Democrats in competitive House races want Harris’ momentum without running toward her

Democratic Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada is in the fight of her political life as she tries to hold onto her congressional seat in one of the most competitive House races in the country.

Democratic Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada is in the fight of her political life as she tries to hold onto her seat in one of the most competitive House races in the country. Lee, who prides herself on focusing on local issues and staying away from the top of her party’s ticket, says that her region has seen a 400% increase in volunteers since Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, injecting a critical surge in her House race that was always going to come down to turnout. “That type of enthusiasm, increased volunteerism, that is what is going to get us over the finish line,” Lee told CNN. But just because Harris has potentially enticed voters off the couch and to the table, does not mean Democrats like Lee, whose race could determine whether her party regains control of the House of Representatives, are planning to change their message and further align themselves with Harris. “I will continue to run the race the way I’ve always run my race, which is focusing on hyper-local issues,” the Nevada Democrat added. In conversations with nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers and candidates running in competitive races across the country, a common theme emerged. With Harris and her new running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats have felt a tangible bump of energy in their districts, through spikes in volunteers, donations and event turnout. But that hasn’t resulted in a shift in campaign strategy, with most in nail-bitter races still wanting to keep the top of the ticket at an arm’s length from the campaigns they have built around local issues.