‘GOP Has No Answer for This’: Pollster Says Harris Campaign Close to Becoming a ‘Movement’

“It vibrates different, its rhythm is different, it’s gaining cultural significance that resonates beyond conventional political metrics."

David Badash Alternet
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Vice President Kamala Harris contrasted her policy goals with Republicans’ agenda in her speech on Tuesday at a rally in Atlanta.,Nicole Craine for The New York Times

Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee for just over one week, is heading a campaign that is edging toward becoming a political and cultural movement, according to a top Democratic pollster and strategist, with some starting to compare her popularity to Barack Obama’s historic 2008 campaign.

“There’s something happening,” writes former DNC pollster Cornell Belcher, the President of brilliant corners Research & Strategies, and a frequent MSNBC guest, “last night this campaign moved in the direction of a movement.”

Belcher reposted video of what’s being called an “iconic” moment from Harris’ rally of more than 10,000 people (according to the campaign) in Atlanta Tuesday night.

“It vibrates different, its rhythm is different, it’s gaining cultural significance that resonates beyond conventional political metrics. It’s becoming a vibe. GOP has no answer for this,” he declared.

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That video has received more than two million views in under 24 hours.

“I’d argue mainstream media is not getting it either,” responded media critic Jennifer Schulze. “Cannot judge this moment by usual metrics like ‘honeymoon’ etc. Something really big is happening. Big.”

“I still have lots of Republican former colleagues and friends,” attorney, journalist, and author Sophia A. Nelson noted. “They are telling me, ‘It’s over. Harris is bigger than Obama and the timing is right for a woman to win.’ They also lament: ‘JD Vance was the worst pick ever for VP–Trump needed Haley or a woman to moderate him.’ ”

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“Pundits and Democratic leaders have said Harris’ elevation to Dem nominee has reminded them of Obama’s 2008 campaign in terms of the excitement it has garnered,” writes Religion News Service’s Jack Jenkins.

“This is an energy on the ground I have not seen since Barack Obama in 2008,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said last week.

David Badash is the founder and editor of The New Civil Rights Movement, an award-winning news & opinion site.