There’s an old saying about decades where nothing happens and weeks where decades happen. The American summer of 2024 is the latter, an unprecedented period for the history books. And it’s only July.
A whirlwind has set the political landscape to its pre-Atlanta debate status. The presidential race is again a neck-and-neck race in a divided country.
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Credit: Geoff Duncan
On one side is former President Donald Trump, who, two weeks removed from his assassination attempt, has nestled back into his grievance-filled form. His “fleeting chance to redefine himself,” as Axios put it, has come and gone. As he declared at a Minnesota rally this weekend, “I haven’t changed. Maybe I’ve gotten worse.”
On the other side is Vice President Kamala Harris, who, in one week, has transformed from an underwhelming second-in-command to a formidable and surging contender. Harris has injected new life into both Democrats and dispirited anti-Trump voters, bringing energy and hope to a ticket lacking both.
New polling data from the Wall Street Journal showed Trump’s six-point advantage over Biden has been erased. More important, the enthusiasm gap has vanished. In early July, only 37% of Biden voters were enthusiastic about their candidate, compared with 81% of Harris voters today.
I am a lifelong Republican whose current north star is ridding Trump from the GOP, but endorsing Harris wasn’t easy. Through my conservative lens, I see very few policy areas where we agree.
Though my support for Harris didn’t come easily, it did come naturally. She’s the best vehicle toward preventing another stained Trump presidency.
There are still pockets of undecided voters that total in the millions, including the roughly one in five GOP voters who were casting protest votes for former South Carolina Governor and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in Republican primaries months after she dropped out.
Harris must break from electoral tradition and speak to those voters, resisting the urge to cater to her base. The middle of the electorate will decide this election. Trump has proved beyond measure that he is incapable of speaking to them. It would be akin to asking a right-handed baseball pitcher to throw the next game with his left hand.
It’s clear Trump is going to use the “San Francisco radical” line to try to define Harris. Rather than change or ignore the subject, Harris should take the charge head on in three ways.
First, distance herself from statements she made during the 2020 Democratic primary that have not aged well over time. Her apparent reversal on a fracking ban is a positive sign, showing she needs to speak to all voters and not just the left wing of her party. This could create a significant tail wind in the swing state of Pennsylvania.
Second, be bold enough to admit that certain policies of the current administration need improvement. In retrospect, the $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package passed in March 2021 wasn’t necessary and further fueled inflationary challenges initiated by Trump. After years of inaction, the situation at the southern border is improving, with illegal immigration hitting a three-year low in June after Biden belatedly suspended the entry of most migrants.
Finally, choose a vice-presidential nominee based on substance and governing ability rather than a cloned personality. Use the opposite approach that led Trump to Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who has already failed the first rule of running mates: do no harm. Headlines about his comment sneering at “childless cat ladies” has exacerbated the GOP’s challenge with women voters.
Above all, step beyond the cozy confines of party base. Independent-minded voters will reward the willingness to get uncomfortable. One of my lasting memories of my ill-fated 2020 campaign is speaking at a Trump rally in Rome. With an election days away, the MAGA crowd was fired up and ready to go, until I pointed out that Republican policies are so good they even help the people that don’t vote for us. That comment drew outright boos.
Two things became clear to me: The base had no interest in broadening the tent, and the party I had belonged to all my life suddenly didn’t seem so familiar.
Ironically, the best line from Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention was his statement: “I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half America.”
Stirring rhetoric, but, unfortunately, they were only words on a teleprompter. His actions tell a different story.
By speaking with decency, acting presidential and resisting the urge to dial up the rhetoric, Harris can show that success is measured by number of votes not the volume of the crowd. The ensuing short-term pain felt from her base might lead to independents rewarding her with an election and a chance to govern.
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