November 6th 2024.
It was supposed to be a moment of excitement and anticipation, as a panel of women eagerly welcomed Kamala Harris to The View, a popular daytime talk show. These women represented the type of audience that the vice president's campaign had hoped would support her. It was a crucial opportunity to connect with the American public, and the pressure was on for Harris to make a strong impression.
However, things quickly went downhill as the co-host, Sunny Hostin, asked Harris a question that caught her off guard. Harris struggled to come up with a satisfactory answer, and even she realized that she had a problem. She was torn between wanting to be loyal to President Joe Biden, who had chosen her as his running mate, and speaking her mind about their differences on certain issues.
The moment highlighted one of the biggest challenges facing Harris and her campaign – the struggle to find her voice and effectively communicate her message. As her team scrambled to clean up the aftermath of her response, it became clear that this was just one of many difficulties they faced. Despite a strong start and a successful debate performance, the campaign had hit a rough patch in October.
As new aides exerted control and pushed Harris out of her comfort zone, she became hesitant and lost some of the confidence and swagger that had defined her earlier in the race. This was a source of frustration for both her team and top Democrats who saw her potential to bring much-needed change to the country. But as the election results poured in, it became clear that the campaign had fallen short.
Many Democrats had placed their hopes on Harris, seeing her as a symbol of progress and the potential first female president. But as the night wore on, it became apparent that they needed to prepare for a different outcome. Despite their massive campaign efforts and the support of high-profile figures, including former President Bill Clinton and GOP representative Liz Cheney, Harris was facing defeat.
The thought of a Trump victory was unsettling for many Democrats, and Senator Cory Booker urged his team to keep fighting until the very end. He reminded them that giving up was not an option, and the future of the country was at stake. As the night came to a close, it was clear that this was just the beginning of a long and challenging road ahead for the Democratic party. But they were determined to keep pushing forward, no matter what the outcome.
The atmosphere was electric as the panel of women eagerly awaited the arrival of Kamala Harris. They were excited to introduce her to their dedicated daytime audience, made up of the very women that the Vice President's campaign had been targeting from the beginning.
It was a crucial moment that captured one of the biggest challenges facing her campaign – a challenge that would ultimately prove to be insurmountable. Sunny Hostin, co-host of ABC's The View, wasted no time in asking Harris a tough question: "If you were in President Biden's shoes, what would you have done differently in the past four years?"
Harris thought for a moment before confidently responding, "There is not a single thing that comes to mind." However, she soon realized that her answer might not have been the best one. In an attempt to clarify, she mentioned that she would have included a Republican in her cabinet.
But her aides were already working to clean up the situation, even before she left the set. One Democrat who had spoken with Harris at the time revealed that she didn't want to highlight any differences she may have had with President Biden, such as her stance on a higher capital gains tax rate, a larger child tax credit, and a tougher border policy. She didn't want to appear disloyal to the man who had chosen her as his running mate and then graciously stepped aside for her.
This incident was a major blow to the campaign, which was already struggling in the month of October. The once enthusiastic and confident Harris was now struggling with preparation and seemed to have lost her spark. Her aides, who had previously pushed her out of her comfort zone, were now facing obstacles that they couldn't seem to overcome.
CNN spoke with numerous senior Harris campaign aides, both at the campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware and on the ground in various states, as well as volunteers and local elected officials, in the final weeks leading up to the election.
The country was desperate for change and Harris was the candidate who could deliver it. However, at a crucial moment when more voters were tuning in, she seemed to shy away from promoting the change she represented. In comparison to the Democratic tickets of previous years, which saw a surge in approval ratings and quick consolidation around a new candidate, Harris' campaign seemed to be faltering.
But the problem ran deeper than just her campaign staff. Internal polls showed that a large majority of voters believed the country was headed in the wrong direction. And despite her attempts to clarify her position on certain issues, such as the economy and Israel, she struggled to gain the support of voters in the center and on the left.
Looking back, many top Democrats were frustrated with the way things played out. They believed that if Biden had stepped aside after the midterms, the Democratic Party could have gone through a primary process where candidates' differences could have been worked out. This would have given the eventual nominee more time to connect with voters and make a stronger case for their candidacy.
As the election drew nearer, there was a sense of optimism within the Harris campaign. They believed that if the election had taken place just two weeks earlier, she would have secured a victory. But as the night progressed and the results came in, it became clear that this was not the case.
Despite the loss, many Democrats are determined to keep fighting. Senator Cory Booker, after a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, warned his team to not give up hope. He reminded them that regardless of the outcome, they needed to continue moving forward and working towards a better future. He urged them to not give up and to not entertain the thought of fleeing to Canada if things didn't go their way.
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