Democrats hopeful Harris can reignite the magic of Obama's 2008 run
Packed arenas, bonkers fundraising and new volunteers all point to Barack Obama-like momentum with the Kamala Harris campaign. But some remain skeptical.
CHICAGO — Hang out long enough at a Democratic event these days and someone will say it: “It feels like 2008.”
The packed arenas, the bonkers fundraising, early reports of voter registration spikes, the hundreds of thousands of new volunteers who’ve stepped forward — and all of it in just the five weeks since Vice President Kamala Harris moved to the top of the ticket — have had Democrats betting they’ve captured the magic of 2008. It was a transformative year in Democratic politics, setting Barack Obama on a path to become the first Black president. He won decisively, taking 365 electoral votes.
In interviews with party officials, volunteers and campaign officials, common themes emerged that they say make today reminiscent of 2008. Phone calls are streaming into their offices with voters proactively wanting to help, many from people who haven’t volunteered before. Younger voters are engaging. Small-dollar donations are pouring in, a third of which in the last week were from first-time donors. And large-dollar donors who hadn’t given to the party in years are getting off the sidelines.
Gillian Rosenberg Armour, who was Obama’s 2008 deputy political director for the Iowa caucuses, said the lack of a divisive primary campaign that could have splintered the party and an intense desire to defeat Donald Trump set this year apart. She said she sees trend lines that point to the same level of voter engagement and argued that Harris stands to unite more coalitions — including Black, Asian and female voters — than even Obama did.
“Women are really angry and intensely aware of the stakes in this election,” Rosenberg Armour said. “Electing a woman president is the strongest rejection of the anti-choice, MAGA, GOP agenda.”
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