Lee Hannah, Ph.D., professor of political science at Wright State University, is quoted in a Newsweek article analyzing former President Donald Trump’s recent comments about Vice President Kamala Harris’ race.
“Trump and the party have made gains with Black and Latino voters,” Hannah told Newsweek. “We saw that in the 2020 election results and we’ve seen it in some polls. He is certainly risking softening that support and mobilizing new voters who take offense to a racially-charged campaign.”
Hannah noted that, with less than 100 days until the election, there has been a clear difference between Harris and Trump’s campaign messages. While he believes Harris “has been remarkably disciplined and on message” during her first two weeks in the 2024 race, Trump “hasn’t been able to find a clear and focused attack on Harris that is resonating.”
“He still has time for that, but if the election doesn’t go his way, I think a lot of people are going to look back at these past two weeks as a missed opportunity,” Hannah said.
Hannah also discussed how Harris’ team likely “anticipated having to defend the Biden Administration’s record” when the vice president first launched her campaign, but that “Trump’s lack of focus has instead given her space to criticize Trump and make her case for president.”
“Trump’s team wants him to go after her record and positions, but instead they are spending time in cleaning up his comments from NABJ and answering questions about his running mate’s quotes,” Hannah said, referring to Vance’s controversial past statements about women and reproductive rights.
