Noted Democratic strategist and former adviser to then-President Bill Clinton scolded members of his party during an interview this week as the Democratic National Committee launched in Chicago on Monday. Carville cautioned Democrats against becoming too confident about Vice President Kamala Harris’s prospects, noting that former President Donald Trump has historically exceeded his polling averages.
Trump currently holds a 0.1% lead over Harris in the seven key battleground states, while Harris has a 1.5% national lead over Trump, according to RealClearPolitics averages. On “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Carville highlighted potential challenges for Harris, particularly pointing out Trump’s tendency to outperform his poll numbers.
“Democrats are feeling better. It’s undeniable … I see the polls and I remind people of a couple of things, Jake. First of all, most quants, and they’re better at this than I am, say that the vice president would have to win almost by three points in the popular vote to win the Electoral College,” Carville told host Jake Tapper. “And I also would point out that when President Trump runs, he overperforms his polling averages. He did it in 2016. The national polls were actually pretty spot-on, but they didn’t pull weight in the states.”
“And then they pulled weight in the states in 2020, and you would have thought he was going to win these states by eight points. He didn’t. President Biden did no such thing … People need to have some reality infused in their optimism,” he continued. “I’m glad that people are feeling better. I’m glad that people are excited. But anybody that looks at this with any sense of history, any sense of objectivity, sees that there’s plenty possible pitfalls that we’re faced with. And we need to acknowledge that and stop being giddy all the time.”
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On Monday, CNN’s Van Jones expressed concern about the presidential race being effectively tied between Trump and Harris, despite the vice president enjoying weeks of “positive press.” He also highlighted that Harris has the potential to gain momentum in the polls following the Democratic National Convention.
“We don’t wanna be tied. I don’t like being tied with Donald Trump because we’ve had now 20-plus days of positive press. He’s been falling down the stairs, slipping on banana peels and poking himself in the eyeball. We should not be tied. We want to pull ahead,” Jones said. “That’s our opportunity this week.”
Harris will be in Chicago most of the week ahead of formally accepting her party’s presidential nomination on Thursday night of the Democratic National Convention that began on Monday. Meanwhile, Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), intend to keep busy while the DNC is taking place.
The Trump-Vance campaign unveiled a strategy on Sunday to “barnstorm” key battleground states and criticize Vice President Kamala Harris’s “failed record” as part of a series of events scheduled from Monday through Friday. On Monday, Trump will address economic and energy issues in York, Pennsylvania, while Vance will hold a similar event in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, the focus will shift to crime and safety, with Trump hosting an event in Detroit and Vance in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
On Wednesday, Trump and Vance will join forces for a national security event in Asheboro, North Carolina. Thursday will see Trump hosting an immigration-focused event in Montezuma Pass, Arizona, while Vance will hold a similar event in Valdosta, Georgia. On Friday, Trump is scheduled to lead a rally in Glendale, Arizona at 4 p.m. local time and a “No Tax On Tips” event in Las Vegas.
The campaign also listed other events taking place in cities across the battleground states with the same themes as the main events of that day. Trump campaign “allies” will hold daily press conferences in Chicago from Monday through Thursday.
“At the DNC, Kamala Harris will hide behind celebrities because everyday families know that she has been an absolute disaster for our nation, and real Americans are worse off now than four years ago,” noted Trump Campaign Senior Advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles in a statement. “Harris has failed to answer media questions for 28 days because she can’t explain away her record of supporting policies that cause inflation, bans on private health insurance, destroying American energy, and higher taxes.”
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