Kamala’s Leadership Matters Most

It’s what will persuade most persuadable voters!

As the presidential race comes down to the last few weeks, there is seemingly endless polling and conversation about what more Kamala Harris and her supporters need to do to win. Much of this comes down to how best to present issues and which ones to emphasize. A focus on improving the economy and centering the growth and support of the working/middle class are two almost consensus issue choices.

Of course these issues matter. But, there is pretty good research that shows that the presidential candidate who is seen as the stronger leader most often wins.¹

This is destined to be one of those times when leadership matters most.

With only a few short weeks left in the campaign, the key to a Harris win is for enough persuadable voters to see her for who and what she is — a terrific leader — a leader they’ve been looking for!

The race between almost any Democrat and Donald Trump was always going to be less about “issues” and more about vision and leadership. It was always going to be, “Who is going to provide the kind of leadership we need in this conflicted moment in our history?”

Real or perceived weakness in a president or presidential candidate is simply untenable to many millions of voters. Just ask Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, or Michael Dukakis.

This is why Joe Biden rapidly lost favor as the presidential contest heated-up. Trump and his bombastic, cultish authoritarian movement are not going away any time soon. Biden became increasingly unpopular because he showed that he couldn’t or wouldn’t be the leader that many people, including many Democrats, believe they need in this campaign or in the coming years. .

What has been so exciting for Democrats over the past couple of months has been the discovery — the revelation — that Kamala Harris is a terrific leader. We active democrats knew her best when she was the VP, but even we hardly knew her. But, as soon as we got to see and hear her, we got her.

Given the opportunity, she rocketed from an underestimated vice president to a stellar presidential candidate. It’s no use trying to parse all of the dimensions of her leadership style and capabilities in the moment. We just knew it the moment we saw it! Persuadable voters are seeing this too. And this is the key.

This is why the biggest difference since Kamala Harris entered the race is not “Her issues” (and thankfully not “Her emails!).”

The biggest difference with Kamala Harris and Joe Biden leading the Democratic ticket is the quality and power of her leadership.

In a remarkably short amount of time Kamala Harris has been able to show us and so many others that she’s authentically a formidable leader and one who not only understands the problems of the moment — but also understands how to deal with its perpetrators.

More persuadable voters can and must get Kamala Harris

For the rest of this campaign, Kamala Harris needs to get in front of as many persuadable voters as possible — by any and all means possible. Voters will talk and ask about particular issues, but what they really want to see and hear — and feel — is the vision and leadership that will make a difference in their lives going forward.

Especially in hard times — in angry, fearful, or polarized times — vision and leadership matter most.

Kamala has qualities of leadership that win hearts and minds. She can bring the leadership for change we’ve been looking for.

Kamala’s mission and ours for the next several weeks is not to refine her talking points. It is to get Kamala and her strength as a leader in front of persuadable voters. These are voters who want to be persuaded that we can have a greatly de-conflicted and better, happier future. Only a terrific leader can do that.

With the right closing push, Kamala can be the leader that they — and all of us — want.

1. https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/50225-what-do-americans-want-in-a-president