KAMALA Harris must appear authentic while on the campaign trail and voters will be able to tell if she’s being opportunistic, a Republican strategist has insisted.
With less than 30 days until the election, the vice president is on a media blitz – appearing on podcasts, late-night chat shows, and completing sitdowns with journalists.
She appeared in an episode of Alex Cooper’s podcast Call Her Daddy[/caption]
Among the most controversial has been her appearance on Alex Cooper’s podcast Call Her Daddy, where the chat largely focused on reproductive rights.
Abortion is one of the issues where the Democrats score highly, and Harris wasted no time criticizing her rival, former president Donald Trump.
Cooper admitted she felt “qualified” to chat with the vice president about reproductive rights on her show, the second-biggest podcast on Spotify.
However, some listeners were left disappointed and were not shy about sharing their criticism after certain topics were not discussed.
Harris also sat down with journalist Bill Whitaker for a special on CBS’ 60 Minutes. Whitaker quizzed the vice president on the foreign policy issues of Israel and Ukraine and pressed the politician on immigration and the economy.
At one point during the grilling, she said solutions to the border were “at hand” as she defended Joe Biden’s record.
But Harris’ media blitz doesn’t end there. She’s also slated to appear on Howard Stern’s show, The View, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
But, as Matt Terrill – former chief of staff for Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign – warned, Harris can’t just make fleeting appearances.
“It’s not enough just to show up on these platforms,” Terrill told The U.S. Sun.
“Voters care about substance, and what voters care about right now is: ‘Where do these candidates stand?’
“And, what is their plan on affordability – namely housing, healthcare, food and fuel?
“Where do they stand, and what is their plan for border security?”
Terrill, the managing partner of the public affairs company Firehouse Strategies, warned Harris must provide answers to those key questions.
He also explained how a unique election cycle poses risks for the Democrats.
“You have voters who saw four years of former President Trump, and now they’ve seen nearly four years of Vice President Harris,” the strategist added.
“Right now, voters are comparing and contrasting these candidates.”
Terrill revealed voters who have not yet made up their minds will be asking themselves a question.
Kamala Harris’ appearance on Call Her Daddy
Kamala Harris sat down with the podcaster Alex Cooper for an episode of the Spotify show Call Her Daddy.
Cooper admitted she felt qualified to have a conversation around the issue of reproductive rights.
On the show, Harris opened up on the lessons she learned from her mom.
Harris once again repeated the line that she was a former prosecutor and worked to protect the most vulnerable in society.
She hurled jibes at her rivals Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.
Harris claimed Trump is “full of lies” and she ripped Vance’s comments about childless cat ladies.
The vice president also lashed out at Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders after the Republican claimed she doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.
Harris told Cooper she was blessed regarding her relationship with her husband Doug Emhoff and his two children.
“The number one question that a lot of voters are asking is ‘Am I better off today than I was four years ago?’” he said.
“A lot of voters view that to be a weakness for the Harris campaign right now.”
Terrill explained Harris owns “the news of the day” as she is part of the incumbent administration and warned about the challenges she faces as the campaign heads into the final stages.
“That’s something the Harris campaign needs to figure out,” he said.
“Part of that’s going up on these shows and doing media interviews, while the other part of it is going on the stump.”
But hammering the airwaves is still fraught with risks, according to Terrill.
“It comes down to authenticity,” he said.
“What voters are going to look at is: ‘Is Harris changing her position on something like fracking to try and win this election?’
“Or is she changing her position on that issue because she generally now supports that position?
“Authenticity is going to matter, and no interview can fix it.”
It’s not enough just to show up on these platforms.
Matt Terrill
Terrill warned if Harris tries to pull the wool over voters’ eyes, they will be able to see through the Democratic candidate.
Harris dramatically changed her position on fracking just weeks after entering the presidential race.
She told CNN in August she wasn’t in favor of a fracking ban.
But in 2019, she backed a fracking ban before abandoning that viewpoint when she joined Biden’s ticket.
CHASING VOTERS
Meanwhile, Republican strategist Christopher Nicholas of the Eagle Consulting Group has delved into the reasons why Harris is appearing on Spotify podcasts and late-night shows.
And it’s not just Harris who has adopted this strategy.
Trump appeared on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast in June and spoke with controversial streamer Adin Ross.
Nicholas explained the media landscape is changing compared to what it was decades ago.
“What both campaigns are doing is getting their candidates in front of people who can deliver a lot of eyeballs or earlobes,” he said.
“Campaigns have to chase where voters are.
“Decades ago, you could do one big interview on one of the three major news networks, and that would get you a lot of people. Now it does not.”
Nicholas explained that Netflix and YouTube can outrank local television networks.
The veteran GOP strategist also examined the political implications appearing on different media platforms brings to a campaign.
It is linked to driving out a party’s base, especially where the stakes are so high, and the polls are incredibly tight.
“There are fewer and fewer attempts of persuasion and a lot more emphasis on GOTV: get out the vote,” Nicholas said.
“If you’re trying to persuade people, you want to talk to people that aren’t already on your team.
“But if you’re looking to merely increase enthusiasm and juice turnout, you spend more time talking to people who are either already with you or very much inclined to be with you.”
THE RACE TO 270
Polls in states like Pennsylvania are within the margin of error, and some surveys call the race a dead heat.
A raft of state polls conducted by The New York Times and Siena reveal the race is anyone’s game.
Trump has slender advantages in Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina.
However, according to the surveys, Harris’s largest advantage over the tycoon is just two percentage points in Michigan and Wisconsin.
According to the pollster, if the election were held today, Harris would win with 276 Electoral College votes.
But that outcome is only possible if there’s no movement in the polls between now and November 5.
New York Times polling found Trump leading by 13 points in Florida – a state that was formerly a battleground.
But Polymarket suggests that Trump is the favorite to win the White House.
Trump increased his chances of victory in the state following his rally at Butler, Pennsylvania – the town where he survived an assassination attempt in July.
He has a 54% chance of winning the state, compared to Harris, who is on 45%.
Polymarket suggests Harris is the favorite to clinch the states of Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin.
Matt Terrill, former chief of staff to Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, warned how Harris’ strategy comes with risks[/caption]
