How Harris can win Kennedy voters: expert

05 September 2024

Center for Economic and Policy Research senior adviser Justin Talbot Zorn has advice for Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats on how to win over voters who planned to back Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the presidential election now that the Independent candidate has dropped his bid.

Harris is exceeding President Joe Biden's lead over Donald Trump, according to The Hill, but experts like Zorn warn that 2024 Democratic nominee can't take her foot of the gas just yet.

In an op-ed published by MSNBC Thursday, Zorn writes:

While Kennedy’s support fell to roughly 5% in three-way matchups nationally after Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race, there was widespread evidence that the third-party candidate was pulling more from Harris than from Trump. Although it’s hard to forecast whether Kennedy will be able to persuade his supporters to vote for the Republican, even a single percentage point could be decisive in an election as close as this one. Look at Florida in 2000. Or any of the 'blue wall' states in 2016.

The economic expert points to Kennedy's vow "to provoke a 'realignment' of environmental politics," and public criticism of "Democrats for 'divisive' climate policies," for which the ex-candidate "has made the case for environmental policies that could, he believes, 'unite the nation.'"

Zorn emphasizes, "It’s easy enough for Democrats to laugh off Kennedy’s comments. Instead, they should make a serious play for his voters."

Zorn notes:

But there’s one problem with Kennedy’s vision for an environmental realignment: It rests on the electoral vehicle of Trump, who as president appointed profiteers from the plastics industry and Big Agriculture to key roles responsible for food and water safety, gave lobbyists from chemical companies a wish list of concessions, appointed Supreme Court justices who gutted government authority to regulate toxic substances, and now promises to cut government watchdogs and remove 'forever chemicals' like PFAS from hazardous substance lists. And that’s to say nothing of his legacy on climate.

Democrats should, "Tell the truth," he suggests, and, "Drive home the message that Trump is the candidate of toxic chemicals."

Zorn adds that while "Trump has tried to distance himself from the Project 2025 blueprint, the key environment plans in the document were written by Trump appointees and match with his own promises to gut the 'administrative state.'"

To successfully win over Kennedy supporters, "Democrats should also propose a proactive agenda on these issues," and furthermore, Zorn submits that "Harris should unveil a more comprehensive plan to counter PFAS and forever chemicals in the food system and supply chains."

Zorn's full op-ed is available here.

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