As the election approaches, U.S. Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is working to connect with undecided voters.
Recent surveys show a strong desire among the electorate to learn more about her, prompting her to ramp up media appearances in the final weeks of the campaign.
Harris has been making the rounds, participating in interviews on popular platforms like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The View, and with veteran broadcaster Howard Stern.
Her media blitz aims to reach a broad audience and engage those who have yet to make their voting decisions with only four weeks to go until the end of the campaign.
She also recently spoke to CBS’ “60 Minutes,” which aired Monday night, and Alex Cooper’s podcast “Call Her Daddy,” which was released Sunday.
She wants to ensure that people understand who she is, what she stands for, and why they should support her, which involves presenting her values, policies and vision in a way that resonates with undecided voters and helps shape their perception of her candidacy.
Harris’ decision to open up is a sharp shift after largely avoiding interviews since replacing Biden at the top of the ticket, and it’s an acknowledgment that she needs to do more to defeat Trump.
Harris’ campaign believes that a small yet pivotal numbers of undecided voters want to know more about Harris before making up their minds, and that the more those voters see Harris, the more they like her.
Speaking with Stern, Harris admitted that it feels “immodest” to her to talk about herself. “A friend of mine actually said, ‘Look, this is not a time to worry about modesty, because obviously you gotta let people know who you are,’”she added.
By the time she was finished with the interview, Harris had, by her standards, bared her soul.
When she spoke to Stern, Harris took shots at Trump, who had a public falling-out with the radio host.
As if to drive the point home, Colbert’s show included a very literal riff on the old political adage that Americans want politicians that they could have a beer with, and he pulled out two cans of Miller High Life.
Harris took a sip and said the last time she had drunk beer was at a baseball game with her husband.
Harris Aligns Closely With Biden
Even though Harris wanted to help voters get to know her better with a cascade of media appearances, the most lasting impression may be her unwillingness to break with Joe Biden.
Speaking to the all-woman talk-show panel at The View, Harris aligned herself closely with the outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden.
Harris replaced Biden as the party’s nominee after concerns about his age and ability prompted him to step aside.
Asked how she would be different from the President she’s served under for four years, Harris remarked, “We’re obviously two different people,” adding, “I will bring those sensibilities to how I lead.”
However, she was not able to identify a decision she would have made differently than Biden.
When she was pressed on where she might have diverged from Biden had she been in charge, Harris said, “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”
It wasn’t until later in the show that Harris named something that she would do differently than Biden; she would put a Republican in her Cabinet.
The Democratic nominee said that she would welcome contributions from the other party “because I don’t feel burdened by letting pride get in the way of a good idea.”
She faced a similar question during The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, who asked Harris “what would the major changes be” from Biden.
She offered nothing other than saying “I’m obviously not Joe Biden, so that would be one change” — then emphasized that she’s also not Trump.
READ ALSO: Galamsey: Cultural Disregard for Nature, a Crisis beyond Environmental Degradation
