| | | | What happened to Kamala Harris? |  | | If you asked any smart Democrats on June 28 who they believed, in their hearts of hearts, would be the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, 9 in 10 would have said Kamala Harris.
The senator from California was coming off a star turn in the first debate of the Democratic primary campaign -- telling her personal story powerfully even while effectively exposing Joe Biden's weakness over his record on busing. She was in command, comfortable on the stage, presidential.
Now, just 83 days later, Harris is fighting for her political life -- pushing all of her political chips into Iowa on the chance that a stronger-than-expected showing in the first caucus is the one thing that can remedy what ails her. "Kamala Harris plots Iowa blitz as campaign stalls," reads CNN's headline on Harris' all-in-on-Iowa move -- not exactly the headline you want to begin said blitz.
So what happened? How did Harris go from the clear alternative to front-running Biden in late June to needing to make a drastic strategy change to stay relevant in mid-September?
The answer is this: No one thing happened. A confluence of things happened.
1) Harris was unable to follow up her strong first debate with similar performances in the second and third debates. Particularly in the second debate, in July, she struggled as her rivals went after her record on health care, among other issues.
2) She couldn't decide what she wanted to be. Was she the attack dog making the case against the establishment? Was she the tough prosecutor? Was she the unity candidate? The liberal lion? She played all of those roles at some point over the summer. But she has yet to settle on one in particular.
3) Elizabeth Warren happened. Warren's rise over the past three months tracks pretty closely with Harris' fall. When Harris announced for president, she was the one with the big crowds and all the excitement. That candidate is Warren now.
4) The health care answer is still not there. On the most important issue to Democratic voters, Harris has been all over the map. She said she was for "Medicare for All." Then she backed away. Then she said she hadn't backed away. Then she officially backed away with her own plan that doesn't call for eliminating the private health insurance industry. Confusion about where Harris stands on such a central issue has fueled broader questions about what, exactly, she does believe in and what she is running on.
None of these factors are insurmountable. There are 137 days left before the Iowa caucuses on February 3 -- and, as Harris' rise and fall have shown, a lot can happen in a lot less time. But her fall is striking because it was so hard to imagine less than three months ago. Maybe her comeback will seem just as unlikely if and when she can make it.
The Point: The arc of Harris' campaign to date is a lesson to anyone running for office. That lesson? Don't peak too early.
-- Chris | | "It's got steel and concrete -- and very hard concrete, very strong concrete. You know, it's very, very -- 5,000-pound concrete is a very substantial concrete."
-- President Trump describing the border wall. Chris notes this is one of 26 off-the-rails lines from the President's press gaggle aboard Air Force One. | | | THE OTHER 2020 RACE TO WATCH | | The Ed Markey vs. Joe Kennedy Senate matchup in Massachusetts is a big deal.
One thing I learned covering Massachusetts politics was the idea of an ambition bottleneck. The state was full of ambitious, talented people, but there were only a handful seats for which they could run. And no one dared challenge longtime incumbents like senators, who left office only because they either died (like Ted Kennedy) or were tapped for Cabinet spots (like John Kerry).
So when seats did become vacant, it was open season, with massive primary races seen as once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. But Ayanna Pressley's insurgent victory over longtime Rep. Michael Capuano last year changed everything.
Hear more on why this Senate race is the one to watch in 2020 in today's Point podcast.
-- Lauren | | Kamala Harris is refocusing her campaign on Iowa. Is it already too late?
Roy Cohn is the key to Donald Trump.
Two Americas: A very cool graphic representation.
How to properly get off a plane. PLEASE READ.
An asteroid narrowly missed Earth this summer. No big deal!
"Snatch" should have been way higher. | | | The Tallest Man on Earth did a "Tiny Desk." Love love love. | |  | Sanders falls further behind Warren in new ranking | | | Chris ranks the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates and talks about who is most likely to win the nomination. | |
LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL LATEST | | Bernie Sanders: Has 1 million donors to his presidential campaign. He's the first candidate to cross the seven-figure threshold this cycle, his campaign says.
Kamala Harris: Is doubling down on Iowa, and will spend time there every week in October.
Beto O'Rourke: Unveiled a plan to legalize marijuana (which also launched his political career). | | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment