The Note: Warren Goes to War
— -- NOTABLES
--ELIZABETH WARREN FIRES BACK AT TRUMP: Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren fired back at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump while campaigning with Hillary Clinton in the critical state of New Hampshire yesterday, saying "nasty women vote." "Get this, Donald -- nasty women are tough," Warren quipped. "Nasty women are smart. And nasty women vote. And on Nov. 8, we nasty women are going to march our nasty feet to cast our nasty votes to get you out of our lives forever." Warren's comments were a reference to what Trump said during his third debate with Clinton, when he called her "such a nasty woman." ABC’s JOSH HASKELL and PAOLA CHAVEZ have more. http://abcn.ws/2eyhnqR
--HAPPENING TODAY: Warren is back on the campaign trail for Clinton again today. She holds an evening event in Raleigh, North Carolina.
--STRESSED ABOUT THE ELECTION? IF SO, YOU’VE GOT COMPANY: For all their sharp differences, supporters of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have one thing in common: election-related stress. Nearly half of all likely voters in the ABC News tracking poll, 46 percent, describe the election as a source of stress in their lives, including roughly equal numbers of Clinton and Trump supporters, ABC’s GARY LANGER notes. Nearly a quarter, again among both candidates' camps, say the stress is serious. Voter preferences in the latest tracking poll, based on four-day results through Sunday night, remain the same as the initial three-day result reported Sunday: 50 percent support Clinton, 38 percent Trump, with 5 percent for Gary Johnson and 2 percent for Jill Stein. Clinton's 12-point margin over Trump holds at 53 to 41 percent in a two-way matchup, indicating that Johnson and Stein aren’t drawing disproportionately from either of the two major-party candidates. http://abcn.ws/2eNFjUT
--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: Will he have a closing message? If you believe Donald Trump’s version of the race, or something in its vicinity, he’s down but not out. Lacking another debate and trailing Hillary Clinton in resources, he needs something dramatic to change directions – or at least get those on the sidelines suited up on his behalf. His overriding message in recent days has been about the “rigged election” – a rallying cry for anger, though not necessarily voting. He is, of course, attacking the polls he once touted at the top of all his big speeches. He has also, in recent days, threaten to sue his accusers, along with the usual jumps on headlines – Wikileaks revelations, Obamacare rates, etc. The freewheeling style has gotten him this far. But it’s hard to discern a strategy behind Trump’s campaign style now, with two precious weeks still to play with.
ON THE ISSUES -- WHERE TRUMP AND CLINTON STAND ON 13 KEY ISSUES. Amid the daily din of the 2016 presidential horse-race and the flurry of comments from each of the candidates, it is often difficult to keep track of something basic -- Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's positions on the issues. Toss in the occasional flip-flop, hedging and dodging and getting a sense of where they stand is potentially even more difficult to determine. Here is a rundown of where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on 13 key issues, courtesy of ABC’s LINDSEY JACOBSON, VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and MEGHAN KENEALLY: http://abcn.ws/2ejoEcx
BEHIND THE SCENES -- INSIDE THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN'S STRATEGY TO WIN BIG ON ELECTION DAY. Two weeks before Election Day, the campaign for Hillary Clinton has its eye on the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency -- and then some. As polls show the Democratic nominee widening her lead over Republican Donald Trump, her campaign is aiming not just to win the White House on Nov. 8, but to have decisive victories up and down the ballot. “We want to win by as a large a margin as we can,” Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon told ABC News. “Then I think we want to build on that to try to get things done,” he said. A decisive victory in the presidential race as well as Democrats winning control of the U.S. Senate could help Clinton accomplish her policy agenda after Election Day. It may also help squelch Trump's accusation that the election was "rigged," though the Clinton camp denies that's part of their goal. To achieve this, the campaign has launched a multipronged strategy, ABC’s LIZ KREUTZ reports: http://abcn.ws/2dFcCHS
YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s PAOLA CHAVEZ
TRUMP SAYS ‘WE ARE WINNING’ AND ‘SOMEWHAT BEHIND’ IN POLLS. Donald Trump hammered home Monday that he is winning the race for the White House but also conceded that his campaign is "somewhat behind" in the polls. "Folks, we're winning. We're winning. We're winning," he declared in St. Augustine, Fla. And earlier Trump declared on Twitter, "We are winning and the press is refusing to report it,” ABC’s EMILY SHAPIRO writes. But in an interview on WBT radio Monday, Trump said "I guess I’m somewhat behind in the polls but not by much." The day before, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," saying, "We are behind." http://abcn.ws/2dPsYRd
TRUMP AND CLINTON RUNNING OPPOSITE CAMPAIGNS WHEN IT COMES TO DOWN-BALLOT RACES. When it comes to Election Day, it's not just the furious battle at the top of the ticket that's at stake, and the presidential candidates appear to be taking very different approaches to their down-ballot colleagues. Hillary Clinton and other high-profile Democrats are sharing the spotlight with some of those vying for other seats that are up for grabs, and while Donald Trump has tried to make recent calls for support for other Republicans, his earlier comments may make his efforts seem half-hearted. Trump campaigned in Florida this weekend and touted the work that he could do "along with a Republican House and Senate," including an immediate repeal of "Obamacare" and "massive tax reduction," ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY reports. http://abcn.ws/2eBXnTo
54 PERCENT OF TRUMP VOTERS CASTING BALLOTS AGAINST CLINTON. Fifty-four percent of Trump's supporters say they are driven more so by their stance against Clinton. ABC’s ADAM KELSEY reports the decrease in zeal among Trump supporters could be related to voters’ opinions of how the businessman has handled recent scandals plaguing his campaign. http://abcn.ws/2f1szy3
HOW ENTHUSIASM, EARLY VOTING CAN AFFECT TURNOUT IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. The fluctuating enthusiasm surrounding the two leading presidential candidates could have a big impact on voter turnout in this election. Increasing use of early voting and largely increasing overall turnout in the past several general elections may contribute to a record number of people voting, according to ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd. "As a percent of voting age population it will be low, probably lower than the past four or five presidential elections," Dowd said. "Net total will set a record though." When it comes to the specific impacts on the campaigns, Dowd says that Hillary Clinton's staff "needs to focus all campaign efforts on turnout," but he doesn't think that turnout levels will effect. Trump's bid. ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY has more. http://abcn.ws/2eABP7V
CLINTON CLOSES GAP WITH MALE VOTERS. Hillary Clinton appears to have closed what was once a large gap of support among male voters with rival Donald Trump, according to the latest ABC News poll. Male respondents reported support for the former secretary of state at a rate of 44 percent to Trump’s 41 percent, a major swing for the group that has routinely backed the New York businessman throughout the campaign. ABC’s ADAM KELSEY reports, in the ABC News poll -- a poll that showed Clinton with a 50-38 percent lead overall among likely voters nationwide -- the former secretary of state was further bolstered by a strong showing with college-educated women, a group that preferred Republican Mitt Romney in 2012, widening her lead with female voters overall. The poll's margin of error is 3.5 percent. http://abcn.ws/2e4Nrzl
WHAT CLINTON WANTS IN A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE. Following the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, President Obama nominated another judge, Merrick Garland, to the high court. But the highly-coveted seat has remained empty since the March nomination -- and now the next president is likely to inherit the responsibility of nominating the next justice. Republican nominee Donald Trump has released his list of potential Supreme Court justices, but his Democratic opponent has not been specific about her possible choices if Garland is not confirmed, ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI reports. Clinton has continued to praise Garland and call for his confirmation, before his nomination expires in December. http://abcn.ws/2eLJNLV
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT -- HOW ELECTION DAY COULD BE A VICTORY FOR GARY JOHNSON. Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson is realistic about his slim chances of actually capturing the White House, especially since he didn't qualify for the general election debates. “Regrettably, the attention I did not get in the debates, it’s real,” Johnson conceded in an interview with ABC’s JORDYN PHELPS on Monday. But, he said, “You never give up.” With two weeks left to go before Election Day, Johnson is focusing his time and attention on those states where he sees he's greatest strength: New Mexico, Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, Alaska, Maine, and New Hampshire. Johnson is, however, redefining what a victory would be for his candidacy. If, for example, Johnson and his running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, capture at least 5 percent of the popular vote nationally in the presidential race, the Libertarian Party would qualify for public funding in future races, which could help it pay for all the work necessary to achieve ballot access in the states. http://abcn.ws/2dS4yXm
IN THE NOTE’S INBOX -- BRETTELL MAKES A MOVE. Longtime Washington communicator turned Texas transplant Joe Brettell marked his last day at the Houston office of public affairs giant FleishmanHillard yesterday and is joining the Apache Corporation in a newly created role as Manager of Public Engagement. Apache is an oil and gas exploration company with operations in the United States and overseas. “The decision to leave FH was not an easy one and I do so with the utmost praise and respect for the leadership of this firm and tremendous admiration for my colleagues,” Brettell wrote in an email message about the move.
WHO’S TWEETING?
@EricTrump: The single biggest topic that I hear about these days is failing #ObamaCare. In NC alone, premiums just increased 24.5%. Really a disaster!
@DanEggenWPost: One GOP woman wonders why the men in her party won't defend her http://wpo.st/K8B82 via @amandacarpenter
@meganliberman: So it seems @KellyannePolls is pretty much running her own campaign at this point
@daveweigel: At a GOTV session for Trump in Provo. So far it's entirely a pep talk about how to ignore haters and talk down McMullin.
@karentravers: Both Trump & Clinton are in FL today & so is my colleague @KennethMoton, live for @ABC stations w/the state of play in this battleground