Staff Reports
Kamala Harris now stands as the presumptive Democratic nominee, and it appears the party is scrambling to catch up. With Joe Biden dropping out, the polls are rolling out at a frantic pace, showcasing Harris’s so-called resurgence in the race. A recent survey suggests that she has managed to narrow the gap with Donald Trump, but don’t let the headlines fool you. This is less of a comeback and more of a warning sign for Democrats—the kind that flashes brighter as the election approaches.
The numbers are clear: Trump is ahead by three points, sitting at 48 percent to Harris’s 45 percent. When accounting for leaners, the former president’s lead swells to four points, at 52 to 48 percent. It’s amusing how the narrative spins itself; yes, Harris might be doing marginally better than Biden did before his exit, but at the end of the day, she is still losing. This pattern continues to emerge in most recent polls, where Trump leads in six out of eight conducted after Biden’s departure. In the two polls where Harris emerges on top, it is merely by one or two points, hardly a resounding endorsement for her candidacy.
🚨BREAKING NEW HARVARD CAPS/HARRIS POLL🚨
Kamala Harris resets the race to pre-debate levels with her entrance as Trump holds a narrow lead.
"If the 2024 election for President were held today and it was between Donald Trump, the Republican and Kamala Harris, the Democrat, who… pic.twitter.com/bVTOR0iumT
— HarrisX (@HarrisXdata) July 30, 2024
One has to wonder about the efficacy of “resetting the race” when the outcome remains the same. A narrow loss is still a loss, after all. While some might argue that Harris could pull together support from heavy Democratic states like California and New York to potentially clinch the popular vote, the hard truth is that she remains behind in the overall game. Her rise in the polls does little to dispel the fact that she is still trailing Trump—something that will hang over her campaign like a dark cloud.
The curious hope among Harris’s followers is that her current polling bump signals momentum rather than a fleeting high-water mark. With talk of a vice presidential pick reigniting excitement, the belief is that she’ll gain another jolt in support. Yet, skepticism runs high. The Trump campaign is already ramping up advertising efforts, targeting Harris specifically. Could this week have been her peak? A confluence of favorable press cycles and a stunned Republican opposition may have afforded her a moment in the spotlight, but the real test lies ahead.
As the month progresses, it will be intriguing to see how the dynamics shift. Despite the Democrat’s self-congratulatory narratives surrounding Harris, the ground realities don’t seem to align with their dreamy visions. The fervor of a sympathetic media might create a fleeting sugar rush for the Harris campaign, but when it comes down to actual voters, she still needs to translate that enthusiasm into authentic support. Until she manages to do that, the question remains: what will it truly take for her to become a contender rather than a cautionary tale? Only time will tell.
