Two months ago, Kamala Harris was crowned as the Democratic presidential nominee at a jubilant national convention in Chicago.For thousands of party faithful, she was the electoral saviour, replacing an 81-year-old incumbent who seemed incapable of defeating Donald Trump and winning another term.But even then, senior party strategists told me they worried Democrats were over confident about her path to victory.
Now, as election day looms and anxieties grow, it seems their concerns were well-founded.There is no doubt that Harris enjoyed a surge of momentum, and an instant and significant boost in the polls compared to President Joe Biden, who was lagging far behind Trump. Yet it appears she was winning back those who normally vote Democratic anyway, but who had worried about Biden and his age.
For victory, Harris needs to attract voters from beyond the Democrats’ base, while holding together the fragile coalition that helped Biden win in 2020.The latest polls show a race that has tightened in recent weeks and is now essentially a tie. Worrying for Democrats is that Trump has gained ground in the crucial “blue wall” states that offer Harris her clearest path to victory – Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – as well as among black and Latino voters.
Although the race is neck-and-neck in the key swing states, poll numbers are within the margin of error. In other words, they could be wrong.But Harris’s criticism of Trump, her Republican opponent, has become much darker in the last few days. At the convention, she laughed at Trump, dismissing him as an “unserious man” and “weird”. Now she is calling him a “fascist” and “increasingly unhinged and unstable”.
Her original message of wanting to bring “joy” has turned to one of fear – warning of what she says are the dangerous consequences of a second Trump term.Polling suggests Harris is likely to win the popular vote. But that won’t be enough. She has to win key battleground states to win in the electoral college.But in recent weeks as I’ve travelled through most of those states, the reservations many voters still have about Harris – a woman they feel they still don’t know enough about – have been clear.
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A Tightening Race as Challenges Mount
However, as the race unfolded, the landscape began to shift. Opponents closed in, criticisms mounted, and national polls started showing a tightening race. Several states once considered safe for Harris have become battlegrounds, leaving her team strategizing day and night to solidify her position. Now, Harris is working harder than ever, visiting swing states, speaking at town halls, and running an exhaustive ground campaign to rally support and address voters’ concerns head-on.
In recent weeks, she has intensified her campaign schedule, particularly in key battleground states. From Wisconsin to Pennsylvania, Harris has been speaking directly with voters, highlighting her plans for healthcare reform, economic equity, and climate action while attempting to counter the persistent criticisms from opponents who label her policies as out of touch or overly ambitious.
‘I won’t forgive the Democrats’
Harris has a very particular problem in Michigan, which has the highest concentration of Arab-American voters in the US.Biden won the state in 2020 by just over 150,000 votes, but his administration’s inability to rein in Israel’s attacks in Gaza and Lebanon has deeply hurt the party’s standing among the 300,000 Arab-Americans living here.
Harris, Biden’s vice-president, is being held equally responsible.In the Haraz coffee shop in Dearborn, a Middle Eastern-style café serving Turkish coffee and pomegranate juice, I met a group of lifelong Democrats who normally would be out campaigning.
The Final Push for Every Vote
Political analysts observe that Harris’s campaign strategy has pivoted from one of high-level messaging to a grassroots, get-out-the-vote effort that focuses on specific, tangible impacts of her policies. At recent rallies, Harris has been leaning into personal stories and real-world examples to connect with voters on a more personal level. From meeting with healthcare workers to engaging with families hit by inflation, her campaign is putting in the groundwork to resonate with voters beyond the political talking points.
For Harris, the stakes are enormous. In her recent speeches, she has emphasized not just what her policies mean for voters but the significance of this election for the future of the nation. “This is about the America we want to leave for our children,” she said at a recent rally in Michigan. “An America that lifts everyone up, that gives every child a chance, and that respects the freedoms and rights we hold dear.”
The final days of the campaign will be critical, and Harris knows it. Her team has mapped out a grueling schedule, and her efforts are more concentrated than ever. In a race as close as this one, every vote counts, and Harris is determined to earn each one. Her campaign may have started at a blazing pace, but she’s fully prepared to fight for every last vote until Election Day.
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