Vice President Kamala Harris, who has given just one interview since entering the presidential race, plans to give several local and national interviews in the coming weeks, according to campaign memos reported by the Journal. The New York Times.
The announcement was a shift in strategy and came just two days after Ms Harris appeared to avoid most questions in the first presidential debate, with political commentators criticising her for being particularly evasive on the first question about the economy, a top issue for voters.
“Despite the economy being the biggest issue facing the country, the incumbent vice president generally retreated to talking about some of her policy proposals,” CNN's Jake Tapper said after the debate. “Even Harris' allies say she needs to say more about what she'll do for Americans if elected.”
Harris has been in power for three and a half years. Under the Biden-Harris administration, inflation has generally risen by an average of about 20%.
“When it comes to the economy, do you think Americans are better off than they were four years ago?” ABC News debate moderator David Muir asked Harris.
Harris Responded He sidestepped the question by replying to Muir, “I was raised a middle-class kid, and actually, I'm the only person on this stage who has a plan for uplifting middle-class and working-class America.”
According to the memo, Harris will be conducting local interviews in battleground media markets and “participating in an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists next week.” Times Reported:
Harris' aides are excited by her debate presence and Trump's inability to mount a consistent, coherent attack, but they are only just beginning to fine-tune their strategy. The next step, aides say, will be to raise Harris's profile on the campaign trail, which could involve local politicking, more press appearances and getting in front of as many voters as possible in battleground states. Aides believe the essence of the race will remain the same.
But in a country where many voters are calling for decisive change and have expressed dissatisfaction with President Biden's leadership, Harris remains a key member of an unpopular administration.
Ms. Harris's confusion was summed up in the debate's first question: whether she thought Americans were better off now than they were four years ago. Instead of answering directly, she talked about her middle-class upbringing and her plans to help working families. It was as if she felt it was unwise to either embrace Mr. Biden too closely or to keep him too obviously distant.
Harris' team faces a conundrum: By campaigning on policies to improve crime, inflation and border security, she would undermine the policies of the Biden-Harris administration, but she must tout those policies to justify her record and her candidacy.
A majority said former President Donald Trump represents change.
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