Digest

The NPR Politics podcast discusses the latest NPR PBS NewsHour poll, which shows Kamala Harris with a slight national lead over Donald Trump. The poll also reveals a significant shift in voter sentiment towards Harris, particularly among younger voters, black voters, women, and independents. The podcast explores the reasons behind this shift, including Harris's message, her running mate, Tim Walls, and the enthusiasm surrounding her campaign. The podcast then delves into the lack of press conferences and national interviews by Kamala Harris since becoming the official Democratic nominee. The hosts discuss whether this is intentional and whether it could be a cause for concern. They compare Harris's approach to Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016, where a similar lack of press conferences led to criticism. The hosts speculate on the potential risks and benefits of Harris's approach, acknowledging the effectiveness of her current momentum and message while also highlighting the potential for the Trump campaign to exploit the lack of scrutiny.

Outlines

00:00:54

Kamala Harris's Presidential Campaign Momentum

The NPR Politics podcast discusses the latest NPR PBS NewsHour poll showing Kamala Harris with a slight national lead over Donald Trump. The poll also reveals a significant shift in voter sentiment towards Harris, particularly among younger voters, black voters, women, and independents. The podcast explores the reasons behind this shift, including Harris's message, her running mate, and the enthusiasm surrounding her campaign.

00:08:47

Scrutiny and the Lack of Press Conferences

The podcast delves into the lack of press conferences and national interviews by Kamala Harris since becoming the official Democratic nominee. The hosts discuss whether this is intentional and whether it could be a cause for concern. They compare Harris's approach to Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016, where a similar lack of press conferences led to criticism.

Keywords

Q&A

• What are the key findings of the latest NPR PBS NewsHour poll regarding the presidential race?

  The poll shows Kamala Harris with a slight national lead over Donald Trump. It also reveals a significant shift in voter sentiment towards Harris, particularly among younger voters, black voters, women, and independents.

• Why is there a lack of press conferences and national interviews by Kamala Harris since becoming the Democratic nominee?

  The hosts speculate that this might be intentional, but also express concern about the lack of scrutiny and the potential for it to become a bigger issue. They compare it to Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016, where a similar lack of press conferences led to criticism.

• How does the current level of enthusiasm surrounding Kamala Harris's campaign compare to previous campaigns?

  The hosts describe the enthusiasm at Harris's rallies as \"Obama level,\" suggesting a level of excitement not seen in recent campaigns, including the Biden campaign in 2020 and the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016.

• What are the potential risks and benefits of Kamala Harris's approach to campaigning?

  The hosts discuss the potential risks of not engaging in more press conferences and interviews, including the possibility of the Trump campaign using it to their advantage. However, they also acknowledge the benefits of Harris's current momentum and the effectiveness of her message.

Show Notes