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Good morning and happy Thursday! Today let’s dive into:
Democrats’ growing confidence in North Carolina
A major union declining to endorse
Political implications of the Federal Reserve’s rate cut
Democrats’ growing confidence in North Carolina
At one point in the White House race, North Carolina seemed like the swing state that posed the toughest challenge for the Democrats, but the party is growing more confident that it’s in play for Kamala Harris.
Trump is still up by 1.4 percentage points in the state, according to the FT’s poll tracker, but when I was in Charlotte last week, local Democratic politicians and operatives told me that Harris’s presence at the top of the ticket has reinvigorated support for the party in North Carolina. The state last went blue in 2008, when Barack Obama was first elected president.
The importance of Mecklenburg County
“It’s simply untenable if Democrats want to have a real shot at winning [North Carolina],” said Drew Kromer, chair of Mecklenburg County Democratic Party.
“Particular attention needs to be paid to Black voters,” added Kromer.
“Over the past sixteen months,” Kromer continued, “Democrats have built a much more robust party infrastructure.”
“It’ll be close,” said state representative Mary Belk. “But I think that we’re going to be able to do it.”
A major union declining to endorse
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has decided not to endorse a presidential candidate this year after a phone poll showed that most members wanted them to endorse Trump over Harris.
“It was a cowardly political move by people who wanted to pander… instead of telling truth,” said John Palmer, union board member.
Harris has won endorsements from other big unions but some labor leaders fear Trump has made gains with working-class voters.
Political implications of Federal Reserve rate cut”
The Federal Reserve opted for a chunky half-point rate cut yesterday and signaled further cuts this year [free-to-read]. This decision could provide a boost for Harris who has been campaigning on bringing down everyday costs – a top voter concern.
“I guess it shows economy is very bad… or they are playing politics,” said President Donald Trump regarding Fed’s move.
This marks first time Fed has cut rates since four years ago.
Policymakers expect rates will drop another percentage point next year.
