Kamala Harris, Hoping to Build Momentum, Plans Battleground State Tour Next Week
The New York Times
After accepting the nomination, Ms. Harris was flying back to Washington on Friday for a weekend respite before returning to the campaign trail next week.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign for president is entering a new phase, shifting from a 33-day sprint to the convention to something more familiar: Preparing for a debate and pivoting to getting out the vote.
On Friday afternoon, Ms. Harris plans to fly back from Chicago to Washington, where she will spend the weekend decompressing from the mind-spinning turn of events that led to her accepting the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday night.
She will begin preparing for what will be her first national interview — which she has said will take place by the end of August — and for the Sept. 10 debate with Donald J. Trump, according to campaign officials briefed on her plans who were not authorized to reveal them before they are formally announced.
The officials said Ms. Harris will return to the campaign trail next week with events in multiple battleground states, where she will aim to extend the enthusiasm generated at this week’s convention in Chicago.
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, her running mate who was plucked from relative political obscurity 17 days ago, will return to his state before heading back on the campaign trail next week.
Presidential candidates typically come out of their conventions trying to build momentum with bus tours or rallies. Ms. Harris’s choice to delay the traditional barnstorming reflects the supercharged pace of the last few weeks and the changed nature of modern campaigns, where social media posts can be as important as speeches. It also is evidence of a shift from a sprint to more of a middle-distance effort that requires endurance and speed in equal measures.
