Washington. And im laura engle, thanks for being with us today. With just three days to go until the midterms, President Trump has a packed weekend of Campaign Rallies for republicans in tight races. Hell be on the ground for a rally in montana just over two hours from now. Our ellison barber is there where all the action is about to take place. Hi, ellison. Good morning to you, laura. So President Trump won this state in 2016 by 20 points. His Approval Rating tends to come in the polls by above 50 . Hes hoping to capitalize on that in montana and get voters to support the candidates he wants to see in washington d. C. The senate race here is very competitive. Real clear politics puts tester above his republican challenger. And republicans want to capitalize on the trump factor and theyre focusing on Big Picture National issues. Tester is trying to keep it local. We are seeing a dramatic expansion of our economy and jobs being created because as a direct result of those tax cuts that t
And an unfounded accusation that state dems are trying to hack the election. We have both responses new this morning, and a team of campaign road warriors spread out across the country. We have packed our bags on the eve of this election that will effectively be the First National verdict on the Trump Presidency and the test of the post 2016 message in whats becoming a midterm for the history books. Races are in dead heats, almost everywhere that matters. Take a step back, here is whats at stake. First, control of the u. S. Senate, republicans hold a razor thin twoseat edge over the democrats, so democrats need a net gain of 2 to take over. Then theres the question of whether the house will flip. Right now, republicans control 235 seats, democrats 193. So for democrats to take power, they need a net gain of 23. I know you know that number well. Our new nbc news wall street journal poll finds democrats hold a 7 point advantage over republicans in the midterm but republicans have picked
White house in 2016. In the past few days, the president has hit the campaign trail with a list of claims for which he has offered zero evidence. He said criminals and unknown middle easterners were among the migrant caravan. He said democrats want to turn american into venezuela. He said californians have been, quote, rioting over sanctuary cities. The Washington Post framed it this way. Quote, President Trump has settled on a strategy of fear, laced with falsehoods and racially tinged rhetoric to help lift his party to victory in the coming midterms. For trump, thats meant abandoning any attempt to sell voters on his administrations achievements and instead engaging in one of the most inflammatory campaigns in modern political history. And hes not alone. In their final push, republican candidates are following suit. According to the New York Times, quote, as the Congressional Elections have approached, a number of republican candidates and political committees have delivered messages
And bombshell reporting from the New York Times its not been easy for me. It has not been easy for me. Alleging outright tax fraud by the president and his family. I borrowed very little money from my father. All in starts right now. Good evening from new york. Were looking at the investigation into Sexual Misconduct allegations against Brett Kavanaugh. The fbi could wrap up its probe as early as tonight, more than two days before the friday deadline, this as new evidence couldnts to come out refuting kavanaughs sworn testimony. A letter written by kavanaugh in 1983, published tonight by the New York Times planning a debauched beach week vacation with his friends. A confidence game on their own members in a last ditch ploy to drag kavanaugh over the finish line. Mitch mcconnell threatening to hold a vote this week regardless of what the fbi investigation turns up. To go on the record with a final decision than face the consequences. Heres what we know about him, one thing for sure, the
Push thats kicking off on that subject tonight. Right now, the closing arguments in the midterms. As we report how fierce this is getting, keep in mind, when politicos say, and i do it too, the midterms are 14 days away, its just a figure of speech. Heres why. Voting has actually begun in most states around the country. People voting right now in 32 states. That includes texas where the trump cruz rally, coinciding with the start of early voting. Which means were seeing at least two things. One, early indicators of turnout. In some areas casting ballots at a rate equal to the high turnout 2016 president ial election. Two, politicians are not waiting to get into gear, theyre making their toughest closing arguments right now. For donald trump that means hammering an image of republican unity and touting a cultural nationalism that attacks foreigners and immigrants. Many are criticizing the obvious hypocrisy of trump and cruz joining forces after their public attacks on each other. We rep