DES MOINES, Iowa — Presumed Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has less than four months to gather supporters to back her in November.
Local 5 asked Democratic strategists Ros Smith and Pete D’Alessandro about the tactics she’ll use on the campaign trail from now until election day.
Smith worked with the Joe Biden campaign in 2020 while D’Alessandro worked with the Bernie Sanders campaign in 2016 and 2020.
They believe Harris will reflect on her work as a prosecutor and show Americans what a country under her could look like.
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“I think what we’re seeing is new enthusiasm we hadn’t seen before,” D’Alessandro said.
Democratic strategists believe enthusiasm and hope came after Biden dropped out of the 2024 election.
“One of the greatest gifts Biden gave was direction,” Smith said. “He gave affirmative direction on who he believes could carry on his lineage and his work as president.”
In order for Harris to win, D'Alessandro said she has to directly address flaws with the border and economy, instead of ignoring the issues altogether.
“You can talk about the next steps instead of the fact that the average working person doesn’t feel that the economy is working for them,” D’Alessandro said.
Smith said Harris needs to remind voters about legislation she helped pass like the infrastructure deal, and steps she’ll take to further that work.
“In the time I’ve spent around Vice President Harris I would say she really connects with people on a personal level, and she really wants people to engage with her,” Smith said.
Harris also needs to sway young voters while strengthening her appeal to people within the Democratic Party.
“Double down on who already is in your camp and increase the voter turnout in those places,” D’Alessandro said.
If Harris gathers more supporters, strategists believe that those voters will likely help elect more Iowa Democrats.
“You might be able to get the ground troops in some state Senate races, some state House races, certainly someone like Lanon Baccam in the 3rd District,” D’Alessandro said.
While Democratic strategists don’t believe Harris will win Iowa, they said she has a strong voter base that will show up in November.