2020 U.S. ELECTION: What you need to know right now
(Reuters) - President Donald Trump is stepping up his plans to return to the campaign trail after being sidelined for a week with COVID-19. He is considering holding weekend rallies in the battleground states of Florida and Pennsylvania.
-Trump has pulled out of an Oct. 15 debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden, blasting the debate commission's decision to make it a virtual event.
-Thirteen men have been arrested on charges of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer, who accused Trump of being complicit in the plot.
-With two U.S. Senate seats in competitive races up for grabs in Georgia, it may be January before the electorate knows which party will control the U.S. Senate. If no candidate secures at least 50% of the vote, state law requires a run-off election on Jan. 5.
-Democratic candidate Joe Biden's first move if he wins the election may be to empower the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to go after wealthy tax cheats who cost the U.S. billions of dollars in revenue every year.
-More than 6.6 million Americans have already voted - 10 times the number who had voted at this stage in the 2016 election cycle - indicating a potentially record turnout for the Nov. 3 contest.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Canada is working up scenarios for a range of possible Nov. 3 election results, according to sources, and mapping out responses to a contested or delayed result and its potential impact on auto industry supply chains.
INVESTOR VIEW
A Joe Biden victory is being priced into markets as global shares advance. A Democratic win is seen as paving the way for a big economic stimulus that counters investors' worries of a corporate tax rate hike.
BY THE NUMBERS
-Joe Biden is winning support in President Trump's support base among those aged 55 and over - a bracket that Trump won by 13 points in 2016. Older Americans, concerned about the incumbent's handling of the pandemic, are now evenly split with 47% saying they will vote for Biden and 46% backing Trump, according to Reuters/Ipsos national surveys.
-Public support for Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has hit a record low, with 59% of Americans saying they disapprove of his approach and 37% saying they approve.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Expected events and Reuters coverage on Oct 9:
-Latest updates from the White House as Trump's physician says his treatment for COVID-19 is complete and he can resume campaigning.
-Joe Biden campaigns in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Media customers can find complete multimedia coverage on the Reuters Connect planning calendar here https://www.reutersconnect.com/planning?search=all%3Ausa-election
(Reporting by Gayle Issa)
