{"id":2341374,"date":"2024-09-15T11:28:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-15T15:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/can-harris-win-undecided-voters-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-15T11:35:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-15T15:35:51","slug":"can-harris-win-undecided-voters-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/can-harris-win-undecided-voters-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Harris win undecided voters? &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcan-harris-win-undecided-voters-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2341374&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the aftermath of the first debate \u2063between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, \u200dexamining its impact on \u2063the 2024\u200c election polls. Although Harris was perceived to have\u200b performed well, the debate only slightly increased\u2063 her lead over Trump in some polls. \u2063Critics noted that Harris failed to effectively engage undecided voters, instead \u200bfocusing on attacking Trump without elaborating on\u2064 her policy agenda.<\/p>\n<p>Polling experts suggest that both candidates\u2064 should prioritize energizing their\u2063 bases rather than solely targeting undecided voters. Some analysts \u200dargue that unmotivated\u200d voters, particularly younger demographics who feel neglected, may be more\u2064 crucial for both campaigns. The Harris campaign believes it can mobilize these voters \u200cthrough extensive ground efforts\u200b and fundraising.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2063 contrast, Trump\u2019s\u2063 campaign, while acknowledging\u2064 a slight dip in support after the debate, remains optimistic about his voter turnout, citing the historical \u2063reliability of Republican voters. The article concludes by highlighting the differing strategies of the candidates as\u200d they approach the\u200c election, \u2064with Harris\u200c needing to \u200bboost turnout\u2062 among her supporters while Trump \u200bfocuses on expanding\u200b his appeal.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Should Harris be focusing on undecided voters or &lsquo;the couch?&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1760898\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The first debate between Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\">Kamala Harris<\/a> and former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> only marginally&nbsp;shifted the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2024<\/a> election polls, despite a consensus agreement that Harris outperformed her Republican rival.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Heading into the Sept. 10 debate, Harris led Trump by just over a point in the <em>RealClearPolitics<\/em> polling average. By the weekend, that average lead extended to just below two points, but the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">vice president<\/a> fell short of hammering her message home with this, and virtually every, election&rsquo;s most coveted demographic cell: undecided voters.<\/p>\n<p>Anecdotal reports show some undecided voters in battleground states now giving Harris more of a look than before the debate, but an equal number of media outlets have found since Tuesday that Harris&rsquo;s penchant for baiting Trump, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3153133\/taunting-trump-undecided-voters-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>not substantially expanding on her policy agenda<\/a>, left undecided voters wanting more.<\/p>\n<p>However, Patrick Murray, the director of The Polling Institute and Monmouth University, told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that both candidates should spend more time targeting their base, rather than any remaining undecideds, based on just how well known each of the candidates are.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The media talks about undecided voters, but take your cue from the campaigns. They&rsquo;re not looking at undecided voters,&rdquo; he said in an interview. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re looking at unmotivated voters, people who they think for other reasons would vote for them, but they just don&rsquo;t feel that there&rsquo;s any point to it, that there&rsquo;s not going to be any payoff for them to go out to vote. Those are the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>voters<\/a> that, particularly on the Harris side, they want to activate, so I think that&rsquo;s the group that we look at.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Murray broadly categorized these unmotivated voters as &ldquo;young voters&rdquo; who have a &ldquo;sense that they&rsquo;re being left behind,&rdquo; but said it&rsquo;s virtually impossible to tell which candidate is set up to better reach this demographic without having intimate knowledge of each campaign&rsquo;s actual resources.<\/p>\n<p>Bakari Sellers, a political analyst and the former co-chair of Harris&rsquo;s 2020 presidential campaign, similarly told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that Harris must be just as, if not more, concerned about turnout as Trump, but he believes the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Vice-President\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>vice president<\/a>&lsquo;s campaign has made strides toward addressing that vulnerability.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump versus the couch. How many voters stay home is the question,&rdquo; he explained. &ldquo;I tell people that the &lsquo;poller coaster&rsquo; is not a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senator-lankford-biden-admin-not-offering-enough-to-secure-border\/\" title=\"Senator Lankford criticizes Biden Admin&#039;s insufficient efforts to secure border\">real-life experiment<\/a>. I get&nbsp;that people think polls today are going to be what happens, and polls are just snapshots in time, but it&rsquo;s palpable as you go out in the street and you meet people at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/grocery-stores\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Piggly Wiggly<\/a>, you meet them at the Bi-Lo, you see them at the post office. People are talking. The energy is different.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>One Democratic strategist with close ties to Harris&rsquo;s campaign told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that &ldquo;absolutely&rdquo; she&rsquo;s able to drive turnout in November.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Just look at all those &lsquo;double haters&rsquo; who were going to sit out of a Biden-Trump election. They&rsquo;re now all backing Harris,&rdquo; that person declared. &ldquo;I expect the vice president to continue to swell her ranks over the next two months.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Harris campaign has consistently stressed to reporters that the vice president isn&rsquo;t taking any voters for granted and, thanks to her gargantuan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fundraising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>fundraising<\/a> numbers, they&rsquo;ve implemented a massive swing state ground game to activate new supporters and reinvigorate any Democrats who may still have doubts about Harris.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign did not answer questions for this story.<\/p>\n<p>Still, despite Trump&rsquo;s poor performance last Tuesday, the polling shows he isn&rsquo;t out of the race,&nbsp;and his team remains optimistic of&nbsp;victory in November.<\/p>\n<p>Trump pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Travis Tunis actually claimed that Trump and Harris were tied heading into the debate, but that the former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>president<\/a> opened up a two-point national advantage over the vice president after Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We found that despite the best efforts of Kamala Harris and [the] media to portray the debate as some kind of overwhelming win for her, voters did not see it this way as support for her remained flat,&rdquo; they wrote in a memo released on Thursday. &ldquo;The only change we saw was a 2-point bump for President Trump in both ballot configurations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We found that despite the best efforts of Kamala Harris and [the] media to portray the debate as some kind of overwhelming win for her, voters did not see it this way as support for her remained flat,&rdquo; they wrote in a memo circulated on Wednesday. &ldquo;Clearly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taunting-trump-might-not-have-been-what-undecided-voters-wanted-to-see-from-harris-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Taunting Trump might not have been what undecided voters wanted to see from Harris - Washington Examiner\">target state voters<\/a> were not impressed by Kamala Harris&rsquo; empty platitudes and while the media would have people believe she is cruising to victory, this couldn&rsquo;t be farther from the truth.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Two veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Republican\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republican<\/a> strategists with ties to the Trump campaign additionally told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&nbsp;that, unlike Harris, turnout shouldn&rsquo;t prove an issue for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s be honest. Republican voters, at least over the last decade or so, are just more reliable than the Democrats,&rdquo; one strategist claimed. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to show up, so that frees up President Trump to focus their efforts on courting traditionally non-Republican demographics, including black and Hispanic voters.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, should <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3152897\/trump-ally-laura-loomer-rebuked-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Trump<\/a> keep to his promise of not having another debate with Harris, the former president would not only rob Harris the opportunity to pitch her case again on the national stage, but also pigeon hole his subpar performance in the minds of his own base.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What we saw in the last debate and what we&rsquo;ve seen of Trump over the years, it&rsquo;s unlikely that he could improve his performance, which means that it&rsquo;s better for him to let it sit where it is right now,&rdquo; Murray explained. &ldquo;His hope is that the contrast that was drawn in that debate about him just being all over the edge on issues around eating pets and all sorts of things will just fade as things have faded with him in the past.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Both candidates will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-integrity-and-restraint-made-cleveland-one-of-americas-greatest-presidents\/\" title=\"How Integrity And Restraint Made Cleveland One Of America\u2019s Greatest Presidents\">spend time campaigning<\/a> in critical battleground states. Trump is expected to rally in both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Michigan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Michigan<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/North-Carolina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>North Carolina<\/a>, while Harris will spend time in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Pennsylvania\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Pennsylvania<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1760898\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1760898\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Should Harris concentrate on undecided voters or those who might stay home? The initial debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump had only a slight impact on the 2024 election polls, even though many agree that Harris performed better than her opponent. Before the September 10 debate, she held a lead of just over one point in the RealClearPolitics polling average. By the weekend, that lead had increased to just under two points; however, she struggled to effectively communicate her message to one of the most crucial voter groups: undecided voters. While some anecdotal evidence suggests that undecided voters in key states are now considering Harris more seriously post-debate, numerous media reports indicate that her tendency to provoke Trump without significantly elaborating on her policy proposals left these voters wanting more clarity. Patrick Murray, director of The Polling Institute at Monmouth University, told the Washington Examiner that both candidates should prioritize energizing their base rather than focusing solely on undecided voters due to their high name recognition. He stated, \u201cThe media discusses undecided voters, but campaigns are targeting unmotivated ones\u2014those who might vote for them but feel disillusioned about participating.\u201d He described these unmotivated individuals as primarily young voters who feel neglected but noted it\u2019s challenging to determine which candidate can best engage this group without detailed knowledge of each campaign&#8217;s resources.<\/p>\n<p>Bakari Sellers, a political analyst and former co-chair of Harris\u2019s 2020 campaign, echoed this sentiment by emphasizing that turnout is as critical for Harris as it is for Trump. He remarked that \u201cthe real competition is against apathy,\u201d highlighting how many potential supporters may choose not to vote at all. A Democratic strategist close to Harris&#8217;s campaign expressed confidence in her ability to drive turnout come November and pointed out how previously indifferent &#8220;double haters&#8221; are now rallying behind her.<\/p>\n<p>The Harris campaign has consistently communicated its commitment not to take any voter support for granted and has launched an extensive ground game in swing states fueled by significant fundraising efforts aimed at mobilizing new supporters and re-engaging skeptical Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Trump&#8217;s lackluster performance during the debate last Tuesday, polling indicates he remains competitive; his team believes he can still secure victory in November. According to Trump&#8217;s pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Travis Tunis, they initially found him tied with Harris before claiming he gained a two-point national advantage after Tuesday&#8217;s debate.<\/p>\n<p>They noted in a memo released Thursday: \u201cDespite claims from Kamala Harris and certain media outlets portraying the debate as an overwhelming win for her, voter support remained unchanged.\u201d They further asserted that target state voters were unimpressed with what they termed &#8220;Harris\u2019s empty platitudes,&#8221; contradicting narratives suggesting she was cruising toward victory.<\/p>\n<p>Two seasoned Republican strategists associated with Trump&#8217;s campaign also conveyed confidence regarding turnout among Republican voters compared to Democrats over recent years\u2014asserting Republicans tend to be more reliable when it comes time for voting\u2014which allows Trump space to appeal directly towards traditionally non-Republican demographics like Black and Hispanic communities.<\/p>\n<p>If Trump adheres strictly to his promise not engaging in another debate with Harris again following his previous performance issues could solidify perceptions within his base while preventing further opportunities for Hairs\u2019 messaging outreach nationally.<br \/>\nBoth candidates will be campaigning actively across vital battleground states; Trump plans rallies in Michigan and North Carolina while Hairs focuses efforts on Pennsylvania<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2645,"featured_media":2341375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/kamala-harris-couch-undecided.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3728,4021,5894,33182,32076],"class_list":["post-2341374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-election","tag-harris","tag-politics","tag-undecided-voters","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/kamala-harris-couch-undecided.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2645"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2341374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2341375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2341374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2341374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2341374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}