Kamala Harris campaigning with Republicans, but can she win over ‘never Trumpers’?
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Kamala Harris has been making a pitch to right wing America by campaigning in anti-Trump Republican areas, alongside anti-Trump Republican politicians. Will this get her over the line, or create more problems?
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In brief…
- Kamala Harris has been attending campaign events with Liz Cheney, a right-wing Republican who has distanced herself from Trump.
- Harris is targeting areas in swing states that voted for Nikki Haley, Trump’s former rival in the Republican primaries.
- The News Agents say this is ‘smart politics’, but warn it could backfire for Harris.
What’s the story?
If you saw a Democrat and a Republican on the campaign trail together, you might rub your eyes and pinch yourself, convinced it was all a dream.
But this month, Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney have been side by side on stage at Democratic Party campaign events.
Emily Maitlis describes Cheney as “very conservative”, and points out she had even “supported Trump in many aspects of his policy,” such as his anti-abortion messaging.
That is, Emily adds, until the point where Cheney realised “he didn't believe in democracy”.
So what is Harris doing on the same stage as the right-wing Republican?
As The News Agents explain on the USA podcast, this is all part of Harris’ new strategy.
She is trying to bring on side Republicans that will never vote for Trump, the so-called “never Trumpers”.
But will this strategy work?
Or is she fighting a losing battle by trying to appeal to Americans with views so different to her own?
How is Harris targeting ‘never Trumpers’?
Harris’ strategy goes further than simply cosying up with this big name Republican.
She is also going right into the heartlands of swing states to appeal to voters who previously backed Nikki Haley, Trump’s rival in the Republican primaries.
Haley supporters, Emily says, are people “who didn't really like Trump in the first place”.
Now, the Democrat thinks they “might lend her a Republican vote”.
Counties previously carried by Haley in the primaries include areas in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
So perhaps it is no surprise Cheney and Harris have been attending a series of moderated conversations together across these areas.
“They are in the parts of the swing states where Nikki Haley, in the primaries days, was getting between 20 to 25 percentage points in the vote,” Emily says.
What’s The News Agents take?
Harris is trying to win over that tiny sliver of undecided biddable America, and Jon Sopel says it’s “smart politics” to team up with Liz Cheney to say “it’s okay to vote Democrat’”.
But not everyone will welcome this strategy with open arms.
Emily says: “There's still something that is slightly unsettling for Kamala Harris being on the same stage as Republican women that she wouldn't naturally share any ground with, apart from their hatred of Donald Trump.
“Of course, Democrats want Kamala Harris to win any way she can, but they have got to hold their noses on this one.”
However, making a pitch to right-wing Americans could backfire and make life more difficult for Harris.
Emily adds: “I think it plays to a bigger question, which is, who is Kamala Harris standing for now?
“Where is her messaging? Is it just that she's picking off 1000 people in Wisconsin, or 50 mums here in Michigan because they like Nikki Haley?”
It's not as clear compared to what Trump is offering to autoworkers in swing states, Emily argues, which is simply making them laugh.
But Jon argues that Harris is using a clever tactic, in that she is trying to win the vote using maths.
Essentially, she is calculating from the polls that where, for instance, 49.5% of Democrat voters have said they will vote Harris, then she needs just 1.5% more Republican voters on side.
And using Cheney to attract them may not be such a bad idea, Jon says.
Listen in full on The News Agents USA.
