Presidential race heats up with 44 days to go

(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - With 44 days until the election, the presidential race is heating up.

Donald Trump, the 45th president, is trying to come back as the 47th while his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, is aiming to make history as the first female president ever.

Meanwhile there's a new scandal exploding in North Carolina's race for governor as well as legal and legislative fights in other states about ballot access and Election Day vote tally procedures.

"The reality is...nobody truly knows what's going on here. This is an allegation that's being reported," said Byron Donalds (R), representative of Florida.

Republicans are reacting to last week's report about North Carolina GOP gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson's alleged inflammatory comments on a porn website message board before he entered politics more than a decade ago.

Robinson, North Carolina's current Lieutenant Governor, allegedly referred to himself as a "Black Nazi," expressed support for reinstating slavery, and made graphic sexual comments. He denies making the comments.

Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz referenced the scandal Saturday.

"We got folks running as Republicans for governor that are proud to refer to themselves as Nazis," Walz remarked.

The scandal in North Carolina comes as former President Trump visited the battleground state Saturday, a day after his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris hit the battleground states of Wisconsin and Georgia, where she focused heavily on reproductive rights.

"One in three women in America lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban," Harris said.

Also in Georgia Friday, Donald Trump's allies on the state's election board passed a rule that critics say could delay the results of the presidential race. It requires a hand count of all ballots after polls close on election night.

The Office of Georgia's Republican attorney general previously warned the move is likely unlawful.

Also Friday, in Arizona, the state supreme court ruled that nearly 100,000 residents who may not have fulfilled the state's proof-of-citizenship requirements can still vote in state and local races this year, and on Saturday, Harris accepted CNN's debate invite and challenged Trump to do the same.