Concerns within the Penn Democratic Party about the Harris campaign’s strategy
Point out lack of strategy targeting voters of color
<img src="https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/10/17/130236338.1.jpg" alt="U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris receives a bracelet as a gift from an 8-year-old child during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on the 14th (local time). Politico reported on the 16th that complaints are coming from within the state Democratic Party that the Harris camp’s strategy in Pennsylvania, the largest swing state, is poor. 2024.10.17 Lee = AP/Newsis”/>
Amid a public opinion poll showing that U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is trailing within the margin of error in seven battleground states, dissatisfaction with the election campaign is growing within the Democratic Party of Pennsylvania, the largest battleground state.
On the 16th (local time), Politico reported that Pennsylvania Democratic Party leaders are concerned about the Harris camp’s strategy, based on interviews with 20 Pennsylvania Democratic party officials, leaders, and supporters.
There are complaints that some of Harris’ aides do not have close relationships with key party figures in Philadelphia and its suburbs, are being excluded from campaign events or are not deploying agents effectively.
In particular, they are criticizing that the camp should do more to increase voter turnout of people of color.
Late last month, Latino and black Democratic Party leaders held a closed-door meeting with Harris officials in Philadelphia, where they reportedly demanded increased participation in local events and improved agency operations.
They also requested a more sophisticated understanding of how to communicate with various voting bases.
There are also great concerns about candidate Harris’ Pennsylvania campaign manager. There is a lack of understanding of Philadelphia, and the fact that he is from East Pittsburgh, which is the complete opposite of Philadelphia, where the black and Latino communities are located, is problematic.
Some point out that Philadelphia Mayor Cheryl Parker is not being utilized effectively. Mayor Parker, a black woman, was elected last year with a tough message on crime, so she believes it will help win over black voters and working-class white men.
“Pennsylvania (the strategy) is really a mess and incredibly disappointing,” said an anonymous Pennsylvania Democratic Party official. “I think we will win, but it will be a victory despite Harris’s campaign.”
Pennsylvania is considered a key region for this presidential election by both Democrats and Republicans. Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes, the largest number among swing states.
The Democratic Party needs to get Democratic voters from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and surrounding suburbs to the polls. In particular, if we fail to increase voter turnout among voters of color, Pennsylvania, of course, could lose the presidential election.
In response to these concerns, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, national manager of the Harris campaign, said in a statement that candidate Harris’ support activities for voters of color are stronger than those of the Republican Party, and that “candidate Harris is aggressively traveling throughout Pennsylvania.”
Meanwhile, according to a Harvard Institute of American Politics and Harris Poll poll released on the 14th, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is supported by 48% and Harris is supported by 46% in swing states.
[서울=뉴시스]