The race has changed
Harris vs. Trump feels different than Biden vs. Trump, doesn’t it? I will leave it up to the talk show hosts and opinion writers to pontificate about whether Joe Biden could have defeated Donald Trump this November had he not ended his re-election campaign and whether Kamala Harris now offers a better chance. Or is Trump poised to win regardless of his Democratic opponent?
Different matchup — But as we enter the final 100 days until the general election, it seems like the dynamics of this presidential race have changed. As I write this, Trump has reportedly backed out of the second presidential debate, early polls show a tighter race between the two of them (I don’t want to overemphasis polls, though), and Democrats overall (in the small sample size of those with whom I have interacted) generally seem more optimistic about the party’s chances.
I interviewed Deidre DeJear for my TV show, “Inside Iowa Politics.” DeJear served as Harris’ Iowa Caucus Campaign Chair for her brief presidential campaign that ended before the caucuses.
The call — DeJear told me that she took part in a call organized by Black women only hours after Biden dropped out last Sunday and endorsed Harris. I have read different reports about how many women were on that call.
This one from CBC Radio (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) estimated that 90,000 took part. (I found this story by accident but thought that it was interesting to read an account from another country about this event).
DeJear felt like that call — again put together in just a few hours — shows how much new excitement that Harris has brought to this race and campaign donations.
More people, DeJear said, are energized, engaged and confident now that Harris has replaced Biden as the Democrats’ presidential nominee (once delegates officially approve this).
Watch my interview with her here.
What do you think?
1 on 1 with Sen. Joni Ernst — What does she think of Republican colleagues calling Kamala Harris a “DEI hire?” Does a vote for Trump/Vance mean the end of U.S. financial help for Ukraine to defend itself against Vladimir Putin’s invasion?
Watch my interview with her here.
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I write this column as part of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. We just added a new commitment to covering the 2024 election, the Political Panel. The latest episode featured an in-depth conversation on how Kamala Harris just changed the presidential race. Check that out here and thanks to the benefactors who help make this happen.
Relationships — Let’s talk about relationships. I worked at my previous employer for about 22 years. It has now been a little bit more than a year since I left. And it has made me think about relationships. So has the presidential election.