Experts see momentum among the Democrats before the US election - "Suddenly there is energy again"

FR Experts see momentum among the Democrats before the US election - "Suddenly there is energy again" Laura May • 18 hours • 3 minutes reading time The US election campaign has gained new momentum. Kamala Harris' success will also depend on the choice of her vice president. Washington, D.C. - In the first 24 hours alone after Joe Biden's withdrawal from the US election was announced, the Democrats received 100 million US dollars in small donations. In recent weeks, more and more Democrats have been calling for the ailing president to step down. Now his vice president, Kamala Harris, seems to be the most promising candidate. "I am sure that Kamala Harris has been on the phone all night and has also asked the George Clooneys of this world for money," says political scientist Julius van de Laar in an interview with ZDF, and assumes that another 100 million dollars will be raised from large donations to the party for the election campaign. Democrats in the US election: "Suddenly the donations are just flowing into the coffers" The mood in the US election campaign has turned 180 degrees. "The entire attitude has changed almost overnight. Suddenly there is energy again," says van de Laar. "Suddenly the donations are just flowing into the coffers." US election campaign expert Guido Weber also said in an interview with the Swiss tabloid 20 Minuten that the Democrats now have a chance of winning the US election. "Trump's strength was not that he enjoyed great support, but that Biden was so weak. He did not convince people who were not already for him. Trump's strength was just a reflection of Biden's weakness." Kamala Harris: What consequences would a candidacy have for Europe? 27,000 additional volunteers for Kamala Harris in the US election It's not just financially that things are suddenly looking better for the Democrats. According to Weber, there is great euphoria because everyone knows that the race is open again. Donors, the base and the senators were afraid that Biden would pull the Democrats down. Now the situation is different and you can see that immediately. "27,000 volunteers said in the first 24 hours that we want to work for this campaign," emphasizes van de Laar. The mood in the campaign team is exuberant. Biden posters are being torn down everywhere, the slogan "Kamala for President" is everywhere. The narrative of the election campaign so far has been clear about the strong-weak contradictions, Trump against Biden. "Now the dynamic is changing fundamentally." US election with Kamala Harris - "The momentum is very favorable for the Democrats" The Democrats now have the opportunity to dominate the news for days and show who they are and what ideas they have, says political expert Weber. Trump is therefore off the front line of the media for the time being. "The momentum is very favorable for the Democrats. And momentum is one of the most important things in politics.” Now it is an election campaign for which the Trump campaign is not prepared. Kamala Harris is the much more difficult opponent for Trump, says van de Laar. The Republicans are now trying to break the momentum of the Democrats. “The Republicans are currently looking for every stick they can put in the Democrats’ spokes.” Marc Kelly or Josh Shapiro could accompany Harris as conservative vice president Nevertheless, the Democratic election campaign will by no means be a sure-fire success now. Trump is ahead in most polls. It will only be clear in two weeks how Kamala Harris’ candidacy will affect the polls. “She must first prove that she can hold her own in the front row.” The mood towards Harris depends heavily on the choice of her vice-candidate. Van de Laar’s favorite is Marc Kelly, Senator from Arizona. As a white and rather conservative candidate, the former astronaut could attract swing voters to the Democrats. Political expert Weber also says that Harris could be too progressive for many Democrats and that she will therefore nominate a candidate as vice president whose profile is very different from hers in order to also gain votes in conservative Democratic circles. "I think that she would be well advised to go with Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania. He comes from the area that the Democrats absolutely have to win. He is also a white man who is even eligible for Republicans in his home state. He can win over white workers, which Harris cannot because many of them think a black woman is too progressive." (lm)