Democrats involved in the Kamala Harris campaign are growing increasingly anxious about the upcoming election, fearing a repeat of the 2016 presidential race, according to a recent report from CNN. The Harris campaign's internal polls have shown minimal movement in her favor despite extensive efforts to reach voters.
Amidst the intensifying 2024 presidential race, Democrats associated with Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign are gripped by a sense of unease, drawing parallels to the tumultuous 2016 election. As the polls remain stagnant, with less than four weeks until Election Day, sources close to the Harris campaign have expressed their concerns to CNN.
One source conveyed the prevailing nervousness within the campaign, highlighting the echoes of 2016: "People are nervous. They know the polls are tight. A lot of us are having these flashbacks to 2016, too. We know when it can go the wrong way, and it can still feel fresh."
Democrats Raise Concerns over Harris Campaign: 'Flashbacks to 2016'
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez delved into the anxieties surrounding the Harris campaign, emphasizing the lack of progress despite their outreach efforts: "This has been a campaign that was described by multiple Democrats, allies, aides to the vice president as a good vibes campaign. But what’s also creeping in now is that anxiety. The reason for that is because these polls are not really moving."
The Harris campaign has been working to avoid the pitfalls that hindered Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign by focusing on red, rural districts that Clinton lost. The vice president has already visited such areas twice, demonstrating their strategy to make up ground in these key regions.
Democrats Raise Concerns over Harris Campaign: 'Flashbacks to 2016'
Alvarez also highlighted the importance of mobilizing voters and translating the campaign's ground game into actual votes. "Talking to Democrats, they’re always pretty boastful about their ground game and they continue to be so, but that needs to turn into votes. So certainly some anxiety and nerves setting in as Election Day gets closer and those polls just remain deadlocked," she said.
Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons, a former staffer for Harris, acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the campaign in comments to The Hill: "Everything is deadlocked and the composition of the electorate is unknowable, and there are so many things that are unprecedented."
Democrats Raise Concerns over Harris Campaign: 'Flashbacks to 2016'
Simmons pointed out the unique circumstances of this election, including Harris being the first African American woman on the ticket, the former president running again, and the two assassination attempts the campaign has faced.
Political analyst Mark Halperin described the Harris campaign as an "experiment" that is facing challenges. He claimed that his conversations with Trump supporters and Democrats indicate a growing optimism within the Trump camp: "In the conversations I'm having with Trump people and Democrats with data, they are extremely bullish on Trump's chances in the last 48 hours. Extremely bullish."
Democrats Raise Concerns over Harris Campaign: 'Flashbacks to 2016'
While the latest Fox News poll from September suggests Harris has a 2-point lead nationally, the campaign remains concerned about her performance in the remaining weeks of the election.
