Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee

Now she needs to show how she will make Americans’ lives better

In just 48 hours after President Joe Biden announced he would not run for re-election and endorsed Kamala Harris, she had ensured the support of the majority of the Democratic Convention delegates, raised $126 million in small donations through ActBlue.com, and received the support of all the Democratic governors and the vast majority of the Democratic members of Congress.

This rapid coalescence around Vice President Harris prevented what could have been a divisive and contentious “open convention”, and she has generated a lot of enthusiasm among the Democratic base, which is already been reflected in the polls, as well as in fundraising, volunteers (more than 100,000 new volunteers signed up) and even new voter registrations.

While the 538 poll average showed Biden falling behind Trump by more than 3 points, the most recent polls show a tied race, with some polls already giving Harris the advantage. She is doing much better than Biden among women, young voters, African American and Latino voters. Georgia and Arizona, for example, are now competitive again.

In her initial rallies and speeches, she has contrasted her previous role as a prosecutor and Attorney General, with the crime spree undertaken by former President Trump.

However, I would argue that she needs to pivot from stressing Trump’s criminal convictions and indictments, and his threat to democracy, to focusing on “bread and butter issues”.

While many voters condemn Trump’s crimes and his threats to democracy and the Constitution, they will really vote for the candidate offers them a better future.

It is true that the objective economic record of the Biden-Harris administration has been very positive:

-         Highest GDP growth rate among G-7 countries (the U.S. economy grew at a 2.8% annual rate in the second quarter of 2024)

-         Inflation falling to less than 3 %

-         Highest real wages (adjusted for inflation) ever

-         Highest real net worth ever (across all income levels)

-         Record stock market levels

-         Lowest unemployment in 60 years

-         15.6 million new jobs under the Biden-Harris administration (after Trump was the first President since Hoover to lose jobs during his administration)

-         Increase of 800,000 manufacturing jobs

-         Record health insurance coverage

-         Violent crime rate falling (compared to Trump)

However, many voters, while acknowledging that their personal economic situation is good, continue to believe that the national economy is not doing so well (many think, falsely, that unemployment is high, that there is a recession, and that the stock market is not doing well).

Beyond touting the current economic record, Kamala Harris needs to highlight how she would improve the living conditions of Americans in the future. Some things she could stress:

-         Will not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 per year (will extend tax cuts to those making less than $400,000 per year)

-         Will strengthen social security, Medicare and Medicaid by increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1 % and corporations (in contrast, Project 2025 plans to eviscerate the social safety net).

-         Will continue to fight to lower prescription costs, including extending the $35 monthly cap on insulin to all Americans (not just those under Medicare, which Biden accomplished)

-         Will continue to strengthen health insurance coverage, including by continuing to expand access to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act providers.

-         Will seek to provide universal, free, pre-school education (pre-K)

-         Will seek to reinstate the child tax credit (which Republicans and Joe Manchin blocked)

-         Will cap rent increases in apartments owned by corporations to a maximum of 5 % per year.

-         Will NOT raise tariffs on imports, as Trump proposes, which will increase costs to average families by $1,800 per year.

-         Expand free college education to low-income students

-         Continue to reduce and eliminate student debt

-         Falling inflation should lead to the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates

-         Provide tax credits to first-time home buyers (Democratic proposal has been stalled in Congress)

-         Expand paid family leave

-         Exclude medical debt from credit scores

-         Protect rights, including access to abortion, contraceptives and IVF

-         Promote a comprehensive immigration reform, including strengthening controls at the border and a path towards citizenship for Dreamers. This contrasts with Trump’s plans to send millions of immigrants to concentration camps and then deport them.

Some (though not all) of these policies require a Democratic majority in the Senate and the House. While Democrats have retaken the majority in the “generic Congressional ballot” in recent days, retaining the Senate will be particularly challenging, given the retirement of Joe Manchin in West Virginia.

It will take a major effort to elect the Democratic Senate nominees in the 10 most competitive states, although the presence of extremist MAGA candidates on the Republican side makes that at least feasible. The retirement of Senator Bob Menendez after his conviction, and the withdrawal of Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona, bode well for Andy Kim (NJ) and Ruben Gallego (AZ). There is some possibility that Debbie Mucarsell-Powell could beat Rick Scott in Florida, and that Colin Allred could defeat Ted Cruz in Texas. But all the other competitive seats are currently held by Democrats.

It is expected that the replacement of Biden by Harris at the top of the ticket will also have a positive effect on the Congressional election, as well as Governor races in swing States.