At last, there is a real contest in the US elections. President Joe Biden has said goodbye and Kamala Harris is a hundred days or so away from making history.
For weeks, a halo of despair had settled over the Democrats, but now, suddenly, there is nothing to be done.
Donald Trump’s campaign machine has pivoted, tying Harris to a largely fictional but seemingly effective narrative about Biden’s failures. A digital storm of misogyny, racism, xenophobia and videos of Harris laughing is brewing. Harris’ team must now catch up and move forward to win over voters in a handful of key states — those that ultimately determine the outcome of the US election — without losing the enthusiasts.
Harris must consider seven steps.
Don’t repeat Hillary Clinton’s mistakes. Comparisons to Clinton are natural. So far, Harris has played it smart. For one, she pledged to “win and win” the nomination. The Clinton campaign had assumed that would be inevitable, ensuring both complacency and resistance. Second, Harris’s first campaign stop was the all-important swing state of Wisconsin, a state Clinton never visited. She needs to be careful about everything that comes out of her mouth and debunk deepfakes that might appear to say things she never said; the “basket of deplorables” comment stuck with Clinton.
Don’t repeat your own mistakes. Harris, the 2020 nominee, had failed to articulate a coherent message. As a former top prosecutor, she was trying to win over the progressive wing of a party skeptical of top prosecutors. Her positioning was confusing and inauthentic. Now, she has choices to make, and her message risks becoming muddled once again. The options: ride on Biden and promise continuity; emphasize her past as a prosecutor and go after Trump, the convicted felon; play the gender-plus-race card. The loudest applause Harris has received is when she talks about how tough she will be on Trump. This could be a trap, since excluding — or even locking up — Trump could become the entirety of her message.
None of these issues will help voters in key states, except those who hate Trump. To win them, Harris will have to talk about what she will do to improve their everyday circumstances, mimicking Biden’s promise in his farewell speech to “cut costs for working families.” While she emphasizes the other issues, if she doesn’t make the last one a headline, she will lose key voters.
Reinforce a hot topic while dancing around others. Just as Trump singled out immigration as America’s central crisis, Harris needs one she can own. Roe v. Wade The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection and the threat of a national abortion ban are a powerful mobilizing force. According to Pew Research, two-thirds of centrist Republicans want abortion to be legal, while Democrats overwhelmingly support it. A majority of men, women, whites, blacks, Hispanics and Asians want abortion to remain legal.
There are other, more contentious issues. Harris will have to rely on her now-viral dancing skills to navigate them. Think of the Israel-Gaza crisis, the end of the war in Ukraine, the takeover of Big Tech. One misstep could alienate key constituencies. Like many women before her, she will come under unfair scrutiny for every misstep. Dancing takes practice and discipline.
Define yourself before others define you. Most voters, even Democrats, don’t really know Harris. As vice president, she’s been in the background. What people know about her is a narrative that’s been shaped mostly by her detractors, whether it’s videos of her laughing or repeating trite comments — “I love Venn diagrams.” The result is that she’s been unfairly branded a lightweight in the past.
Ironically, there is a new Kamala Harris who is trending. Her lime-green memefication, coconut emojis, and “brat” status have made her stand out: reminding everyone that she is the alternative to Trump, the oldest presidential candidate in American history. But the Harris who is trending must also ask herself: How will this play out in key states? Do coconut emojis risk adding layers of queerness to her identity as a woman of color? Harris needs to take control of her story without losing her cool.
Organize. Harris’ organizational record is not exactly exemplary. Previous teams have been characterized by low morale and high staff turnover. Now, she inherits members of Biden’s campaign team, who may not all be “Kamala people.” Harris will need aides she can trust and the team trusts.
Most importantly, Harris will be choosing a vice president. Unfortunately, in addition to all the usual considerations that go into choosing a vice president, she will have to consider issues of “balance” between gender and race, as well as appeal to voters in key states, and each candidate has its pros and cons.
Attack the attacks. Immigration policy will undoubtedly be the cross that Trump’s Republicans will try to pin on Harris. She was tasked with understanding the root causes of migration from Central America’s Northern Triangle. Harris needs to own the narrative: she was never the “border czar”; there have been major improvements on immigration; an immigration bill was blocked by Trump; her time as attorney general in California has given her experience dealing with international criminal syndicates and facilitating legal immigration routes. She should proactively articulate a comprehensive immigration reform plan, including legal pathways, asylum processes, and border management.
Return to top. Harris should get to the debate stage soon. She can certainly demonstrate her skills as a prosecutor who exposes Trump’s falsehoods and shows the difference between the opponents. But she will also remind voters of the difference between her and Biden and their debate performance, which is what put Harris on the path to history.
For a politician who had aroused so little enthusiasm in the past, Kamala Harris has become an overnight sensation. Unimaginable sums of money are pouring in. Democrats have rallied. Harris has gone from being an underdog to a businesswoman. mother an internet meme in a matter of hours.
But there is still a lot of work to be done.
The author is dean of Global Business at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
