Balancing the posture, enthusing the base: Kamala Harris’s challenge in the last lap Premium

Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris focuses on rallying support from skeptics with help from Obama and Sanders in tight presidential race.

With the result all set to go down to the wire, the focus of Democrat Kamala Harris in the last week of the presidential polls campaign is on getting sceptics within the camp to get out and vote. Her key allies in this pursuit are former President Barack Obama and independent Senator Bernie Sanders who have made repeated pleas to social groups that traditionally supported the Democrats but are unenthused about voting for Ms. Harris. More than 60 million votes — about a fourth of the total — have already been cast as of Thursday (October 31, 2024). Voting concludes on November 5. Ms. Harris and her Republican opponent Donald J. Trump are urging the rest not to miss voting, but hesitant supporters may be more a concern for the former than the latter.

Ms. Harris has made an audacious attempt to stitch together a coalition of extremes — from socialists to neocons and sections of everyone in between, while maintaining a safe distance from the unpopular President Joe Biden, and seeking to redefine her own political profile in the process.

Proponents of many contradictory strands agree that a second presidency of Republican Donald Trump would be far worse for all of them than having Ms. Harris at the top. Key issues that confuse the Democratic base are the party’s, and specifically the candidate’s, approach towards Israel, the working class and corporate interests. Opinion polls have suggested discontent among African Americans and Latinos too — communities that Democratic strategists have traditionally taken for granted.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders specially addressed young voters, the working class, Israel critics and Palestinian supporters who are sceptical about Ms. Harris in recent days with the specific warning —“Donald Trump and his right-wing friends are worse.”

In stump speeches, interviews, a video message and in an OpEd, Mr. Sanders had one message to his supporters — Ms. Harris may not be the best on the question of unrestrained support for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s expanding war in West Asia and on working-class rights vis a vis corporation, but she is better than Mr. Trump.

Mr. Sanders counted himself among the critics of Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris on Israel, and promised to press for a change in U.S. policy, when she wins. Mr. Sanders is openly criticising the Democratic Party for its inadequate appreciation of the struggles of the working class and its linkages with big corporations, and the unqualified support for Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Sanders was a popular candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2016 which finally went to Hillary Clinton, but he continues to have his finger on the pulse of people who find Mr. Trump appealing.

Democratic establishment has been largely dismissive of the Trump base and this surfaces to the party’s detriment, occasionally. This week, Mr. Biden termed Trump supporters “garbage.” He tried to explain it away later, and Ms. Harris strongly dissociated herself from the sentiment. By acknowledging the grievance of the party’s own base, Mr. Sanders is deviating from the official campaign tone of euphoria, to win over the the disgruntled sections back. Mr. Sanders did exactly the same thing in 2020 for Mr. Biden, and the question is whether he can repeat it, particularly in the midst of a raging war in West Asia.