July 22, 2020: Donald Trump raised $20 million during the campaign’s first virtual fundraiser. Joe Biden launched a $15 million advertising campaign across six battleground states.

Notable Quote of the Day

“Most concerning are the deep fakes that could occur around the 2020 presidential campaign and election, particularly as voting patterns shift due to COVID restrictions. Messages about polling places, voting methods (mail-in, etc.) and whom to vote for are already ripe for disinformation campaigns from our adversaries looking to sew chaos. But imagine a deep fake campaign in which the voices Americans trust – governors, state officials, prominent community leaders, faith leaders, veteran journalists – are hijacked and swapped out for alternative messages. A campaign to trick voters into casting their ballots incorrectly – or at the wrong place or time – could disenfranchise large numbers of Americans.”

– Jeremy Bash, managing director at Beacon Global Strategies, and Michael Steed, founder of Paladin Capital Group

Election Updates

• Joe Biden said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was still in contention to be his running mate on Tuesday.
• The Biden campaign launched a $15 million advertising campaign across digital, radio, and print in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The campaign, which includes English- and Spanish-language ads, will run for a week.
• Biden hired new senior directors and 114 additional staff members in North Carolina, including Kate Hendrickson as state political director. Hendrickson previously worked as the North Carolina political director for Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign.
• Donald Trump raised $20 million from 300,000 donors during the campaign’s first virtual fundraiser. Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, the national chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committee, hosted the event.
• The Trump campaign released a Spanish-language ad in the Miami media market focused on criticizing the Goya Foods boycott and comparing Biden to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
• Newsweek interviewed Howie Hawkins and Jo Jorgensen in an article about Green and Libertarian inclusion in general election polls.
• Kanye West filed to appear on the Illinois ballot as an independent presidential candidate on Monday.

What We’re Reading

• Associated Press: Elizabeth Warren’s new role: Key Joe Biden policy adviser
• The Hill: Deepfakes threaten the 2020 election
• NBC News: Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick will be deeply consequential. That is far from the norm.

Flashback: July 22, 2016

Hillary Clinton announced that she had chosen Sen. Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate.

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