With only 99 days until Election Day, the race for the White House has intensified.
Vice President Harris is now in her second week as a presidential candidate, working hard to maintain Democratic enthusiasm and position herself as a formidable opponent to former President Trump. Trump, after months of targeting President Biden, is now focusing on defining Harris.
Questions arise about the duration of Harris’s honeymoon phase in her campaign, according to The Hill’s Al Weaver and Alex Gangitano. With just three months left until November, Republicans expect her campaign to face challenges, while Democrats remain optimistic about her sustained success.
“There’s no limit on a honeymoon. She is clearly the right person to unify the Democratic Party at this moment, and that unity creates significant momentum,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), citing polls that show voter dissatisfaction with Trump and Biden. “She has a lot of momentum, and I think it will continue for some time.”
Despite the Democratic unity around Harris, concerns persist about her appeal to voters in key battleground states. Polls released Thursday by Emerson College Polling and The Hill show Harris trailing Trump in Pennsylvania and Michigan but tied with him in Wisconsin.
“She’s done an excellent job of uniting and energizing the base, but the critical question now is whether she can appeal to the voters Democrats need to win,” a Democratic strategist told The Hill’s Amie Parnes.
Others within her party recognize that Harris has limited time to establish her brand, especially on economic policy. The Hill’s Niall Stanage explores Harris’s first attack ad against Trump and the former president’s swift response, labeling her as ultra-liberal and criticizing her stance on immigration and border security.
Most Democratic senators believe Harris strengthens their chances of retaining the White House, though some lawmakers are wary of GOP efforts to exploit voter biases regarding race and gender.
Meanwhile, Biden aims to put the Supreme Court on the ballot in November, as detailed in a Washington Post op-ed. He plans to propose a constitutional amendment to overturn a recent court decision granting immunity to Trump and other former presidents for alleged crimes and will push for term limits for justices.
Harris’s rapid rise also raises questions about political strategies related to gender issues. Women have significantly contributed to Democratic gains since 2016, driven by the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Harris now navigates this evolving political landscape.
“The loss of Hillary Clinton motivated many women,” said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University. “We saw record numbers of women running and winning in Congress, and in 2020, multiple women on the debate stage.”
Trump briefly called for national unity after a would-be assassin shot him in the ear in Pennsylvania before the gunman was killed by a Secret Service sniper. However, Trump quickly reverted to attacking Democrats and Harris.
Trump’s campaign faced a turbulent week but remains determined to tarnish Harris’s image and address internal doubts about his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). Vance’s controversial past statements may not be resonating well with some voters, but he remains unapologetic.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised Trump’s choice of Vance, calling it “one of the best things” the former president has done for Democrats.
Trump criticizes Harris as soft on crime and blames her for the immigration crisis. He also claims media bias and falsely accuses Democrats of staging a “coup” to remove Biden, who withdrew from the race last week.
“They took him out of the fight, and now we have a new opponent, Kamala,” Trump said Saturday in St. Cloud, Minn. “She’s a radical left-wing person.”
