Election Day in America
Plus: Ivanka shares life lessons
It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for. How’s everyone feeling? The campaigns are set for tonight’s election night events while I’m limiting my social media time and touching grass.
Welcome to today’s issue of Whig. Read to the end for all the big Election Day eve concert coverage. — Hunter
Top headlines:
💰 More than 11,000 political groups spent $14.7 billion to influence the 2024 election. The top 100 groups contributed 64.6% of the total spending this election cycle, led by Harris for President, the pro-Harris super PAC Future Forward, and the pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again. [Bloomberg]
💸 The presidential election is prompting some Americans to “doom spend,” report finds. About 27% of polled shoppers are “doom spending” — spending cash despite concerns about the economy and foreign affairs — according to a new report by Intuit Credit Karma. [CNBC]
🤫 Election night is Calm’s “Super Bowl,” so it’s buying 30 seconds of silence on CNN and ABC. The goal is to create a stark juxtaposition between the constant talking heads and inherent tension of the moment with complete silence. “That silence is actually the thing that is going to draw people in.” [Fast Company]
🪧 New York Times tech workers strike ahead of Election Day. Members of The New York Times Tech Guild, which represents more than 600 tech workers at the outlet, walked off the job Monday morning in protest of stalled contract negotiations and alleged unfair labor practices. [Axios]
Biden’s quiet Election Day:
President Joe Biden is ending the campaign differently than he might have imagined when it began. Biden’s low-key past few days includes speaking at the Carpenters Local Union 445 in his hometown of Scranton, Pa., on Sunday.
“Look, folks, we need to elect Kamala as president” Biden said. “We’re good, decent, honorable people, where we believe in honesty, decency, treating everyone with respect. We believe character is not only how we conduct our lives but how we expect other persons — those that lead us to have character. I’m telling you, Kamala Harris has character to lead this nation.”
First and Second spouses makes final campaign stops in North Carolina:
First Lady Jill Biden spoke at a Pennsylvania church about 10 miles from where she grew up on Sunday, and spent Election Day eve in North Carolina where she delivered cookies to a phone bank in Carrboro and spoke to canvassers in Durham.
“That other guy, he only cares about himself,” Dr. Biden told volunteers of former President Donald Trump. “Kamala is going to make life a little bit easier for Americans all across this country.” Meanwhile Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was in Eastern North Carolina campaigning for his wife.
Trump votes with Melania:
Trump voted today with his wife former First Lady Melania Trump in Palm Beach, Fla., and he called his 2024 candidacy “the best campaign we ran.” “I think it was maybe the best of the three,” he said.
Though Trump is a convicted felon, he was able to vote today because state law in Florida defers to out-of-state rules when it comes to voters with out-of-state convictions, according to CNN. Because Trump’s felony convictions are in New York, which passed a 2021 law allowing people with convictions to vote, he was able to cast a ballot. In other words, he was able to vote because of woke.
Trump will hold his election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center.
Harris heads to her alma mater:
HHHH-U! YOUUU KNOW! Vice President Kamala Harris will spend election night at Washington, D.C.’s Howard University, the HBCU, or Historically Black College and University, that Harris graduated from in 1986. If she wins, Harris would be the first HBCU graduated elected president in U.S. history.
Harris spent her final day on the campaign trail visiting five Pennsylvania cities in less than 12 hours, including her final rally, in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with Mother Monster herself (read more in today’s “Culture Matters”).
“We love our country, and when you love something, you fight for it,” Harris said. “I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, of our expression of our love for our country, to then fight for its ideals and to fight to realize the promise of America.”
Ivanka shares life lessons at 43:
As if to highlight her commitment to staying out of politics, former first daughter Ivanka Trump posted a thread on X Monday sharing life lessons she’s learned after celebrating her 43rd birthday last week, rather than a reminder to vote.
Her No. 1 piece of advice is “Family and friends are everything,” followed by “Forgive people.” Trump also said to “Avoid gossip,” “Trust yourself,” Nourish your body” and remember, “Everyone was sent to teach you something. Every person you meet holds a mirror to a lesson your soul needs to grow.” You can read her full 17-item list here.
Harris wins her family’s endorsement:
SGOTUS Emhoff shared a video Monday with video testimonials from the whole Harris-Emhoff clan. Harris’ step kids Cole and Ella Emhoff; in-laws Barbara and Mike Emhoff; sister Maya Harris and Maya’s husband Tony West; and niece Meena Harris and Meena’s husband Nik Ajagu, all appeared in a video calling on viewers to vote for their “auntie” and stepmom
“She never met a bully she didn’t stand up to, or a person in need she didn’t stand up for,” West says. “She’ll be a president for all Americans.”
W. doesn’t endorse:
While Harris won the endorsements of former President George W. Bush’s daughter, former first daughter Barbara Pierce Bush, and W.’s former Vice President Dick Cheney, Bush sat this one out, just as he said he would. That’s despite calls from former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) who said last week, “I can’t explain why George W. Bush hasn’t spoken out but I think it’s time, and I wish that he would.”
Former President Bill Clinton defended Bush’s decision to not endorse. “First of all, he’s spoken up, I think, more than he’s gotten credit for, and he takes every opportunity that I’ve seen to talk about how important immigration is and how we can’t survive without it,” Clinton told CNN.
Shaboozey is now tied for second-longest running No. 1 ever:
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” just racked up its 16th week at No. 1 on the Hot 100. It’s now tied with Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day,” Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” feat. Justin Bieber, and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” for the second-longest running No. 1 hit on chart history, behind Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, which was No. 1 for 19 weeks.
Elsewhere on the chart, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars hit a new high of No. 2 with their duet “Die With a Smile” while Tyler, the Creator scored his first-ever top 10 hits, with “St. Chroma” at No. 7 and “Noid” at No. 10.
Joe Rogan endorses Harris:
Trump got an endorsement from podcast host Joe Rogan, who tweeted a link to his podcast interview with Elon Musk and wrote, “For the record, yes, that's an endorsement of Trump.” Trump heard the news mid-rally in Pittsburgh. “It just came over the wires that Joe Rogan just endorsed me, is that great. Thank you, Joe,” Trump said.
The Harris campaign held simultaneous swing state concert-rallies:
Call it Kamalachella (or would it be Kamalachellala?). A who’s who of pop stars you once dropped 99 cents a song for on iTunes when Obama was president were out in force for Harris on Election Day eve:
Christina Aguilera performed “Fighter” in Las Vegas and said, “let’s raise our voices and vote for freedom.”
Katy Perry performed “Part of Me” and “Dark Horse” in Pittsburgh and said her daughter “is the reason I am voting for Kamala Harris. I know she will protect my daughter's future and your children's future.”
Lady Gaga performed “The Edge of Glory” and “God Bless America” in Philadelphia and said, “I cast my vote for someone who will be president for all, for all Americans.”
Beyoncé finally gives us visuals:
Beyoncé surprise dropped her first music video from Cowboy Carter for Election Day. The singer pays homage to Pamela Anderson in the clip for “Bodyguard,” and includes a brief to call to vote in the form of a “Bang”-style “Vote” message that pops out from her fake gun. Man, I’ve missed having new Beyoncé music videos. 🥺
Rihanna endorses Harris even though she can’t vote in the U.S.:
Rihanna called on her American followers to “#votecauseicant” in an Instagram post where she joked she was “trying to sneak into the polls with my son’s passport.” The singer and mogul, born in Barbados, isn’t a U.S. citizen, and she wrote in the comments, “I LOVE my Bajan passport! I came here to work and pay taxes!” Riri also hit back at haters, asking one “Where were you in Jan 6 sis?” and “When yall stop burning ballot boxes come check me 😜.”
No, Harris’ appearance on SNL didn’t violate the FEC’s “equal time” rule:
Despite claims from former Federal Communications Commission commissioner Brendan Carr that Harris’ weekend appearance on Saturday Night Live violated the FCC’s “equal time” rule, “the burden falls on the candidates to request those equal opportunities,” according to The Hollywood Reporter, so unless Trump asked NBC for time and was denied, it wouldn’t be a violation.
Quincy Jones dies at 91:
Producer Quincy Jones died Sunday in Los Angeles at the age of 91. Jones won 27 Grammy Awards and his storied career included arranging songs like Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” and producing No. 1 hits from Leslie Gore’s “It’s My Party” and USA for Africa’s “We Are The World” to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and more.
Thanks for reading! See you next time. ⭐