Now We Have Proof That Campaigning With Liz Cheney Backfired on Kamala

Whoever thought it was a good idea for Kamala Harris to campaign with former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney screwed up big time.

It was clear to most of us that Kamala Harris’ decision to campaign with Liz Cheney was a major misstep. While one could argue that teaming up with a Republican might have helped broaden her appeal, much like RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and Elon Musk’s support boosted Trump, it turns out Cheney’s endorsement became a liability, not an asset. According to a new Data for Progress poll, Cheney’s last-minute campaigning with Harris in key swing states actually backfired, reducing enthusiasm for the vice president among critical voter demographics.

A new analysis from Data for Progress and the Progressive Change Institute found that voters in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan prioritized the economy, with inflation and high prices being the deciding factors for many. They viewed Donald Trump as more capable of addressing these concerns and heard more from him on economic issues than from Harris, solidifying his image as the “change candidate.”

In both polls, we asked voters two questions about how their enthusiasm for Harris was impacted by her campaign strategy. One question featured Harris' decision to campaign with Cheney, while the other question focused on Harris' decision to push economic populist messaging. Our findings suggest that Harris' decision to campaign with Cheney diverted valuable time that could have been spent continuing to hammer on her popular economic messaging in the final days of the campaign.
Our polling finds that Pennsylvania Independents were 18 points more enthusiastic to vote for Harris when campaigning on economic issues, and 7 points less enthusiastic to vote for Harris when campaigning with Cheney – a swing of 25 points. In Michigan, Independents were 11 points more enthusiastic to vote for Harris when campaigning on economic issues and 7 points less enthusiastic when campaigning with Cheney — a swing of 18 points. In both states, 70% of voters said Harris campaigning with Cheney either had no impact on their enthusiasm or made them less enthusiastic.

Their analysis found that even among the Democratic base, "campaigning on economic issues boosted enthusiasm to vote for Harris by 25 points in Pennsylvania and by 20 points in Michigan when compared to enthusiasm when campaigning with Cheney — suggesting that the economy should have been Harris' sole focus throughout the critical final days, as it stimulated the base and attracted swing voters."

As anyone could have expected, the economy was the top issue for independents and Republicans—precisely the voters Kamala Harris sought to win over. Inflation and high prices were the most important economic factors in their decision-making, with over 90% of Pennsylvania independents and more than 80% of Michigan independents citing these issues as crucial. Harris’ choice to focus on campaigning with Liz Cheney in the final days rather than doubling down on economic messaging clearly backfired, diminishing enthusiasm among key voters in these critical swing states.

“Overall, these findings underscore how central the economy and the economic pain of the past few years were in shaping voter decisions in Pennsylvania and Michigan," explained Data for Progress. "While Harris ran on a popular economic agenda, she was ultimately unable to convince voters that she, not Trump, would usher in the changes they wanted to see, lower prices, and challenge bad actors and special interests."

Amusingly, the left-leaning organization interpreted the results to mean that voters support progressive economic policies.