As Kamala Harris is set up to face Trump, she will have to overcome high disapproval
The media will portray her as a highly-skilled politician
She appears to be regaining support among black and Hispanic voters
The story
With Joe Biden officially out as the Democratic presidential nominee, the party has an opportunity to start fresh with a new face at the top of the ticket. Though Kamala Harris’s tenure as vice president wasn’t noteworthy — except for her tendency to laugh uncomfortably and her affinity for word salad — she could find herself going tete a tete with Donald Trump.
Though Harris is not officially nominated, over half of the necessary delegates are pledged to her. In addition, Biden’s campaign funds have been transferred to her, and she has the backing of nearly every major Democrat kingmaker, now including the last holdout — Barack Obama.
If Harris secures the nomination in the party’s upcoming virtual roll-call, she’ll face many of the same challenges Biden encountered on the campaign trail — namely overcoming Trump's slight polling lead in critical swing states. Although Harris is within striking distance, they key to securing battleground states will lie in her ability to tack toward center.
Kamala Harris must also overcome her steep disapproval rating, hovering at around 58 percent — with only 38 percent approval. Trump has a 42 percent favorability rating. The last time Harris took center stage during the 2020 primaries, the American people showed meager interest. However, interest revived when she was chosen as Joe Biden’s running mate.
Now, she will have to make her case anew and defeat the resurgent Donald Trump.
The politics
Republicans declaring that Donald Trump has already secured the election are jumping the gun. After former President Trump’s attempted assassination attempt, conservatives like Tucker Carlson were quick to coronate Trump as the election winner because his fortitude in the face of nearly dying would rally the American people against radically left-wing Kamala Harris.
On the contrary, “This election will be decided by independent and undecided voters in seven states,” says The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Henninger. He asserts that Trump is essentially baked into the cake and that sympathy gained from his near-assassination will have minimal effect. “Ms. Harris, for all her liabilities, has a good chance of making this election competitive. She could win.”
Democrats are directing Harris’s ability to energize voters by focusing on the issues. According to Mother Jones, Harris must convince Americans that “she is their last chance to save reproductive rights” — throwing the issue back at Trump and J.D. Vance, who ”bragged about ending abortion rights.”
Others note that Harris is not the moderate that President Biden is perceived to be. After her “disastrous” run in the 2020 primaries, she dropped out with miniscule support. She favored policies like banning fracking, which could hurt her in swing states like Pennsylvania, where oil and gas exports fuel the economy.
Beyond the headlines
Pollsters have raced to get a read on Harris. One Quinnipiac poll shows Trump dominating the vice president among young voters by 19 points. An Axios poll (with a smaller sample size) indicates the exact opposite, showing Harris with a major lead over Trump among 18- to 34-year-olds.
Harris appears to perform more favorably among black and Hispanic Americans. CNN’s political forecaster Harry Enten presented recent data showing that Harris is performing eight points better than Biden with black voters, and six points better with Hispanic voters. Such demographics will be essential to winning swing states like Georgia and Arizona.
Although the vice president supposedly claimed the Biden/Harris campaign funds, the transaction may not be straightforward. Trump’s team filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission, alleging that Harris “is seeking to perpetrate a $91.5 million dollar heist of Joe Biden’s leftover campaign cash” that would violate the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. The transfer of funds will likely be litigated in court.
A saving grace for Kamala Harris may be the media’s covering for her glaring lack of charisma and political accomplishments. In 2021, President Biden appointed Harris as the “border czar.” Nothing was accomplished, and millions of illegal migrants continue to pour across the border. Mainstream press is trying to erase that truth to cover for her failures.
The media rarely acknowledges Harris’s weak public speaking abilities or her bizarre laugh, which undermine her image as a skilled politician. Americans will have an opportunity to confront her off-putting personality only when she appears on a debate stage.
Why it matters
With about 100 days until the election and even fewer until the first votes are cast, Kamala Harris has a chance to reset the Democrats' campaign and win back some voters that President Biden was losing.
Donald Trump will need to keep his foot on the accelerator until Election Day, as the media will work overtime to promote Harris as a historic opportunity for the country to elect its first female president and will portray her as the nation’s final defense against fascism and authoritarianism.
Contradicting polls will continue to be released in the following weeks, and none will provide an accurate accounting of the country’s zeitgeist. Once Harris takes center stage, she alone will have the opportunity to make her case to the American people and convince them that she is a better option than Trump.
