Kamala Harris is an unknown candidate. She’s never been tested before.
But the Trump campaign just learned the kryptonite of Kamala Harris to end her campaign.
There’s been much talk about the 2024 election having been “reset” now that Kamala Harris has stepped in for Sleepy Joe. To some extent, this is true. Kamala Harris has her own weaknesses and strengths that are unique to her that Joe Biden did not have. For one, she’s not suffering from what seems to be onset dementia like Joe Biden, but that’s low-hanging fruit. On the weaknesses side, she is extremely untested on the national stage. Not only that, but she has a terrible record to come with that.
Surveys suggest that American voters view her just as unfavorably as they do President Joe Biden. Her job approval ratings at points over the last three years have been lower than Joe Biden’s approval ratings as well. That’s just truly horrendous considering very few Americans believe Biden has done a good job.
So what is Donald Trump supposed to do to get ahead of this manufactured momentum the media is giving to Kamala Harris? Stick to what he knows about her and her failed record, according to top Republican political strategists and pollsters.
Trump Campaign Strategy: Focus on Polling Advantage Over Harris
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign should focus on highlighting his polling advantage over Vice President Kamala Harris on major issues, a Republican strategist suggested on Monday on Fox News. Despite some gains in polling since President Joe Biden endorsed her for the Democratic nomination, Harris still trails Trump by 1.7% in a national head-to-head matchup, according to the RealClearPolling average from July 5 to 25. When including Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein and independent candidates Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s lead grows to 1.8%.
Matt Gorman, a former aide to Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, emphasized Harris’s vulnerabilities on several issues and advised the GOP to stick to core topics. “Republicans shouldn’t overthink this. We’re back to the race we expected on June 26, the day before that fateful debate,” Gorman told America Reports co-host John Roberts. He dismissed the idea that the GOP could have achieved a significant lead against Biden, emphasizing the tight nature of the race. “This is a two-point race either way, stick to the fundamentals,” he added.
'Stick To The Fundamentals': Fox News Guest Says GOP Shouldn't 'Overthink' Race Against Harris pic.twitter.com/ROZ3z24sJd
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 29, 2024
Gorman recommended focusing on crime, the economy, and immigration, where Trump has significant leads. According to a Wall Street Journal poll, Trump leads Harris by 52% to 40% on the economy, 53% to 40% on immigration, and 48% to 43% on crime. Gorman also suggested leveraging Harris’s previous leftist positions from her 2019 presidential run, which he believes could further weaken her candidacy.
Illegal immigration has become a prominent issue in the 2024 campaign, driven by several high-profile crimes involving illegal immigrants. Authorities in Oklahoma arrested 23-year-old Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, for the August 2023 murder of 37-year-old Rachel Morin in Maryland. Other incidents, such as the murders of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas, have intensified criticism of Biden’s border policy. United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported nearly 7.2 million encounters with illegal immigrants since the start of fiscal year 2021.
Republicans have also targeted Biden over inflation, which has risen by over 20% since he took office. Although the Consumer Price Index increased by 3.0% year-over-year in June, slightly below economists’ expectations, inflation had previously peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. This economic backdrop remains a crucial point of contention in the campaign.
Before Biden ended his reelection bid, he trailed Trump in national head-to-head polls, with the lead expanding to 4.2% when Stein, Kennedy, and West were included as options. As the race progresses, the Trump campaign’s focus on polling advantages over Harris and key issues may play a decisive role in the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
The People Believe Trump Is Ahead
Some pollsters will have a political agenda in mind when they are trying to form their survey. Democrat pollsters, for example, will want to do everything in their power right now to find a way to manipulate polling data and make it seem like Kamala Harris is a much stronger candidate than Joe Biden was.
The truth is, that the people believe Donald Trump has a strong chance of beating Kamala Harris just like he did against Joe Biden. All you have to do is look at what people think when they have to put their money where their mouth is. The betting odds suggest Donald Trump is way ahead of Kamala Harris.
#UPDATED Electoral Map Based on @Polymarket
Betting odds (270 to win):🔴 Trump 300 (+87)
🔵Harris 213
⚪️ Tossups 25https://t.co/X95VbfTRZp pic.twitter.com/unstwr2KqI— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) July 23, 2024
The reason Donald Trump and his Republican allies had momentum even before the Presidential debate happened on June 27th is because the issues are largely indefensible for the Democrats in the middle of a Biden-Harris administration that very few Americans approve of.
If Donald Trump can hammer home those issues, it stands to reason he’s the one in the driver’s seat right now.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
