Undoubtably, with Biden out of the race, Harris was riding the inevitable bump that comes with such an announcement – particularly, given the rough ride of the previous month as Biden's disastrous debate performance, the failed assassination attempt against Trump, and a nearly perfectly staged Republican Party Convention threatened to steamroll Democrat’s chances. But it also seemed to be more than just a bump: polls in the second week of her tenure suggested there was a fundamental shift in the race. Not only did Harris move to recover from Biden being six points down to Trump at the time of his resignation to being even, but she actually moved into the positive (one percent) on favorability ratings while Trump declined over the same time period (with a 16 percent swing against Trump among independents).1 There were even suggestions, again based on polling data, that Harris had a pathway to victory – that, if she could win midwestern/great lake swing states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin (where she was polling even), she could actually lose southwestern swing states of Arizona and Nevada (where she was also polling well) and still receive the necessary electoral college votes to become president.2
Harris could also assume the bump would continue if not swing ever more in her favor over the first few weeks of August, as she made the announcement of her vice-presidential pick, as the Democratic Convention took place, etc. But the question then becomes, once the bump is over and things settle back into more normal campaign modes, with Trump and Vance finding their new messaging that sticks with the base, what must Harris do to maintain her momentum? That is, of course, the million-dollar question. Because if Harris and the Democratic Party truly see Trump and Vance as being an existential threat to America, they must not rest on their laurels but build upon the momentum with strategies aligned to the mediums which best speak to the constituents that can put them over the top.
This involves doing five things:
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These are not easy tasks: but they can stabilize the environment she will inherit once the honeymoon ends and the Republican attacks begin.
Staying Visible but Remaining Relevant
Harris inherently understands that, while Biden’s message concerning Trump and the threat to the county may have been the right message for the time, it was presented in a way that did not resonate or capture the enthusiasm of critically important constituent groups. Biden was a president removed, a man who lived in controlled environments of teleprompters and note cards, whose campaign schedule was built around White House meetings or international conferences rather than in-person state gatherings. What constituent group, other than the elderly or die-hard party loyalists, could see themselves in Biden? Harris has turned this image around, for a very simple reason: she is out on the campaign trail, allowing people to see and interact with her. She’s enthusiastic, and that enthusiasm will not only resonate with funders but contribute to down ballot voting; she laughs and jokes and dances, bringing some humanity to the office; she runs up and down the stairs of Air Force One, in stark contrast to Biden; she embraces memes of Gen
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