Harris just picked up a big endorsement. The AP reports that UNITE HERE has endorsed Harris, promising “to have its members knock on more than 3.3 million doors for Harris in swing states that include Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona and North Carolina.” The union was the engine behind Harry Reid’s success in turning Nevada Blue.
Trump, meanwhile, having put an end to the RNC’s planned ground game strategy, is planning to use three super PACs (America First Works, America PAC, and Turning Point Action) to orchestrate his voter turnout efforts. This strategy was made possible after the FEC issued new guidance that allows campaigns and outside groups to coordinate and share information related to turnout. The Trump campaign is also maintaining its reliance on committed volunteers (using a model similar to Obama’s).
The FEC’s deregulatory choice is something I have long supported. Spending money on voter turnout is what we should be doing. The RNC’s decision to retreat from a plan that involved opening 12 offices and hiring 88 staff members, on the other hand, seems a step in the wrong direction–although it appears only ever to have been a short-term presidential cycle plan (also shortsighted).