Despite All the Kamala Hype, She Still Has to Rely on the Clintons and the Obamas to Save Her

Ever since Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race and Kamala Harris took over the campaign, we’ve been told she has all the momentum. Her poll numbers are up, they tell us. There is “joy” and “excitement” for her, they say. After Tuesday night’s debate, he’s done and she’s going to win.

Just a bit of a problem for Harris, though.

The bump in her poll numbers has largely plateaued, and her best polling, the data that shows her ahead of Donald Trump, has her within the margin of error in almost every poll. The joy and excitement is being generated by the Democrats’ key allies in the media, and is not perceptible outside of social media.

And if you want to know how much she “won” the debate, look at the fact that largely every media report from the debate is about what Trump said. No one cares about what Harris said because she never really said anything.

The campaign clearly knows that, despite the hype, it’s a neck-and-neck race between Harris and Trump, and swing state polling gives Trump the advantage still. That’s why they’re bringing out the old tried and true out of the reserves.

That’s right. The Obamas and the Clintons are hitting the campaign trail.

WASHINGTON — Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with former first lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are preparing to lend their political star power to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign in the final stretch of the election, according to four people familiar with their plans.

The high-profile surrogates all felt “energized” by their roles in the Democratic National Convention last month and have offered to help the Harris team in any way that would be most helpful, these people said.

According to NBC News, Barack Obama is scheduled to be the main speaker at a fundraiser for Kamala Harris in Los Angeles next Friday. He will also participate in more extensive campaign events the following month. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama will concentrate on boosting voter registration and encouraging turnout in support of Harris, according to sources familiar with their plans. 

Alongside his campaign efforts for Harris, the former president will lend his signature to fundraising materials and record targeted advertisements and robocalls for Democrats running in lower-tier races. This involvement mirrors his previous roles in supporting Democratic candidates during election cycles.

Bill Clinton, meanwhile, appears to be headed to places where he connects better with voters – and places where Harris is weakest.

For instance, Bill Clinton will likely target more rural areas, with possible events in places like the Rust Belt and Georgia, two people familiar with his plans said. He’s eager to get out on the trail and was described as a “Dalmatian at a firehouse” by one person close to him.

Former President Clinton may also make an appeal to Latino voters specifically since he did better with that key demographic when he was in office than his successors, an additional source said. He will also likely be tapped to speak about economic issues, given his role as the “explainer-in-chief” on that topic in 2012, this person said, with his travel for Harris likely beginning sometime in October. 

And the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, will be working to keep pro-Democrat groups motivated to turn out.

Hillary Clinton, for her part, is expected to focus on women and LGBTQ voters during her campaign events, two people familiar with her schedule said, with dates still being discussed. She will also likely be a key messenger on reproductive freedom which could be an effective way of reaching suburban women, whom the campaign also views as critical. 

While the Democrats will cast this as party unity and getting behind their candidate, it shows that there are still folks who are very concerned about Harris’ appeal.