‘There’s a renewed sense of hope’: Democrats Intensify Campaign Following Harris Nomination
In a campaign video released on Friday, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison stated that most of the convention delegates have already cast their votes for Harris.
TroibNews 
Before she crossed the delegate threshold to become the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee on Friday, Kamala Harris enjoyed an outstanding week.
Her rally in Atlanta was packed with star-studded attendees. She is in the final stages of choosing her running mate. Top Democratic strategists, including David Plouffe and Stephanie Cutter, are joining her campaign’s senior ranks. Additionally, her campaign announced a formidable fundraising total, bringing in $310 million in July.
This financial advantage is already evident on the airwaves: Harris’ team is spending $50 million on its latest ad buy, far exceeding the $12 million expenditure by former President Donald Trump’s campaign.
“The campaign understands how important it is to define Harris early — to not give that opening to Trump,” said Dan Sena, a Democratic strategist. “The early spend is a twofold benefit to the campaign, to define and protect Harris while continuing to build a grassroots movement. … The campaign seems to be firing on all cylinders.”
On Friday, Harris gained "presumptive nominee" status, following an announcement by the Democratic National Committee chair via a Zoom call. Harris, who joined the call, said she “will officially accept your nomination next week, once the virtual campaign is closed. But already, I'm happy to know that we have enough delegates to secure the nomination.”
“Later this month, we will gather in Chicago, united as one party, where we're going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together,” Harris said.
Hitting the delegate threshold marked the end of a dramatic two-week stretch that altered the 2024 election landscape — from an attempted assassination of Trump to the elevation of Harris as the first Black woman nominee for the party’s presidential race next week.
Despite the successful week, it wasn’t without significant warning signs. On Friday, the Labor Department reported an unexpected rise in unemployment last month, with a slowdown in hiring, raising concerns about a potential economic downturn. This development poses a serious threat to Harris' campaign, given the economic struggles that plagued President Joe Biden's reelection efforts before he withdrew from the race.
“For Harris, the one piece of bad news came from those economic numbers, not just [lack of] job [growth], but layoffs, with agriculture in a downturn, tech in a downturn, housing on the bubble,” said Doug Herman, a California-based Democratic strategist. “There are a lot of things that aren’t controllable that are going to impact the campaign, and they’ve gotten themselves in a position to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate against pitfalls.”
“So, the economy is a problem that they have to mitigate against,” Herman added.
Mark Longabaugh, a top strategist for Bernie Sanders’ campaigns, emphasized the need for vigilance: while Democrats are “giddy” right now, “we also have to be very cognizant that the bad guys are coming, and they’re coming right at us.”
“We have to be ready for Swift Boat, for Willie Horton,” Longabaugh warned, highlighting the effectiveness of past Republican attacks. “The Republican playbook is pretty well-established, and we’ve got to be ready.”
The Trump campaign labeled Harris a “weak, failed, and dangerously liberal” politician who “has proudly and repeatedly celebrated her role as Joe Biden’s co-pilot on ‘Bidenomics,’” according to a statement from Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s national press secretary.
Currently, Harris appears to have momentum. The Democratic Party is focusing on battleground states, with the Harris campaign investing its additional funds.
The vice president’s operation is doubling its on-the-ground staff in North Carolina and Arizona and plans to hire another 150 staffers in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania in the next two weeks. In just the first 24 hours of her candidacy, the campaign received 2,000 new job applications.
In Arizona, the Maricopa County Democratic Party has seen an influx of 50 calls a day from new volunteers since Harris secured the top of the ticket, according to the party’s chair, Patti O’Neil. In Michigan, Alysa Diebolt, chair of the Macomb County Democratic Committee, mentioned that the party’s office has been flooded with requests for yard signs from supporters. They plan to print them after Harris announces her running mate.
“There's a renewed sense of hope,” Diebolt said. “There's a lot more energy than there was a month ago.”
This heightened energy has also fueled increased small-dollar donations. Two-thirds of the $310 million raised in July came from contributions of $200 or less. Numerous Zoom calls — from Latinas for Harris to White Dudes for Harris — recently raised more than $20 million, according to the campaign.
Harris is poised for another critical week as she is expected to reveal her vice-presidential pick before embarking on a five-day tour through Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona. She is conducting one-on-one interviews with some finalists at the end of this week. Her selection and subsequent campaign trail appearances will be closely watched.
Next week, Harris will also be formally nominated, with the DNC opting for a virtual roll call instead of an in-person nomination in Chicago, due to concerns over a potential Republican-led legal challenge to the party’s ballot access in Ohio.
“We will gather in Chicago, united as one party, where we're going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together,” Harris reiterated.
Liz Crampton contributed to this report.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
Her rally in Atlanta was packed with star-studded attendees. She is in the final stages of choosing her running mate. Top Democratic strategists, including David Plouffe and Stephanie Cutter, are joining her campaign’s senior ranks. Additionally, her campaign announced a formidable fundraising total, bringing in $310 million in July.
This financial advantage is already evident on the airwaves: Harris’ team is spending $50 million on its latest ad buy, far exceeding the $12 million expenditure by former President Donald Trump’s campaign.
“The campaign understands how important it is to define Harris early — to not give that opening to Trump,” said Dan Sena, a Democratic strategist. “The early spend is a twofold benefit to the campaign, to define and protect Harris while continuing to build a grassroots movement. … The campaign seems to be firing on all cylinders.”
On Friday, Harris gained "presumptive nominee" status, following an announcement by the Democratic National Committee chair via a Zoom call. Harris, who joined the call, said she “will officially accept your nomination next week, once the virtual campaign is closed. But already, I'm happy to know that we have enough delegates to secure the nomination.”
“Later this month, we will gather in Chicago, united as one party, where we're going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together,” Harris said.
Hitting the delegate threshold marked the end of a dramatic two-week stretch that altered the 2024 election landscape — from an attempted assassination of Trump to the elevation of Harris as the first Black woman nominee for the party’s presidential race next week.
Despite the successful week, it wasn’t without significant warning signs. On Friday, the Labor Department reported an unexpected rise in unemployment last month, with a slowdown in hiring, raising concerns about a potential economic downturn. This development poses a serious threat to Harris' campaign, given the economic struggles that plagued President Joe Biden's reelection efforts before he withdrew from the race.
“For Harris, the one piece of bad news came from those economic numbers, not just [lack of] job [growth], but layoffs, with agriculture in a downturn, tech in a downturn, housing on the bubble,” said Doug Herman, a California-based Democratic strategist. “There are a lot of things that aren’t controllable that are going to impact the campaign, and they’ve gotten themselves in a position to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate against pitfalls.”
“So, the economy is a problem that they have to mitigate against,” Herman added.
Mark Longabaugh, a top strategist for Bernie Sanders’ campaigns, emphasized the need for vigilance: while Democrats are “giddy” right now, “we also have to be very cognizant that the bad guys are coming, and they’re coming right at us.”
“We have to be ready for Swift Boat, for Willie Horton,” Longabaugh warned, highlighting the effectiveness of past Republican attacks. “The Republican playbook is pretty well-established, and we’ve got to be ready.”
The Trump campaign labeled Harris a “weak, failed, and dangerously liberal” politician who “has proudly and repeatedly celebrated her role as Joe Biden’s co-pilot on ‘Bidenomics,’” according to a statement from Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s national press secretary.
Currently, Harris appears to have momentum. The Democratic Party is focusing on battleground states, with the Harris campaign investing its additional funds.
The vice president’s operation is doubling its on-the-ground staff in North Carolina and Arizona and plans to hire another 150 staffers in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania in the next two weeks. In just the first 24 hours of her candidacy, the campaign received 2,000 new job applications.
In Arizona, the Maricopa County Democratic Party has seen an influx of 50 calls a day from new volunteers since Harris secured the top of the ticket, according to the party’s chair, Patti O’Neil. In Michigan, Alysa Diebolt, chair of the Macomb County Democratic Committee, mentioned that the party’s office has been flooded with requests for yard signs from supporters. They plan to print them after Harris announces her running mate.
“There's a renewed sense of hope,” Diebolt said. “There's a lot more energy than there was a month ago.”
This heightened energy has also fueled increased small-dollar donations. Two-thirds of the $310 million raised in July came from contributions of $200 or less. Numerous Zoom calls — from Latinas for Harris to White Dudes for Harris — recently raised more than $20 million, according to the campaign.
Harris is poised for another critical week as she is expected to reveal her vice-presidential pick before embarking on a five-day tour through Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona. She is conducting one-on-one interviews with some finalists at the end of this week. Her selection and subsequent campaign trail appearances will be closely watched.
Next week, Harris will also be formally nominated, with the DNC opting for a virtual roll call instead of an in-person nomination in Chicago, due to concerns over a potential Republican-led legal challenge to the party’s ballot access in Ohio.
“We will gather in Chicago, united as one party, where we're going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together,” Harris reiterated.
Liz Crampton contributed to this report.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
