| Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, your daily rundown on all the latest news in the 2020 presidential, Senate and House races. Did someone forward this to you? Click here to subscribe. We’re Julia Manchester, Max Greenwood and Jonathan Easley. Here’s what we’re watching today on the campaign trail.  LEADING THE DAY: President Trump sparked pushback in Washington on Thursday after suggesting the 2020 elections could be delayed as he continues to undermine confidence in mail-in voting. Trump, who is trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the polls, said over Twitter that mail-in voting would lead the 2020 election to be “the most inaccurate and fraudulent” in history. He asked if the election should be delayed “until people can properly, securely and safely vote.” The Trump campaign had previously described Biden’s speculation about Trump wanting to delay the election as “incoherent, conspiracy theory ramblings of a lost candidate who is out of touch with reality.” Democrats are outraged and top Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), quickly dismissed the idea. The president has no authority to delay the election. Federal law requires the election be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every four years. It would take an act of Congress to change that. The president was rebuffed by his closest allies, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Rep. Rodney Davis (Ill.), the top Republican on the House committee that has jurisdiction over elections, said the November elections “should not be changed.” The president’s claims about mail-in voting also drew a brushback. Many states have expanded access to mail-in balloting to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The states have taken additional verification measures to ensure the integrity of their elections. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in mail voting, although some states have been overwhelmed by the flood of ballots and the crush of administrative work, which has led to some counting delays. The latest Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey finds that 70 percent of voters support a mail-in option, including 88 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of independents and 50 percent of Republicans. Seventy-five percent of voters said they’re at least a little bit concerned about catching the coronavirus if vote-by-mail is not an option. – Jonathan Easley READ MORE: Trump raises idea of delaying election, by Brett Samuels. Republicans dismiss Trump proposal to delay elections, by Alexander Bolton. FEC commissioner says Trump does not have the power to delay the elections, by Justin Wise. FROM THE TRAIL: Former President Obama on Thursday called the Senate filibuster rule a "Jim Crow relic" and said it should be ended to pass legislation that would restore a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. Obama made the remarks while delivering a eulogy for civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who died earlier this month at the age of 80. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act would make it harder for states to enact racially suspect voting restrictions. The Hill's John Kruzel reports. A Trump campaign bus carrying Vice President Pence was involved in a minor accident Thursday in Pennsylvania. The accident, which a Trump campaign official described as a “minor fender bender,” happened on a sharp curve along a narrow stretch of road in Allegheny County. The Hill’s Brett Samuels reports. Meanwhile, in Ohio, the Biden campaign released its first television ads of the cycle in the Buckeye State. While recently considered an uncompetitive state by Democrats since Trump’s victory in 2016, new polls show a tight race forming in Ohio. The Hill’s Tal Axelrod reports. The New York Times on Thursday reported that former President Obama told donors ahead of the 2020 election that his top concerns include voter suppression and President Trump potentially casting doubt on the election’s legitimacy. The Hill’s Zack Budryk reports.
News of the Trump campaign’s decision to scale back its spending on television advertising in Michigan is indicative of the changes in the 2020 landscape. The Hill’s Niall Stanage reports. Biden is casting himself as being firm on China as U.S.-Chinese relations decline, and as Trump paints Biden as weak, emphasizing his administration’s confrontational approach to relations with Beijing. The Hill’s Morgan Chalfant, Jonathan Easley, and Laura Kelly report.
POLLS:
MASON-DIXON- FLORIDA PRESIDENTIAL Biden: 50% Trump: 46% FRANKLIN AND MARSHALL COLLEGE- PENNSYLVANIA PRESIDENTIAL Biden: 50% Trump: 41%
PERSPECTIVES:
A.B. Stoddard: With VP pick, will Biden push or pause his party? Franklin Foer: The tech giants are dangerous and Congress knows it. David Harsanyi: Biden was once a champion for life. Now he’s NARAL’s man. Ian Milhiser: No, Trump cannot delay the election.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Aug. 4: Arizona primaries Kansas primaries Michigan primaries Missouri primaries Washington primaries
Aug. 6
Tennessee primaries
Aug. 8
Hawaii primaries
Aug. 11:
Connecticut primaries Minnesota primaries Vermont primaries Wisconsin primaries Georgia primary runoffs
Aug. 18:
Alaska primaries Florida primaries Wyoming primaries
Aug. 17-20:
Democratic National Convention
Aug. 24-27:
Republican National Convention
Sept. 1:
Massachusetts primaries
Sept. 8:
New Hampshire primaries Rhode Island primaries
Sept. 15:
Delaware primaries
Sept. 29:
First presidential debate
Oct. 7:
Vice presidential debate
Oct. 15:
Second presidential debate
Oct. 22:
Third presidential debate | 
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