Harris’s Candidacy has Transformed the Playing Field 

President Joe Biden’s calamitous debate performance last month plunged the Democratic Party into a three-week period of utter despondency. With little more than four months left until the election, the party’s standard bearer, the spavined leader they’d rigged the primary to anoint, crashed and burned on the national stage. Voters witnessed firsthand what party insiders knew and tried to cover-up for years: the president was not fit to serve. 

Post-debate polling results were pointing to a landslide victory for former President Donald Trump, which would also hurt the Democrats’ chances of retaining the Senate and taking back the House. 

Biden had to go, and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was tasked with making sure that happened. 

Although he resisted at first, it wasn’t long before Biden understood he had no choice in the matter. It’s been widely reported that Pelosi offered Biden an ultimatum, allegedly telling him they could do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, he would be out.

Early Sunday afternoon, Biden capitulated. In a letter posted on X, he announced he was ending his reelection campaign. In a second post 30 minutes later, which some pundits are calling “Biden’s revenge” for being forced out, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket. 

Immediately, Harris launched her presidential campaign. She and her aides began working the phones to secure the support of enough Democratic delegates to win the nomination. The Associated Press reported that by Monday night, Harris had reached her goal, making her the presumptive nominee. 

According to the Harris campaign, it raised more than $100 million in the first 36 hours after Biden dropped out. In the first 24 hours alone, it took in $81 million, which Team Harris touted as “the largest amount of money raised in a 24-hour span in presidential history.” 

By Monday night, most Democratic lawmakers had endorsed Harris. And on Tuesday, she received endorsements from the positively glowing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader (D-NY) Hakeem Jeffries, who said her candidacy “has energized the Democratic Party and the nation.” Indeed it has.

Meanwhile, the legacy media are in awe over the party’s lightning fast rebound and they are literally swooning over Harris, whom they are promoting as the next Barack Obama. 

There’s no denying that Kamala Harris is riding high. That said, part of the excitement we’re seeing is the Left’s tremendous relief over Biden’s departure. We’re also witnessing a real world demonstration of the power of propaganda, and we ought to be amazed by the ease and the speed with which it was accomplished. 

Biden’s exit from the race – and Harris’s rise to the top of the ticket – have altered the playing field. While Trump was almost certain to beat Biden, it won’t be quite as easy to defeat Harris. It would be foolish to underestimate her. Flawed as she may be, she is not senile and when she sticks to the prompter she speaks clearly and persuasively.

Biden’s exit from the race – and Harris’s rise to the top of the ticket – have altered the playing field. While Trump was almost certain to beat Biden, it won’t be quite as easy to defeat Harris. It would be foolish to underestimate her. Flawed as she may be, she is not senile and when she sticks to the prompter she speaks clearly and persuasively.

In a recent memo, Trump campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio warned Republicans to expect a bump for Harris in the polls over the next couple of weeks, particularly in the national polls. (In fact, a Reuters-Ipsos poll released on Tuesday shows Harris up nationally by 2 points.)

Fabrizio noted that “the fundamentals of the race stay the same.” Harris’s arrival “does NOT change voters discontent over the economy, inflation, crime, the open border, housing costs not to mention concern over two foreign wars. Before long, Harris’ “honeymoon” will end and voters will refocus on her role as Biden’s partner and co-pilot. As importantly, voters will also learn about Harris’ dangerously liberal record before becoming Biden’s partner in creating historic inflation (she cast the deciding vote on the IRA), flood of illegal immigrants at our southern border (she is Biden’s border czar), and migrant crime that is threatening our families,” Fabrizio said. 

Elizabeth Stauffer is a Research Fellow at the Sixteenth Council

Although Harris is a tougher opponent than Biden, Trump is a very formidable candidate. And he’s had an incredible couple of weeks. As we know, it began on July 13 when a would-be assassin fired shots at him at a Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally. By the grace of God, Trump sustained only a minor injury. But it was his spontaneous and defiant reaction to the shooting that will never be forgotten. It was the moment that he stood up, bloodied, and raised his fist in the air as he told his supporters to “fight” that he became a legend. 

Even Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was impressed. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, he said it was “one of the most bada** things I’ve ever seen in my life.” 

The next day, Trump traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to accept his third presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention where he was greeted with thunderous applause. The convention was considered by many to be the most unified, uplifting, and successful in memory. 

After analyzing several recent polls, CNN data reporter Harry Enten told viewers on Tuesday,  “Democrats can make this switcheroo, but they’re still going to have to beat Donald Trump, a Donald Trump who is stronger than he has ever been before.”

“For all of the excitement that Democrats have over Kamala Harris, it’s going to be difficult to beat Donald Trump,” Enten said. “The fact is, Donald Trump is more popular now than he ever has been before.”