The Opportunity Harris is Missing

I was an early supporter of Kamala Harris for president. She was my top choice in the 2020 Democratic primary, and I was disappointed to see her drop out of the race relatively early. I was also disappointed that, after donating to her campaign, I was inundated with solicitations—and wrote about that at the time.

So far, the main difference I’ve noticed between the 2020 campaign and 2024 is the volume of solicitations is even greater, and not only on email but by text message as well. I estimated then that I received an average of 1.8 emails per day (and almost no texts). That volume now seems quaint compared to the approximately 7-10 daily emails and 10+ daily text messages I’m receiving.

I know this isn’t unique to Harris. Every candidate for every office of both parties is guilty of the same over-solicitation. And I know I could at least try to unsubscribe, although one’s contact information these days is shared across so many interest groups, political committees, and PACs that avoiding the onslaught is nearly impossible.

That said, what bothers me most is that I can’t help but feel the Harris campaign is failing to take advantage of a unique moment: genuine voter enthusiasm for her presidency.

The situation Kamala Harris finds herself in is virtually unprecedented: a late entrant in a U.S. presidential campaign who carries none of the baggage of a bruising primary fight. As the sitting Vice President, she is well-known, with four years of being “presidential” (one of the most important yet hard-to-define criteria of a successful campaign), but also enjoys a relatively clean slate, without deep-seated, preconceived notions (see Hillary Clinton). Furthermore, she’s running against a deeply unpopular, disgraced former president who is a convicted felon.

Her situation couldn’t be more ideal. As a result, and in no small part because she presents a choice that is anybody but Trump or Biden (or Kennedy), she has experienced a surge in popularity and polling numbers that has Donald Trump on his heels.

Yet, despite those beneficial circumstances and undisputed momentum, all I have heard in the literally thousands of emails and text messages I’ve received from Harris/DNC/DCCC/etc is the same message I heard in 2020: donate, donate, donate.

The missed opportunity? Harris’s supporters are ready to give in other ways. They are ready to organize. They are ready to display their support. They are ready to get out there and canvass. But there is none of that in the solicitations I’ve received. No resources. No collateral to share with neighbors, families, or friends. No community events, rallies, or meet-ups. Not even a damn yard sign, lapel pin, or bumper sticker.

Granted I live in California, so my experience might be different if I lived in a battleground state. But the failure of her campaign to channel her support into other constructive avenues besides “give me more money” is deeply disappointing, particularly given the surge of donations Harris has recently enjoyed. The answer, it seems to me, is not more money, it’s more mobilization. And that mobilization can be done with the same apparatus that is currently being applied solely to fundraising.

Maybe this will change. There is still time before the election. Still an opportunity to translate voter enthusiasm into something greater than a self-perpetuating, conflagration of cash demanding more cash. To be clear, regardless if I receive 100 more solicitations every day between now and the election, she will still get my vote. But that may not be true for every voter, particularly those ephemeral, undecided, swing voters. And it risks alienating the very support she needs to win.