Ground Game: Harris aims to define herself, GOP attacks Walz’s military record, RFK Jr. suspends campaign

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TYPE html>Plus, Walz continuing to navigate GOP criticism of his military record, and both parties tell the American story this election season{beacon}

By Meg Kinnard

August 26, 2024 09:16:02 AM

By Meg Kinnard

August 26, 2024 09:16:02 AM

  

Vice President Kamala Harris is having it both ways as she hits the campaign trail after the Democratic National Convention, taking credit for parts of President Joe Biden's record in rallies staged in front of Air Force Two while casting herself as a new leader who rails against “the politics of the past."

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

 

THE HEADLINES

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak on the final day of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Harris angles to be both established and fresh

In every presidential cycle, candidates run on experience or freshness, but Harris so far appears to be successfully harmonizing two seemingly competing messages, much to the frustration of former President Donald Trump and his allies.

Harris’ vision for the country has leaned heavily on Biden plans, to the point of not rewriting those plans even after Biden dropped out. The platform approved by the DNC was passed last week with frequent — and outdated — mentions of a Biden “second term.”

Her presentation as someone offering a “new way forward” relies in large part on being someone different from the norm. The 59-year-old daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants replaced an 81-year-old white man who first ran for president 36 years ago.