Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
The latest poll from The Economist/YouGov shows Vice President Kamala Harris continues to lead former President Donald Trump along with shifts in voter mindset about the election.
The poll of 1,592 voters, conducted Sept. 15-17, showed Harris at 49%, four points ahead of Trump’s 45%. Harris holds 50% support among women, an eight-point edge over Trump, and 78% of Black and 60% of Hispanic voters.
Meanwhile, Trump holds a one-point lead among men and draws 52% of white voters, a ten-point gap. In terms of favorability, Harris is in the positive, 48%- 47%, while Trump remains underwater with 42% approval and 55% disapproval.
The poll also showed that voters are mostly set on who they want to vote for. When asked whether voters had made up their minds about voting for their current candidate, 95% of both Harris and Trump voters said they would definitely vote for the candidate they currently have picked, with only 5% for both saying they could change their mind before the election.
Voters were also polled on who they think will ultimately win in November. Harris also leads here, with 42% predicting she’ll win compared to 32% for Trump, with the remainder unsure.
This is a significant shift from the previous Economist/YouGov poll. Just last week, voters saw Harris as the probable winner by one point, 38%-37%, a significant shift that could indicate growing momentum for Harris following the Sep. 10 presidential debate.
Evening Reads
—“Donald Trump’s talk of prosecution rattles election officials” via Nick Corasantini and Alexandra Berzon of The New York Times
—“Why is Trump campaigning in blue New York?” via Emily Ngo of POLITICO Magazine
—“Kamala Harris, Trump campaigns scuffle over migrants and abortion bans seven weeks out from election” via Ashely Murray of the Florida Phoenix
—“AJC poll: Kamala Harris and Trump locked in a tight race in Georgia” via Greg Bluestein of AJC Politics
—”Harris is gaining in post-debate polls” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin
—“The 24 most important lines from Harris’ NABJ interview” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”Mad about the Electoral College? Blame California.” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin
—“Meta and X removed the accounts of Trump’s assassination attempt suspect: That’s not uncommon” via Maria Briceño of PolitiFact
—“Ex-U.S. attorneys rip Ron DeSantis’ Trump assassination probe” via Marc Caputo of The Bulwark
—“The Fed isn’t first to cut rates, but it is the signal other central banks want” via Paul Hannon of The Wall Street Journal
—“More college professors in Florida still looking to leave state, survey shows ” via Ian Hodgson and Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times
—“Attorney conflicts, delays — seeking justice for Dan Markel continues” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics
—“As destruction looms, Friends of the Gladstone petition DeSantis” via James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat
Quote of the Day
“DeSantis is a former federal prosecutor and a JAG officer. He should know better. And he should know the law better.”
— Dan Gelber, calling Ron DeSantis’ investigation into the potential assassination attempt “nuts.”
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.
Raise a Flip to Rod Joseph, who took such a beating in the Democratic U.S. Senate Primary that he’s changing parties and endorsing U.S. Sen. Rick Scott.
Shake up a Cash Money for Rep. Allison Tant, who’s raked in more campaign contributions than any other House candidate in the state.
The economy has been a roller coaster for a few years, but a new study shows Floridians have more money to blow on frivolous purchases than the average American — a Big Spender sounds like the perfect way to celebrate.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Rays pushing for winning season
The Tampa Bay Rays continue to try to inch closer to third place in the American League East as they continue a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field (6:50 p.m. ET, Bally Sports Sun).
The Rays (74-77) beat the Red Sox last night in the series opener, 8-3 behind four home runs, including a pair from Brandon Lowe.
With 11 games remaining in the regular season, neither team has been eliminated from the wild card race, although with the Red Sox five games back and the Rays trailing by six games, it would be a long shot for either team to close that much ground in the final two weeks of the season.
Tampa Bay has been playing respectable baseball despite sending most of the teams’ veteran players away in trades during the season. The Rays just split a four-game series with the American League Central-leading Cleveland Guardians. After this series with the Red Sox, the Rays are scheduled to finish the season with a three-game series in St. Petersburg against the Toronto Blue Jays. Then they finish on the road at the Detroit Tigers and a final three-game set against the Red Sox.
The Rays have not finished a season with a losing record since 2017. They must win seven of their final 11 games to keep the streak alive.
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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.
