Kamala Harris allies seek to keep the 'Biden coalition' in the fold
As President Joe Biden fought to remain in the presidential race this summer, advisers often argued there existed a “Biden coalition” — a cohort only the incumbent could hold together.
As President Joe Biden fought to remain in the presidential race this summer, advisers often argued there existed a “Biden coalition” — a cohort only the incumbent could hold together. With Vice President Kamala Harris atop the Democratic ticket, there has been a shift in the focus on these voters, like white working-class voters in places like Pennsylvania, seniors and union members.
A pro-Harris super PAC has been running a series of ads — in heavy rotation during the Major League Baseball playoffs — featuring testimonials from working-class voters, as well as voters who say they previously backed former President Donald Trump, that echo Biden’s message. A coalition of labor groups targeting union members in battleground states is pointing to Biden’s term in office. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has trained his sights on keeping voters who backed Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020 in the Democratic camp with a populist, progressive pitch that leans on Biden’s accomplishments.
And Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, has had a campaign itinerary that closely mirrors what Biden’s had been in this and previous election cycles. On Friday in Scranton, Pennsylvania — Biden’s hometown — Walz made the case for a new Democratic candidate by highlighting their shared values.
“That patriotism, that fierce patriotism, putting the American people first, is exactly what guides Kamala Harris in the course of her entire career,” Walz said at the same venue where Biden gave an economic address in April.
Biden advisers insist that the president continues to reach key constituencies, albeit in a more under-the-radar fashion. On Friday, he held an official event on tribal land in Arizona, talking to a group of voters who helped tip that state for him four years ago.
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