Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers, stakeholders and operatives are sounding the alarm over Harris Walz's campaign in the state — polls show enthusiasm for the party is significantly higher than it was four years ago. It has been shown that there is a decline in
With less than three weeks left until Election Day, sources told The Post and others that the Democratic campaign is receiving “out-messages” from Republicans as both parties contest for 19 key electors in the Keystone State. .
An operative said Wednesday that the vice president and his allies are stuck with the task of reaching out to nonwhite voters who helped propel President Biden to the top in his birth state in 2020.
“They should be able to connect better with voters of color,” the official said.
“And I think the reason they're struggling with that is … they're not leveraging the role of local elected officials, the trusted messengers at the lowest level, or local governments like mayors.”
“Some of it is just basic political activity that you would expect on a campaign trail, like if you're in a Democratic state representative's district, you're usually invited to events,” the operative continued. Ta. “And there are many examples where that didn’t happen.”
The main scapegoat was Nikki Lu, Harris Walz's Pennsylvania campaign manager.
“We're concerned about Nikki Lou,” said Ryan Boyer, business manager for the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council union. told Politico. “I don't think she understands Philadelphia.”
Other elected officials told the outlet anonymously that Mr. Lew was “inactive” and “reinforcing the culture” within his campaign, where he was being ignored and disrespected. He complained that he was making her feel uncomfortable.
Black and Latino Democratic leaders who met with the Harris campaign in Philadelphia last month also expressed disappointment with the ground campaign, five people told Politico, one of whom said the campaign was a big hit with Hispanic and Asian voters. “The party's infrastructure does not exist” to reach people, he said.
Lawmakers like Democratic Easton Mayor Salvatore Panto Jr., seat of the battleground state Northampton County, sabotaged his own party's communications strategy.
Punt: “I think Democrats are getting a tough message from Republicans.'' told Fox News Monday. “There's one commercial where Kamala Harris says, 'Well, that's Bidennomics,' and I think that's hurting the issue because the Trump campaign is saying, 'Things are really bad.' I think I could have communicated it better.”
The campaign recently sought to boost morale by hiring Paulette Aniskov, who served as Pennsylvania field director under President Barack Obama in 2008, as a senior adviser to strengthen its vote-getting efforts.
“I don't think Nicki should take all the blame, but at the end of the day, she's been leading the campaign and leading herself,” a Democratic operative told the Post. told. I have to quit with you. ”
The official added that in contrast to Mr. Lu, Mr. Aniskov is seen as having a business-like approach and deep knowledge of the coalition needed to win in Pennsylvania.
Asked for comment by the Post on Wednesday, Boyer restated some of his concerns about Lew, paraphrasing longtime Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neill.
“All campaigns are local,” he said. “And you have to be hyperlocal.
“Right now, we're just trying to find voters and get them to vote.”
But Boyer told Politico that “the campaign heard the cries and revised” some of his complaints.
Asked about the Teamsters and other unions refusing to support Harris, Boyer said, “I'm not concerned,” as the majority of rank-and-file members have shifted to support Republicans. It ignored an internal investigation that showed that.
As of Wednesday, former President Donald Trump, 78, led Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, by 0.3 points, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
“Either way, we're within two points,'' Boyer said. “That data is very consistent with what we're seeing on the ground, and it's going to be a tough race.”
Internal polling suggests Mr. Trump has an advantage, and the 45th president has a strong lead in swing states in 2016 among independent, black and Hispanic voters, and voters ages 18 to 44. The performance in 2020 is the best.
On Sunday, the Trump campaign voluntarily released its own poll, revealing the former president's approval rating. 2 digit percentage points Among those voting groups.
Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have increased their visits to the winning state and spent hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising.
“The vice president should move here at this point and camp for the next three weeks,” said the operative who spoke to the Post, only half-joking.
The campaign also includes prominent surrogates such as former President Barack Obama and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, even after Harris ceded the latter position to her running mate.
Both Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump have struggled in northwestern Erie County, long seen as a flag-bearer, but the Democrat has largely held sway in deep-blue cities like Bucks, north of Philadelphia, where Ms. Harris appeared on Wednesday. The campaign is focused on rallying support for Harris in rural areas and suburban counties.
But signs of despair remain.
President Obama criticized a lack of “energy” among black male voters in the Harris campaign during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh last week.
“There are certainly those concerns,” the operative acknowledged, citing mobilization efforts with black media in the state and black proxies like Democratic Lt. Gov. Austin Davis.
“Our campaign is running the largest and most sophisticated campaign in Pennsylvania history,” Harris national campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement to Politico. “Starting in August 2023, we invested in ads targeting Black and Latino voters, and now have spent more on reaching these communities than any presidential campaign to date. .”
Representatives for the Harris campaign did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
