This is an adapted essay from “MSNBC Live Democracy 2024: The Insiders,” a virtual event featuring Jen Psaki, Steve Kornacki, Michael Steele and Claire McCaskill.
The days before an election are always a time of great anxiety. But as we approach this critical moment for our democracy, it’s important to take a step back, take a deep breath and relax.
So here are 10 reasons why supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris need not panic in these final days:
Number 1: We are more motivated.
Democrats’ enthusiasm is an ongoing trend in the polls. This isn’t always the case, and it certainly wasn’t the case in 2016. But since President Joe Biden stepped aside and Harris stepped in, we’ve had more enthusiasm on our side of the aisle.
Number 2: Harris has closed the economic gap.
The vice president started far behind Donald Trump on key economic issues, such as who voters think is better for the economy and who they think will take care of them. Those are the kinds of things that drive “feeling voters” – people who made up their minds in the last two weeks of the election. That’s a good sign for Harris.
Number 3: We know what we are doing in the field.
Just think of Trump’s buddy Elon Musk: he’s offering people $100 to sign a petition saying they support the First Amendment. Do you think the Democrats signed that petition? I think some did. I think there’s probably a whole bunch of $100 bills going out to people who are voting for Harris or have already voted.
Musk’s approach is not an accurate way to obtain data to find low-propensity voters. It’s just another example of the billionaire thinking he’s the smartest man in the world. Because he has no experience with political campaigns, he thinks he can handle getting people to the polls in a crucial state like Pennsylvania.
But our team Actually knows what they are doing. We have more experience. We’ve been building our ground game for over a year. That ground organization is one thing the Biden campaign did well, and Harris inherited it.
Number 4: It’s Trump’s brothers and billionaires versus you and your family.
The former president’s campaign is aimed at people who think Hulk Hogan cares about taking off his shirt. It’s aimed at white men, brothers who listen to Joe Rogan, and billionaires like Musk. That’s not very attractive to people like you and me. I believe this will cost them at the ballot box.
Numbers 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10: Dobbs and its impact on women.
We’ve already seen the data. Women are showing up. The polls were down in 2022 because no one expected the Democrats to do as well as they did. Reproductive rights were and continue to be a driving force for women voters.
And anyone who thinks that emotion has gone away when we see women dying and when we see women with difficult pregnancies losing the ability to have children – it doesn’t go away.
It is now being felt more acutely, emotionally and passionately by women in America than ever before. That includes Republican women and women married to Trump supporters. And I don’t care if they tell them to do it or not, I guarantee a whole bunch of them will vote for Harris this election.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
