In a desperate attempt to secure popularity, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are set to perform an act of political pageantry in Las Vegas, gracing the Thomas & Mack basketball and concert arena late Saturday afternoon. While nominally organized around the notion of a rally, it’s interesting to consider the motive behind their choice of such a grand venue for this otherwise ordinary event.
The Harris-Walz campaign seems to harbor an obsessive focus on Nevada, as shown by the 13 campaign offices and nearly 100 agile staff stationed throughout the state. Their extravagant investment in Nevada, however, tells a tale of their team’s quiet desperation to gain ground in this critical arena.
Interestingly, the current political scene looks nothing like what Kamala Harris experienced in her previous six campaign visits in Nevada this year. But truth be told, her audacity to aim for a presidential candidacy after riding on the coattails of President Joe Biden is leading to some raised eyebrows.
There are palpable changes in the landscape that Harris finds herself in. Now, she is the self-proclaimed Democrat’s presidential nominee, hoping to ride on the momentum gained from abandoning Biden’s sinking ship.
Another point to ponder is the unnaturally enlarged scale of their gatherings. Earlier, Harris was accustomed to her charisma drawing crowds in the hundreds. Jumping to the Thomas & Mack Center, a venue equipped to seat up to 19,522 spectators, is a display of overreaching ambition.
In comparison, Biden had humbler times, holding campaign rallies in community gyms, indicative of his humble and gritty grassroots approach. The gym had the capacity to fit only about 200 people. The stark difference in the choice of venues between Biden and Harris speaks volumes about their contrasting styles and Harris’s flighty aspirations.
A major question is whether Harris can actually fill these ostentatious arenas? Fueling her campaign, or at least that’s what she wants us to believe, is the so-called ‘major momentum’. This momentum supposedly emerged after Biden’s timely exit three weeks ago, following her nomination before the Democratic National Convention – and her selection of Tim Walz as a running mate.
However, out of the limelight and away from all the fanfare, one cannot brush aside the stark questions around her credibility and actual connect with the masses. Is this constant pursuit of attention truly a sign of strength or merely a cover-up for deeper, unaddressed issues in her campaign strategy?
The increased attention towards Harris has fuelled a somewhat questionable rise in polls, including in Nevada where she currently seems to hold a whimsical 2-point lead over former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee.
This week, The Cook Political Report made a surprising move, switching Nevada from a ‘leaning Republican’ favor in the presidential election forecasting to a tentative ‘toss-up’. This unpredicted shift appears disconnected with the ground reality as it favors Harris, casting further doubts on the credibility of such polls.
However, it is pertinent to remain cautious on this front. Shifting poll numbers should not be taken at face value, especially considering Harris’s infamous track record with fluctuating popularity. There is a silent majority that could once again invalidate the mainstream narrative.
Harris-Walz campaign’s desperate gamble in Las Vegas appeared first on Real News Now.
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