Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris has somehow managed to morph from being the sidekick in a lackluster administration into the presumptive Democratic nominee, turning what initially seemed like a straightforward reelection bid for Donald Trump into a nail-biter of a race. In the wake of President Biden’s exit from the 2024 contest, Harris is now closing in on Trump in various national polls—something that must have included a BOLO (be on the lookout) notice for voter enthusiasm because many had written off her chances faster than you can say “Kamala-tastrophe.”
In a fundraising blitz that seems almost out of a Hollywood movie script, Harris raised an astounding $310 million in July alone, finishing the month with an eye-popping $377 million. Meanwhile, Trump, the supposed king of fundraising, lagged behind, raking in just $138.7 million, leaving him with $327 in his campaign fund—though surely that’s just a typographical error and not the end of the line. Still, Harris’s financial prowess raises an eyebrow: is it a show of strength or merely a smoke-and-mirrors illusion?
Swing-state scorecard: Ranking Kamala Harris’s toughest 2024 battlegrounds https://t.co/nbuqjNCXMq via @dcexaminer
— Lois Levine Fishman (@FishmanLevine) August 3, 2024
As Harris prepares to choose a running mate, all eyes are on Pennsylvania, a critical state that every candidate needs to woo. Polls show Harris trailing Trump by four points, a dire situation in a place where the Democratic support is teetering like a seesaw. Rumors abound that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, desperate to earn brownie points with the party, may join her ticket to shore up support—but whether he can make Harris palatable to skeptical voters remains an enormous question mark.
Jumping from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, the Democrats have their work cut out. The last time the state went blue in a presidential election was 2008, thanks to the charismatic Obama. Yet, polls indicate Trump maintains his lead by two to six points. With Trump ramping up ad spending, one gets the feeling he’s not taking the state lightly. Meanwhile, the drama continues as possible Harris running mate Roy Cooper hurriedly withdrew from consideration—clearly aware that sharing the campaign trail might trigger his own “acting governor” scenario under the impending clouds of Republican dominance.
Next up is Arizona, where Harris must channel her inner magician. Despite her new ticket potentially brewing excitement among some, Trump still holds a razor-thin margin of victory—holding on by the hair of his chinny-chin-chin according to some polls. Harris’s team is likely hoping she can sprinkle enough fairy dust to turn that around, especially with a rally slated soon. Perhaps they’re betting on her identity as America’s first female Vice President of mixed heritage to energize a state that, historically, has loved a good tug of war in elections.
Lastly, no battleground assessment would be complete without a detour through Michigan and Georgia. In Michigan, Harris leads in some polls but is shadowed by a surprising number of people who voted uncommitted during the Democratic primary—voter apathy could sharply bite her come November. Conversely, in Georgia, where the Democrats celebrated an improbable victory in 2020, Trump might just be sharpening his claws, ready to reclaim a state that he feels is rightfully his.
Harris’s “big win” in these states will hinge on her ability to straddle that careful line of appealing to moderates while simultaneously ensuring the progressive base doesn’t yank her back down. The upcoming months will tell whether she can transform her momentum into an electoral victory or if she will remain an ambitious footnote in what could have been a GOP victory lap.
