Former President Trump is trying to put Vice President Harris at a disadvantage as both candidates respond to the damage caused by Hurricane Helen.
President Trump visited Georgia on Monday and criticized the federal government's response to the storm. Her visit comes days after she criticized Harris and President Biden over the crisis. Meanwhile, Harris will cut short her planned trip to the West Coast and attend a briefing on the disaster at Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters.
The storm's aftermath could disrupt the election. Two particularly hard-hit states, Georgia and North Carolina, are key battleground states that could tip the scales in the race for the White House.
“Millions of people are without power. In two of the most important battleground states, there are tens of thousands who have lost everything in the month since the election,” said Republican strategist Ford O'Connell. .
Severe flooding and winds have battered the Southeast for days since Helen made landfall in Florida late last week, destroying infrastructure and leaving millions without power. The death toll is nearing 100 as the storm hits states including the Sunshine State, Georgia and the Carolinas, according to the Associated Press.
The storm has had a major humanitarian impact and also created political complications in the final weeks of the election cycle, with just over a month until Election Day.
Both Georgia and North Carolina are considered key issues in this year's presidential election. According to the latest Decision Desk/The Hill polling averages, Harris' fast-tracked bid is leading in battleground states, with Trump gaining by just a few percentage points in both states.
Trump won both states in 2016, but in 2020 he won only North Carolina, while Biden won Georgia.
Opinion polls show close races in two battleground states in the southeast. Trump leads by 0.5 points in North Carolina and 0.2 points in Georgia, according to averages from Decision Desk Headquarters.
“North Carolina and Georgia are likely to be decided by tens of thousands of voters,” O'Connell said. “It's going to have a huge impact on voting in those states.”
One of the areas hardest hit by the storm was Asheville, North Carolinaa Democratic stronghold that could be key to a potential Harris victory. Democratic strategist Fred Hicks said it could be “nearly impossible” for Harris to win the Tar Heel state if voters don't or can't vote.
Trump has a 2-point lead in Florida, and Democrats are bullish about reversing that lead this fall.
Voters will focus on presidential candidates' responses to the crisis, strategists say.
Campaigning in Pennsylvania on Sunday, Trump accused incumbent Biden of “sleeping through” the crisis as he spent the weekend at his home base in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and said Harris was “sleeping through the crisis”. He should stay.''
The former president visited Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday to inspect the damage caused by the storm and express support for those affected by the disaster. He said he had talked with Elon Musk about providing Starlink internet service to people without power, and that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) “had a hard time calling the president.” “There is,” he claimed without any evidence.
But Kemp said Sunday that he had discussed the hurricane with Biden.
“Because it's Georgia, and it's a swing state, he can strategically do two things: revisit states that are important to him in the election and show that he cares about the people there.” he said. Audrey Haynes is a political science professor at the University of Georgia.
Harris held a rally Sunday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she thanked first responders with melancholy words about Helen and sent prayers to those affected by the storm. After her event concluded, her team announced a last-minute schedule change, canceling a planned campaign stop to return to the nation's capital for a FEMA briefing.
Haines said Harris will look “presidential” on the FEMA trip, but could ultimately benefit from visiting one of the affected areas.
White House officials said Harris will visit affected communities “as soon as possible without disrupting emergency response efforts.” Biden also said he plans to visit North Carolina by Wednesday or Thursday this week, noting that “if you have aides there, that could cause some confusion.”
Democrats praised the Biden administration's response and said the president and vice president must time their visits carefully to avoid creating a logistical burden on local recovery efforts.
Morgan Jackson, a North Carolina-based Democratic strategist, argued it would be “wise” for Harris and Biden to refrain from making an immediate visit.
Democratic strategist Anjuan Seawright said, “Most true leaders believe that when a crisis occurs, efforts to mobilize the necessary resources and have the president and vice president on the scene are not helpful. “I understand that it will cause more problems than anything.” .
But that didn't stop the Republican attacks.
On Monday, an email from the Trump campaign touted Trump's trip to Georgia and accused Harris of being “missing in action.”
“Neither Mr. Harris nor Mr. Biden were at the hurricane center over the weekend. That doesn't send a good message to the people on the ground,” O'Connell said.
“[Trump] He showed leadership.” “It was good politics and smart from a humanitarian standpoint.”
Seawright denounced Trump's visit as “political” and noted that its impact will not be felt on the ground in the same way as it was for the former president.
“Frankly, I think President Trump's visit should be seen as more of a political one because there's nothing he can do as a presidential candidate at this point,” he said.
Mr. Jackson rejected Mr. Trump's attempts to call out Ms. Harris, claiming that Ms. Harris was trying to politically twist the tragedy to her own “personal gain.”
Mr. Haines argued that Mr. Trump's attempt to defend Ms. Harris was a sign of his potential troubles in the latest polls.
Another state affected by the storm was Florida, once considered a classic battleground state. Hurricanes in past election years have impacted the state, such as the state being hit by four hurricanes during the 2004 presidential campaign. Then-President George W. Bush visited the state in his capacity as president, while his Democratic opponent at the time, then-Senator Bush, visited the state. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) visited at the invitation of then-Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida).
In 2018, then-Gov. Rick Scott (R), who is seeking re-election to the Senate this year, announced his response in the midst of hurricane season.
“If you want to talk about hurricanes, [recovery]And Rick Scott, Rick Scott is going to win every day, no matter where he is,” O'Connell said.
Scott called on Monday for the Senate to reconvene to consider additional Hurricane Helen aid.
Still, Florida Democrats are attacking Trump and Scott, who are up for re-election in the state, in the aftermath of the storm. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried criticized the state's Republican leadership over its stance on climate change and insurance during a call with reporters Monday.
“I would say this moment has created a perfect storm in our state where we've seen the Republican leadership in our state continue to fail the people,” Fried said. “And what Donald Trump says, even if it's consistent, has nothing to do with this issue, because he doesn't understand the needs of the people of this state either.”
There are still four weeks until Election Day, but some are optimistic that states will recover quickly. but, flooded road, postal service disruption And with many in the Southeast having been forced from their homes, Helen could hinder voters trying to cast their ballots both by mail and at polling places.
It could also reduce voters' motivation to cast a ballot, Hicks said. Early voting is scheduled to begin in both states in the middle of next month.
On the contrary, Haines suggested that the crisis could energize affected Americans.
“This may motivate some people to vote because ultimately they think, 'Oh my God, there's a storm coming inland.' This is not normal,” Haines said. said.
