Vice President Kamala Harris needs to ensure she is “striking the right balance” at the Democratic National Convention, with Democratic strategists explaining it is “critical” for her to share her record with the voters, while focusing on the future and enhancing her “momentum” as the race formally enters the general election.
The Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago on Monday and will run through Thursday, when Harris formally accepts the Democratic nomination for the presidency.
Top Democrats and supporters from across the nation are expected to coalesce their support behind Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — support they have seen building since President Biden suspended his re-election campaign and the vice president launched her own.
Democrat strategists are telling Fox News Digital that Harris needs to make sure she seizes on the “surging voter enthusiasm.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris holds a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Friday, August 16, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
“The most important thing to do is keep the ball rolling — they have been on a roll for the last couple of weeks,” Brad Bannon, a Democrat strategist, pollster, and President of Bannon Communications Research, told Fox News Digital. “Once President Biden decided to step away, Vice President Kamala Harris did a great job seizing the opportunity — she raised a lot of money quickly; solidified her hold on the nomination; made a great pick that turned out to be very popular in Walz; and what they need to do at this convention is keep the ball rolling and keep that momentum going.”
And Max Burns, founder of Third Degree Strategies, a Democrat firm, told Fox News Digital that the enthusiasm is there.
“So far the polls and surging voter enthusiasm are both showing Democrats have already successfully launched Kamala Harris as our nominee. Now she’ll have a chance to tell her story to a huge, nationwide audience at the convention,” Burns said, touting Harris’ choice of Walz as her running mate.
“Expect the DNC to feel a lot more like a celebration than a dry political convention,” Burns said.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally with the Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, at the Liacouras Center at Temple University on August 6, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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A Democratic source also weighed in, urging Harris and Walz to “keep doing what they’re doing.”
But Kaivan Shroff, a Democratic strategist, New York delegate and former digital organizer at Hillary for America, told Fox News Digital that the Harris-Walz campaign needs to focus on looking to the future and how their policy proposals will help down the road, versus presenting their past record.
“We will obviously hear about the Biden-Harris administration’s historic accomplishments, but that is not enough,” Shroff said. “Voters care a lot less about what you have already done for them than they care about what you will do for them going forward.”
Shroff said it is “critical” that Democrats ensure they are “striking the right balance to make sure folks know what Democrats have accomplished, while also focusing on the future.”
Vice President Kamala Harris holds a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Friday, August 16, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
As for the convention, Shroff said the team of Democrats putting on the event is “extraordinary.”
“The production value will impress folks,” he said. “I’ll be looking to see how the already agile and innovative Harris digital operation capitalizes on the storytelling and key moments to bring those not there with us into the room.”
Meanwhile, Bannon told Fox News Digital that Harris likely will not attempt to separate herself from President Biden and his administration’s policies “too much.”
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Bannon cited Harris’ newly minted economic policy plan, which she rolled out Friday. The plan would implement federal price controls in order to stop “price gouging” on groceries amid inflation.
“The economic program — she did something that I had hoped Biden would do months ago,” Bannon said. “It is a big step she took, and it just shows not only is there going to be a difference in economic policy, but I think her tone overall is a lot different than Biden’s.”
Bannon said he anticipates Harris’ campaign will be “a lot more aggressive than Joe Biden’s was.”
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“Biden represented himself as a calming influence in a divided nation,” Bannon told Fox News Digital. “I think you’re going to see Harris strike a much more aggressive tone.”
He added: “I think she set the tone for being much more aggressive the day after Biden stepped aside.”
