Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher on Tuesday said Vice President Kamala Harris must link herself to President Joe Biden’s achievements without facing the consequences of his unpopularity.
Democratic strategist James Carville, in a New York Times op-ed Tuesday, advised Harris to “decisively break from” Biden’s policies, arguing that the 2024 election is “a change election.” Belcher, on “Katy Tur Reports,” said Americans are “looking for change” and that Harris offers that due to her age, gender and race, but she must highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s achievements while also focusing on the future. (RELATED: ‘Wouldn’t That Bother You?’: Jennings, Axelrod Duke It Out Over Harris’ Answer On Flip-Flops During CNN Interview)
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“We’re going to go to another election cycle where voters in America are yet again looking for change. Look, I think the very idea of Harris is change, right? She’s a woman at the top of the ticket,” Belcher told host Katy Tur. “She’s a woman of color at the top of the ticket. Voters were arguing and sort of clambering for someone younger and more youthful. She’s clearly that.”
“She’s got to walk a tight line, Katy, because she can’t get too far away from Biden because, to a certain extent, she’s tied to Biden. And so she’s got to talk about their accomplishments. And as we’ve talked about before, there are plenty of accomplishments that this president has moved over the finish line that are really popular,” he continued. “More popular than he was. So she’s got to tie herself to those but also pivot to the future.”
Biden’s approval rating is at 42.3% as of Tuesday, down about 10% since he took office in January 2021, according to FiveThirtyEight.
“I think that the pivot to the future and the conversation about a better America, a more unified America, a more free America is a perfect contrast with Donald Trump, who is trying in many ways to take the country back and move our freedoms back.” Belcher added. “I think that’s the change, but it’s a tight rope to walk, Katy, because she can’t pull herself too far from the guy who brought her in the first place.”
Former CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza on “Morning in America” Tuesday said Harris must “own” Biden’s unpopular policies, as she is part of his administration.
“I do think she starts this nine-week sprint ahead marginally, but there is a lot of time to go. And she is linked to an unpopular president,” Cillizza said. “Joe Biden is not popular, his policies — whether it’s foreign policy, whether it’s on the economy, whether it’s on immigration — almost all the things he’s done are not popular with the American public. And Kamala Harris is going to have to own that at some level over the next 63 days.”
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