Vice President Harris's media strategy of avoiding official press conferences with reporters has drawn mixed reactions from political strategists and Democratic politicians. Some believe she should do more interviews in battleground states, while others argue that her focus should be on paid communication and unpaid communication in seven key swing states.
Political strategists and Democratic politicians are divided on Vice President Kamala Harris's media strategy as she continues to avoid official press conferences with reporters, according to a new report.
Harris has done just eight non-scripted interviews since she and President Biden took office in January, compared to at least 48 interviews given by former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, since they announced their candidacy.
Kamala Harris's Media Strategy Divides Democrats
Some Democratic strategists believe that Harris is pursuing the correct media strategy and should focus her efforts on the swing states.
"Concentrate on those seven [battleground] states with paid communication and unpaid communication," Democratic strategist Paul Maslin told NBC News. "I don't think she's going to give a hoot about the national media."
Kamala Harris's Media Strategy Divides Democrats
Others argue that Harris needs to engage with the press more in the months leading up to the election.
"I don't think you can hide for 56 more days from media interviews," a Democratic strategist speaking on condition of anonymity told NBC News. "The biggest issues with her are because people still don't know enough about her. It's going to take a lot more than one debate and one CNN interview to scratch the itch."
Kamala Harris's Media Strategy Divides Democrats
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Former President Trump has criticized Harris for her media strategy, saying that she is "afraid" of the press.
"She's afraid of the press. She doesn't want to answer questions," Trump said during a recent interview with Fox News. "She's not doing very well in the polls, and I think that's one of the reasons."
Harris's approval ratings have been consistently low since she took office. A recent poll from the Pew Research Center found that just 38% of Americans approve of the job she is doing as vice president.
Harris's media strategy is likely to come under further scrutiny in the coming weeks as she and Biden prepare for the midterm elections. The Democrats are hoping to hold on to control of the House and Senate, but they are facing an uphill battle.
The Republicans need to gain just five seats in the House and one seat in the Senate to take control of Congress. If they are successful, they would be able to block Biden's agenda and launch investigations into his administration.
Harris is likely to play a key role in the Democrats' efforts to retain control of Congress. She is a popular figure among the Democratic base, and she is expected to campaign extensively for Democratic candidates in the upcoming elections.
However, Harris's low approval ratings could hurt the Democrats' chances of holding on to Congress. If voters believe that Harris is not up to the job of being vice president, they may be less likely to vote for Democratic candidates.
The midterm elections are still more than two months away, but Harris's media strategy is already under intense scrutiny. The Democrats are counting on her to help them retain control of Congress, but her low approval ratings could make that task more difficult.
