Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Vice President Kamala Harris is seeing a post-debate bump in the latest polling from Morning Consult.
The race currently stands at 51%-45%, with Harris ahead, which is one point higher than a week ago. Just 2% of voters are undecided, and an additional 2% told the pollster they plan to vote for a third-party candidate.
According to Morning Consult, the widening margin is at least partly attributable to last week’s debate. The poll found that more than 60% of voters — including one in five Republicans — believe Harris performed better. Just one-third said Donald Trump won the debate.
“That 28-point margin in Harris’ favor among debate viewers is equal to the advantage Trump garnered against President Joe Biden in our post-debate survey in late June,” the polling memo reads.
Harris’ momentum also appears to be lifting down-ballot candidates, with an increasing number of voters saying they believe Democrats in Congress are better equipped to handle various issues than their Republican counterparts.
“This is especially true with regard to immigration and national security, with respective 13- and 8-point advantages for congressional Republicans dwindling to 7- and 3-point edges since last week,” Morning Consult says.
Evening Reads
—“Kamala Harris campaign says she will meet the press (on her terms)” via Reid J. Epstein and Michael M. Grynbaum of The New York Times
—”Polls show Harris gaining after the presidential debate” via G. Elliott Morris of FiveThirtyEight
—”Federal debt is soaring. Here’s why Donald Trump and Harris aren’t talking about it.” via Richard Rubin of The Wall Street Journal
—”What happened to Nate Silver” via Andrew Prokop of Vox
—”Laura Loomer is where Republicans draw the line” via Ali Breland of The Atlantic
—”Florida’s schools could get even more partisan after November” via Andrew Atterbury of POLITICO
—”National pro-life org targets Florida voters in new ad against Amendment 4” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics
—“The Texas Senate race is too close for Ted Cruz’s comfort” via Steve Hayes, Charles Hilu, and Michael Warren of The Dispatch
—”Generations of workers coveted Boeing jobs. Strike reveals how much has changed.” via Ian Duncan, Rachel Lerman and Lori Aratani via The Washington Post
Quote of the Day
“We’re not afraid of assassination attempts, unlike the Democrats who are afraid to be in front of the media.”
— Attorney General Ashley Moody, paraphrasing VP nominee JD Vance, after an apparent second attempt to assassinate Donald Trump.
Put it on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott must be sipping on a Red Menace based on his latest attacks on Democratic former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powel.
Order a round of Century Grands for the crew at Florida Future Leaders, who are putting a strong financial push behind Democrat Daryl Parks’ bid to supplant Republican Corey Simon in Senate District 3.
Help U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee celebrate her latest round of endorsements by ordering a trio of Sheriffs.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Marlins open home series vs. Dodgers
One of the best teams in the National League opens a three-game series with the worst team in the National League as the Los Angeles Dodgers play in Miami against the Marlins (6:40 p.m. ET, Bally Sports Florida).
The Marlins (55-95) are 2.5 games behind the Colorado Rockies in the NL cellar with 12 games remaining in the regular season. Miami is coming off losing three of four against the Washington Nationals, including the final three games of the series. The last time the Marlins won more than two consecutive games was May 18, when they put together the only four-game winning streak of the season.
The Marlins won’t have the worst record in baseball. The Chicago White Sox have that dubious distinction all but locked up. However, Miami could still finish with the worst record in the National League and seems almost certain to lose 100 games or more for the fourth time in franchise history. The Marlin’s worst season came in 1998 when they lost 108 games just a season after winning the World Series.
The Dodgers (89-61) are one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for home-field advantage in the playoffs. In contrast with the Marlins, Los Angeles has nine winning streaks of at least four games. They are coming off a split of a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
