Harris is coming out of this debate looking like America's best kept secret
Voters of color needed to get to know Harris and see a strong contrast with Trump. She delivered.
Earlier today we laid out three things to watch out for in this debate:
Can she be McBelievable, convincing voters she is a fighter for the middle class and resist being marginalized as a ‘liberal elite’?
Can she Clapback on the issues where she’s the most vulnerable with her own base like economy and immigration?
Can she Go High, cutting through Trump’s divisiveness with the message of unity that was the top non-economic message that we surfaced among voters of color with less than a college degree?
Here are my scores, albeit after a couple glasses of rose:
Can she be McBelievable? 9/10
She delivered her personal story and clear policies aligned to her voters top concerns.
Can she Clapback? 8/10.
She hit back on immigration, fought hard on fracking, and prosecuted the case on election denialism and Trump’s weakness on the global stage.
Can she Go High? 10/10.
Debates are about contrasts and she consistently came back to a picture of the choice between looking backward with divisiveness, and looking forward together.
The MAGA minority aren’t going to be changed by this debate. But given the extraordinary way this campaign has unfolded, many voters are actually meeting VP Harris for the first time. Trump changed no one’s mind tonight about who he is, but I think VP Harris challenged a lot of perceptions and filled some critical gaps in understanding about who she is. As the next day unfolds, with key clips circulating on feeds and in private messages, I think that bubble will get even bigger and build positive momentum and fresh attention (and not just thanks to Taylor Swift).
Tonight, the candidate managed to come across as incredibly serious but still with a message of unity and optimism. She needled Trump sparingly but when she did, it was effective – pushing him onto his back foot. At the same time, she managed to keep projecting her winning message of turning the page. When under attack (albeit rambling, incoherent attack) she stood her ground and consistently took the higher ground. She sounded substantive and smart, and looked powerful while doing it.
Much of our research with the NewWorld Election Report shows that significant segments of her base (working people of color) don’t know where they stand on the election – or they don’t know what VP Harris stands for. And then on some key policies, they actually think that Trump might be better. There’s a lot of softness in people’s perceptions. They are moveable.
Tonight, in my view, she did what she needed to do.
Maybe I’ve got it wrong. You tell me. Throw your scores in the comments.
OK, full disclosure: I watched it with Andre. But I, with my independent brain, also thought she was excellent.
Here are my scores:
>> McBelievability: 7.5/10. She put a *bit* more meat on the bones of how she was going to fight for working Americans (small business stuff, housing supply, new family support, etc.) but I would have liked to hear a bit more concrete policy to flesh out the 'opportunity economy' idea.
>> Clapback – 9/10. Very strong in coming back at Trump when he lied (but not too much) and roasting him for the things that really goad him, like rally sizes (but, again, not too much)
>> Go High – 10/10. The vibes were impeccable from Kamala tonight. She struck the balance perfectly: a normal human up against an incoherent buffoon.
One thing that I don't think our three scores captured was how she might show real leadership on the genocide in Gaza. I thought her response to that question was canned and implicitly created false equivalency between Israeli suffering and Palestinian suffering. Both are real but the scale is incomparable. There are some areas where we want a candidate to not just respond to voters concerns and aspirations – but also to shape them and educate them. I wish she'd go there.
I’m a lifelong Republican, but this year I’ll be voting for Kamala Harris. I just put together a short post to help wake up fellow Republicans, and I think it offers some eye-opening insights. It’s a quick read, but it could make a big impact. If you have a moment, please take a look—you might find it thought-provoking.
https://open.substack.com/pub/donovanwashere/p/15-clear-signs-that-youve-either?r=13lrsx&utm_medium=ios