Kamala Harris aims to neutralize a key vulnerability: From the Politics Desk

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, senior national political correspondent Sahil Kapoor explains how Kamala Harris is navigating the changing border policy. Plus, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker previews next week’s vice presidential debate.

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As politics tilts to the right, Harris tries to neutralize immigration weakness

By Sahil Kapoor

Kamala Harris aims to neutralize political vulnerability and refute Donald Trump’s core campaign message. hard line against migration to the US-Mexico border in Arizona.

Harris’ immediate goal is to signal to moderate voters that he will be an aggressive enforcer of the law and keep immigration in check. After fighting over the issue, Democrats finally found what they believe is a winning message: remind voters that Trump is putting pressure on Republicans. kill the bipartisan bill this past spring will introduce stricter border controls and make it harder to get asylum.

Trump has long held a clear advantage among voters on immigration NBC News survey shows that the edge is narrowing. In January, when asked which candidate would be better on border security and immigration control, voters preferred Trump over Joe Biden by 35 points.

But in this month’s poll, Trump’s lead over Harris on this question dropped to 21 points. The gender divide was still stark, with Trump ahead of Harris on the border issue by 41 points among men, 52 points among white men and 13 points among non-white men.

Harris highlighted a different side of his background in handling the case: a tough prosecutor who took on international gangs and organized crime as California’s top law enforcement agency. His message reflects a broader turn on immigration within the Democratic Party and paints a political landscape where stricter border enforcement will be a key focus in the coming years, regardless of which party wins the election.

“The priorities should be to control the border. The numbers are very low right now, but you can’t guarantee it will stay that way. You also can’t be sure that the courts won’t ultimately overturn the executive orders that the administration passes,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the party’s chief negotiator on the nation’s main border security package, told NBC News. in the interview. “I think that prioritizing border security has made it easier for us to get other reforms into law.”

Harris’ 2019 U-turn completes a shift in which he has taken more left-leaning positions as a presidential candidate, including supporting a call to reduce illegal border crossings to a civil-non-criminal offense and voicing opposition to Obama-era deportations. At the time, Democrats emphasized enforcement in their messaging and focused more on expanding opportunities for future immigrants.

But while Harris has called for a rollback of the bipartisan border bill, his top Republican negotiator said that’s easier said than done.

“You can take any bill and move it to another year, because that’s not how it works,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said in an interview. “I think he knows that. It’s a good talking point, but mechanically it’s not really true.”

Measuring the upcoming Vance-Walz debate

By Kristen Welker

Vice presidential debates usually don’t matter – until they really do.

Consider Joe Biden’s strong performance against Paul Ryan after struggling in Barack Obama’s first debate in 2012. Or Lloyd Bentsen’s Celebrity The words, “You’re not Jack Kennedy.” To Dan Quayle in 1988. Or James Stockdale’s famous/famous “Why am I here?” line In 1992.

Perhaps the best way to think about Tuesday’s debate between Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz is this: It probably won’t affect the trajectory of the race, but it could help the GOP ticket after Donald Trump’s rough debate this month. If Walz has a strong showing, it could build momentum for the Harris campaign and provide a memorable moment.

Let’s start with the overall stakes: The debate is unfolding with Kamala Harris opening up a narrow lead (both domestically and in key battlegrounds), though the margin of error is within. He comes later urgent requests and many observers saw Harris outdoing Trump in the first and perhaps only debate.

So this could be the last debate involving members of the 2024 presidential ticket.

Then there are the various media strategies in the debate: Vance has been almost everywhere, giving interviews to various news organizations, including “Meet the press.” This contrasts with Walz’s reluctance to engage with the national news media until now. This relative silence may increase the risk of debate for him.

And then there is the vote for both men. In our latest National NBC News survey40% of voters said they had a positive opinion about Valz, and 33% had a negative opinion (+7). By contrast, Vance’s numbers are the worst we’ve ever measured for a vice presidential candidate in our poll: 32% favorable, 45% unfavorable (-13).

Does the debate change these views? Or does it only harden them? These are just some of the things I’ll be watching on Tuesday night.

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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