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Harris’ Final Plea on Trump in Election Winning
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Harris’ Final Plea on Trump in Election Winning


Kamala Harris, driven by young minority voters and women, is seeking to build a big bipartisan tent to win next week. Donald Trump’s somber final message helps.

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I said Kamala Harris would be a formidable candidate on Summer Day, President Joe Biden withdrew from and endorsed the 2024 presidential race.

My reasons included Harris’s deep ties to influential historically black institutions as a graduate of Howard University and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc.; its strength among women and young voters; and her experience as a prosecutor in a fight against a man in trouble with the law.

Since then, I have seen the Vice President, former U.S. Senator, and former California Attorney General exploit these assets. During Harris’ rise to the top of the Democratic ticket, the Divine Nine — the leading black Greek-letter organizations — issued a joint statement saying they would go to work for it. A Black Women for Harris fundraiser sprung up on social media, followed by several similar efforts, including White guys for Harris.

I’ve seen Harris and her running mate Tim Walz improve their party’s standing with women, youth and minority voters. She even significantly improved her numbers among black men, who, according to some polls, were less convinced by Harris’ candidacy.

Meanwhile, she raised $1 billion in funds in the three months she was in the race.

Election Day is fast approaching, Tuesday, November 5, and tens of millions of Americans – including me – have already cast their ballots. (Early voting and same-day registration in North Carolina runs through Saturday at 3 p.m.)

The race remains statistically tied, especially here in the swing state of North Carolina, where two recent polls from Elon University and WRAL show exact links.

But I feel like Harris finishes strong and Trump struggles to find a winning message. The campaign that gets its voters to participate will determine the election.

Here’s why I think the vice president’s momentum is more than just a moment and could carry her all the way to victory.

Kamala Harris’ message on abortion is winning

Harris’ strong defense of reproductive rights follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling. Dobbs decision which ended federal protection of abortion by Roe v. Wade. She has devoted part of her electoral fortune to writing messages on social networks and in traditional media which vividly illustrate the perils women face after Roe was overturned.

That’s one reason I think Harris is headed toward significant support from white women for a Democratic candidate — polls show her three to four points behind Trump with that demographic, while Trump has trailing Biden by 12. Meanwhile, I predict Harris will win. 95% black women, and that’s not a typo.

The gender gap Turnout in this race is broad, with women supporting Harris between 53 and 36 percent and men supporting Trump between 53 and 37 percent, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll.

But if you’re a gambler, you might want to entrust your chips to the women. They were regularly vote against men during the early voting period.

In North Carolina, where both parties and unaffiliated voters voted overwhelmingly, female voters hold a 10-point lead over men, 52 percent to 42 percent. according to the numbers of the North Carolina State Board of Elections. This gender gap tracks with national early voting numbers.

Harris is doing well among older Americans against Trump – for a Democrat

By the way, I also think Harris will catch a majority of older Americans, a rare occurrence these days for Democratic presidential candidates. She maintains a slim advance against Trump in the over-65 age group, according to recent polls.

Biden had already narrowed the gap with seniors during his victory against Trump in 2020, bringing him back to a deficit of 3 points – compared to 9 with Hillary Clinton and 6 with Barack Obama, according to a report from The New Republic.

I believe most seniors find Harris’ vision of the presidency less chaotic than Trump’s bleak worldview. They probably also like the positive and ambitious way she talks about our country. It sounds familiar and it feels good.

Will Republicans for Harris make a difference?

And then there are the Republicans. Harris saw opportunity in the growing number of Republicans opposed to Trump for a variety of reasons, including fear that he would subvert democracy. These GOP defectors include staunch conservatives like former Rep. Liz Cheney, who hit the campaign trail with Harris, and Trump’s former chief of staff, retired four-star general John Kelly, who said recently Trump would rule like a dictator and meets the definition of “fascist.” More than 100 Republican officials signed a public letter in support of Harris.

Traditionally, presidential candidates from both parties get about 10 percent from the other party on Election Day. Harris is looking to do better, leading Trump 51% to 46% in a recent ABC News poll.

American voters aligned with one party sometimes flirt with switching sides during a campaign, but return home come election time. This election cycle, many Republicans find themselves effectively homeless, separated from their beloved party by Trump and his dangerous rhetoric, his criminal record, his corrupt business practices, his sexual assault allegations and admissions, long-standing inveterate lying and rude behavior.

GenZ prepares a shock for the American electorate

I still think GenZ is underestimated, both in polls and in political discourse. Nearly 41 million of them, aged 18 to 27, will be able to vote and they vote at higher rates than previous generations of young people.

They will shock the world with the importance of their vote this time. Harris is an asset with these voters, with a 20 to 30 point lead over Trump.

Still, I talk to former politicians who are skeptical when I talk about the enthusiasm of young voters.

“Yes, but will they vote?” is a common counterpoint.

To which I quickly respond, “This time they will.” »

Trump’s dark election strategy and the lies that accompany it

Harris wins with these diverse groups for a reason. His personal story of growing up middle class in Black and Indian cultures resonated, despite his opponent Donald Trump’s comments. tries to mutilate him.

His message of expanding child care, helping people start businesses and buy homes is simply more appealing than the apocalyptic America Trump paints.

His campaign took on even darker, more broken shapes down the stretch. He freely denounced immigrants and propagated useless lies on federal disaster relief, as our fellow North Carolinians were already suffering after Hurricane Helene.

He continues to sow doubt about the American elections and continues to denigrate America. In a recent speech in swing state Arizona, Trump said that when it comes to immigration, the United States is the most important country. “trash for the world.”

Harris, Trump and two different visions at the Ellipse in Washington

What a contrast Harris presented Tuesday evening during his “final argument” at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. She will return to D.C., to Howard University, Tuesday evening to watch the homecoming.

Last Tuesday, she chose the same place where Trump fomented the deadly riots and failed insurrection of January 6, 2021.

“Just because someone disagrees with us doesn’t make them an ‘enemy within,’” Harris said, referring to Trump’s accurate description of his fellow Americans. “They are family, neighbors, classmates, co-workers. They are fellow Americans. And as Americans, we rise and fall together.

“America for too long has been riddled with too much division, chaos and mutual distrust, and it can be easy to forget a simple truth. It doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at [email protected] or 910-486-3559.