Kamala Harris and Josh Shapiro, Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt 

Kamala Harris Campaign Expands Efforts in Battleground States

Staffing Surge in Key Regions

Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign is intensifying its efforts in crucial battleground states, particularly in the ‘Sun Belt’ region, which had appeared increasingly unattainable for Joe Biden. This expansion is driven by a surge in grassroots engagement and fundraising.

“Our grassroots engagement is proving that Kamala Harris is strong in both the Sun Belt and the Blue Wall – with multiple pathways to 270 (electoral votes),” wrote Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s battleground states director, in a memo on Saturday. The Sun Belt includes states like Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, while the Blue Wall refers to Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Joe Biden won all six of these states in 2020 by narrow margins, but his campaign had recently indicated that the Sun Belt and North Carolina were becoming less viable.

Increased Volunteer and Donor Engagement

Since Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris on July 21, the Harris campaign has experienced a significant increase in support and enthusiasm. According to Kanninen, 200,000 volunteers have joined the Harris campaign, and over 350,000 supporters have participated in campaign events such as phone banks and rallies—a more than 350% increase in event attendance.

The campaign announced on Friday that it raised $310 million in July, primarily through small-dollar donations.

Expansion of Campaign Infrastructure

Over the next two weeks, the Harris campaign plans to add 150 more staff members in the Blue Wall states and more than double its staff in Arizona and North Carolina. Kanninen highlighted the extensive ground operations of the Harris campaign compared to those of the Trump campaign. In Nevada, Harris’s team has 13 offices, while Trump has only one. In Pennsylvania, Harris has 36 coordinated offices compared to Trump’s three, and in Georgia, Harris’s campaign has 24 offices, whereas Trump’s team only opened their first office in June.

Trump’s Campaign Response

The Trump campaign did not immediately verify the accuracy of these numbers and did not respond to a request for comment. This week, Trump’s campaign is set to launch a $10 million advertising blitz in six battleground states. Additionally, a super PAC supporting Trump, MAGA Inc., has initiated a parallel ad campaign, pledging to spend $32 million in three states with new ads targeting Harris.

Political Analysis and Polling

Some political analysts have raised concerns about Trump’s campaign infrastructure. Political historian Heather Cox Richardson, in a Facebook livestream, emphasized the importance of ground campaigns for mobilizing voters. She noted that effective campaigns require “feet on the ground, knuckles on doors, meetings with people,” and questioned Trump’s strategy of not focusing on this aspect.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll indicated that Kamala Harris holds a marginal one-percentage-point lead over Donald Trump. The three-day poll showed Harris with 43% support among registered voters, compared to Trump’s 42%, within the poll’s 3.5 percentage point margin of error. This represents a closing of the gap that had emerged during the final weeks of Joe Biden’s reelection bid.