Harris' mission critical in final push: Wipe out Trump's advantage on the economy
Kamala Harris is focusing on the economy in the closing weeks of the 2024 election, trying to wipe out Donald Trump's advantage on the issue with voters.
Kamala Harris is zeroing in on a monumental task that could make or break her prospects in the final month before Election Day: wiping out Donald Trump’s persisting advantage among voters on whom they trust to handle the economy.
While Harris has gained ground on stewardship of the economy, Trump still leads in most surveys about the issue, which frequently ranks as the top concern for voters. The Harris campaign and Democratic allies believe she must erode that advantage and at least fight it to a draw.
“With four weeks to go, we’re going to be laser-focused on this and be talking about this,” a Harris aide said.
The aide, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss strategy, said Harris and her team will spend the final stretch of the campaign presenting her as the candidate fighting for the middle class, citing her upbringing and agenda, while portraying Trump as caring more about cutting taxes for wealthy Americans like himself and hitting his plan for aggressive tariffs as a de facto middle-class tax hike.
Her strategy is playing out through TV and digital campaign ads, a gradual stream of policy rollouts and speeches, and a new media blitz by Harris designed to connect her biography to her economic vision — for instance, recalling her mother's struggles to buy a home and offering a $25,000 credit for first-time homebuyers. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, argued in the recent debate that Trump’s economy was weak even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Rating: 5