Washington [US], October 11: With less than four weeks to go until Election Day, US Vice President Kamala Harris is sprinting, while former President Donald Trump is employing unconventional tactics.
Mr. Trump plans to hold rallies in "blue" states, referring to states that traditionally support the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, Ms. Harris has increased her contact with young voters and sought the support of women.
Mr. Trump goes to the "territory" of the Democratic Party
According to NBC News, Republican candidate Trump's schedule in the coming weeks includes events in Colorado, California, Illinois and New York. These are states that President Joe Biden won by an average margin of 20% in the 2020 election. Notably, Mr. Trump will hold a rally at Madison Square Garden, a multi-purpose stadium in New York City (New York State).
Trump's decision to go "off-the-cuff" comes as the race is likely to be decided in battleground states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Michigan. "He wants to hold rallies that attract attention and create a special atmosphere," said veteran Republican strategist Matthew Bartlett. Bartlett called Trump "the most unconventional candidate in modern history," meaning the off-the-cuff strategy could have some advantages for the former president.
Also yesterday, the Republican candidate made one thing clear: he does not want to debate on television again this election season, regardless of which network hosts it, according to Reuters. Fox News announced on October 9 that it had sent invitations to Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump to participate in the second debate on October 24 or October 27. Mr. Trump's answer was no. He also declined CNN's invitation for the debate on October 23, even though Ms. Harris had accepted.
Ms. Harris chooses an unconventional direction.
Meanwhile, after weeks of virtually no media interviews, Ms. Harris began attending events and answering questions from pro-Democratic media outlets, according to AFP. After completing the CBS News interview, the vice president appeared almost continuously on programs, from podcasts to conversations with veteran Hollywood actress Ms. Whoopi Goldberg and host Stephen Colbert...
What happened is part of a new tactic deployed by Ms. Harris's campaign, specifically targeting specific groups of voters such as young people, young women, and potential voters who have long been disengaged from mainstream media channels. AFP quoted political scientist Kenneth Miller of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas as saying that this is a smart strategy, because the non-mainstream media is gradually becoming a better channel for candidates to convey policy content to young voters.
However, observers also found that Democrats are increasingly worried about Harris' fate. According to The Hill and CNN, there is a sense that her campaign is in trouble. "Everyone is nervous. They know the polls are tight," said a source familiar with the matter. Many of Harris's allies are worried that the 2016 scenario could repeat itself, when Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton ultimately lost to Republican candidate Trump, despite Clinton's previous advantage.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper