Harris tries to shift the focus away from Trump on the border

How did Ms. Harris win the 2020 presidential election? Fabrizio’s tactics on border security, crime, policing, and the war in Gaza

The first is the party unity she enjoys because she didn’t have to fight in a Democratic primary. This is similar to a video game cheat code that will allow you to skip the early levels in order to fight the big bad boss at the end of the game. Harris didn’t have to be bashed by the Democratic presidential rivals over the course of the last year, most likely including some who are under consideration to be her vice-presidential nominee. While some of the out-of-the-mainstream views she espoused during her unsuccessful 2020 presidential run will no doubt follow her in this election, Ms. Harris benefits greatly from not yet having had to renavigate several issues that divide the Democratic Party these days, including border security, crime and policing, and the war in Gaza.

Tony Fabrizio, a top adviser to Donald Trump, knows how to get people to vote for him. He saw a path to a Trump victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016 that others didn’t. It is sensible to take polling memos with a grain of salt since they are often leaked to drive a preferred narrative, but I take it seriously when Mr. Fabrizio puts one out.

This is, to use the parlance of our time, a vibe shift. It’s hard for me to overstate the euphoria Republican activists were feeling about the election coming out of their convention in Milwaukee. A July survey by Echelon Insights found that most voters believed that Mr. Trump would win the election. Now, with around $200 million raised for Ms. Harris in the course of a week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a somewhat different result if you asked voters that question again.

Harris was only a few months into her time as vice president when Biden gave her a politically treacherous assignment: to find ways to deal with the deep-seated economic and societal problems driving tens of thousands of Central American people to try to seek asylum in the United States.

Harris tried to turn the table on the narrative, portraying herself as the hard-charging attorney general of a border state who spent years walking underground tunnels with law enforcement.

“I went after transnational gangs, drug cartels and human traffickers that came into our country illegally. I won in case after case, Harris said. “Donald Trump, on the other hand, has been talking a big game about securing our border, but he does not walk the walk,” she said.

Her first foreign trip was to Guatemala and Mexico, and Republicans slammed her for not first visiting border communities grappling with increased numbers of people. She became upset during an NBC interview and that caused Republican criticisms back home.

Republicans in Congress backed away from that bill, after some in the Senate had initially supported it. Biden and Harris blamed Trump for the bill collapsing because of the immigration issue. Biden later took executive action to try to accomplish some of the same goals, though it is being challenged in court.

“Donald Trump does not care about border security — he only cares about himself,” Harris said. She said she would sign the border security bill Donald Trump killed into law, and show him what real leadership looks like.

She talked about banning hidden fees and banks’ “surprise late charges” as the first issue to tackle, and said they would be taking on price gougers. She promised to cap prescription drug prices and take on corporate landlords. Harris highlighted the importance of paid leave policies and affordable health care.

Harris acknowledged that while many economic indictors show the U.S. economy is strong, people aren’t feeling it. “Prices are still too high: you know it “I know it,” she said.