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2024 election updates: Crowd gathers for Trump's Madison Square Garden rally

More than 40 million people have voted as of Saturday.

Last Updated: October 27, 2024, 2:20 PM EDT

The race for the White House remained essentially a dead heat on Sunday -- with nine days to go until Election Day.

Former President Donald Trump will speak before a rally Sunday afternoon at New York's Madison Square Garden. After speaking at a church in Philadelphia on Sunday morning, Vice President Kamala Harris will hold a rally there later in the day.

Oct 26, 7:50 pm

Over 40M voters have cast a vote

Over 40.1 million Americans have cast a vote through early voting methods, as of Saturday evening, according to data from the University of Florida's Election Lab.

The majority of those early votes come from mail ballots with over 20.8 million mail ballots returned nationally, the data showed. The remaining 19.2 million come from votes cast at in-person early voting polling sites across the country.

Early voting options are now open to voters in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Many early voting periods will last until the weekend before Election Day.

23 minutes ago

Walz likens Trump MSG rally to Nazi one there in 1939

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Harris vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz likened Trump's rally later today at Madison Square Garden to the Nazi rally held there in the 1930s ahead of World War II.

Speaking at a reproductive freedom bus tour kickoff near Las Vegas, Walz warned the crowd that Trump and his campaign are aware of the parallel.

"Donald Trump has descended into madness over the last few weeks, and I think some of you don't miss on this -- Go do your Google on this," he said.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz addresses the crowd at a Harris-Walz campaign's "Fighting for Reproductive Freedom" bus tour stop and canvass kick-off event outside their Henderson campaign office in Henderson, Nev., Oct. 27, 2024.
Rachel Aston/AP

"Donald Trump's got this big rally going at Madison Square Garden. There's a direct parallel to a big rally that happened in the mid 1930s at Madison Square Garden and don't think that he doesn't know for one second exactly what they're doing there," he said.

In February 1939, The German American Bund -- a pro-Nazi organization for Americans of German descent -- held a rally at MSG with about 20,000 attendees.

Walz's statement comes after other high-profile Democrats have suggested this similarity, including 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

"One other thing that you'll see next week… is Trump actually re-enacting the Madison Square Garden rally in 1939. I write about this in my book," Clinton told CNN on Thursday.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

1 hour ago

Harris asks, 'What kind of country do we want to live in?' at Philadelphia church service

Speaking at a Philadelphia church Sunday morning, Harris sought, without naming her opponent, to describe the contrast voters face.

“What kind of country do we want to live in?” she asked congregants. “What kind of country do we want for our children and our grandchildren -- a country of chaos, faith, fear and hate, or a country of freedom, justice and compassion?”

Harris cited Scripture to discuss the “heavy” work required over the next nine days, and the “joy” that will follow.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris attends a campaign event at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Mich., Oct. 26, 2024.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

“These next nine days will test us. They will demand everything we've got. But when I think about the days ahead and the God we serve, I am confident that his power will work through us because church, I know we were born for a time such as this, and I have faith he is going to carry us forward.

“And the road ahead won't be easy. It will require perseverance and hard work. But in times of uncertainty, Scripture reminds us, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. The path may seem hard, the work may seem heavy, but joy cometh in the morning, and church morning is on its way,” she said.

The vice president delivered a unifying message, saying, “This moment in our nation has to be about so much more than partisan politics. It must be about the good work we can do together, about our fundamental values and about who we are as Americans and as people of faith here in Pennsylvania right now, each of us has an opportunity to make a difference.”

“In just nine days, we have the power to decide the fate of our nation for generations to come. And on this day, then on this beautiful Sunday morning, I am reminded that God expects us to help him. We got work to do,” Harris said.

-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Fritz Farrow and Gabriella Abdul-Hakim

2 hours ago

Vance argues over Trump’s ‘enemy from within’ comments

Trump's vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance was pressed on Sunday on Trump calling his domestic political opponents "the enemy from within."

In a recent Fox News interview, Trump referred to California Rep. Adam Schiff and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "an enemy from within." Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if he believes Schiff and Pelosi are more dangerous than Russia and China, Vance tried to clarify what Trump said, telling Kristen Welker, "Those folks pose a greater threat to United States's peace and security.

"America is strong enough to stand up to any foreign adversary," Vance said.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance, speaks at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 26, 2024.
Ben Gray/AP

Pressed if he agrees with Trump's comments, Vance said "that the biggest threat we have in our country, it's not a foreign adversary."

On CNN's "State of the Union," Vance insisted that Trump's "enemy from within" comments were not directed at political opponents.

CNN's Jake Tapper quoted Trump's previous statements to Vance, saying, "I'm talking about what he said publicly, he wants to use the military to go after the enemy within, which is the American people," Tapper said.

Vance fired back with, "He did not say that, Jake. He said 'far-left lunatics.' He's talking about people rioting after the election."

"He said about using the military that far-left lunatics, people who riot in the wake of an election, people who burned down American cities in the summer of 2020," Vance said. "Yes, we should have a federal law enforcement response."

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

3 hours ago

Harris dodges question on abortion restrictions

Asked by “CBS Sunday Morning” host Norah O’Donnell to define which abortion restrictions she supported, Harris dodged the question, saying she supports restoring Roe v. Wade, which would protect abortion access until fetal viability, which is around the 22nd week of pregnancy.

“Let's put back in place Roe versus Wade. This was not an issue in Roe, when Roe versus Wade was intact for 50 years, half a century,” Harris said. “I support Roe versus Wade being put back into law by Congress and to restore the fundamental right of women to make decisions about their own body. It is that basic.”

Harris was interviewed by O’Donnell in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Houston in the days before the interview aired.

Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Mich., Oct. 26, 2024.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Harris plans to make a closing argument for her election on Tuesday at The Ellipse on the National Mall in Washington with the White House in the background. In an excerpt from the CBS interview released Sunday morning, she said the reason she chose the same spot where Trump spoke to supporters before the Jan.6, 2021, attacks on the Capitol was to remind Americans of their choice between herself and Trump.

“I would and do think about that place more in the context of what will be behind me, which is the White House. And I'm doing it there, because I think it is very important for the American people to see and think about who will be occupying that space on Jan. 20,” she said. “And the reality of it is that most Americans can visualize the Oval Office. We've seen it on television, and this is a real scenario. It's either going to be Donald Trump or it's going to be me sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.”

-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie