The Note: Top Political Stories of the Day
— -- COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY: 7 days
UPDATE - New ABC News' Electoral Ratings - Ohio from Tossup to Leans Republican. In Ohio, Clinton has not held a statistically significant lead in the state in any polling there in nearly two months. Recent polling has shown a tight race. But early voting statistics have shown positive signs for Trump. ABC’s JOHN KRUZEL and RYAN STRUYK have more. http://abcn.ws/1U7c52f
A Split on Popular and Electoral College Vote Not Out of the Question. As the presidential race tightens in the last week of the campaign, the prospect of a split decision between the Electoral College and popular vote appears to be growing. Trump earns 46 percent support nationally to Clinton's 45 percent, a difference within the margin of error, according to this morning's ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll. Looking at the ABC News electoral map, however, Clinton still has the lead when it comes to the Electoral College breakdown, notes ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY. "The bottom line here ... is that Donald Trump needs to run the table - needs to win every single one of those toss up states - and even that won't be enough," ABC News White House correspondent Jon Karl said today on "Good Morning America." http://abcn.ws/2fBaDtt
George Will Speaks - Republicans Better Off Losing by Landslide. Conservative journalist George Will who ripped up his Republican card this year after Donald Trump’s nomination, says a narrow GOP defeat would be "the worst conceivable outcome" for the party. Speaking to ABC’s JON KARL and RICK KLEIN on the “Powerhouse Politics” podcast today, Will said that the narrow defeat would lead to "the old stab-in-the-back theory": the party would blame Trump dissenters like House Speaker Paul Ryan and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse for dividing Republicans. ABC’s MELINA DELKIC has more. http://abcn.ws/2f7tXhc
Clinton Talks Trump's Treatment of Women, Doesn't Dwell on Emails. At the first campaign stop of three on a busy day in the battleground state of Florida, Hillary Clinton took aim at Donald Trump's treatment of women, reminding the public "what we have learned" about the Republican presidential candidate. Following an introduction by former Miss Universe Alicia Machado -- who accused Trump of calling her "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Eating Machine" when she gained weight after winning the then-Trump-owned pageant -- Clinton worked through a list of the businessman's attacks on women, calling Trump a "bully." "You've got to ask, why does he do these things?" said Clinton. "Who acts like this? I'll tell you who, a bully, that's who." ABC’s ADAM KELSEY and JOSH HASKELL have more. http://abcn.ws/2fbluI2
TALES FROM THE TRAIL
ABC’s JOSH HASKELL and LIZ KREUTZ: A senior Clinton campaign official spoke with reporters on the campaign flight to Tampa, Florida and said the campaign doesn’t see “any evidence” the FBI’s review of new emails from Huma Abedin “has had an impact on our polling.” When asked if we will hear Hillary Clinton talk emails today in Florida after she brought up the investigation twice in Ohio on Monday, the senior campaign official said, "No. I wouldn’t expect that to be part of what she does every day. But obviously is something that has gotten a lot of attention and coverage in the last three days, so we did think it was important for her to address it because voters were hearing about it and put the right context with it. We felt we accomplished that yesterday and moving onto different issues.” According to this campaign official, the FBI has not reached out to anybody in the campaign.
ABC’s JOHN SANTUCCI, INES DE LA CUETARA and CANDACE SMITH: After slamming the Affordable Care Act for weeks, Donald Trump appeared with his running mate, Gov. Mike Pence, in Pennsylvania, saying he intends ask Congress to meet specifically to repeal the law. "I will ask Congress to convene a special session so we can repeal and replace, and it will be such an honor for me, for you and for everybody in this country because 'Obamacare' has to be replaced," Trump said. "It's a catastrophe." Speaking in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pence spoke at length about the ACA. "'Obamacare,' the debacle previously known as 'Hillarycare,' was a government takeover of healthcare from the start, plain and simple," he said. http://abcn.ws/2ejVivi
ABC’s MATTHEW CLAIBORNE: Bill Clinton appeared to get very agitated and upset with a woman at his event in Immokalee, Florida today. The woman was shouting to him about healthcare prompting the former president to stop giving his speech to address her. It was clear that her question was healthcare-related perhaps pertaining to his comments calling Obamacare the “craziest thing in the world” back in Michigan which Republicans pounced on. He and his staff have repeatedly said they feel his words were taken out of context. “That’s not at all what I said!” Clinton fired back. The former president also told the woman to “go read” his comments, and “don’t read it over the Internet.” "First I campaigned hard for that law,” Clinton said. “Second I’ve risked losing the Congress to pass universal healthcare. Thirdly I defended President Obama in 2010 and 2012 and he went up 5 points in the polls after I defended what he did with healthcare.”
AD ROUNDUP with ABC’s SHUSHANNAH WALSHE
Two New Trump Ads Airing. Donald Trump is out with two more ads, but neither have been formally released by the campaign yet. The first titled "Choice" is airing in Denver, according to CMAG, but possibly other markets as well. A narrator describes the choice for voters: "Hillary Clinton will keep us on the road to stagnation -- fewer jobs, rising crime, America diminished at home and abroad...Donald Trump will bring the change we're waiting for." WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyG1EkANQeg The second ad is airing in Colorado Springs, per CMAG, but also possibly in other markets as well. The narrator says the Trump campaign is a movement that will replace "decades of broken politics with a new leader who is not part of the system.”
New Clinton Campaign TV Ad. The Clinton campaign released a new one minute ad today that includes many of Trump’s controversial comments about women, including the Access Hollywood tape. The ad titled “What He Believes” will run in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. WATCH: http://bit.ly/2ewwcaj Priorities and Emily’s List Launch Second Digital Ad Featuring James Franco. Actor James Franco is back in his second Emily’s List and Priorities USA digital ad. It’s in their #MostInterestingWoman campaign, a take on the Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man in the World' series. starring Franco. The ad titled “Apprentice" is part of a 1 million dollar campaign targeting millennial voters in Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. It’s funny, strange, and ends with Franco in a towel with an HFA logo on it. It will run on Facebook, Instagram, Pandora, mobile and desktop pre-roll. WATCH: http://bit.ly/2f9ZOfn
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“And because I have been watching the World Series, I am aware that because Francisco Lindor stole second base in game one, everyone in America gets a free taco at Taco Bell tomorrow!...If you can find the time to get a free taco, then you can find the time to go vote. ” -- President Obama in Columbus, Ohio
HAPPENING TONIGHT (all times Eastern):
--7 PM - Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
--8:45 PM - Hillary Clinton holds an early vote rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
WHO’S TWEETING?
@hannahfc: When Clinton talks about Trump walking into pageant contestants’ dressing rooms, some in the crowd shout “lock him up!”
@evanmcmurry: Alicia Machado: It's clear Trump "does not respect women. He just judges us on our looks. He thinks he can do whatever he wants."
@Fahrenthold: STORY: This is the portrait of himself that Donald Trump bought with $20,000 meant for charity. Anybody seen it? http://wapo.st/2faOv6i
@aabramson: TRUMP IS AT A WAWA RIGHT NOW!!!!! he's just like me on a lunch break in high school!!!!!!
@joshbhaskell: Update via the @AP @aabramson Over 27.7 million people have voted in 46 states – 60% of the 2012 advanced turnout.