In the two weeks left until the Nov. 5 election, pundits are speculating daily which candidate is ahead.
However, some Democrats now fear Vice President Kamala Harris may slip behind former President Donald Trump when all is said and done.
According to a report in The Hill, the roots of this doubt are the close races in the seven battleground states.
Democrats are worried Trump has been taking over in the polls in these states over the past two weeks, especially Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“Everyone keeps saying, ‘It’s close.’ Yes, it’s close, but are things trending our way? No. And no one wants to openly admit that,” a Democratic strategist said. “Could we still win? Maybe. Should anyone be even slightly optimistic right now? No.”
Another strategist said things are not looking good for Harris, saying, “If this is a vibe election, the current vibes ain’t great.”
Early voting in Nevada has not gone Harris’ way.
Jon Ralston, a political journalist in Nevada, said there is a rare statewide lead among Republicans who have voted early in the state.
“It’s too soon to call it a trend, but this was a huge day for Republicans in Nevada,” Ralston said. The GOP maintained a 2 percentage point lead over the Democrats as of Tuesday.
Democratic strategist Jim Manley agreed the news has not been good, but he still feels good about Harris’ chances.
“It’s pretty damn frustrating for it to be so close given how extreme and unhinged Trump’s rhetoric has become in the last couple of weeks,” Manley said.
“I just hope and trust they’ve got a plan,” he said about Harris’ campaign.
Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist who served as Harris’s communications director until early last year, praised Harris for running “a spectacular campaign.”
He noted the risks she has taken, including being interviewed by Fox News and making Republican Liz Cheney “into another running mate.”
Democratic strategist Brad Bannon was more optimistic given Harris’ popularity.
“Harris is more popular than Trump, which means her vote has more growth potential than he does,” he said.
“She is doing much more than Trump to reach out of her base,” Bannon added “The best example is her round of stops with Cheney in swing suburbs that Nikki Haley won in Republican primaries.”
“The swing voters are more personality than issue-driven, and Trump’s persona is rapidly disintegrating.”
