The Hill’s Campaign Report: Trump’s tax bombshell | More election drama in Pennsylvania | Trump makes up ground in new polls

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: 

Washington is reeling from the fallout over the New York Times bombshell report on President Trump’s finances. 

The extensive reporting shows that the president avoided paying income taxes for 10 of the 15 years before the 2016 presidential election, and that he paid just $750 in income taxes during the first two years of his administration. 

Additionally, the reporting shows that Trump owes millions of dollars of loans to the IRS within the next few years. 

Trump has already responded to the report, calling it “fake news,” but that’s not stopping Democrats, including presidential nominee Joe Biden, from hitting Trump on the report. 

Biden’s campaign released an ad on Sunday evening showing how much everyday Americans, like nurses, firefighters and teachers, have paid in income taxes compared to Trump. The campaign is also now selling stickers with the words “I paid more income taxes than Trump.”

Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill came out in droves on Sunday and Monday to swipe at Trump. 

“Donald Trump paid just $750 in income taxes in 2016 and 2017. He knows better than anyone that there’s one set of rules for the wealthy and giant corporations and another for hardworking Americans—and instead of using his power to fix it, he’s taken advantage of it at every turn,” said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Sunday. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday that the president’s tax practices demonstrate a “disdain for America’s working families.” 

“Let’s come back to what we take an oath to protect and defend. This president is the commander in chief. He has exposure to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. To whom? The public has a right to know,” Pelosi said. 

The timing of the report is not great for Trump, who will face off against Biden for the first time in the first 2020 general election debate on Tuesday. 

Remember, Trump announced on Saturday that he was nominating conservative favorite Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, fulfilling his campaign promise to nominate conservative judges. And with a Republican-controlled Senate, it’s likely she’ll get her spot on the high court before Election Day. That news isn’t the center of the news cycle going into Tuesday’s debate, and instead, Trump is on defense. 

But, don’t think this report will change any minds with Trump’s base. Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns and other bombshell stories ahead of the 2016 election did not deter his victory four years ago. 

THE HILL’S CENTURY OF THE WOMAN:

We’re launching a new project today highlighting women trailblazers who have changed the world in the century since the passage of the 19th Amendment. You can check out our stories here. 

While we have you…

RSVP FOR OUR CENTURY OF THE WOMAN SUMMIT ON 9/30: On Wednesday, Sept. 30, The Hill Virtually Live hosts a three-part program bringing together remarkable women leaders and decision-makers to discuss progress and the barriers that remain. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, Rep. Terri Sewell, Lilly Ledbetter, Ellevest’s Sallie Krawcheck, Hilda Solis, Tina Tchen and many more. RSVP today for event reminders.

STATE WATCH:

GOP leaders in Pennsylvania’s state legislature are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to halt a state court ruling that extends the due date for mail ballots to three days after Election Day. The move is intended to give Republicans more time to formally appeal the decision to the nation’s high court. But it also sets up one of the first major tests for the Supreme Court since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg earlier this month. 

In a filing on Monday, the GOP officials argued that the deadline extension handed down by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court this month flies in the face of the state legislature’s authority and amounts to an unconstitutional change in election rules just weeks before Election Day. 

Here’s a quick look at what the filing says:

“In the middle of an ongoing election, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has altered the rules of the election and extended the 2020 General Election beyond the ‘Time’ established by the state legislature. In doing so, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has violated federal law and the federal Constitution.”

The Hill’s John Kruzel has more on the request here. And in case you missed it, check out this story from Max on the mounting potential for election chaos in Pennsylvania.

POLL WATCH:

Biden holds a narrow 2-point lead over Trump nationally, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released exclusively to The Hill on Monday. The survey finds the former vice president garnering 47 percent of the vote to Trump’s 45 percent, suggesting that the president may be closing in on his Democratic challenger. A previous poll in August showed Biden with a much wider 49-42 percent advantage over Trump. Julia has more on the latest Harvard/Harris poll here.

A Monmouth University poll out Monday showed Biden with a wider 6-point lead in the race, with 50 percent of respondents choosing him and 44 percent choosing Trump. But that survey also flashes some signs of a tightening race. A similar poll conducted right after the Democratic and Republican Conventions last month showed Biden with a 9-point lead. More on that poll from Max here.

In North Carolina, meanwhile, Biden and Trump are statistically tied, according to a new poll from Meredith College that shows the former vice president capturing 45.7 percent support to Trump’s 45.4 percent. The president holds a slim lead among independent voters in the state who break for him over Biden, 43.1 percent to 39.8 percent. The Hill’s John Bowden breaks down that survey here.