JAIME HARRISON

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is drawing criticism for comments he made shortly before the GOP blocked a federal elections bill, when he said that “African American” voters cast ballots at similar rates to “Americans.”.

This time last year, the Republican Party was hitting bottom.

Several wealthy donors have signaled they are done fundraising for and contributing to the Democratic National Committee.

Jaime Harrison is a man leading a party in peril.

Organizers say they're doing all they can to fight back against restrictive voting laws and turn out voters. But they also say they haven't yet gotten much help from Democrats in Washington, D.C.

Democrats in Virginia are scrambling to stave off disaster in the state’s closely watched governor’s race.

President Joe Biden is framing the Virginia governor’s race as a repudiation of his predecessor, tying the Republican candidate to former President Donald Trump.

DNC members reportedly 'super frustrated' by White House overreach in party affairs

Vice President Kamala Harris will announce a $25 million investment by the DNC into their voter registration program.

Nevada’s governor has signed a law making the Western state the first to vote on the 2024 presidential primary contests, bumping Iowa and New Hampshire from their leadoff spots.

Democrats have a sales job of their own this summer.

South Carolina state Sen. Mia McLeod says she's the person who can become the United States' first Black female governor.

Nevada lawmakers have passed a bill aiming to make the state the first to weigh in on the 2024 presidential primary contests.

Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, is campaigning in New Mexico on behalf of a Democratic congressional candidate.

National and state Democratic officials have reached a joint fundraising deal to increase aid to state parties, with an extra boost for those in Republican-dominated states. The agreement, which follows weeks of negotiations, is intended to allow the party’s wealthiest backers to contribute up to $875,000 annually to a combined fund that, under federal campaign finance rules, can be distributed to party accounts around the country. Top party leaders confirmed the arrangement to The Associated Press ahead of a planned call later Wednesday between the Democratic National Committee and state party leaders.

A Democratic state lawmaker is mounting a bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott.

He told reporters the Georgia law is an “atrocity" and the Justice Department is looking into it. Allies meanwhile plan to fight the Georgia law, and others, in court. He called as well for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore some aspects of a landmark law struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. Donald Trump, the former president who promoted false claims of election fraud, congratulated the Georgia governor and state leaders on the new law. 1 is vast, and its Senate counterpart would confront the new Georgia law by expanding voting by mail and early voting, both popular during the pandemic.

He told reporters the Georgia law is an “atrocity" and the Justice Department is looking into it. Allies meanwhile plan to fight the Georgia law, and others, in court. He called as well for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore some aspects of a landmark law struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. Donald Trump, the former president who promoted false claims of election fraud, congratulated the Georgia governor and state leaders on the new law. 1 is vast, and its Senate counterpart would confront the new Georgia law by expanding voting by mail and early voting, both popular during the pandemic.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – In President Joe Biden's war against the coronavirus, former President Donald Trump hardly exists. The Democratic president ignored Trump in his first prime-time address to the nation, aside from a brief indirect jab. AdThe truth is that both Biden and Trump deserve some credit, though Biden stands to benefit from being in power during the nation’s emergence from the pandemic. Well it wasn't,” Biden said, taking credit for putting the federal government on a “war footing” after he took office. AdIn his early days in the White House, Biden’s team made headlines as they said publicly that he had inherited no plan to combat the pandemic.

But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK – The Republican Party still belongs to Donald Trump. But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday. Indeed, in Trump's Republican Party, there are very few willing to cross him if they harbor future political ambitions. “The authoritarian side of the Republican Party is the dominant side,” he said.

But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK – The Republican Party still belongs to Donald Trump. But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday. Indeed, in Trump's Republican Party, there are very few willing to cross him if they harbor future political ambitions. “The authoritarian side of the Republican Party is the dominant side,” he said.

“I feel like we've significantly made our city better; now, it's time to pass the baton.”Benjamin was elected in 2010 as Columbia's first Black mayor. As for higher office, Benjamin — South Carolina’s 2002 Democratic attorney general nominee, beaten in that contest by now-Gov. AdAs was witnessed in Jaime Harrison's unsuccessful 2020 challenge of Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Democratic challenger winning a statewide office in South Carolina — where all such offices are in GOP hands — remains an uphill climb. When asked if that had factored into his decision-making, Benjamin said the outcome had no effect on his ultimate decision. Even out of elected office, Benjamin will likely continue to play an outsized role in the Democratic politics of South Carolina, particularly in the state's first-in-the-South presidential primary.

Democrats in Nevada are making a play to bump Iowa and New Hampshire from their early spots on presidential primary calendar. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)LAS VEGAS – Democrats in Nevada are making a play to bump Iowa and New Hampshire from their early spots on the presidential primary calendar. Nevada Democrats also plan to make their case in the coming months to the DNC, which sets the party's nominating process. Some of the state party's governing committee acknowledge there's internal debate over whether the leadoff caucus is worth fighting over. But others say Iowa Democrats should instead be focused on winning elections — after years of watching the state trend Republican.

The Democratic National Committee elected Jaime Harrison of South Carolina as its new chair on Thursday. Harrison, 44, previously served as chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party and was a senior DNC official. In his remarks to Democratic leaders, Harrison thanked outgoing DNC Chair Tom Perez and other party officials. Texas Representative Filemon Vela Jr. will also serve as a vice chair. Perez gave his full support to Harrison, saying he expects the new chair will lead the Democratic Party to "higher heights."

The Democratic National Committee elected Jaime Harrison of South Carolina as its new chair on Thursday. Harrison, 44, previously served as chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party and was a senior DNC official. In his remarks to Democratic leaders, Harrison thanked outgoing DNC Chair Tom Perez and other party officials. Texas Representative Filemon Vela Jr. will also serve as a vice chair. Perez gave his full support to Harrison, saying he expects the new chair will lead the Democratic Party to "higher heights."

Harrison, the longtime Democratic Party official, is President-elect Joe Bidens choice to lead the national party, according to multiple party officials. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Democratic National Committee is set to formally elect Jaime Harrison of South Carolina as chairman on Thursday, signifying an early alignment between newly inaugurated President Joe Biden and state party leaders around the country. Harrison was a key liaison with state party leaders with whom Perez sometimes had rocky relationships. Harrison, 44, comes into the job with overwhelming support from state party leaders, making his elevation a sign of relative unity in a party organization often beset by infighting among state leaders and Washington power players. Some party leaders, including Clyburn, have also argued a more diverse state like South Carolina should be first to vote.

Harrison, the longtime Democratic Party official, is President-elect Joe Bidens choice to lead the national party, according to multiple party officials. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Democratic National Committee elected Jaime Harrison of South Carolina as chair on Thursday, signifying an early alignment between newly inaugurated President Joe Biden and state party leaders around the country. Harrison was a key liaison with state party leaders with whom Perez sometimes had rocky relationships. Harrison, 44, comes into the job with overwhelming support from state party leaders, making his elevation a sign of relative unity in a party organization often beset by infighting among state leaders and Washington power players. Thursday's meeting also included a video tribute to Don Fowler, a former national party chair and mainstay of South Carolina politics, who died last month at age 85.

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Jaime Harrison, the former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from South Carolina who raised record sums of money in his failed bid to unseat GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, to lead the Democratic National Committee, the transition team announced Thursday. In a statement, Mr. Biden called his picks "the very best of the Democratic party." Harrison, 44, is the former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, a former senior DNC official and a close friend of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina, for whom he once worked. Clyburn has emerged as an even more influential Democratic Party powerbroker after he helped revive the presidential campaign of his good friend Mr. Biden with an 11th-hour endorsement ahead of the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary last February. Mr. Biden will also have a say in who fills other top leadership positions, including five vice chairmanships.

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Jaime Harrison, the former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from South Carolina who raised record sums of money in his failed bid to unseat GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, to lead the Democratic National Committee, the transition team announced Thursday. In a statement, Mr. Biden called his picks "the very best of the Democratic party." Harrison, 44, is the former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, a former senior DNC official and a close friend of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina, for whom he once worked. Clyburn has emerged as an even more influential Democratic Party powerbroker after he helped revive the presidential campaign of his good friend Mr. Biden with an 11th-hour endorsement ahead of the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary last February. Mr. Biden will also have a say in who fills other top leadership positions, including five vice chairmanships.

Ray McGuire, global head of corporate and investment banking of Citigroup Inc., speaks at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., on Tuesday, April 29, 2014. Ray McGuire and his allies in New York tapped into their deep-pocketed fundraising networks to help raise over $5 million for the former Citigroup executive's mayoral campaign. McGuire's campaign also had fundraising success at a recent virtual event featuring over 300 artists titled Arts for Ray, Tisch said. Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee gave $5,100 to McGuire's campaign. Jarrett, as CNBC reported in October, was in line to be a co-chair of the McGuire campaign.

Harrison is expected to be elected without any significant opposition when the Democratic National Committee convenes next Thursday in a virtual session, a day after Biden is inaugurated. In addition to Harrison, Biden on Thursday announced that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Michigan Gov. “This group of individuals represent the very best of the Democratic Party,” Biden said in a release. “Everyone cleared the field for Jaime,” said Texas Democratic Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. __This story has been corrected to show that Cyburn is Democratic whip, not minority whip.

Democrat Jaime Harrison fundraising for Georgia runoffs, aiming to usher in "New South" Former Democratic senatorial candidate Jaime Harrison has been busy fundraising for the two Democrats in the Georgia runoff elections, as his party tries to win back the Senate majority. He launched a new PAC after losing his November race to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Harrison joins CBSN AM to discuss.

Gavin Newsom speaks at a COVID-19 testing facility in Valencia, Calif. As California Gov. Gavin Newsom's shoulders as he considers his pick to serve out the rest of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' Senate term through 2022. The South saw its highest number of Black Senate candidates ever this year, but none won races outright. Labor icon Dolores Huerta and California Latinas for Reproductive Justice want Newsom to appoint a Black woman. De Leon won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party and prominent labor unions, in part because of his support for immigrant rights and aggressive policies to curb climate change.

Rep. Jim Clyburn on Joe Biden's Cabinet picks and Jaime Harrison for DNC chair As President-elect Joe Biden weighs potential contenders to lead the Democratic National Committee, South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn is advocating for a rising Democratic star from his home state, former Senate candidate Jaime Harrison. Clyburn joins CBSN's "Red and Blue" anchor Elaine Quijano to discuss the DNC leadership, as well as Mr. Biden's Cabinet picks and a subpoena he issued to the CDC.

Rep. Jim Clyburn on Joe Biden's Cabinet picks and Jaime Harrison for DNC chair As President-elect Joe Biden weighs potential contenders to lead the Democratic National Committee, South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn is advocating for a rising Democratic star from his home state, former Senate candidate Jaime Harrison. Clyburn joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" anchor Elaine Quijano to discuss the DNC leadership, as well as Mr. Biden's Cabinet picks and a subpoena he issued to the CDC.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)ATLANTA – The Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs don't take place until Jan. 5. And President Donald Trump has complicated the contest by claiming baselessly that the November election in Georgia was beset by fraud. Already, $329 million in advertising has been spent or reserved in the state since Election Day, according to data from the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG. While Biden’s campaign ran operations in Georgia until the Nov. 3 election, Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is in charge now. “People are very inspired by the Stacey Abrams magic,” said Michael Smith, a Los Angeles donor who has given to several groups raising money for the Georgia Democrats.

(Nicholas Kamm/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Arizona Democrat and former astronaut Mark Kelly was sworn into the Senate on Wednesday, narrowing Republican control of the chamber and underscoring his state's shift from red to blue. Kelly, 56, defeated GOP Sen. Martha McSally in last month's election, making her one of only three incumbents to lose. Kelly's Arizona colleague, Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, held the Bible on which he took his oath. In what was one of the country's most expensive Senate races, Kelly raised $89 million. That was second only to the $108 million collected by defeated South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

His only win during a short-lived Democratic bid for the White House was in the territory of American Samoa. Yet after dumping $1.1 billion into his campaign, he waited until September to follow through on his vow to spend big to unseat Trump. The showing could raise questions about Bloomberg's ability to use his vast financial resources to sway politics in the future. Bloomberg advisers say it's unfair to blame him for not doing enough to help Biden in Florida. Democrats lost seats in the House on Election Day and failed to flip statehouse chambers they had targeted.

PORTLAND, Maine – If Republicans are able to hold onto their majority in the U.S. Senate, the remarkable staying power of Susan Collins will be a big reason why. As Biden won the state, Collins outperformed Trump by 7 percentage points, and her opponent, Democrat Sara Gideon, had little success peeling moderate voters away from the senator. Collins appeared to beat Gideon with independents while overwhelmingly holding on to Republicans, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of voters. Democrats in the Senate admitted that Democratic leader Chuck Schumer discouraged them from sponsoring bills with Collins or other actions that might help her burnish her bipartisan brand as Democrats eyed her seat. And, as they have for almost a quarter of a century, Mainers will be counting on Collins in the Senate.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer speaks at a news conference outside an early voting site in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. New Yorkers lined up to vote early for a fourth consecutive day Tuesday after a weekend that saw a crush of more than 400,000 voters statewide. The unofficial tally shows about 194,000 voters this weekend in New York City, where some people waited an hour or more in lines that stretched for several blocks. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Republicans held key Senate seats that Democrats hoped to flip, and the GOP may ultimately shrink the Democrats' House majority. The stakes are too damn high.”Indeed, should Trump lose, no matter the margin, he would be the first incumbent president to fail to win reelection since 1992. And in a warning sign for Democrats, Trump demonstrated an uptick of support in some Black and Latino communities. To be sure, Biden performed better than Hillary Clinton four years earlier in states like Iowa, Ohio, and Texas. “Incumbent presidents don’t often lose, and this one is going to lose and lose resoundingly."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is projected to win his bid for reelection, according to NBC News. He defended his South Carolina Senate seat against Democrat Jaime Harrison in a brutal fight. Harrison seemingly came out of nowhere to take on the longtime South Carolina incumbent. Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison speaks to supporters after conceding to his challenger, incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), on November 3, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. Senator Lindsey Graham speaks at his election night party in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. November 3, 2020.

U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, an Oklahoma City lawyer, faced Republican state Sen. Bice for the Oklahoma City-area House seat. President Donald Trump supported Mace on Twitter and she once worked on the president’s campaign. Fischbach contended that Peterson was too close to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other liberals. Republican Ronny Jackson has won a House seat in West Texas, where he moved after leaving the White House in 2018. They are banking on anxiety over the pandemic, suburban indignation with President Donald Trump and a fundraising advantage.

Republican Senate candidate Sen. Mitch McConnell, second from right, and his wife, Elaine Chao, right, look on as aides show him the election results in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)WASHINGTON – Hopes fading for Senate control, Democrats had a disappointing election night as Republicans swatted down an onslaught of challengers and fought to retain their fragile majority. Democrats contested seats from New England to the Deep South and the Midwest to the Mountain West, reaching deep into GOP strongholds. The Democrats' gains were in Colorado and Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly beat GOP incumbent Martha McSally. Republican Cynthia Lummis, the former congresswoman from Wyoming, won the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Mike Enzi.

On Saturday, Harrison made stops in northwestern South Carolina, a heavily Republican area. You,” Graham told supporters Saturday, saying the area represented a ”red wave” of GOP support. More than 1 million people had already cast their ballots in a race that drew sums of money unheard of in South Carolina politics. It’s a critique Graham has faced in the past from some South Carolina conservatives, seeing his bipartisan work on issues like immigration reform as weakness. “The problem with Sen. Graham is that, if Trump is president, he’s going to be all in with Trump,” Reynolds told the AP on Saturday.

"This is about closing the book on the old South and writing a brand new book called a new South — one that is bold, that is inclusive, that is diverse," Jaime Harrison said Friday on CBSN.

— Trump paints an apocalyptic portrait of life under a Biden presidency— Trump Cabinet members fan out to states, blending politics and policy. ___HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON:8:45 p.m.President Donald Trump has met with rap star Lil Wayne at his resort in Doral, Florida. The Trump campaign and the company didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. The Minnesota Department of Health has linked 28 coronavirus cases to other recent Trump campaign events in the state. Mrs. Trump warmed up the large crowd outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for President Donald Trump.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jaime Harrison speaks at a campaign rally on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)COLUMBIA, S.C. – In the battle for control of the U.S. Senate this year, the Deep South is fielding more Black candidates than it has since Reconstruction. Mike Espy and Adrian Perkins, meanwhile, are launching spirited bids for the Senate in Mississippi and Louisiana, respectively. The Senate currently has three Black members: Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina and Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California. “The more competitive races are, and Black candidates win those competitive races, it diminishes this worry that Black candidates can’t win,” Abrams recently told The Associated Press. In Mississippi, Espy is trying for a second time to become the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction with his challenge to Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.

– Six years after being elected in an expensive and heated race, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton is on the ballot again and he's campaigning hard — just not in Arkansas. Cotton insists his focus has been on helping fellow Republicans and the president, not on any future plans. “The campaigning I've been doing this year across the country is laying the groundwork for a Republican majority in the Senate and hopefully the president's reelection," Cotton said. Cotton has also lent his support to a proposal going before Arkansas voters that would impose new restrictions on ballot initiatives. While he's a Trump loyalist, Cotton and Trump have split on some issues, including saying he would have urged the public to wear masks earlier in the coronavirus pandemic.

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett departs with her husband, Jesse, after the third day of her confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – For Republicans, the nomination fight over Amy Coney Barrett is a chance to seal conservative control of the Supreme Court for decades. Either way, both sides are using the Supreme Court battle in fundraising appeals and other ways that underscore its political potency. Four GOP senators in competitive campaigns are on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which wrapped up hearings Thursday on Barrett's nomination. That contrasts with the 2018 confirmation fight over Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of a decades-old sexual assault that he denied.

(Bob Daemmrich/Nexstar/KXAN via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – Buoyed by massive fundraising success, Democratic Senate candidates are mounting a push in Republican states that few would have thought possible just a few months ago, placing continued GOP control of the chamber at risk. MJ Hegar in Texas reported raising over $13 million during the same period for her race against Republican Sen. John Cornyn. In deep-red Kentucky, Amy McGrath has posted strong fundraising numbers against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In Mississippi, Mike Espy reported raising $4 million in his rematch against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. O'Rourke was criticized for being too stingy with his cash, only reluctantly aiding other Democrats, though he eventually donated large amounts to the Texas Democratic Party.

For Graham, the Republican Senate majority and Trump himself, the hearings three weeks before Election Day could be a last stand. But they're also a real-time test of whether that's enough to counter a jaw-dropping $57 million fundraising haul by Graham's Democratic opponent in the South Carolina race, Jaime Harrison. He once vowed to oppose any Supreme Court confirmation hearings in presidential election years. But the days leading up to the Barrett hearings were particularly challenging for Graham. Back then, Trump had called Graham a “lightweight” and a “liberal,” and famously made public the senator's cell phone number.

Jaime Harrison, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, speaks during a 'Rural Hope Agenda' event in Rowesville, South Carolina, U.S., on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. WASHINGTON — The campaign of South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison said Sunday it had raised a colossal $57 million in the past three months, a record-breaking sum aimed at unseating Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. The impressive $57 million Harrison raised from July through September shatters the previous record of $38.1 million then-Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke raised in the third quarter of 2018. Later that evening he told Fox host Sean Hannity that he needed financial help with his Senate race. "I'm getting overwhelmed," Graham told Hannity, adding: "Help me.

Hearings before the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee will begin Monday, Oct. 12, for President Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett. SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, D-CALIF.Harris, Joe Biden's running mate in the presidential election, will again be in the spotlight as Democrats question a Trump nominee for the Supreme Court. Harris and other key Democrats said the hearings should not move forward without plans to test people attending, including senators, for coronavirus. In a sign of the heightened scrutiny, Vice President Mike Pence tried to get Harris to reveal whether she and Biden support expanding the Supreme Court, as many liberals advocate. In just three years on the 7th Circuit, Barrett has twice argued for approval of abortion restrictions that violated Supreme Court precedent, Hirono said.

Confirmation hearings are set to begin Monday for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee giving Republicans one last chance to salvage their Senate majority by wresting attention away from the White House and its COVID-19 response and onto the GOP’s longtime goal of fashioning a conservative court. Only two GOP senators balked at quick confirmation. This time, it's much about securing his own legacy reshaping the judiciary into what allies call the “McConnell Court” as giving his majority a landing pad after a tumultuous four years with Trump. Having already bent Senate rules to allow 51-vote threshold to advance Supreme Court nominees, rather than 60 as was tradition, McConnell is now poised to usher a third Trump justice to confirmation. “It’s not going to be remembered as the McConnell Court,” said Stevens.

Their nominee is Jaime Harrison, a leader at the Democratic National Committee and a former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. His battle with longtime GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham has become the most expensive Senate race in the state's history. "He surprised the hell out of me," added Clyburn, an established leader in the South Carolina Democratic party and a strong ally of Harrison. This person declined to be named because they are working with an outside group not involved with the South Carolina Senate race but working on other, down-ballot races there. With a strong digital infrastructure, South Carolina Democrats have been campaigning through online and phone outreach since the start of the pandemic, said state party Chairman Trav Robertson.

“The Senate map is looking exceedingly grim,” said one major GOP donor, Dan Eberhart. (It's only three if Biden wins the White House.) As Trump’s fundraising has plateaued in recent months, it has spiked for Republican outside groups that are supporting House and Senate candidates. In 2016, Republican Senate candidates lost in every state Trump lost and won where Trump won. Even in red states, Republicans are starting to make clear they aren't following Trump when it comes to the pandemic.

A worker hangs a banner as preparations take place for the vice presidential debate outside Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Salt Lake City. A plexiglass barrier will separate Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris at their vice presidential debate Wednesday, the second such measure taken to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission on the heels of President Donald Trump contracting Covid-19. A fact sheet distributed by the commission said, "Plexiglass will be used as part of the CPD's overall approach to health and safety." Politico first reported that the plexiglass would be used at the vice presidential debate. Over the weekend, Jaime Harrison, the Democratic nominee for the Senate in South Carolina, brought his own plexiglass barrier for his debate with incumbent Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham.

The Biden-Harris campaign requested a plexiglass shield for Wednesday's vice presidential debate, and the Commission on Presidential Debates agreed to it. It will be the first debate since President Donald Trump was diagnosed with the coronavirus. The debate in Salt Lake City is the first and only meeting of the two vice presidential candidates. ___12:15 p.m.Joe Biden says he’s willing to go forward with an in-person debate later this month “if scientists say it’s safe,” even after President Donald Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19. Plans for the second debate are in question following Trump’s diagnosis, and the development has already informed changes to the vice presidential debate.

Barrett’s confirmation would cement a 6-3 conservative majority on the court, and she has compared her approach to the law generally to that of her mentor, Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the dissenters in the gay marriage case. Reversing the court’s decision in the gay marriage case would seem a tall order, but Thomas’ statement underscored liberals’ fears that the court could roll back some of their hardest-fought gains. The justices seemed prepared to uphold Delaware's political party provision, and the argument passed without any comment about the partisan fighting over the Supreme Court’s makeup. The justices will hear a total of 10 arguments this week and next, but the term is so far short on high-profile cases. The justices last heard argument in their courtroom in February and skipped planned arguments in March and April before hearing cases by phone in May.

In his pursuit of a fourth term, Graham — chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee — also argued the case for his chief congressional goal at the moment: the confirmation of President Donald Trump's latest Supreme Court nominee. That moment, Graham said Saturday, also riled up liberals he now says are pouring $100 million into Harrison's campaign and groups supporting him, to try to oust Graham. “Senator, you said ‘use my words against me,’” Harrison said, referencing Graham's 2018 comments on the subject. Of his partition, Harrison said he was taking every precaution to keep himself and his loved ones safe. Graham's campaign said they “don't discuss those numbers.” The two men are next scheduled to debate Oct. 9.

FILE - In this May 3, 2020, file photo the setting sun shines on the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Supreme Court opens a new term Monday, Oct. 5. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court opens a new term Monday with Republicans on the cusp of realizing a dream 50 years in the making, a solid conservative majority that might roll back abortion rights, expand gun rights and shrink the power of government. Barrett's confirmation would cement a 6-3 conservative majority and diminish Chief Justice John Roberts' ability to moderate the court's decisions. Four years ago, Republicans were content to leave a Supreme Court seat open through the election, even if it meant having an eight-justice court decide any election challenges.

Part of Graham's justification for pressing ahead is Democrats' changing of the Senate rules to confirm more appeals court judges during President Barack Obama’s tenure. But what looms largest is the confirmation battle for the last Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. Trump has promised to put forward a female nominee for the Supreme Court seat this week, starting the process for Graham in the Senate. It may end up being Graham's only chance to shepherd a nominee to the high court. As he seeks a fourth Senate term, it's clear that the consequences the Supreme Court battle could have on his own election are not far from Graham's mind.

FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2019 file photo, Democrat Jaime Harrison, who is seeking to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, speaks to Democrats gathered at the Spratt Issues Conference in Greenville, S.C. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has been outraised for the first time by his Harrison, Democratic challenger, in a record-breaking quarterly period that sets up a multimillion-dollar grudge match leading into the general election. Harrison announced late Wednesday, April 14, 2020, that he took in $7.36 million in the first three months of 2020, a figure his campaign said brought his total, overall fundraising to nearly $15 million. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)

It also dwarfs the $10 million figure Harrison previously told The Associated Press he thought necessary to win. Harrison and the groups backing him argue that Graham, a Trump critic turned close ally, is too easily influenced by the president. Trump's popularity in South Carolina is a significant challenge for the groups working against Graham. His group has paid for jarring ads portraying Graham as a “parasite.”“You voted for Lindsey Graham before, but this is really the first race where you get to vote for Lindsey Graham where you know, really, who he is," Schmidt said during a recent meeting with AP reporters. “South Carolina Republicans always show up at game time,” Moore said.

President Donald Trump and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, play golf at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., as seen from the other side of the Potomac River in Darnestown, Md., Saturday, July 18, 2020. On Wednesday, Carlson suggested that Graham is a false supporter of Trump, rhetorically asking his viewers why Graham — as a Republican — would have set up such a meeting. “Lindsey Graham was against all of that, more than many Democrats,” Carlson added. Book excerpts were released Wednesday, as well as taped conversations between Woodward and Trump. “Lindsey was in the room when one of the interviews took place,” Harrison said.

COLUMBIA, S.C. With one stroke, President Donald Trumps abrupt reversal on offshore drilling this week has loosened a political vise that was tightening around three Republicans senators running for reelection in coastal states where drilling is widely opposed. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia, all Democratic targets. Brian Kemp, another Trump ally, and his Republican predecessor, Nathan Deal, have opposed drilling off the state's 100-mile (160 km) coast. The decision by President Trump to include South Carolina meets the desires of our coastal communities and states leadership, Graham said. I very much appreciate President Trump for listening to our state and delivering for our people.___Ben Nadler in Atlanta contributed to this report.

(AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)COLUMBIA, S.C. There's an unusual feeling emerging among Democrats in South Carolina: energy. But Democrats insist the GOP's grip on this Deep South state is weakening. "People wanted to see Kamala on the ticket, and the Democratic voters in South Carolina got what they preferred.Of course, South Carolina is still a Republican state. 'Matt Moore, a former South Carolina Republican Party chair, said he is skeptical that Democrats will win statewide races this year. But he acknowledged the gains that have helped Democrats in other states in the South could eventually spill into South Carolina.

FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2019, file photo former Georgia House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams, speaks at the National Press Club in Washington. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has already narrowed the field by saying he will pick a woman. Gretchen Whitmer, other names that have been part of the speculation are Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Abrams. On Thursday, Abrams announced that she was backing Democratic candidates in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. For Arizona, Abrams said former astronaut Mark Kelly has a proven record of service to our country. John Hickenlooper, the former Colorado governor and 2020 presidential candidate, is the one to help us cross the finish line for a Democratic Senate majority, Abrams said.

Jaime Harrison sits down with CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images for an interview on background on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. Sen. Lindsey Graham's Democratic opponent in this fall's U.S. Senate election in South Carolina has enlisted a crew of heavy-hitting bundlers to raise large amounts of cash. The Senate race in South Carolina is still labeled as "safe Republican" by Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball. The other is Tim Scott, a Republican of South Carolina. He was once an aide to South Carolina kingmaker and U.S. Rep. James Clyburn.