It occurred to me this morning that the task for Harris is very similar to the one presented to Rishi Sunak; she has to run both as an incumbent and an agent of change. Sunak never had a chance, but Harris does. Why?
First of all, America’s economy is in much better shape than the UK’s. Second, America is more polarized than the UK, and has fewer swing voters, so there is a higher floor for an incumbent. Third, Harris, as a fairly powerless VP, is less tied in the eyes of the public to the current government than Sunak was. Finally, Sunak had to run against Keir Starmer, not Trump. That makes all the difference in the world.