Harris Should Reignite Voters in Battleground States

Kamala Harris
Official Photo

I've been busy these last two weeks with the day job, so I haven't had much time or blogging. I did want to react to Joe Biden's pick of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate.

While I wanted Susan Rice, I have zero issues with Harris joining the ticket. I believe she brings a lot of punch to a campaign whose fortunes continue to be good for November.

That said, Harris, who hails from solid blue California, can help Biden with voter enthusiasm around the margins in the key battleground states where things will be close. 

It's those places where people sat at home in 2016 and didn't get out to vote...states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Those were all states Al Gore, John Kerry and Barack Obama carried. Donald Trump carried them in 2016. Harris reignites those voters.

We all know that this is not a popularity contest. It's a strategic one. On my scorecard, I already have Biden with enough electoral votes to win this thing, but that is far from official. It's going to take a strong convention and a continued strong performance by both candidates to get past a well-funded incumbent who has strong support within his own circle.

Independents and "Never Trumpers" who may have held their nose and voted for Trump in 2016 are

Joe Biden
Official Photo

going to have to come over and vote for Biden and Harris.

I think Joe Biden found himself the candidate who can best help him do it..even more than my choice in Susan Rice. 

Biden's going to have to do better though. He can't get content to hang in Wilmington. He also is going to have to tighten up his performance on the stump and in interviews. He still gaffes way too often. Harris, who is very media-friendly, can help him by taking this role in the campaign. Biden, however, has to do it too.

As we get closer to November 3, more and more Americans get switched on. With a number of controversies to hit Trump on, Biden has to be judicious and hit the ones that can hurt Trump the most. He and Harris have to have laser focus in keeping the campaign simple. 

For me, I'd hit Trump every darn day on his undercutting of the United States Post Office and his pandemic response. Those two issues are things we all can feel. They're also among the umpteen failures of this administration.

So, with Harris aboard the USS Biden, we head into the convention season. This thing isn't over no matter what the polls say. It's just beginning.