Kamala Harris finds a new angle to attack Trump

 

Harris finds a new angle to attack Trump

In the five days since Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign launched at warp speed, the 2024 race has been reshaped, giving Democrats renewed hope of preventing a second Donald Trump presidency.

Bright green, pro-Harris memes have flooded social media. Fundraising surged, with Harris’ campaign reporting $126 million raised between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday evening. Additionally, Democrats showed a strong willingness to support her campaign, with over 100,000 people signing up to volunteer and more than 2,000 applying for campaign jobs, according to Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon. Recent polls now show that a previously Trump-led race has no clear leader.

This indicates how much of the Democratic Party desired a change at the top of the ticket and how eager donors and loyalists are to support a candidate who can consistently and aggressively challenge Trump.

Michigan AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber described the energy in his state, a key battleground, as "electric."

"I’ve never seen energy like this at this point in an election cycle," he said.

Harris’ campaign message, similar to President Joe Biden’s, focuses on defending women’s reproductive rights, rejecting "trickle-down economic policies," and standing up for democratic norms and values. However, Harris’ energetic performances on the campaign trail have highlighted the limitations of the 81-year-old Biden.

The strength of Harris’ campaign launch has even surprised some former Biden campaign staffers, who suddenly found themselves working for Harris on Sunday.

It’s too early to determine how Harris’ entry will alter a race that seemed destined to be a Biden-Trump rematch. Harris has yet to choose a running mate or launch her first television advertisement, and the Democratic National Convention is just weeks away.

Harris and Trump could potentially debate, a showdown that would draw millions of viewers and possibly change the race’s trajectory.

While Trump said he hasn't committed to debating Harris, the vice president confirmed she would participate in the September 10 debate originally scheduled between Trump and Biden by ABC.

“I think that the voters deserve to see the split screen in this race on a debate stage, so I’m ready. Let’s go,” she told reporters after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a campaign trip to Houston.

This creates an unsettled race, though Harris shows signs of improving on Biden’s weaknesses among younger, non-White, and female voters.

Trump, following an assassination attempt and his party’s case at the Republican National Convention last week, was in a close race with Harris – 49% to her 46% – according to a CNN/SSRS poll of registered voters released Wednesday.

Half of Harris’ supporters in the new poll (50%) said their vote was more in support of her than against Trump, a significant shift from the Trump-focused dynamic of the Biden-Trump race. Among Biden’s supporters in CNN’s June poll, only 37% said their vote was primarily to support the president. About three-quarters of Trump supporters (74%) in the latest survey said they voted to express support for him rather than oppose Harris.

The shift toward affirmative support for Harris was particularly strong among young voters, voters of color, and women – groups that generally back Democrats but were seen as weak spots for the Biden campaign.

A New York Times/Siena College poll released Thursday showed similar results, with Trump at 48% and Harris at 46% among registered voters nationwide. Harris showed increased support compared to Biden among young and non-White voters.


Harris finds a new angle to attack Trump


Harris is just beginning what will be the most grueling 102-day sprint of her political career. The missteps from her 2020 Democratic primary bid, along with the verbal gaffes and staff upheavals that marred the early period of her vice presidency, could resurface as she strives to show her growth since those stumbles. Additionally, she will face the same challenges Biden did in uniting the party factions divided over the war in Gaza.

Despite these challenges, O’Malley Dillon argued in her memo that Harris at the top of the ticket would broaden the electoral map for Democrats. While Biden’s campaign focused on winning the “blue wall” states – Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – Harris could have stronger appeal among young Black and Latino voters, potentially making her more competitive in Sun Belt battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.

“We intend to play offense in each of these states and have the resources and campaign infrastructure to do so,” O’Malley Dillon said in the memo.


36 hours to Secure the Nomination


It began just after 1:46 p.m. on Sunday at her official residence at the Naval Observatory. Harris, dressed in a Howard University hoodie and workout sweats, awaited Biden’s social media post announcing his exit from the race and embarked on a 10-hour marathon of phone calls.

She contacted 100 Democrats, including former presidents, governors, congressional leaders, and heads of key congressional caucuses. Despite having Biden’s endorsement, Harris conveyed to those she called that she intended to earn the nomination.

By Sunday evening, many of those initially seen as potential rivals had already backed her. By Monday morning, many others followed suit. By the afternoon, she secured former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s endorsement, effectively ending the race to succeed Biden before it began.

On Monday afternoon, Harris visited campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, which had turned into a bunker of sorts, with staffers disheartened by the weeks of controversy over Biden’s viability as the Democratic nominee after his disastrous debate performance.

Biden signs were being swapped out for Harris signs. Essentially, only the Federal Election Commission paperwork had changed; Harris was taking over an infrastructure built for Biden, initially retaining the same leadership.

In a speech to campaign staff that was broadcast nationally on cable news networks, Harris previewed the message she would drive against Trump. She invoked the former president’s scandals and legal troubles, contrasting them with her own history.

She cited her time as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, asserting that she “took on perpetrators of all kinds.”

“Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain,” Harris said. “So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type.”

Within about 36 hours, no serious challenger had emerged, and enough state delegations to the Democratic National Convention had announced their unanimous support for Harris to clinch the party’s nomination.


Reaching out to Black women and educators


Harris has been methodically targeting key segments of the Democratic base each day. On Tuesday, she focused on supporters in a crucial part of a swing state. Wednesday, she appealed to Black women, and on Thursday, she reached out to teachers.

In a speech to the Zeta Phi Beta sorority in Indianapolis, she aimed to mobilize Black women, a vital Democratic constituency that played a significant role in helping Biden secure the Democratic nomination in 2020.

“There’s so much at stake at this moment. Our nation, as it always has, is counting on you to energize, organize, and mobilize,” Harris said at the Black sorority’s Grand Boulé gathering. “Register folks to vote, get them to the polls, and continue to fight for our future.”

She accused Trump of supporting "a plan to return America to a dark past" and argued that aspects of Project 2025’s agenda, such as cutting the Department of Education and Medicare, “represent an outright attack on our children, our families, and our future.”

On Thursday, Harris traveled to Houston for the American Federation of Teachers convention, where she thanked the union for being the first to endorse her presidential campaign this week.

She once again highlighted Project 2025, stating that its agenda would halt student loan forgiveness for teachers and other public servants.

“They even want to eliminate the Department of Education and Headstart, which would take away preschool from hundreds of thousands of our children,” she said.


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