AAA  Nov. 7, 2016 3:59 PM ET
The Latest: Asian American early voting jumps in FL, NC, VA
  •       AIM
  •       Share
FILE - In this March 18, 2014 file photo, voters cast their ballots in Hinsdale, Ill. The number of Illinois residents who have voted ahead of Election Day has broken state records and is still growing. The State Board of Elections released totals Monday Nov. 7, 2016 showing the number of voters who cast in-person ballots through Sunday was approaching 1.3 million. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
. .
. .

Buy AP Photo Reprints

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential campaign (all times EDT):

3:52 p.m.

Latinos aren't the only ones seeing big jumps in turnout in early voting.

Asian-American voters have increased across the board in key states being targeted by both presidential campaigns. That's according to an analysis by Catalist, a Democratic analytical firm.

The racial group in more recent presidential elections has tilted heavily Democratic.

Ballots from Asian-Americans have roughly doubled in Florida, Arizona, Virginia and North Carolina.

In Georgia, ballots from the group have almost tripled.

Smaller in population, Asian-Americans typically make up about 1 percent to 2 percent of a state's vote share. But they have become more pivotal in closely fought battleground states with larger numbers of their communities, such as Nevada and Virginia.

___

3:44 p.m.

Tim Kaine is wrapping his last tour in a key swing state with an aggressive speech criticizing Republican Donald Trump.

The Democratic vice presidential nominee said Trump's "divisive, insult driven" campaign has shown he's not fit to be president.

"As you campaign, so you will govern," Kaine said.

Kaine reminded supporters that Trump had insulted numerous individuals, including a Muslim Gold Star family and Sen. John McCain.

Kaine made the remarks in Wilmington, North Carolina, his third stop in the battleground state Monday. He is scheduled to finish the day with two events in his home state of Virginia.

___

3:28 p.m.

A federal judge says she sees no evidence that Republicans and presidential candidate Donald Trump want supporters to intimidate North Carolina minority voters on Election Day.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles said after an hour-long hearing Monday that she'll keep an eye on what happens Tuesday. She could consider sanctions if there's a coordinated effort to turn away voters in minority neighborhoods.

North Carolina's Democratic Party alleged in a law suit filed last week that Trump's presidential campaign and a political organization run by his informal adviser, Roger Stone, has intimidated voters.

Federal courts have rejected similar complaints in Ohio and Arizona. Nevada, Michigan and Pennsylvania cases remain pending.

___

3 p.m.

The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down a request from Ohio Democrats to issue an order aimed at preventing Donald Trump's supporters from harassing or intimidating voters on Election Day.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted on Monday that Ohio law already forbids voter intimidation.

The case is part of a flurry of courtroom efforts by the Democrats around the country to head off what they say is vigilantism by the Trump campaign and its backers.

The Republican presidential candidate has called on supporters to watch for fraud at the polls. That has stirred fears of minority voters being confronted and challenged by self-appointed poll watchers.

___

2:35 p.m.

Joe Biden is stressing the importance of the African-American vote as he and his wife visit historically black Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida.

The vice president said that if African-Americans turn out in the same numbers as they did for President Barack Obama, then Hillary Clinton will win Florida. And he said that would make her the next president.

He also told the few hundred students in the crowd Monday that historically black colleges would be hurt under the Trump administration. He predicted cuts to Pell Grants.

Biden also attacked Trump's character, saying he couldn't imagine any president, "not even the worst one," tweeting vitriol about a woman's body at 3:30 a.m.

__

2:25 p.m.

The FBI's announcement reaffirming that it won't pursue criminal charges against Hillary Clinton came too late for nearly 24 million voters.

That's how many people used early voting to cast ballots while the FBI reviewed the emails of a Clinton aide.

FBI Director James Comey revealed the review of the new emails on Oct. 28, at the height of early voting. That upended the presidential race at a time when Clinton was building a lead.

On Sunday, Comey informed Congress that the review was completed and the FBI stood by its decision not to pursue charges.

The nearly 24 million voters who voted during those nine days represent about 18 percent of the expected total votes for president.

As of Monday, at least 42.5 million total ballots were cast early.

___

1:25 p.m.

A month ago, Speaker Paul Ryan told House Republicans he would neither defend nor work for Donald Trump's election. Now America's top elected Republican is talking unity.

Ryan said in an interview Monday on WTMJ-AM that "I do not want to harm our team going into the election. I want to unify our team going into the election."

The Wisconsin congressman said in a statement Sunday that the way to end the Clinton era is to elect Trump. It was one of the first explicit calls for electing Trump since Ryan effectively abandoned the presidential candidate over crude, predatory remarks about groping women.

Ryan is seeking re-election as speaker. Some House Republicans have criticized him for his tepid support for Trump.

___

1:05 p.m.

The lone American off the planet has cast his vote from space. That's in keeping with NASA's motto of "Vote while you float."

NASA said Monday that astronaut Shane Kimbrough (KIM-broe) filed his ballot from the International Space Station sometime over the past few days. He arrived at the orbiting lab in mid-October. Before launching, Kimbrough said it was going to be special, being able to say "I voted from space."

NASA says the previous U.S. space station resident, Kate Rubins, also cast an absentee ballot from up there, before returning to Earth a week ago.

A 1997 Texas law allows U.S. astronauts to vote from space. For NASA astronauts, home is Houston when they're not circling the globe.

___

1 p.m.

President Barack Obama is making an explicit pitch to Michigan's auto workers that Donald Trump doesn't care about their future.

Obama is campaigning Monday for Hillary Clinton in Ann Arbor, outside Detroit. He said he and Democrats have "earned some credibility here" after saving the auto industry through federal bailouts early in Obama's presidency.

Obama said in contrast, Trump said Washington could have let the auto companies go bankrupt. He said if even two of the major auto companies had gone bankrupt, it could have cost a million U.S. jobs and killed Michigan's auto industry.

Obama says auto workers shouldn't be "bamboozled" by the Republican business mogul.

___

12:55 p.m.

Police officials in New York say they plan a show of force for Election Day equal to New Year's Eve in Times Square and last year's visit by Pope Francis.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and top NYPD officials said Monday that more than 5,000 police officers will be assigned on Tuesday to secure midtown Manhattan, where both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will spend election night. Police also will be posted at polling places across the city.

The contingent includes heavy weapon units trained to respond quickly to terror threats. Both uniformed and plainclothes officers will flood the subways and crowded areas like Times Square.

Streets will be closed around the New York Hilton, scene of Trump's gathering, and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, scene of Clinton's festivities.

___

12:50 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is ending her campaign with a decidedly positive message, after days of focusing on attacking Donald Trump.

Clinton Is telling voters they don't have to accept a "dark and divisive" future, saying she doesn't recognize the country Trump describes in his campaign speeches. The Democratic presidential candidate is promising a brighter future that will address the economic inequality facing America.

She said: "Tomorrow you can vote for a hopeful, inclusive, bighearted America."

Clinton is campaigning in Pittsburgh, a crucial area in a key battleground state. She'll return to Pennsylvania on Monday night for a campaign rally with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. She's also making stops in Michigan and North Carolina.

___

12:40 p.m.

Chelsea Clinton says Donald Trump has fueled the bullying in schools that her mother, Hillary Clinton, wants to stop.

The former first daughter is introducing President Barack Obama at a rally Monday for her mother in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She says Obama hasn't gotten enough credit for progress on his watch.

Chelsea Clinton said if Americans care about health care, jobs, women's rights and LGBT equality, they need to vote on Tuesday. She's making a particular pitch to Michigan's auto workers in nearby Detroit.

Chelsea Clinton says she's so proud that her two children were born while Obama was president.

___

12:35 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is being introduced by Tom Colicchio, famous for his role as a judge on the television show "Top Chef."

The celebrity chef urged voters in Pittsburgh Monday to support Clinton.

He said he met Clinton when she was a senator from New York and she would urge him to use foods from upstate New York farmers.

He said Clinton "can tie this country together."

The two embraced when she took the stage.

Clinton is spending the final hours before Election Day on a four-state tour of battleground states.

___

Associated Press
  •       AIM
  •       Share







©  Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.