Notable Quote of the Day

“Since John Adams first held the VP post in 1789, 14 of 47 vice presidents have gone on to become president, making it the most likely — albeit still far from certain — stepping stone to the White House. The number of vice presidents who have sought the presidency has really skyrocketed in modern times, too. Of the 13 VPs since the end of World War II (excluding Vice President Mike Pence), eight — or more than half — have gone on to become their party’s presidential nominee. However...far fewer — just three — have won a presidential election, and just four have become president at all. Biden, of course, is hoping to become the fifth modern VP to accomplish this feat.”

– Geoffrey Skelley, FiveThirtyEight

Election Updates

• Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made their first joint appearance on Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware. Their speeches focused on Harris’ selection and background, the federal response to the coronavirus, and the economy.

• Biden doubled his previous single-day fundraising record in the 24 hours after announcing Harris was his running mate, bringing in $26 million. 

• Donald Trump said he would campaign in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Arizona during the Democratic National Convention next week. The travel will include a stop in Biden’s hometown, Scranton, on August 20.

• The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee are suing two county auditors in Iowa for filling in information—the voter’s name, address, date of birth, and voter ID—on absentee ballot applications before mailing them to voters.

• The U.S. The Office of Special Counsel said on Wednesday that Trump could deliver his Republican National Convention speech from the White House because he and the vice president are exempt from the Hatch Act, which prohibits use of government resources for political activity.

• Kanye West met with Trump White House advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in Colorado over the weekend, according to The New York Times.

Flashback: August 13, 2016

During a rally in Connecticut, Donald Trump said that he was considering pulling the press credentials for The New York Times.