WASHINGTON — A group of Democrats who believe Vice President Kamala Harris should be the party’s nominee if President Joe Biden steps aside have begun quietly mapping out what her presidential campaign apparatus would look like and what her path to victory could be in November, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the planning.
The effort, which Harris has not sanctioned as she continues to publicly and privately support Biden remaining in the race, comes as many are concerned that the vice president does not currently have the personnel or organization needed to quickly make the pivot to the top of the ticket, the source said. If Biden were to step aside, it’s unclear how much of his campaign apparatus would remain intact and whether it would make sense to continue some of the same strategic efforts.
“Harris doesn’t have the operation,” one source familiar with the effort said on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “There is no outside entity organizing for her.”
As part of their work, the informal group that includes Democratic strategists and aides with presidential campaign experience are already mapping out how Harris’ strategy for victory could be different from the one Biden took to win in 2020 and from what he was planning to do this year. The group, which does not include Harris’ team and is not advocating for Biden to step aside, are also discussing who in Biden’s current campaign structure may need to be replaced.
“Kamala Harris’s path is different,” one Democratic strategist said on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort candidly. That person added some believe Harris’ path could be more focused on mobilizing Black voters in Southern states such as Georgia and North Carolina rather than Biden’s strategy, which includes working to lock down Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
The person also stressed that those involved in the effort to get ready for a potential Harris presidential campaign believe Democrats — at all levels of the party — will have to unite and mobilize in a robust way to beat the Republicans. One strategy includes holding rallies in states like Georgia with former first lady Michelle Obama, who polls show remains popular among voters, and featuring events in Midwestern states like Michigan with former President Bill Clinton.
“To pull this off, the Democrats are going to have to pull off an all-hands-on-deck strategy, and I don’t know if the party is ready for this,” the source said. “Everybody has to be out.”
As the effort comes together, Trump and his allies have stepped up attacks against Harris.
“She would have a lot of Biden’s negatives and none of the positives,” said Trump pollster Jim McLaughlin on the prospect of running against Harris.
But, some progressive groups vehemently disagree with that polling assessment.
Way to Win, a national strategy hub for donors aligned with Democratic causes, invested money in the last few weeks into studying how voters in battleground states perceive Biden and Harris and how they can best help support Harris no matter how Biden ultimately decides to move forward.
The group found that Biden and Harris polled similarly among Democrats and independents and had more work to do among independent voters. But it also found that Harris had a “significant boost” from “younger voter segments that Biden has struggled with” and performed well among voters of color and women. Their data also showed Harris’ work as the administration’s most prominent advocate for access to abortion care in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago resonated powerfully with Democrats and independents.
Meanwhile, sources familiar with Harris’ thinking and who have spoken with her in recent days say she remains a fierce defender of Biden, even as more and more Democratic lawmakers and donors have publicly called on him to step aside.
