{"id":2355489,"date":"2024-10-16T07:26:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T11:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-reasons-democrats-are-starting-to-panic-about-harris-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-16T07:30:11","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T11:30:11","slug":"five-reasons-democrats-are-starting-to-panic-about-harris-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-reasons-democrats-are-starting-to-panic-about-harris-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Five reasons Democrats are starting to panic about Harris- 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\">22<\/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%2Ffive-reasons-democrats-are-starting-to-panic-about-harris-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=2355489&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>In the context of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-rand-paul-offers-dr-rachel-levine-as-example-of-radical-agenda-riding-bidens-coattails\/\" title=\"Sen. Rand Paul Offers Dr. Rachel Levine As Example Of Radical Agenda Riding Biden\u2019s Coattails\">upcoming presidential election<\/a>, Democrats are increasingly anxious about Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s candidacy. Despite her initial injection of optimism following President Biden&#8217;s withdrawal from the\u2064 race, concerns remain regarding her \u2064ability to\u2062 maintain a\u200c strong\u200c lead against former\u200b President Donald Trump, who is performing competitively in key battleground states.<\/p>\n<p>Key reasons for this\u2064 unease\u2063 include:<\/p>\n<p>1. **The\u200b Trump Factor**: Many\u200d Democrats see Trump as a weaker \u200dcandidate due\u200c to his controversies and legal issues. However, his strong polling in \u2064critical states has left\u2063 many\u200b feeling anxious, particularly after past elections where\u2062 overconfidence \u200cproved detrimental.<\/p>\n<p>2. **Democracy at Stake**: \u2064The Democrats have \u2064framed the election\u2063 as a crucial defense\u200d of \u200bdemocracy, and the close nature of the race \u2063has prompted worry among\u200b party members, \u2063especially given Biden&#8217;s\u200c earlier failure to convey urgency on \u200bthe issue.<\/p>\n<p>3. **2016 Electoral Hangover**: Many Democrats \u2062still grapple with the memory \u2063of Trump&#8217;s unexpected victory\u200c in 2016, fostering a sense of skepticism toward current polling accuracy and\u2063 potential errors that could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-time-to-hold-the-biden-crime-family-accountable\/\" title=\"Time to hold the Biden crime family accountable\">repeat past \u200cmistakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>4. **Motivation Through \u2063Fear**: The looming fear\u200d of losing has been \u200bused by Democrats as a\u2062 rallying cry to \u200cengage voters. Harris&#8217;s underdog status may galvanize support, as her team has acknowledged the\u2062 need to mobilize voters amid\u2062 fears of a \u200bTrump \u2064resurgence.<\/p>\n<p>5. **Strategic \u200dAlliances**: Harris is \u2063focusing on\u2062 courting moderate Republicans\u2063 and anti-Trump voters, a shift aimed\u2064 at broadening her appeal while navigating \u2062the \u200cchallenges posed by Trump\u2019s \u200dpersistent electoral strength.<\/p>\n<p>while Harris leads \u2062in national \u200bpolling, \u200dher position is precarious and reflects deeper concerns within the \u2063Democratic party, stemming from Trump\u2019s\u2064 unexpected \u200bcompetitiveness and the \u2063enduring effects of past electoral\u200d miscalculations.  <\/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\">Five reasons Democrats are starting to panic about Harris<\/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_1836185\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A growing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3182431\/harris-walz-missteps-media-blitz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sense of unease<\/a> has set in among Democrats, who fear a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections.\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>presidential election<\/a> they thought they had won by switching the top of the ticket <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3189809\/trump-harris-betting-odds-2024-swing-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>might be slipping away<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris<\/a> has abandoned her cautious media strategy, deigning to appear even on Fox News, a cable network both she and President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden <\/a>were at pains to avoid earlier.&nbsp;So far, the results have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3181278\/howard-stern-gushes-harris-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>mixed at best<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Liberal opinion leaders are urging their readers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/13\/opinion\/polls-harris-trump.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ignore the polls<\/a>, following a previous pattern of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2953747\/trumps-small-but-enduring-lead-revives-polling-skepticism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>polling denial <\/a>(or at least skepticism) that ended in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3010840\/liberals-sound-alarm-biden-losing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>acceptance that Biden was losing<\/a> and citing the same polls to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3087602\/the-tide-is-turning-against-biden-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> chase him out<\/a> of the presidential race. Less than a month before his exit, Biden doubters were <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/06\/30\/us-news\/biden-campaign-rips-bedwetting-brigade-in-blast-touts-poll-pegging-him-stronger-than-other-dems\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>dismissed<\/a> as the &ldquo;bedwetting brigade.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Harris is still leading in the national <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/president\/general\/2024\/trump-vs-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>RealClearPolitics <\/em>polling average<\/a> by 1.4 points. But Biden led by 9.4 points and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hillary-clinton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Hillary Clinton<\/a> by 6.7 at the exact same point in 2020 and 2016, respectively. Former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> is for the third straight election cycle running stronger in the battleground states that will decide the Electoral College majority, and thus the presidency, than he is nationally. Harris&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-economic-advisor-bernstein-declines-to-rule-out-economic-recession\/\" title=\"White House Economic Advisor Bernstein declines to rule out economic recession\">current national lead<\/a> is also smaller than Clinton&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/contested-election-how-a-close-race-with-dueling-polls-creates-risk-of-surprises-delays-and-doubts-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Contested election: How a close race with dueling polls creates risk of surprises, delays, and doubts - Washington Examiner\">final popular vote margin<\/a> when she lost to Trump.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/live-blog\/2024-election-campaign-live-updates-harris-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON THE TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Democrats&rsquo; panic may be premature. But it is based on five reasons.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. The Trump factor<\/h2>\n<p>Put simply, many Democrats do not believe Trump should be at all competitive in this race. Many of their elected officials and top strategists have little appreciation of his political skills or appeal. Trump was impeached twice, presided over a pandemic and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, has now been indicted numerous times across multiple jurisdictions, has been convicted in the only one of those cases to go to trial before the election following other adverse civil judgments against him, and was thought to have left office discredited as a political force.<\/p>\n<p>But Trump is tied or leading in most of the battleground states, albeit within the margin of error, and polling better nationally than he has in any of his three presidential campaigns. Democrats have a tendency to lose confidence in any candidate who cannot build a clear lead over him.<\/p>\n<p>Before the June 27 debate, Democrats were worried that an 81-year-old Biden was no longer up to the job of beating Trump. Biden&rsquo;s performance onstage with Trump and subsequent failed cleanup attempts proved this beyond a reasonable doubt to most Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Less than a month later, Democrats swapped Biden out for Harris, who is younger and a skilled messenger in scripted settings, at least. Initially, the gambit seemed to work. And she is still up 1.4 points in the same polling average where Biden trailed by 3.1 points at the time he dropped out of the race. But the fact that the race is back within the margin of error has undercut Democrats&rsquo; confidence in Harris now as well.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. It&rsquo;s the democracy, stupid<\/h2>\n<p>Relatedly, Democrats have framed this election as a referendum on democracy. If the survival of democracy is on the ballot, the race being no better than a coin flip is bound to horrify Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Biden ran heavily on the themes of democracy and Jan. 6, giving many speeches on these subjects. But he did not otherwise display any urgency equal to the task of saving democracy, with a lackluster campaign schedule and increasingly unsteady live oratory.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Harris moved away from these themes when she took over as the presidential nominee. She has returned to them more as the race enters the homestretch and now faces a similar problem: She and her surrogates are saying democracy is on the line while at the same time telling Democrats to be patient and rely on their ground game to inch past Trump in the battleground states. It&rsquo;s too close for comfort.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. 2016 hangover&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>Many Democrats will never get over the feeling of confidently assuming Trump would lose only to see him elected president. Trump would not have the same element of surprise this time around. But the psychic effects of his upset victory on the Left still endure.<\/p>\n<p>There was a pretty big polling miss in the battleground states the year Trump won, which led to overconfidence that Clinton&rsquo;s small national lead would translate into an Electoral College majority. Trump overperformed his poll numbers again in 2020, though it was not enough to secure a second term. But he&rsquo;ll get one now if there is any kind of polling error like the last two presidential elections.<\/p>\n<p>A big debate is whether Trump&rsquo;s obvious competitiveness this year &mdash; he enjoyed polling leads over Biden dating back to 2023 &mdash;&nbsp;suggests that those polling errors have been fixed. Others do not think the public pollsters are willing or able to spend enough money to correct for the response rate bias that leads to these problems. Thus there has been <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/2waytvapp\/status\/1844803367740096811\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>rumbling<\/a> about expensive private polls that were used to nudge Biden aside and are said to look gloomy for Harris now.<\/p>\n<p>Most political reporters have seen dubious internal polls selectively leaked by campaigns, and sometimes those numbers are rosier than the reality. At the same time, pollsters hired by candidates to help them make decisions about advertising spending and where to campaign can pay a higher professional price for inaccuracy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Fear is a good motivator<\/h2>\n<p>After weeks of being buoyed by positive media coverage and good &ldquo;vibes,&rdquo; it is possible that the assessments of the race have been overcorrected in Trump&rsquo;s favor. If so, that is not necessarily bad news for Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Fear of losing a close race can keep donors engaged and prevents complacency from setting in among voters, who need motivation to go to the polls. With Biden as the nominee, many Democrats were in danger of losing all hope. With Harris, there is still a sense of the possible, even if Trump cannot be counted out. But she has never hesitated to describe herself as the underdog in the race.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have used fear and loathing of Trump to turn out their voters for eight years. It has worked more often than not. It could help them pull through in a bad national environment one more time.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Democrats vs. Dick Cheney<\/h2>\n<p>A final worry is rooted in a strategic decision Harris has made since leapfrogging Biden. Her team clearly believes that ex-Republicans and current anti-Trump GOP voters are an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/medicare-for-all-activist-who-confronted-legislators-dies-at-age-39\/\" title=\"Activist for &#039;Medicare for all&#039; dies at 39 after confronting legislators.\">important swing vote<\/a> in this race. She has appeared alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/liz-cheney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Liz Cheney<\/a> and touted her father&rsquo;s endorsement. Dick Cheney was once as polarizing a vice president as Harris and as unpopular with Democrats as Trump.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Harris has also abandoned or muted many of the progressive positions she took in her previous presidential campaign, which did not last to the Iowa caucuses. She is doing so despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3184401\/harris-weak-support-minority-men-could-cost-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>fissures emerging<\/a> in the Democratic coalition. She has attempted a last-ditch appeal to black men but has still seen some erosion with union households, Hispanics (especially men), and even young voters compared to Biden&rsquo;s 2020 showing. There are also leftists unhappy with her handling of Israel and Gaza. They probably won&rsquo;t be appeased even if she hits it out of the park on Fox.<\/p>\n<p>Whether Harris can compensate for any defections by attracting an offsetting number of predominantly white, erstwhile Republican suburbanites could do a long way toward deciding the election. Worries that this won&rsquo;t pan out plague Democratic doubters.<\/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_1836185\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1836185\"}});<\/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>Democrats are increasingly anxious about Harris&#8217;s campaign<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2355490,"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\/10\/kamala_harris_panic.webp.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32431,3685,32438,43103,32076],"class_list":["post-2355489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2024-election","tag-democrats","tag-kamala-harris","tag-political-panic","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/kamala_harris_panic.webp.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355489","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\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2355489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2355489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2355490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2355489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2355489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2355489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}