The Harris campaign can’t believe it. They’re all in panic mode now.
All because Hillary Clinton has dropped crazy October surprise news about Kamala Harris.
Most presidential election cycles have at least one massive October surprise bombshell that threatens to completely halt any and all progress a candidate’s campaign has made just before voters head to the ballot box. It’s almost an American election tradition now.
According to Hillary Clinton, it’s Kamala Harris who needs to be on edge over concerns that she could be hit with an October surprise, leading Americans to wonder what she might know. Does she know something is around the corner that will shock Americans about who Kamala Harris is? Possibly.
In the high-stakes world of U.S. presidential elections, an “October surprise” — a major, unexpected news story that surfaces just before Election Day — can dramatically shift the course of a campaign. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate in 2016, is all too familiar with how such a surprise can impact an election’s outcome. Less than a month before voters headed to the polls, WikiLeaks released her emails, a development that many believe played a role in the final result.
Now, Clinton is offering a warning to Kamala Harris, urging her to brace for a similar curveball.
“I anticipate something will happen in October, as it always does,” Clinton said during an interview with PBS. “…There will be concerted efforts to distort and pervert Kamala Harris, who she is, what she stands for, what she’s done.”
Clinton’s concern centers around the spread of disinformation, particularly through social media. She highlighted the potential for foreign interference from Russia, Iran, and China, along with the possibility that pro-Trump media outlets could amplify fabricated stories.
“I anticipate there will be a full-court press in October. The digital airwaves will be filled,” Clinton added, emphasizing the intensity of the disinformation efforts she expects.
While the 24/7 news cycle means that impactful stories can emerge at any time, October surprises are far from new. Historically, these late-stage revelations have had a significant effect on past elections, proving to be a persistent and powerful force in shaping voter opinion just as they head to the polls.
With the increasing role of social media and digital platforms in modern campaigns, Clinton’s warning to Harris reflects a heightened awareness of the potential threats that candidates must navigate in today’s political climate.
The woman who brought you the Steele dossier, Hillary Clinton, suggested that an October "election surprise" could be coming for Kamala Harris, warning that she believes election misinformation could run rampant ahead of November. #HillaryClinton pic.twitter.com/XRMtOsHmw7
— Conservative News Feed (@C_N_F__on__X) October 1, 2024
History of October Surprises Well-Documented
Throughout American political history, “October surprises” have been known to shake up presidential elections at the last moment, often with lasting impacts. These unexpected developments, occurring just before voters cast their ballots, have sometimes altered the trajectory of a campaign.
One of the most famous examples came in 1972, when President Richard Nixon’s national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, announced that “peace is at hand” in the Vietnam War. This announcement, made just days before the election, helped Nixon win by a landslide. The peace talks, however, were far from settled, and the war continued for several years after Nixon’s re-election.
In 2000, during the tight race between George W. Bush and Al Gore, another October surprise hit when reports emerged that Bush had been arrested for driving under the influence in 1976. The late-breaking story led to a drop in Bush’s polling numbers just before Election Day. Though he ultimately won, many believe the revelation contributed to the close and contested outcome.
A more recent example occurred in 2016 when, less than two weeks before Election Day, then-FBI Director James Comey announced that the bureau was reopening its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State. The announcement cast a shadow over her campaign and is widely considered to have hurt her chances in the final days of the race.
It’s not every time that these October surprises ruin the chances of a particular candidate, but it has happened and will happen again in the future. In some cases, campaign opposition sits on news that they know will be particularly damaging in the weeks before Americans go to vote.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
