Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.
In today’s edition, we report on how the voting landscape has changed since Vice President Kamala Harris took office as the Democratic presidential nominee. Plus, reporter Yamiche Alcindor takes on both campaigns to define Kamala Harris on her own terms.
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The race is on to identify Kamala Harris
By Yamiche Alcindor
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign rallies are a marked departure from those held by President Joe Biden, the man she replaced at the top of the Democratic ticket. The soundtrack is songs like “Freedom” and “Cupid Shuffle” by Beyoncé. Megan Thee Stallion performs. They are brat – or at least tries to be.
While the atmosphere was designed to bring some energy back to the Democratic Party, he introduced himself as a prosecutor to the country to bring a case against former President Donald Trump.
But the Trump campaign is quick to define Harris differently.
“Weak, failed, very liberal,” said Brian Hughes, Trump’s top adviser. “The agenda that brought the border invasion when the border was king.”
Harris is an unprecedented presidential candidate nearly 100 days before the election. He’s not an incumbent, and he didn’t have to go through the arduous initial process. Some voters are still learning the details of his biography: his background, the policies he supports and how he differs from Biden.
And both sides want to make sure Harris’ image sticks with voters.
Two ads appeared this week highlighting the war to identify Harris. The The Trump team has debuted an ad blaming him for what he described as fatal failures on the southern border. Harris, meanwhile, started one A $50 million convention ad buywith the first point claiming he had a stellar career as a “fearless” prosecutor.
Read more about the race to identify Harris →
By the numbers: How Kamala Harris changed the 2024 race in two weeks
By Mark Murray
It’s been less than two weeks since Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, clearing the way for Harris to lead the Democratic ticket.
The poll numbers show how the race has changed, from Biden trailing after the debate to an immediately improving political climate for Democrats — one that remains competitive and uncertain.
Let’s start with national surveys. In polls conducted after Biden’s dismal debate performance, Donald Trump has a clear lead with multiple advantages outside the margin of error.
Trump was ahead by 6 points New York Times/Siena College survey (among likely voters) and 6 more points Wall Street Journal survey (among registered voters), his lead in the national Morning Consult poll was 4 points (among registered voters) and 2 points. Reuters/Ipsos poll (registered voters).
But after Biden withdraws from the race? Trump’s advantage decreased to 1 and 2 points, respectively NYT/Siena and The Wall Street Journal requests. And Harris took the 1-point edge Morning Advice and Reuters/Ipsos requests.
All of these final results are within the margin of error.
Then there’s the shift in battleground states, with the most comprehensive picture coming from the Bloomberg News/Morning Consult polls.
Before Biden resigned, Trump had a 2-point lead in seven combined battleground states vote. In individual states, the former president had a slight lead in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Still after the Democratic transition, Harris now has a 1-point lead in a combined seven battleground states, and he has slight leads in Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin, as well as a larger lead in Michigan (although this result is more favorable than in other Michigan elections).
An important reminder about this new Trump-Harris poll: It reflects an incredibly competitive and close presidential race. And in many ways, it’s similar to where last fall’s race took place.
But polls they have changed Since Biden’s speech, and it’s surprising because Harris’ numbers was similar To Biden before switching candidates.
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- ✅ Harris has: DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said Friday that Harris has won enough delegate votes to become the Democratic presidential nominee. The virtual call will end on Monday. More →
- 📺 The competition is held: The race to identify Harris heats up, with the Harris campaign and Trump team hitting the airwaves. More →
- 🗣️ Trump Attacks: Trump, meanwhile, wasted no time launching racial and gender-based attacks against Harris. More →
- 👋 Shaking of workers: The Washington Post details the Harris campaign’s new recruits, including graduates from the Obama campaign. More →
- ❓ What’s next for Project 2025: Trump’s abandonment of the stalled Project 2025 has raised more questions about his job and the future of the conservative movement. More →
- 💻 Musk’s next move: Billionaire Elon Musk backs a pro-Trump super PAC that collects detailed personal data on voters in swing states. More →
- 🗳️ A good end to a bad one: House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Goode, R-Va., lost Tuesday’s primary, cementing his narrow defeat to GOP state Sen. John McGuire. More →
- 🐐 Trolling, Olympic Edition: Fresh off her historic victory in Paris, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles took a swipe at Trump on X, writing that she loves her “black work.” More →
That’s all for the Policy Desk for now. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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