This newsletter was originally sent out via email to our Ground Game subscribers on July 29, 2024. You can subscribe at any time at apnews.com/newsletters.
Plus, Harris aims to make up ground with Arab Americans as some voters disenchanted with Biden give her a second look
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By Meg Kinnard
July 29, 2024 07:58:11 AM
By Meg Kinnard
July 29, 2024 07:58:11 AM
Barely a week ago, a sense of inevitability hung over the U.S. presidential election. But a fundamentally new race has now taken shape.
Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game.
THE HEADLINES
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign event in Pittsfield, Mass., Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Campaign 2024, Version 2.0
Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in for President Joe Biden last Sunday. She has quickly smashed fundraising records and generated levels of excitement that some Democrats said reminded them of Barack Obama’s candidacy nearly two decades ago.
As Republicans’ frustration over this new dynamic takes hold, the finger pointing has begun. Some prominent conservatives are openly second guessing Donald Trump's vice presidential pick, JD Vance, a freshman Ohio senator with a well-documented history of provocative statements that the Harris campaign is now highlighting.
The speed with which the election was transformed is a stark reminder that, in the Trump era, the conventional wisdom is often wrong. To that point, the Democrats' newfound confidence may be premature.
Early public polling suggests that Harris starts in a slightly better position against Trump than Biden was just before his withdrawal from the race, but the numbers also point to a very close race in a deeply divided nation. Read more.
Of note:
There are still more questions than answers about the coming sprint. Harris has yet to select a running mate, Trump has introduced new uncertainty about whether he will do another debate and more than a billion dollars in political advertising has yet to be broadcast as both parties re-think their strategies.
Related reads ➤
Democratic convention planners are working to pull off a dramatic Biden-Harris role reversal
As Harris considers a running mate, what are states’ succession rules for VP candidates?
Trump and Vance team up to campaign in Minnesota, a state that hasn’t backed the GOP in 52 years
Arab American voters want changes from Harris
Biden faced a sizable protest vote during the primary from Arab American voters in Michigan over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Many of those voters and others who oppose U.S. support for Israel are threatening to stay home in November, hurting Democratic chances in a state they likely can’t afford to lose.
Community leaders have expressed a willingness to listen to Harris and some have had initial conversations with Harris' team.
“The door is cracked open since Biden has stepped down,” said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. “There's an opportunity for the Democratic nominee to coalesce the coalition that ushered in Biden’s presidency four years ago. But that responsibility will now fall on the vice president.”
Arab American leaders are watching closely for signals that Harris will be more vocal in pressing for a ceasefire.
Trump and his campaign are keenly aware of the turmoil and are actively seeking Arab American support. That effort has been complicated by Trump’s history of anti-immigrant rhetoric and his move while president to ban immigration from several majority-Muslim countries. Read more.
Of note:
Arab Americans are betting that their vote holds enough electoral significance in pivotal swing states like Michigan to ensure that officials will listen to them. Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, and the state’s majority-Muslim cities overwhelmingly supported Biden in 2020.
Related reads ➤
Harris tries to thread the needle on Gaza after meeting with Netanyahu
Volunteers and donations surge into Democratic campaigns with Harris atop the ticket
Disenchanted voters giving Harris a second look
A wide swath of voters – especially those who lean left – who were dissatisfied with having to choose between the same two men who waged a bitter national fight four years ago are expressing a renewed interest in the campaign. In interviews with The Associated Press, they express eagerness to see Harris take on the Democratic Party mantle in place of Biden.
Democrats’ fresh start does not eliminate the presence of “double haters” — voters with negative impressions of both candidates. But it gives Harris an opening to introduce herself to a range of voters, especially those who still hold strong reservations about Trump.
There are a range of emotions and opinions among disenchanted voters: While true “double haters” might have had genuinely unfavorable opinions about both candidates, others might have had a clear ideological lean toward one or the other. Read more.
Of note:
Recent polls suggest the events of the past two weeks may have at least temporarily blunted the dynamics of the Biden-Trump rematch. Republicans believe they can blunt any shift in public opinion with a barrage of advertising defining Harris as an extension of Biden’s record, especially on consumer prices and immigration, while also damaging her personal brand.
Related reads ➤
Doug Emhoff would become the country’s first first gentleman if Kamala Harris wins the presidency
‘Gen Z feels the Kamalove': Youth-led progressive groups hope Harris will energize young voters
TRAIL PHOTO
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump wraps up a campaign rally, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in St. Cloud, Minn. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
ON THE CALENDAR
Harris campaigns on Tuesday in Atlanta and on Wednesday in Houston, where on Thursday she also eulogizes the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
Trump holds a rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, while Vance heads to fundraising and campaign events in California, Nevada and Arizona.
CANDIDATE CHECK
Shortly after Biden left the race a week ago, Harris began to craft her own narrative around the economy by putting an emphasis on ending child poverty, promoting labor unions, reducing the costs of health and childcare as well as protecting “dignity” in retirement. Read more.
Trump on Saturday laid out his plans to embrace cryptocurrency if elected for a second term, telling supporters of the digital tokens he wants the U.S. to be a “bitcoin superpower” under his leadership. Read more.
2024 COUNTDOWN
OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON
Ohio optics: Senate candidate Bernie Moreno campaigns as an outsider. His wealthy family is politically connected
Purchasing pause: Wisconsin Republicans ask voters to take away governor’s power to spend federal money
This newsletter was originally sent out via email to our Ground Game subscribers on July 29, 2024. You can subscribe at any time at apnews.com/newsletters.
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