In today’s edition of From the Politics Desk, Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor previews Vice President Kamala Harris’ history-making convention speech. Senior national political reporter Jonathan Allen examines whether Democrats can ride good vibes all the way to victory this fall. Harris’ campaign is currently running on vibes, focused on joy, vision, and values, without detailed policy plans. The Democratic Party’s platform remains unchanged after President Joe Biden stepped aside, with proposals offered by Harris largely mirroring Biden’s wish list. There are risks to offering too few or too many details, as voters may not be willing to wait for hard promises on policy from Harris.
Harris is preparing for a history-making convention speech where she will be the first Black woman and first Asian American person to accept a major party’s nomination for president. Her speech will focus on sharing her personal and professional background, contrasting her vision with former President Donald Trump’s, and rooting her vision in patriotism. Harris has dedicated time to crafting her speech, seeking inspiration at her alma mater and incorporating policy proposals connected to her middle-class upbringing. Her team is cautious about discussing race and gender in the speech, focusing on Harris’ qualifications for the presidency based on her career as a lawyer.
Several prominent Democrats, including Sen. Mark Kelly and Govs. Gretchen Whitmer and Roy Cooper, are set to speak on the final night of the convention before Harris. But the party’s two most vulnerable Senate Democrats, Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown, are skipping the convention. Trump, on the other hand, said he will provide “provisions” for mixed-status families but did not rule out separations with mass deportations. He justified the cost of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants and did not provide details on how he would pay for the plan, which could cost billions of dollars.
Other top stories include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. planning to drop out and endorse Trump, potential cryptocurrency projects from Trump, the Supreme Court partially granting a request from the Republican National Committee about voter registration in Arizona, the Arkansas Supreme Court upholding a decision blocking a constitutional amendment on abortion access from the November ballot, and politicians joining TikTok to court young voters. Feedback for the newsletter can be sent to politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com, and readers are encouraged to share the newsletter with others.
