Kamala Harris is wooing GOP voters and Melania Trump is releasing her own shocker

Welcome to October Surprise, the Daily Beast's daily countdown to the biggest election of our lifetime. With just 33 days until Election Day, here's what's happening in the race for the White House between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

THE DOWNLOAD

Kamala Harris redoubled her campaign efforts to win over Republican voters on Thursday, launching two new battleground ads aimed at Republicans turned off by MAGA and hiring a Republican consultant to help lead the push.

The digital ads feature a Pennsylvania resident who once voted for Donald Trump and now opposes him for coddling billionaires. The campaign also brings with it Maria Comella, who was an adviser to both former governors. Chris Christie. (R-NJ) and Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) to focus on Republican and independent women voters.

With a month to go before Election Day, in an incredibly close race, Harris is daring to cross party lines to find voters who could be the key ingredient to a winning formula.

Harris is launching her GOP representation efforts Thursday at a campaign rally in Ripon, Wisconsin, the birthplace of the Republican Party, with former Rep. Liz Cheney, the former Democratic bogeyman who has already endorsed her.

JD Vance claimed that Donald Trump won the 2020 election in an unearthed clip from 2022 posted on X on Thursday. The video revelation comes two days after Vance refused to directly admit that Trump lost to Joe Biden during the vice presidential debate.

“Who won the 2020 election? Could you just answer? Did Donald Trump win?” political comedian and interviewer Jason Selvig asks Vance in an unprecedented exchange. “Yes,” Vance replied, confirming his statement when asked again.

Trump's vice president did not say whether he would concede the 2024 election if Harris and Tim Walz won.

Obsessed with polls

A new national poll from Emerson College Polling shows Harris with a two-point lead over Trump, 50 percent to 48 percent. According to the survey, one percent support someone else and one percent are undecided. Harris' lead over Trump is currently narrower than Biden's four-point lead in Emerson's 2020 poll.

The latest major polls in the seven critical swing states show the race is as close as possible.

ON THE WAY

Trump traveled to Michigan to recapture top-ranked Saginaw County, which gave him victory in 2016 but which Joe Biden carried by 303 votes in 2020. Harris stepped up her efforts to win over GOP voters by campaigning with Liz Cheney in Ripon, Wisconsin, the birthplace of the Republican Party. JD Vance and Tim Walz continued their battlefield assault.

REVIEW THURSDAY

Donald Trump was at Walter Reed with Covid on October 3, 2020 – but it wasn't clear how sick he was.

On the one hand, Trump's pulmonologist, Sean DooleyThe president told him: “I feel like I could walk out of here today.” This was done in front of the camera, without asking any questions about the hospital steps. meters away, Mark MeadowsTrump's chief of staff informed reporters off-camera, appearing to be behind a more alarming statement.

“The President's vital signs over the last 24 hours have been very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical to his care. “We are still not on the path to a full recovery,” the statement said.

The beast of the day

Melania Trump pulled off a typical October surprise against her own husband on Thursday by releasing a video reiterating her strong support for abortion rights.

Former President Donald Trump bragged about appointing conservative Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe vs. Wade. But his wife made it clear after the election that she sees things differently.

“Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I protect,” the former first lady said in a short clip posted on social media. “There is no doubt that there is no room for compromise when it comes to this fundamental right that all women have from birth. Individual freedom. What does my body, my choice, really mean?” She is expected to say more about her different views in her upcoming memoir, “Melania.”