The most important resource a candidate has is his time. where do they goWho they hang out with, and what they say, defines their understanding of the race far more than what their advisors offer.
There is only one conclusion that can be drawn from where they were last week and where they plan to be this week: Kamala Harris is running scared.
With just a few weeks left, a confident Democratic candidate will be reaching out to voters. He will know that his base is already locked in, allowing him to focus all his time on attracting the voters he needs to run the race.
Instead Harris spent the entire week courting the Democratic Party’s most historically solid demographic: blacks.
African Americans generally support Democrats by an overwhelming margin of 80 to 85 points. But the polling averages show him conquering this important group With a mere 64 points, Harris took to the streets to plead and persuade blacks to return to their historic home.
She appeared last Monday in Erie, PA to appeal to blacks And this was followed by demonstrations in densely black cities like Detroit and Philadelphia.
Attacks continued in three locations and elsewhere in black areas of the Atlanta metro area, in Milwaukee, home to Wisconsin’s black community. visit detroit And Philadelphia.
He also spoke at a black church in Georgia, which had been a major center of Democratic black outreach for decades, and gave interviews to well-known black leaders such as the Rev. al sharpton and podcast host charlemagne was god,
Nor is Harris’s work done. He is scheduled to campaign with Barack Obama in Georgia on Thursday and Michelle Obama in Michigan on Saturday.
However, his focus this week isn’t just on blacks. He traveled to three states On Monday, Republican former Rep. Liz Cheney attacked Donald Trump over “democracy” in an appeal to GOP voters.
One might have expected more if she had been generally confident about her appeal to Democratic voters. The fact that she is using a large amount of her time to stop the genocide against blacks speaks volumes about what her campaign’s biggest priority is.
Trump, on the other hand, spent his time reaching out to swing-voters, as is expected of a leading man. He went to suburban montgomery county to a town hall in Pennsylvania and then A town hall was held for women In Atlanta.
His speech at the Al Smith Dinner in New York – a traditional ritual harris abandoned – allowing it to become national news To speak to Catholic voters across the country,
He then spent the rest of the week in outreach mode, including his stunt Delivering french fries to excited customers At a McDonald’s in Bucks County, a suburb of Philadelphia.
Trump also attacked Harris, her weak point being black people.
His Detroit Rally Featured Two local black hero – including legendary boxer Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns.
He repeated this at the Metropolitan Pittsburgh event, Bringing two former Pittsburgh Steelers stars on stage To declare their support.
This week, Trump has continued the outreach theme with rallies in suburban Charlotte and Las Vegas. He will also attempt to energize the MAGA faithful with events in rural Georgia towns.
Travels of the two Vice-Presidential candidates Reflect your boss’s priorities.
Tim Walz campaigned at black-focused events in Saginaw, Michigan, and Omaha, Neb., last week, while J.D. Vance spent time in rural and suburban cities in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina.
Walz looks to perform again this week: He’s in Madison, Wisconsin, Tuesday, Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, the North Carolina city Thursday and Philadelphia Friday.
Meanwhile, Vance is heading southwest. Republicans will attack both major media markets in Nevada and Arizona and end in suburban Detroit and the nation’s chocolate capital, Hershey, PA.
With just two weeks left anything can happen in such a close race. But right now, the candidates’ visit is better news for Trump than Harris.
If Harris is still speaking to the Democratic base in the final weeks, expect Democratic concern to be dialed up to 11.
Henry Olsen, a political analyst and commentator, is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
(Tags to translate) politics
