Democrats have had a remarkable two weeks, as Vice President Kamala Harris has re-energized their hopes for retaining the White House and definitively turning the page on the Trump era.
But it’s only been two weeks.
Even in the most abbreviated general election campaign in modern history, the likely Democratic nominee will face three full months of negative advertising, blunders and bad luck, just like any other candidate.
As the honeymoon phase comes to a close, the newly cemented Harris campaign needs to lay the groundwork for what’s next, take advantage of its tremendous grassroots support across the country, and prepare a counteroffensive to the coming attacks.
This kind of giddy elation is not gonna be very helpful much longer.
— James carville
Last week on MSNBC, veteran Democratic strategist James Carville warned Democrats to “get ready. They’re coming after us.” He added, “This kind of giddy elation is not gonna be very helpful much longer.” Carville’s comments weren’t directed at voters, but instead at the Harris campaign and the Democratic National Committee. As the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, I view his warning as a message to those in power within the Democratic Party to get to work.
Over the next three months, Democrats at all levels need to harness the enthusiasm for Harris into action. The Trump campaign was caught off guard by the quick consolidation of support for the vice president, but Democrats need to prepare for a full-throated attack. MAGA Republicans won’t go down without a fight.
Republican nominee Donald Trump’s combative interview at the National Association of Black Journalists conference — in which he went after her race and gender directly — followed by his social media posts and a speech by vice presidential nominee JD Vance criticizing her as “chameleon-like” flip-flopper have shown that the gloves are already coming off.
Trump’s Republican Party sees this election as a last chance at holding power. Look no further than Project 2025. Trump-aligned conservatives at the Heritage Foundation didn’t spend years on an agenda to overhaul our nation’s institutions for nothing. The MAGA movement will work tooth and nail to win this election so they can implement a far-right authoritarian takeover. Don’t let the head fake of the Trump campaign “distancing” itself from Project 2025 fool you.
These are the stakes of the 2024 presidential election, and the Harris campaign should know what it’s up against. Trump and his allies will resort to vicious attacks in an attempt to define Harris. Some of those lines of attack will land in the minds of some voters. As the boxer Mike Tyson famously said, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. A good team of advisers and strong messaging should help them navigate those moments.
The shift to Harris may stymie Trump and his campaign, but they’re already pouring millions of dollars into TV ads in battleground states. This new advertising blitz is part of Trump’s effort to define Harris as a failed “border czar” (a title she did not have, though that will not deter them). Immigration is a major vulnerability for Democrats and the Harris campaign, but they can undercut this weakness with the right messaging.
Harris told the crowd, ‘Trump does not care about border security. He only cares about himself.’
Harris wasted no time reframing the issue on her terms this week in Atlanta. She spent the first part of her stump speech highlighting her tenure as California attorney general. Harris touted her record of prosecuting transnational gang members and human traffickers who came to the U.S. illegally. She also reminded voters that Trump pressured Senate Republicans to block a bipartisan deal to secure the border. Harris told the crowd, “Trump does not care about border security. He only cares about himself.”
The Harris campaign knows it can’t sit around and let Trump control the narrative. That’s why Harris wasted no time building a narrative of her own. She’s a former prosecutor and Trump is a criminal. This early stage of any campaign is a battle of definitions, and the contrast is stark.
While energy and excitement are great for raising money and gathering volunteers, if you haven’t prepared to be smacked upside the head by an asymmetrical political actor, all that money and energy won’t be enough to break through that wall on Election Day.
Democrats should seize on this moment of enthusiasm, but they can’t get caught up in the moment. The goal now should be manifesting this bolt of energy into a three-month game plan to win at the ballot box. From now until Nov. 5, every day matters. The Harris campaign needs to make the most of every minute. As a former party chairman, I know every moment counts.
For more thought-provoking insights from Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez and Symone Sanders-Townsend, watch “The Weekend” every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC.
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