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The Race to Define Kamala Harris

While the Harris campaign coasts on vibes and momentum, Republicans are sharpening new lines of attack on the economy and immigration. New polling shows Harris is particularly vulnerable on those two fronts—if Trump, the party’s least disciplined messenger, can effectively caricature her before she redefines herself.

kamala harris
Harris needs to focus more on talking about herself—a lot more. Photo: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Peter Hamby
August 13, 2024

Over the weekend, I chatted with Evan Roth Smith, the lead pollster for Blueprint, the Reid Hoffman-backed firm working to shape Democratic messaging aimed at precious swing voters in the 2024 battleground states. The firm had just dropped a provocative new poll looking at which G.O.P. attacks are actually working against Kamala Harris, and which ones aren’t. Calling Harris a “D.E.I. hire,” attacking her heritage and family, claiming her sudden ascent to the Democratic nomination is some sort of anti-democratic “coup”—those messages all failed to resonate with registered voters and independents.