Don’t fret, Democrats — here are 5 advantages Harris has down the stretch
by Brad Bannon, opinion contributor - 10/25/24 2:30 PM ET
Time is tight and so is the race for president. It is less than two weeks until our votes decide the fate of our great republic. The future of our grand experiment in democracy rests in the hands of Vice President Kamala Harris. A Trump win could lead the nation to decay into fascism.
There are some Democratic nervous Nellies out there who believe Harris is losing. They should steady their nerves and take heart in the advantages she enjoys in the short time we have left in campaign 2024.
The first is Trump’s decline. There is only a small number of swing voters left in the battleground states. These late deciders don’t pay as much attention to politics as partisans do. They are personality-driven, not issue driven. And Donald Trump’s persona is disintegrating right before their eyes. The extreme distaste so many voters have for him limits growth in his vote.
He recently went on an extended rant on the size of the late golfer Arnold Palmer’s genitalia in battleground Pennsylvania. God only knows what the failed former president will say or do between now and Election Day. His statement on Palmer says much about Trump’s obsessions, but it also raises doubts about his fitness to hold high office. The former president’s handlers must live in constant fear of what the candidate will say during his few remaining days on the campaign trail.
Harris’s second advantage is her crossover appeal. She has reached out to bring more voters into her fold. Trump has focused like a laser on acolytes who already support him. Recently on the hustings, she appeared on a nationally televised town hall meeting on CNN while he courted Christian faithful in North Carolina.
In the company of former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the vice president recently toured counties in battleground states that Nikki Haley, Trump’s most formidable Republican challenger, had won in the presidential primaries.
Liz Cheney is a powerful and persuasive surrogate who commands national media attention. Harris also has the support of prominent Republicans like former vice president and Liz Cheney’s father, Dick Cheney, along with former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. Battleground state Republicans who support the vice president include former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former Michigan Rep. Fred Upton. Trump’s support from former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pale in comparison.
Third, Harris has the Obama star power. Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are the ultimate power couple and rock stars of the Democratic Party. The dynamic Democratic duo has the presence and prestige to seal the deal for Harris.
Trump doesn’t have anyone with enough standing and respectability to close for him. Trump surrogate Robert F. Kennedy, and his far-fetched conspiracy theories, fit the GOP nominee’s views like a glove, but he doesn’t add much needed gravitas, extra value or anything else to the GOP ticket except a bucket full of weird.
Fourth, Harris has the popularity of her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Both Walz and Trump’s running-mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), will be campaigning ferociously across the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania while the tops of their tickets handle the bright limelight of the national media.
A national poll conducted by YouGov through Oct. 12 revealed that the Democratic veep hopeful was significantly more popular than his Republican counterpart. Admittedly, vice presidential candidates don’t make much difference in presidential voting decisions. But a little bit of Walz’s folksy charm could go a long way in giving Harris a little extra octane in the closely contested battleground states.
Finally, Harris has a much better and more efficient get out the vote operation for Election Day. Trump has outsourced his ground game to Elon Musk, who famously drove X, formerly known as Twitter, into the ground. The combatants are so close in the polls that voter turnout could be the deciding factor.
The bottom line is that the Democratic ticket has more opportunities than the Republicans do to gain ground in the sprint to the finish line.
Doubt and anxiety are the enemies of victory. So stop obsessing over pollsters and pundits like me. Get up from the couch and vote if you already haven’t done it. It’s your nation that’s at stake. Your own vote may be just a ripple in the ocean, but enough ripples can turn the tide. Do everything within your power to preserve and protect democracy before it’s too late.
Brad Bannon is a Democratic pollster, CEO of Bannon Communications Research which polls for Democrats, labor unions and progressive issue groups. He hosts the popular progressive podcast on power, politics and policy, Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon.
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