Democratic candidates in tight House elections desire Harris's momentum without directly challenging her.
In one of the most fiercely contested House contests in the nation, Democratic Representative Susie Lee of Nevada is facing the fight of her political life in an attempt to retain her seat.
Since Vice President Kamala Harris emerged as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, Lee, who takes pride in concentrating on regional issues and avoiding the top of her party's ticket, claims that her region has seen a 400% increase in volunteers, providing a crucial boost to her House race, which was always going to depend on turnout.
"We're going to cross the finish line with that kind of enthusiasm and increased volunteerism," Lee told CNN.
However, this does not mean that Democrats like Lee, whose election may decide whether her party regains control of the House of Representatives, are going to shift their platform and further align themselves with Harris, just because Harris may have persuaded voters to get up from the sofa and attend the table.
The Nevada Democrat continued, "I will continue to run the race the way I've always run my race, which is focusing on hyper-local issues."
After speaking with almost a dozen Democratic lawmakers and candidates in tight races around the nation, a recurring theme surfaced. Democrats have noticed a noticeable uptick in excitement in their districts thanks to Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as evidenced by increases in volunteerism, fundraising, and event attendance. However, this hasn't led to a change in campaign tactics, with most candidates in close contests still preferring to keep the front of the ticket separate from the campaigns they have developed around regional concerns.
Former Arizona lawmaker Kirsten Engel, who is working to convert a Republican-held district southeast of Lee that is largely bordered by Mexico, called the recent grassroots energy spurred on by Harris "undeniable."
Although Engel believes Harris is a strong proponent of abortion rights, she also stated that Harris will not stop criticizing both sides of the debate over immigration reform and border security.
Engel stated, "By Arizona and the border, neither party has done well." "At the border, the Trump administration divided families. The Biden administration took a very long time to recognize the border situation.
The two Democrats rejected Republican attempts to refer to Harris as the “border czar” and criticized Republicans for obstructing a bipartisan border package in Congress that could have had significant influence. They said that the party would continue to distance itself from Harris on the border regardless of who was at the top of the ticket.
However, candidates in areas like western Pennsylvania have been more questioning of Harris specifically, especially about her prior support for outlawing fracking, which is the main method of obtaining gas for electricity in battleground states like Pennsylvania, which is vital to the Rust Belt economy.
A Harris campaign aide stated last month that she no longer supports the prohibition on fracking; nonetheless, Democrats recognize that Harris will have to convince people of this directly and move rapidly to establish connections with influential unions and groups that President Joe Biden has long supported.
Supporter of Harris Representative Chris Deluzio told CNN he was happy to learn that Harris had changed her stance on fracking. Her clarification that's not her goal relieves me. That's not how this government has behaved. The Democrat from Pennsylvania told CNN, "I think it's important to continue the work that President Biden has done to help us meet our climate goals and, quite frankly, improve our energy security."
"I know a lot of people in the building trades and related industries around here really respect that, and they have made their views very clear all the way up to the top," he went on.
The Republican campaign arm has taken advantage of some of her previous stances from his first presidential bid, such as her support for fracking, in an effort to formulate a plan to attack Democrats in competitive districts. Republicans haven't, however, stuck to their platform; some have even gone so far as to refer to her as a "DEI hire."
Some people are still being more direct in their distance from the party and Harris as a result.
One of the many Democrats nationwide who want to miss the convention is Rudy Salas, a Democrat running to unseat Biden in 2020 in a tight California district held by the Republicans. He told CNN that campaigning with Harris is "not like a make-or-break thing."
He doesn't intend to change the focus of his speech from regional problems, but rather believes that he must harness the energy that Harris has brought to the contest.
Approximately three hours south of Salinas, Will Rollins, a Democrat, is playing a different tune.
Rollins, a former federal prosecutor seeking to oust California GOP
Representative Ken Calvert, views Harris' experience as the state's attorney general as a major advantage for his campaign. He stated that Harris's mantra on the campaign trail about being a prosecutor who has dealt with criminals of all stripes and is familiar with Trump's style is precisely the topic he is attempting to exploit against his rival, and he frequently opens his speeches by quoting some of her catchphrases.
Rollins remarked, "I wish I had seen her line before we filmed all of our ads." "Well, I do think it really resonates with swing voters, so I try to work it into my own remarks, at least in the same theme."
In addition, Rollins claimed to have the funds to hire a videographer to assist with his social media team in light of the spike in donations his campaign has seen in the last month and the growth in his social media following. This was part of his calculated efforts to draw in younger voters to his campaign due to the natural content the Harris campaign has been posting, which he claims has increased the number of followers he has on all of his social media platforms.
Rollins stated of Harris, "I firmly believe she will assist me in a way that no one else could." It's undoubtedly a focused attempt to encourage youth to cast ballots.
Politics served by Walz is "meat-and-potatoes."
By choosing Walz, the Harris campaign gave many Democrats facing competition in down ballot elections a much-needed ally.
Representative Ann Kuster of New Hampshire, who leads a sizable coalition of centrist Democrats contesting in competitive districts, revealed to CNN that she has been inundated with requests from legislators wishing to join the Minnesota governor on her campaign.
Previously, Walz served 12 years in Congress, primarily representing a conservative rural district that has always been dominated by Republicans.
Kuster told CNN, "I think he is going to be spectacular for us." He is welcome to join us in our campaign in those districts. The ability to communicate is a must. Tim has the capability to accomplish that. He's been there, done that.
Among the parts of Walz's record that lawmakers and candidates intend to emphasize are his background as an educator—more especially, as a football coach—and his capacity to attract corporations to his state in his capacity as governor.
The governor is about "basic, you know, meat-and-potatoes politics," according to Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, who worked with Walz in Congress. Additionally, he stated, "I believe he will bring a lot of stability to the next administration."
Republicans, led by Ohio Senator JD Vance, who is Donald Trump's running mate, intensified their criticism of Walz's account of his military service, charging that he avoided serving in Iraq by leaving the Army National Guard to run for Congress in 2005.
Democrats consider the causes of the frenzy around Harris
Legislators and candidates around the nation credit Harris for being the historic messenger that Biden was unable to be for the discernible increase in energy that has occurred on the ground.
In addition to being a historically significant nominee, Harris infuses new life into a party that was rocked for three weeks following Biden's dismal debate performance, which raised severe concerns about his mental stability.
Democratic Representative Jahana Hayes of Connecticut claimed that even though Democrats praised Biden's record, "those people were having to explain, explain, explain."
The grassroots passion is now evident, according to Hayes: "Every day it's just building upon itself, but I wouldn't have expected it to last this long."
Democrats no longer have to spend time fighting off criticism of Biden's age and defending their endorsement of him from their Republican opponents, as Biden is not running for reelection. Candidates and campaign officials claim that the increase in volunteers for door knocking is the clearest indication of this relief.
Sue Altman, a Democrat running to replace Republican Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. of New Jersey, said that voters' excitement about Harris and lack of fear about Biden was partly to blame for the increased participation she witnessed at a recent door-knocking event. She claimed that her voters are showing up driven by "hope, exuberance, and joy" rather than "fear and trepidation."
According to CNN, Altman stated, "I think there was a lot of nervousness about Biden's ability to make the case against Trump." "I believe we've demonstrated that we could meet at the precise moment when our presidential candidate wasn't prepared to run again, with Harris leading the ticket right now."
Throughout the party-wide drive to recruit volunteers in battleground districts, Altman's turnout was not unique to Democrats. In the week leading up to the November election, the Democratic House campaign arm had a 58% surge in volunteerism and the greatest number of doors knocked in a single week this season.
The potential for Harris to become not only the first female president of the United States but also the first Black and South Asian woman president carries special significance for him and his supporters, according to Democrat Shomari Figures, who is challenging Harris in a newly drawn Alabama district he refers to as "the birthplace of the civil rights movement."
"The historical context here is, I think, significantly different," Figures added, referring to the site of the Montgomery bus boycott, the birthplace of the famous civil rights activist Rosa Parks, and the first pastoral assignment of Martin Luther King Jr.
In this district and state, having a Black woman at the top of the ticket means a little more, he said, especially in light of the historical part that Black women played in the civil rights fight. "Recently, we've seen a reflection of that here."
