A Race at Warp Speed: For Harris, There Are Advantages in a Late Start
This presidential campaign is playing out in fast forward. Strategists in both parties say speed is likely to benefit Vice President Kamala Harris.
“A shorter campaign gives significant advantage to Harris,” said Matthew Dowd, who was the chief campaign strategist for President George W. Bush in 2004. He noted that Republicans had spent years “relentlessly attacking” Mr. Biden, and before him, Hillary Clinton, so that “by the time the Labor Day comes, the nominee is solidly defined.”
“Not so with Harris,” he said.
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The warp-speed campaign seems almost designed for this era of the attenuated attention span, fueled by the barrage of posts on social media sites like Truth Social and X. Over the past three weeks, Mr. Trump was shot at a rally, and Mr. Biden quit the race, but that seems almost forgotten as attention shifts to the new candidate on the block.
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[Trumpie]on Saturday night, calling her a “radical left freak,” belittling her intelligence...
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...Trump never stopped running after he lost in 2020...
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Depending on how events unfold, August could largely belong to Ms. Harris. She is about to pick a running mate, which promises a run of large rallies drawing attention from the media and the public. The Democratic convention begins on Aug. 19 in Chicago,...provides a chance, at least, for a four-day celebration by a unified party.
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“Since Harris is not that well known, her favorable has shot up,” said Bob Shrum, a Democratic consultant, referring to her favorability rating among voters. “She’s new today. And she will be new on Nov. 5. The shortness of it means that affect won’t go away.”
