The DNC is over and reality is setting in. The Harris campaign is in trouble.
And now Kamala Harris allies are trembling in fear because of what Trump has in store for her.
On Friday’s edition of Morning Joe, a panel discussed the uphill battle Vice President Kamala Harris could face in a potential matchup against former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election. The conversation, led by MSNBC hosts Jonathan Lemire, Joe Scarborough, and former MSNBC host Chris Matthews, highlighted the narrow margin between the two candidates in key battleground states, as reflected in recent polling.
According to the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average, Harris leads Trump by only 0.1% in these critical states. The panel noted how Trump has consistently outperformed his polling projections in previous elections, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the outcome.
Lemire mentioned that internal polling from pro-Harris sources suggests a closer race than public polls indicate. “The top super PAC associated with the Harris campaign has let it be known to some reporters that their internal polling is, in their words, a little less rosy than some of the public polling. Some other Democratic polling firms that I’ve talked to in the last couple of days say the same,” he explained.
He emphasized that many battleground states are virtually tied, with Harris’s slight lead often falling within the margin of error. “They’re suggesting it’s a little closer than that,” he added.
Lemire also pointed out that polling inaccuracies in recent election cycles have tended to favor Republicans, leading to a stronger GOP performance on Election Day. He recalled that four years ago, “Joe Biden was up by several points in the polls than he ended up winning by.”
Despite these concerns, Lemire noted that Democrats “feel really good” after the Democratic National Convention. However, he cautioned that the race will likely be decided by a razor-thin margin. “There’s a lot of work ahead because this race is going to be decided, most likely, by a razor-thin margin, despite how flailing Trump seems to be at the moment.”
'This Could Be The Toughest Election': MSNBC Panel Sounds Alarm On How Hard It Will Be For Harris To Beat Trump pic.twitter.com/xcexsuVD6b
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 23, 2024
Scarborough echoed this sentiment, referencing the polling disparities in the 2020 election. “It’s gonna be close,” he said, recalling the misleadingly optimistic polling for Biden in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2020. “Democrats have a reason to play scared, to play, as they’ve all said, like we’re three points behind, a field goal behind in the fourth quarter. We get to drive down the field and win it.”
Currently, Harris holds a slim lead over Trump — 2% in Michigan and 1% in Wisconsin, according to RCP averages. However, Matthews highlighted the precariousness of the situation, noting the potential pitfalls in states like North Carolina, Arizona, and Georgia.
“You got to look at states like North Carolina and Arizona and, of course, Georgia. Now, you may get a break with minority voting down in Georgia, but you could also come up short in Pennsylvania and not quite win in North Carolina,” he warned. “This could squeak. This could be the toughest election, because if Pennsylvania doesn’t go the Democratic way and North Carolina doesn’t go that way, it’s tough, it’s really tough.”
As the Morning Joe panel notes, this election is going to prove to be extremely close. The division of the American people is at a level unseen in decades and it’s creating elections that are being decided by the smallest margins. Almost every Presidential election is becoming a toss-up.
The Giant Warning Signs For Kamala Harris
There are a few major issues around the corner that await Kamala Harris and her bid for the White House. One is Donald Trump’s historical performance, another is the roller coaster of politics, and the last big one is her failure to distance herself from Joe Biden’s tenure.
As noted on MSNBC, Donald Trump has far outperformed what the polls predicted for him in 2016 and 2020. This wouldn’t be a problem for Kamala Harris if she wasn’t so far behind where Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton were at this point in their races against Donald Trump. Trump won in 2016 and almost did in 2020.
Also, the roller coaster of politics is something you have to account for but it seems as though the Kamala Harris campaign simply isn’t. They think they can just ride a sugar high of favorable reporting in the media and not do anything to get into the trenches and do the work to convince Americans that she is the one for the job. This DNC sugar high is now over and reality is setting in. If that’s the case, her “high” doesn’t seem high enough to beat Donald Trump in November.
And that plays into the last point. She can’t ignore the policy questions forever. She is tied at the hip to Joe Biden because she’s his Vice President. There’s been no coherent argument from Kamala Harris and the Democrats that she isn’t going to continue the bad economic policy and bad national security policy that millions of Americans are so critical of.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
