing to take the lead in the closing week.
Schmitt, too, had tried to court the former president.
On Dec. 23, Schmitt tweeted a picture of himself sitting next to Trump.
“It was great to be back at Mar-a-Lago and spend some time with President Trump during the holiday season. Merry Christmas!” I have tweeted.
On March 11, Schmitt made another appearance at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, according to photos he posted on Twitter.
But the charm offensive apparently wasn’t enough to earn Trump’s outright backing.
Trump angered by recent poll
Trump, on his social media website on Sunday, signaled disapproval with Schmitt and Axiom Strategies, a political consulting firm working for Schmitt. Axiom’s polling arm, Remington Research Group, had released polls showing Schmitt leading the race.
On Sunday, Trump shared a link to a Breitbart article that accused Remington of underestimating Trump’s support in Missouri to boost the attorney general in polls.
“Wow, great dishonesty in politics,” Trump said in his social media post, with a photo of Schmitt below his statement. “Too bad!”
At a campaign stop in the St. Louis area, Schmitt was asked about a possible endorsement.
“I’d love to have it,” Schmitt said, adding voters had a choice between the “fighter,” Schmitt; Greitens, “who quit,” and Hartzler, “a do-nothing congresswoman who’s part of the establishment,” according to audio by St. Louis Public Radio.
Trump said in July that Hartzler called him for his endorsement, but he declined, saying she doesn’t have “what it takes to take on the Radical Left Democrats, together with their partner in the destruction of our Country, the Fake News Media and , of course, the deceptive & foolish RINOs.”
On Monday, Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, hosted a news conference in a St. Louis Lambert International Airport parking lot to criticize her two main competitors in the US Senate race.
To Greitens, she pointed out that he’s accused of abusing his family.
“That’s not conservative,” Hartzler said.
To Schmitt, she said he tried to use millions of dollars in tax credits to lure the Chinese to build a hub at the airport behind her.
“That’s not conservative,” Hartzler said.
And she criticized both of them for not sitting down for a debate.
“I guess they are afraid to fight a farm girl from Missouri,” said Hartzler, 61, describing herself as the “true conservative” in the race.
Hartzler left the airport, driving to other last-minute campaign stops in Rolla and southwest Missouri.
“We are getting a lot of support from every corner of the state,” she said.
Support for Democratic contenders
On the Democratic side of the race, former Marine Lucas Kunce touted endorsements Monday from US Sen. Bernie SanderI-Vt., and former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, who served under President Bill Clinton.
Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, meanwhile, announced her election night watch party would be at the Sheet Metal Local 36 union hall in St. Louis.
On the GOP side, Greitens wound up his campaign with a statewide fly-around that included a scheduled stop at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield.
updated at 6:25 pm Monday, Aug. 1
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Former President Trump leads President Biden and Vice President Harris in hypothetical 2024 presidential match-ups, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey released exclusively to The Hill on Monday.
The poll found that if the 2024 election were held today, 45 percent of respondents would vote for Trump in a race against Biden, who attracted the support of 41 percent of respondents, while 14 percent were unsure or didn’t know.
In a hypothetical Trump-Harris match-up, Trump’s lead expands to 7 percentage points. Forty-seven percent said they would support Trump, compared to 40 percent for Harris and 13 percent who were unsure or didn’t know.
Mark Penn, the co-director of the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey, noted how Biden would be a weaker candidate in a race against Trump today than he performed in 2020.
“Biden is a very weak Democratic nominee and would lose even the popular vote in a rematch today,” Penn said. “Trump is far from 50 percent support, and there is a high undecided vote despite everyone knowing the candidates, because the public wants new over more of the same.”
The poll comes as Biden’s approval rating remains at roughly the lowest point in his presidency. The poll found his approval rating of him clocked in at 38 percent, which was unchanged from when the pollsters asked the question a month ago.
Biden and White House officials have repeatedly said the president intends to run in 2024 if his health allows.
Trump, meanwhile, has tipped closer to another White House bid, but some Republican lawmakers have publicly suggested Trump should wait to announce until after the midterm elections to avoid shifting the focus away from inflation when voters head to the ballot box in November.
The two presidents’ and Harris’s favorability ratings, however, all remain underwater.
Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed said they had a favorable view of Biden, compared to 44 percent for Trump. Just thirty-six percent of voters said they had a favorable view of Harris.
A majority of respondents indicated they did not want Trump nor Biden to run in 2024.
Nearly 7 in 10 respondents — 69 percent — said Biden should not run for a second term, while 59 percent of respondents said Trump shouldn’t run.
The poll was conducted online on July 27-28 among 1,885 registered voters in a collaboration between the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and the Harris Poll.
The survey is weighted to reflect known demographics, and as a representative online sample, it does not report a probability confidence interval.
