Kamala is Moderate
Sept. 2-6
We’re officially 58 days from Election Day on Nov. 5. This past week, Kamala Harris was able to flex more moderate muscles while earning support from cross-partisan constituencies as varied as CEOs, Cheneys, Harris Voters, and Republican Voters Against Trump. Here’s this week’s round-up.
CHENEYS FOR HARRIS
Former Wyoming U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney said she will vote for Harris, and also indicated on Friday that her father, Former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, will vote for Harris as well.
NEW HARRIS ADS, “FOCUSED” & “FEARLESS”
The Harris campaign released two new ads this past week. “Focused” emphasizes Harris’ plans to build up the middle class, noting “Middle class families built America. We need a leader who has their back.”
“Fearless” highlights Harris’ record as a prosecutor “putting murderers and abusers behind bars,” as attorney general “winning $20 billion for home owners,” and as Vice President “taking on the big drug companies to cap the cost of insulin for seniors.”
RVAT AD BUY
Republican Voters Against Trump launched an $11.5 million ad buy in swing states Arizona, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
BIG BIZ ENDORSEMENTS
On Friday, 88 corporate leaders endorsed Harris in a letter. Signees included Mark Cuban and those who've led major companies like PepsiCo, Blackstone, Paramount, Ford, and Starbucks.
MICHIGAN HALEY VOTERS FOR HARRIS
Haley Voters for Harris launched its Michigan operation this past week, noting their plans to reach out to the nearly 300,000 Haley voters in the state to encourage them to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. Further:
Ambassador Haley received 296,200 (27 percent) of the vote in the Republican primaries. Our organization (PivotPAC) reached out to 260,000 Michigan voters through digital ads and text messages encouraging them to vote for Ambassador Haley - and against Donald Trump - in February.
While much of the media attention focused on the 101,430 Uncommitted voters, Haley voters outnumbered them by a 3 to 1 ratio. The key to winning Michigan in November runs through suburban educated voters in the Detroit and Grand Rapids suburbs.
Multiple members of Ambassador Haley’s state leadership team here in Michigan do not support former President Trump, and some are vocally advocating for VP Harris to win.
Former Representative Dave Trott (R), a member of Republicans for Harris, says, “While Trump has alienated suburban voters with his unhinged tirades, Kamala Harris has moved to the middle and continues to reach out constructively to Republicans. She strongly supports our allies and wants to keep the U.S. military the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. The Harris campaign is making a strong play to win the votes of Haley voters here in Michigan.”
HARRIS GAINS MOMENTUM WITH SOMEWHATS, UNDECIDED VOTERS
On Friday, we dove deep into gains the Harris campaign has had with a unique set of voters: the “somewhats.”
PROSECUTORS UP AND DOWN BALLOT
Harris’ record as a prosecutor is helping another prosecutor running down-ballot: Welcome candidate Will Rollins. Rollins was highlighted in a piece by Slate’s Nitish Pahwa headlined “Democrats Are Just Fine Running as Cops.”
In California’s 41st District, a showdown is taking shape that almost eerily mimics the showdown at the very top of the ticket. There, the Republican congressman is someone who was caught soliciting a sex worker early in his tenure; has consistently been deemed one of Congress’ most corrupt members over the years, thanks to his success securing legislative earmarks that directly benefited his properties; and even came under FBI investigation in 2010 over what media outlets referred to at the time as “an alleged inside deal to buy publicly-owned land.” Running against him is a former prosecutor from a marginalized background hoping to flip the seat blue… One thing Rollins will tell you is that the numbers are on his side. That 2022 race was a loss but a narrow one; Calvert, usually a double-digit victor, saw his lead shrink to 4.5 points. Rollins outperformed most of the other Democrats who’d run for GOP-held districts that year—plus, in that go-round, he didn’t get much attention or support from the national Democratic Party. (This year, major Democratic institutions and leaders like Hakeem Jeffries have helped fundraise for him.)
We were told Biden was ‘moderate’ which proved entirely incorrect. Now you want us to believe Kamala who had the most liberal record in the Senate is moderate? You are taking us for suckers.
I really dont see where Welcome is going on this. If we are to support moderates, then just saying Kamala is moderate, as opposed to encouraging her to act moderate are two different things. As CC below noted her voting record in the Senate was not moderate at all but consistent with Sanders and Warren, and I could give her a pass on that, being she was from CA, if she would disavow some of the bologna on the Left.
She has lost her convention bounce and today Nate Silver is giving Trump a 60% win probability. Her edge on Trump has shrunk to 3.2 from 3.7 two weeks ago, and she needs 4-5 to overcome the EC and Dem polling bias. Biden in 2020 this day was at +7.
Trump is hammering her on what works for them - immigration, crime, taxes, inflation, and calling her far left. Trump knows how to play defense as he is disavowing Project 2025, any cuts in SS or Mcr, and a national abortion ban, stating to leave it to the states. What I dont see from her is that level of defense. If she is not easy on crime then she should come out and attack the 'defund the police' ask for more money for cops, distance herself from the social justice crowd whose goal is getting people out of jail. She was a prosecutor so that should be believable. In answer to her being far left she should denounce Communism, Maduro,. and could get in some chops on ex KGB Putin. Trump is very deliberately distancing himself from the right extremists, but I dont see Harris doing that on the left. If she wants to play defense on taxes she cant be proposing all kinds of new major spending, and in an ideal world would advocate for a balanced budget, not seen since Bill Clinton.
I think Dems are in a groupthink now where they can just coast on joy after Joe dropped out, but it is naive. They somehow assume Donald's success is some magical insanity, but need to consider that it is all about that many views tied to the Dems are unpopular and if you don't disavow them as Trump is doing with the nutcases on the right, you will own them.