The past few weeks have been an undeniable political love fest for Kamala Harris. The enthusiasm from endless positive coverage and Democrats rallying behind her pushed her modestly ahead in the polls. The best days of her campaign are now behind her, and former Obama advisor David Axelrod said that the enthusiasm isn't enough, urged caution among Democrats, and warned against overconfidence despite Kamala's recent progress in the polls.
"How encouraged should Democrats be?" CNN's Anderson Cooper asked Axelrod Sunday night. "Is there a danger of them actually being kind of too euphoric?"
"Yes, I've been talking about this for some time," Axelrod replied. "Look, she has made extraordinary progress. We were all in Milwaukee a month ago and, you know, there was euphoria there and a sense that this race was over, that they were going to win by a landslide, perhaps sweeping big majorities in the House and Senate. And things have changed dramatically."
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Axelrod then admitted that if the election were held today, Trump would likely still win.
"But this is still a very competitive race," he said. "If the election were today, I'm not sure who would win, and I think it may well be President Trump because it's an Electoral College fight."
Axelrod cited the battleground state polling numbers, which tell a much different story than the national polling numbers that have shown Kamala ahead.
"And I've said several times here that, you know, for Democrats to win those battleground states, they have to have a significant lead in the electoral college," he explained.
He then pointed out that despite Joe Biden's national popular lead in 2020, fewer than 50,000 votes "in the three closest battleground states combined" ultimately decided the election. He emphasized that Democrats need a significant lead in those battleground states to secure victory, making the race far from decided.
"So she's right to be telling people it's good to be enthusiastic, that enthusiasm is really, really important for the Democratic Party," he said.
Democratic strategist David Axelrod believes Donald Trump would win if the election were held today.
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) August 19, 2024
"I think it may well be Trump because it’s an Electoral College fight." pic.twitter.com/Sjm2dzRoFk
For sure, Trump has more pathways to hitting 270 Electoral College votes than Harris, and her bounce in the polls is already subsiding. According to RealClearPolitics, Trump would win the election with 287 Electoral College votes to Harris's 251 as of Tuesday. A win is a win, but that's a little too close for comfort. The good news is that Harris has likely peaked.
Axelrod may want Kamala to win, but his warning serves as a sign that Republicans need to keep fighting hard to get the truth out and expose Kamala for who and what she really is. Here at PJ Media, we're doing everything we can to report the facts, but we need your help.
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