Weakening the Opponent: What Are Kamala Harris’ Election Strategy Features to Defeat Trump?
With less than three months left until the U.S. presidential election scheduled for November 5, the competition between Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump is intensifying. The candidates’ campaigns are striving to attract independent and undecided voters, especially in swing states. Harris’ campaign seeks to capitalize on the momentum gained after current President Joe Biden, amid controversy over his age of 81, announced his withdrawal from the race on July 21. Harris, who is 59, is emphasizing her relative youth and vitality compared to her opponent, Trump, who is 78. In this context, former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley remarked in January, “The first party to retire its 80-year-old candidate will be the party that wins this election,” suggesting that the advantage might now lean in Harris’ favor.
In a poll conducted by YouGov among registered voters, both Trump and Harris received 36% support from independent voters. Regarding the issues that matter most to these voters, 79% stated that inflation is a “very important” issue, while 47% said the same about abortion. In an August poll conducted by Siena College, Harris led Trump by about 4% in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin (swing states), with 50% expressing their intent to vote for Harris compared to 46% for Trump. In light of this, Harris’ campaign is working on implementing a strategy aimed at defeating Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Harris’ Tools
Harris’ campaign has shaped its strategy by building on President Joe Biden’s approach before his withdrawal from the race. It’s fair to say that there is little difference between the two strategies, and the messages used in campaign ads are nearly identical. With this in mind, here are the key elements or visions and messages that Harris’ strategy has relied on during the ongoing race:
1. Encouraging Voters to Defend Democracy Against the Trump Threat:
Harris’ campaign is promoting a message that links a potential Trump victory in the White House with a threat to American democracy. They cite various Trump statements where he mentioned that he would be a “dictator” on his first day in office to retaliate against his opponents. They also reference his incitement of supporters on January 6, 2021, to storm the Capitol in protest of the 2020 election results, and how the Supreme Court, influenced by Trump’s appointments of conservative justices, has granted immunity to the president regarding decisions made while in office. This, they argue, would give Trump greater leeway to violate American democracy and undermine national institutions. Additionally, they are highlighting the issue of abortion rights, noting that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had protected women’s right to abortion, is another area where Trump has influenced democracy negatively.
2. Emphasizing Support for the Middle Class:
Like President Joe Biden, Harris is trying to focus on her commitment to supporting the middle class. She has adopted Trump’s proposal to eliminate taxes on tips as a way to support workers in the service industry and has marketed this idea in her campaign. The Biden administration has similarly embraced it, with the president expressing his willingness to sign the related bill into law. This move reflects Harris and the Biden administration’s general openness to leveraging Republican ideas if they align with their election agenda.
3. Criticizing Former President Trump:
Despite Democrats criticizing former President Trump and his campaign for launching personal attacks on Harris and members of the U.S. administration, including President Joe Biden, Harris’ campaign is following a similar approach. They argue that Trump would undermine democracy and erode the gains made by the middle class if he wins again, capitalizing on his statement that losing would lead to a “bloodbath” in the United States. Although Trump’s campaign clarified that he was referring to damage to the U.S. auto industry due to imported cars, Harris’ campaign is using this remark in various ads and speeches to strengthen the link between Trump’s presence and the threat to American society’s fabric and an increase in political violence.
4. Selecting a Vice President Capable of Attracting Low-Education White Voters:
Harris’ campaign criticized Trump’s campaign when he selected Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate, viewing him as a valuable asset to attract voters in the Midwest. However, despite Vance’s limited national popularity, Harris faced similar criticism when she chose Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her vice president. Walz, whose rural American roots are seen as advantageous in attracting rural communities and the middle class, also faced criticism due to his lack of broad appeal and the perception that he could be easily swayed by either Harris or Trump. Nevertheless, Walz is not a highly controversial figure, which would make it easier for Harris to win over the more vocal factions of the Democratic base. This was evident when her campaign successfully raised about $36 million following the announcement of Walz’s selection. Harris has emphasized that Walz is a straightforward and “transparent” individual with whom she could easily work if she wins the upcoming presidential election.
5. Highlighting the Achievements of the Current U.S. Administration:
Harris’ campaign is attempting to shine a spotlight on the accomplishments of the current Democratic administration, arguing that Americans need to vote for Harris to continue working on the current Democratic agenda. This agenda has succeeded in lowering drug prices through negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, boosting semiconductor production in the U.S., and supporting national industry through the CHIPS and Science Act signed by the president. It also includes strengthening American infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with objectives set for the 2022-2026 period, funded by federal investment amounting to $1.2 trillion.
6. Expressing a Stronger Stance Against the Ongoing Israeli War in Gaza:
This issue is particularly important to American voters, especially the youth and voters of Arab and Muslim descent. As months of war have resulted in the deaths of up to 40,000 people and injured more than 92,000 civilians, Harris has expressed her displeasure with Israel’s repeated attacks on Palestinian civilians, stressing the need to protect these individuals. She appointed Nasrina Bargzie, the political advisor on Islamic and Arab issues in Harris’ White House office, to be responsible for outreach to Arab and Muslim American voters, in an attempt to attract this voter base that has strongly criticized Biden for his support of Israel in its war on Gaza.
7. Focusing the Campaign on Swing States:
Harris’ campaign faces many election events in swing states that sometimes vote Republican and other times Democratic. These states include Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. Various polls indicate that Harris is leading Trump in several states and that her popularity is rising, with her campaign gaining momentum after Biden’s withdrawal. Harris’ campaign is reinforcing this through ads specifically targeting swing states, leveraging Walz, whom they believe can attract middle-class voters, white voters inclined to support Trump, and progressives within the Democratic Party.
8. Using Messages to Attract LGBTQ Voters:
Harris’ campaign places significant importance on the LGBTQ community, pledging to defend their rights and causes. This is a position shared by Walz, who has been accused by Republicans of turning Minnesota into a “transgender sanctuary” and being “obsessed” with minors’ transgender rights. This could help attract LGBTQ-supporting voters within the United States, as Harris ensures their presence at various campaign events.
Leveraging Biden’s Influence
In conclusion, the Harris-Walz campaign does not follow a specific electoral agenda with a set of steps to achieve particular goals. Instead, it is a campaign that carries messages indicating that Harris’ future administration would be an extension of Biden’s administration and that it will protect American democracy and institutions from former President Trump, ensuring he does not win again. With Trump focusing his campaign on criticizing the current administration without offering a clear vision that voters can rely on when deciding their vote in November, and his failure to highlight Biden’s administration’s shortcomings in key areas like the economy, foreign policy, and immigration, which are issues he only addresses through claims that do not fully reflect the truth, Harris-Walz, and the Biden administration have more room to respond. Given all this, Harris’ chances of success in the upcoming election might be greater.
