Following the unexpected withdrawal of Joe Biden from his re-election campaign, Kamala Harris’s new lead role has instigated a dramatic shift in the presidential race. This abrupt change only 100 days from the grand Election Day has both parties scrambling with their respective strategies. Despite the shock switch, the Democrats are placing undue optimism in the Harris campaign, suggesting she is reigniting the race. Meanwhile, Republicans, undeterred, have strengthened their offense.
In the short span since Biden’s exit, Harris reports an intake of 170,000 fresh volunteers, and questionable claims of a $200 million acquisition in funds. To top the opaqueness of these figures, her campaign’s maiden fundraiser in Pittsfield, Massachusetts seemed to have surpassed the initial target, claiming an astonishing $1.4 million over the goal set before Biden’s departure.
Taking the reins from Biden, Harris endeavors to recover key sections of the Democratic body, disparately holding on to the support of minority groups and the youth, to which Biden was reportedly losing his foothold. The pivot to a social media-driven approach is a conspicuously desperate attempt, with Harris starting a TikTok account amongst other initiatives.
Restricted polling results after this transition have stirred a mild increase in hope for Democrats. An Emerson College/The Hill survey suggests Harris inching closer in some swing states, notwithstanding the slim lead held by President Trump. It’s noted that, particularly among young voters, excerpts show an apparently artificial surge in Harris’s support compared to Biden, specifically in the states of Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
A concurrent poll from Fox News conveys a political stalemate between Harris and Trump within the critical swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan. However, Wisconsin, another battleground state, reveals a one-point lead favouring Trump. It appears, in Peter Loge’s words, director of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, that ‘…she does is put all the states that Biden won last time back into play.’
As the pressure of the polls amplify, President Trump took the stage at a Bitcoin conference held in Nashville, Tennessee, before participating at a campaign rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Trump’s critique ranged across a broad spectrum, ruthlessly targetting the personal and political fronts of Harris. He mocked her as a ‘low IQ individual’ and vowed that she would tread the path to becoming ‘the most extreme radical liberal president in American history.’
Elaborating on her failings, Trump attempted to link Harris with Biden’s dismally received stance on contentious issues such as inflation and immigration. Capillary weaknesses Democrats want to gloss over. According to him, Harris, referred to as ‘Border Czar Harris’, was viz., instrumental in allowing millions of illegal migrants flooding across American borders.
Echoing Trump’s assaults on the Democrats’ many failings, an AP report confirmed Republican dominance over the airwaves, out-doing the Harris campaign’s promotional activities by a crushing 25-to-1 ratio in TV and radio advertisements. A clear indicator of the Republicans’ enhanced public engagement.
For Harris’s debuting campaign advertisement, she played the card of the defender of freedom. If you can consider such subjects like ‘reproductive rights’ and the ‘freedom to be safe from gun violence’ to be cornerstones of society. It’s like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. ‘There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate. But us? We choose something different. We choose freedom,’ she audaciously proclaims in the advertisement.
As the national Democratic Party gears up for its virtual voting process to vote in their nomination, the formality of selecting Harris as the nominee is all but a forgone conclusion. The choice for a running mate is anticipated by Aug. 7.
While the obvious enthusiasm promoted by the Democrats about the Harris campaign is palpable, only time will tell if this strategy change will provide the party with any tangible returns. The immense gap in campaign funds with Republicans, coupled with the party’s shaky footing with critical voters’ groups, remains boiling points for Democrats.
Furthermore, the credibility of such a rushed transition from Biden to Harris is bound to raise eyebrows among not only their opponents but also within their party’s ranks. This abrupt switching of horse mid-race, so to speak, cannot but sow some measure of doubt among the electorate.
Thus at this point, the Democrats’ pipedream of seeing Harris in the Oval Office appears as shaky as it ever was, be it a 100 days or 100 minutes away from the voting booth. Irrespective of the purported new energy, the uncomfortable air of Biden’s withdrawal lingers on the Democratic canvas. So, count the days till Election Day, as a distinctly uphill battle awaits Harris and the rest of the Democratic Party.
Unprepared Harris Scrambles to Fill Biden’s Shoes in Last-minute Campaign Shift appeared first on Real News Now.
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