Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign has been forced into a defensive position as former President Donald Trump gains momentum in blue states, following Harris’s failure to achieve a post-convention bump which is typically expected in modern campaigns. The campaign is now sending Harris and her top surrogates, including ticket mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and husband Doug Emhoff, to visit blue states after initially focusing on planned swing state visits over the weekend.
On Wednesday, Kamala Harris is reportedly set to visit New Hampshire, where she previously enjoyed only a four-point advantage according to an Emerson College/WHDH survey prior to the convention. Meanwhile, Governor Walz will be in his home state of Minnesota, where Trump has reduced Harris’s lead from ten points to just five points since joining the ticket, as indicated by two KTSP/SurveyUSA polls. Doug Emhoff is expected to cross the Potomac River for a fundraising trip in Virginia, another state where Trump has shown unexpectedly strong performance in the 2024 election cycle.
Between today and Wednesday, the three key figures of the Harris-Walz campaign (Kamala, Tim, Doug) will be holding events in New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Virginia – the three blue states that have been targeted by Trump recently. This sudden shift in focus raises questions about its significance, with many political pundits suggesting it might indicate a change of strategy for the Democrats.
This unconventional scheduling follows a series of planned swing state visits as well as a joint Harris-Walz tour through Georgia that left many observers puzzled. The sudden shift in focus is taking place following a difficult week for the campaign, which was marred by criticism over its trashing of 13 Gold Star families – an attack that backfired spectacularly.
In another sign that the campaign is struggling, it has been reported that President Joe Biden may be sent to join the campaign trail in an effort to boost support and regain momentum. According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Sunday, Kamala Harris received “no overall bounce in support” after formally accepting her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention.