'We are the underdogs, OK?' Harris gears up for 'challenges' as 'honeymoon phase' winds down

29 July 2024

Only a week after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, her campaign had brought in more than $200 million in donations. Former President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and many other major Democrats are rallying around Harris' 2024 presidential campaign.

But many polls are still showing a close race. Fox News polls released on July 26 showed Harris and GOP nominee Donald Trump in a dead heat in Pennsylvania and Michigan, two crucial battleground states.

In an article released on July 29, New York Times reporters Kellen Browning and Maggie Astor stress that for all the "energy" Harris' campaign has generated during its "honeymoon phase," Democrats have their work cut out for them between now and November.

"This week alone has important mile markers," the Times reporters explain. "Democratic delegates could begin voting to virtually nominate Ms. Harris as early as Thursday, the date the Democratic National Committee said they were expected to do so if only one candidate emerged. And the running mate speculation will be rampant this week as Ms. Harris narrows her choice, with August 7 as a deadline she has set."

MSNBC pundit and former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) warns that MAGA attacks on Harris will only grow nastier in the weeks ahead.

McCaskill told the Times, "They're going to come at her, sure. Of course they'll come at her. But so far, the only thing they've really tried is that she's somehow not supportive of law enforcement. And that rings kind of hollow from a vice-presidential candidate that we now know said in writing, 'I hate the police.'"

McCaskill was referring to Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Trump's running mate.

Former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, warns that members of his party have no room for complacency.

Sisolak told the Times, "I would call it a honeymoon phase. We've got to keep the energy going. You got it started — now you've got to keep it going. It's going to be a challenge for everybody."

Harris herself is urging fellow Democrats to prepare for months of hard work if they want to keep Trump from returning to the White House in 2025.

During a fundraiser over the July 27-28 weekend, Harris told the crowd, "We got a fight ahead of us, and we are the underdogs in this race, OK?"

Read the New York Times' full report at this link (subscription required).

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