Ground Game: Election 2.0, Arab American voters, and ‘double haters’

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Plus, Harris aims to make up ground with Arab Americans as some voters disenchanted with Biden give her a second look{beacon}

By Meg Kinnard

July 29, 2024 07:58:11 AM

By Meg Kinnard

July 29, 2024 07:58:11 AM

  

Barely a week ago, a sense of inevitability hung over the U.S. presidential election. But a fundamentally new race has now taken shape.

Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game.

 

THE HEADLINES

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign event in Pittsfield, Mass., Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Campaign 2024, Version 2.0

Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in for President Joe Biden last Sunday. She has quickly smashed fundraising records and generated levels of excitement that some Democrats said reminded them of Barack Obama’s candidacy nearly two decades ago.

As Republicans’ frustration over this new dynamic takes hold, the finger pointing has begun. Some prominent conservatives are openly second guessing Donald Trump's vice presidential pick, JD Vance, a freshman Ohio senator with a well-documented history of provocative statements that the Harris campaign is now highlighting.

The speed with which the election was transformed is a stark reminder that, in the Trump era, the conventional wisdom is often wrong. To that point, the Democrats' newfound confidence may be premature.

Early public polling suggests that Harris starts in a slightly better position against Trump than Biden was just before his withdrawal from the race, but the numbers also point to a very close race in a deeply divided nation. Read more.

Of note:

The