Trump and Harris enter 99-day sprint to decide an election that has suddenly transformed

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — Barely a week ago, a sense of inevitability hung over the U.S. presidential election.

Donald Trump’s allies gleefully predicted a landslide victory during a Republican National Convention that felt more like a coronation for a nominee who had just survived an assassination attempt and was promising to unite the country. Democrats, desperate and listless, feared the worst as a diminished President Joe Biden clung to his party’s nomination.

But over the last seven days, a week unlike any other in American history, the 2024 presidential contest has been transformed. And now, just 99 days before Election Day, a fundamentally new race is taking shape featuring new candidates, a new issue focus and a new outlook for both parties.

Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in for Biden last Sunday and quickly smashed fundraising records, took over social media and generated levels of excitement that some Democrats said reminded them of the energy that surrounded Barack Obama’s historic candidacy nearly two decades ago.

“This is potentially Obama on steroids,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who was among 40,000 participants on a Black Women for Harris call last week.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«ELECTION 2024» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-parsely-title=«Related Stories» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> ELECTION 2024 </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Harris raised $200 million in first week of White House campaign and signed up 170,000 volunteers </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Trump and Vance team up to campaign in Minnesota, a state that hasn’t