Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is off to a big start. Within hours of Biden’s decision to drop out of the race on July 21, she began securing Democratic endorsements, and by early August, she received enough delegates to win her party’s nomination. The establishment was clearly with her, but whether or not the American people would match elite enthusiasm was an open question. Prior to becoming the nominee, Harris’s approval rating sat fairly consistently in the mid-to high-30s. Moreover, memes of her gaffes circulated widely on social media.
But these concerns have largely been put to rest; Harris has reenergized the Democratic base and is performing well with moderates. Current polling has her ahead of former President Donald Trump nationally by 2.7 points, and she leads in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Despite this early momentum, the election is far from over. If Harris wants to win, there are a few things she needs to do.
Her first task — and the one she’s made the most progress on thus far — is cultivating a positive image. She has intentionally kept many of her policy positions nebulous, backing off some of her most radical stances. The long-term consequences of this strategy are yet to be seen, but for now, it’s working. Harris is holding the Democratic coalition together with popular talking points and personality.
Abortion, one of the Democrats’ strongest issues, is also a top priority for Harris. She wisely continues to make it a centerpiece of her campaign. The KFF survey of women voters found that 41% of women aged 30 to 49 trust Harris a lot to speak on abortion, along with 56% of women aged 50 to 65 and 66% of women over 65. If previous elections are any indicator, Harris’ image as a warrior for reproductive freedom will help her drive higher voter turnout in November.
Additionally, Harris polls well with Black voters, a must-win portion of the Democratic constituency. The Black Futures Lab recently revealed the findings from their 2023 Black Census, which surveyed 211,219 Black people from all 50 states. Results showed that Black Americans trust Harris and distrust Trump, 71% to 5% respectively. That gap will likely only widen, especially after Trump’s claim that Harris, who is biracial, “happened to turn black” for political purposes.
Other necessary voting blocs, however, aren’t as pleased with the Democratic nominee. While Harris outperforms Trump with Hispanic voters, she is underperforming compared to Biden’s 2020 campaign. Moreover, working-class Americans — whom Harris must rally to win the Rust Belt — are not the consistent democratic supporters they once were. Sean O’Brien, International Brotherhood of Teamsters president, didn’t help the Democrats’ odds when he spoke at the Republican National Convention in July. He didn’t endorse Trump, but this cooling of historic tensions between some labor unions and the Republican Party doesn’t bode well for Harris. If Harris wants to win this election, her campaign must reach out to this group.
She can do this with seriousness and moderation. At some point, she will have to answer for her changing policy positions, like on gun buybacks and fracking. When that happens, she needs to convince America that she’s not the radical that Trump is painting her as. Her progressive record in Congress will come up in the debate. Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called Harris a “radical California-left winger.” She needs to prove him wrong.
Part of the way she can do this is to distance herself from Biden. Whether she likes it or not, her role as vice president attaches her to his administration. She needs to articulate how she’ll be different — what she plans to do about illegal immigration, what she’ll do about the two wars that started under her boss’ oversight and how she’ll tackle the inflation of the last four years.
Harris may be leading in the polls right now, but she can’t become complacent. She has not yet had to answer any serious questions, protesters are marching on the Democratic National Convention and her debate with Trump looms. Image will help her unite her coalition, but she will need to show real substance to win over moderates. That means she can continue to be “brat,” but she also needs to have an explanation for her new positions and keep distancing herself from the current president.
This editorial represents the opinion of The Michigan Daily’s Summer Editorial Board. If you are interested in submitting an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor, please send your submission to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.
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