I’m Christina Bellantoni. Welcome to Essential Politics.

The popular sweet candy has found itself caught in the middle of a political debate over Syrian refugees. Donald Trump’s son, Don Jr., tweeted an image comparing the risk of allowing refugees into the country to reaching into a bowl of Skittles knowing a few of them are poisoned. It was a vivid reminder of the Republican nominee’s opposition to letting people fleeing the conflict in Syria into the United States, despite the screening that is already being done by government officials.

Skittles’ manufacturer, Wrigley Americas, wanted no part of the issue. “Skittles are candy. Refugees are people,” the company said in a statement. “We don’t feel it is an appropriate analogy.” After facing fierce criticism for what Democrats called an insensitive and inaccurate comparison, Trump’s campaign defended the tweet.

On Tuesday, Trump told supporters at a rally in North Carolina that, “Our African American communities are absolutely in the worse shape they’ve ever been in before. Ever, ever, ever.” The statement, of course, overlooked the fact that slavery was legal for nearly a century.

Trump also told the crowd in North Carolina that Arab countries would fund safe zones in the Middle East for Syrian refugees. “It’s called other people’s money,” he said. “There’s nothing like doing things with other people’s money. Because it takes the risk [away].”

How will all of this play out in Monday’s debate? And what sort of language will the candidates use to criticize one another?

Cathleen Decker takes a look at how Team Trump has been using gender to try to undercut Hillary Clinton’s candidacy, from “broad shoulders” to talk about having the “presidential look.”

Ahead of the high-stakes debate, Team Clinton is shrugging off polling that has shown a tightening presidential race and insists that her path to the presidency remains clearer than Trump’s. Robby Mook wrote in a memo to donors and supporters that what he sees on the Electoral College map “aren’t great odds” for the GOP nominee.

Give our Electoral College map a spin and see for yourself.

Get the latest from the campaign trail on Trail Guide and follow @latimespolitics. Check our daily USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times tracking poll at the top of the politics page.

CLINTON’S GOT A FRIEND

James Taylor and Yo-Yo Ma are appearing in concert next week in Carpinteria to raise money for Clinton’s campaign.

The Sept. 28 event is co-hosted by Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, Nancy Koppelman, Susan Rose and Allan Ghitterman, Diane Meyer Simon, Deirdre Hade and William Arntz. According to an invitation obtained by The Times, tickets range from $2,500 to $10,000 for hosts.

REID VS. TRUMP

Harry Reid is back at it again. The hard-edged Senate minority leader blasted Trump on Tuesday, saying he would be the “scammer in chief” if elected. Speaking from the Senate floor, Reid accused Trump of refusing to release his tax returns because he’s worth far less money than he claims.

IT STARTED AT STARBUCKS

When she sat down at a Starbucks in Torrance a few years ago, Michele Sutter was desperately looking for a California legislator to sponsor a bill regarded by many as a nonstarter — a proposition instructing the state’s Congressional delegation to change the U.S. Constitution.

Sarah Wire has the story on how Sutter and others at her nonprofit — Money Out, Voters In — ushered that legislation through California’s Legislature (twice) and the state Supreme Court. On Nov. 8 the entire state gets a say on whether the 55 Californians they send to Congress should fight to overturn the controversial 2010 Citizens United decision that has allowed money to flood American elections.

Keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed for news on California’s 17 ballot measures.

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

— Billionaire Tom Steyer says he will put $20 million of his own money behind a campaign to mobilize voters in eight swing states to boost support for Clinton.

— In a rare bit of bipartisanship, members of the Senate Banking Committee banded together to pillory Wells Fargo chief John Stumpf over revelations that thousands of bank workers opened as many as 2 million accounts for customers without their knowledge.

— Patrick McGreevy reports that open-government groups are criticizing the state Fair Political Practices Commission for what they call heavy-handed lobbying tactics that tried to get groups to drop support for a bill requiring more disclosure of campaign finance information.

— A prominent group advocating for LGBT rights has withdrawn its endorsement of six state Assembly members because they abstained or voted against a bill aimed at protecting gay and transgender students from discrimination at private colleges.

— California Democrats launched a new online and social media campaign on Tuesday to link seven GOP congressional candidates, all in closely contested races, to Trump.

— Rep. Darrell Issa’s Democratic challenger, Douglas Applegate, on Tuesday released a new ad accusing the eight-term incumbent of profiting off his years in Congress. Issa returned fire with a political mailer detailing the accusations that Applegate threatened his former wife during their divorce.

— U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris wants public colleges to be tuition-free for students from families that earn less than $140,000 a year. Phil Willon reports that the tuition-free proposal was the highlight of the higher education platform Harris rolled out Tuesday.

— More taxpayer dollars could be diverted in 2017 to paying for public employee pensions. On Tuesday, the chief forecaster for the California Public Employees Retirement System urged the agency’s directors to consider lowering long-term investment projections.

— “I can take that kind of stuff. I’ve been at this. And I understand it’s a contact sport,” Clinton said Tuesday of her preparation for debating Trump next week.

— It sounds like former President George H.W. Bush is voting for Clinton.

— California’s housing crisis isn’t going anywhere. Have questions about why Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to fix the problem failed, and how you could be affected in the future? Reporter Liam Dillon will answer on Twitter at 11 a.m. Pacific time Friday. Follow @LATPoliticsCA and @dillonliam, and use #housingchat to join in.

— The Los Angeles Times is hosting another debate watch party, and this one will be our biggest yet. Join us on Sept. 26 at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Tickets are $13. RSVP here.

— Samantha Bee wasn’t happy with Jimmy Fallon’s interview with Trump.

— U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says Trump should apologize to President Obama for spreading false conspiracy theories about whether he was born in the United States. “I had a lot of distaste for it,” he said. “No factual basis.”

LOGISTICS

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