Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Break out the Runzas and Diet Mountain Dew (not Mtn Dew, je refuse); the battle of the sidekicks is upon us.
Vice presidential nominees Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Republican U.S. Sen. JD Vance are set to square off tonight in their first and only debate ahead of the November election.
Many prognosticators argue presidential debates don’t matter, and even many of those who disagree would concede that VP debates aren’t all that big of a deal.
Still, some wrinkles might make this matchup interesting or, at the very least, a novel 90 minutes of primetime TV.
The stakes are arguably higher for Vance, who is one of the least-liked VP nominees in modern history — his approval rating has recovered considerably from its nadir, but most polls still have him underwater nationally.
From his past comments about “childless cat ladies” to his seeming admission that he lied about immigrants eating pets in Ohio, his Democratic opponent has many angles of attack — and, more than likely, a stack of zingers raring to go.
Meanwhile, Walz remains above water among voters — he’s at plus-3 to Vance’s minus-6 in the latest New York Times/Sienna College poll — although his approval rating has been working toward even in the weeks since Kamala Harris introduced him as her running mate.
The Trump campaign has worked to chain the current administration’s failures — real or perceived — to Harris and has hammered the VP’s plans for lacking specifics. Democrats will be looking for a solid defensive effort from Walz, and if he keeps Vance on the back foot, they may get it.
But Mother Nature did give Vance something to work with. While Harris holds a slim lead in national polls, the race is tight in the seven swing states, including North Carolina, which took a pounding from Helene. Now that the door is shut on a second Trump-Harris debate, the Harris campaign will depend on Walz to deflect GOP criticism of the federal government’s post-storm response.
The debate, hosted by CBS, begins at 9 p.m. It will also be available to stream on the CBS News app, Paramount+ and YouTube.
Evening Reads
—“What to watch for in Tuesday’s Vance-Walz debate” via Shane Goldmacher, Katie Glueck and Michael Bender of The New York Times
—“What to know about tonight’s Walz-Vance VP debate” via John McCormick and Annie Linskey of The Wall Street Journal
—”The soft bigotry of low (debate) expectations” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”Helene just pummeled America’s chicken farming capital” via Kenny Torrella of Vox
—”Power restored after Hurricane Helene but some rural pockets remain cut off” via Bruce Ritchie of POLITICO Florida
—“Floridians have long flocked to North Carolina. What now?” via Stephanie Hayes of the Tampa Bay Times
—”Ron DeSantis slams 60 Minutes amid insurance scandal exposé” via Liv Caputo of The Floridian
—“Abortion access is opening up in the South after Georgia Judge’s ruling” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics
—”Judge allows state’s anti-Amendment 4 website to remain up” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics
—“Ad watch: In Florida, Amendment 3 does not create a ‘monopoly’ for marijuana companies” via Samantha Putterman of PolitiFact
—”How the Mouse stumbled” via E.J. Dickson of Rolling Stone
Quote of the Day
“Emergency management can’t be a partisan issue — hurricanes don’t just hit Republican areas or Democratic areas. We have to come together to show the American people government still works.”
— U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz urging Congress to pass a supplemental funding Helene recovery.
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.
Former Master of Disaster and current U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz is working hard to get Helene recovery funds flowing. That earns him a tasty twist on a timeless staple — a Swift Old Fashioned.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and FHP are launching a new public awareness campaign that shares its name with a pretty decent cocktail and an OK-ish Aerosmith song: Walk This Way.
Florida Clerks are doing their part to help those struggling post-Helene and needing protective orders. The next time they swing by the bar across from the courthouse, tell the bartender to mix up a Protection Spell.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
World Series chase begins today
Major League Baseball’s postseason begins today with four wild card series. Four best-of-three series being the playoffs today.
The Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros began their series in the American League at 2:32 p.m. ET. The Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles opened at 4:08 p.m. ET. In the National League, the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers start their postseasons at 5:30 p.m.; tonight, it’s the Atlanta Braves and the Padres opening in San Diego (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The Braves clinched the fifth seed in the National League playoffs when they won the second game of a doubleheader against the Mets yesterday, 3-0. Atlanta’s seventh straight postseason came in unusual circumstances. Hurricane Helen forced the teams to make up two games; both played the day after the rest of baseball had concluded the regular season.
The Padres earned their spot in the postseason by winning 93 games, tied for the third most in the National Lague after finishing two games above .500 last season. The Padres featured a balanced attack with four players hitting at least 20 home runs. The lineup also featured the National League batting champion, Luis Arraez, who won a batting title for the third straight season with three different teams. Arraez was the National League’s leading hitter with the Miami Marlins last season, and he topped the American League in 2022 with the Minnesota Twins.
All four wild card series continue tomorrow and, if necessary, on Thursday.
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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.
