Kamala Harris: ‘Yes, I Still Consider Myself the Underdog’ Despite Polling Lead Over Trump
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When asked by a reporter if she still sees herself as the “underdog” in the 2024 presidential race, despite holding a slight lead over Republican Donald Trump in recent polls, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris responded without hesitation: “Yes, I do.” Harris emphasized that the race remains close and cautioned against complacency.
Harris is performing competitively in many national and battleground state polls released in mid-August. Her supporters are hopeful that the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago will further boost her momentum as the election approaches.
However, in a guest essay published by the New York Times on August 19, the convention’s opening day, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow laid out a concerning scenario. She warned that if Harris wins the electoral vote, MAGA Republicans could potentially attempt to overturn the election results, echoing past efforts to undermine democratic processes.
Maddow recalled a similar situation from December 1960 when far-right white supremacist Gerald L.K. Smith proposed a “nutball campaign” to overturn John F. Kennedy’s presidential victory over Richard Nixon. Although Smith’s efforts were largely ignored at the time, Maddow fears that a more coordinated attempt could emerge in 2024, driven by Trump supporters at various levels of government.
“Election boards across the country now include Republican officials who have not only propounded Mr. Trump’s lies about the last presidential election being ‘stolen,’ they have tested how far they can go in denying the certification of the vote,” Maddow explained. “Republicans tried this ploy more than two dozen times in at least eight states since 2020.”
Maddow expressed concerns about “legal challenges” and “certification refusals” from MAGA Republicans if Harris wins key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan. She warned that these actions might not aim to falsify the results but to prevent a clear outcome altogether.
“The point of these certification refusals may not be to falsify or flip a result, but simply to prevent the emergence of one,” Maddow cautioned. “If one or more states fail to produce official results, blocking any candidate from reaching 270 electoral votes, the 12th Amendment prescribes Gerald L.K. Smith’s dream scenario: a vote in the newly elected House of Representatives to determine the presidency.”
Maddow concluded by highlighting the stark difference between Trump and Nixon, adding, “After all, the Republican nominee this year is no Richard Nixon.” Her analysis underscores the potential for unprecedented challenges to the electoral process in 2024, leaving many to consider the resilience of American democracy in the face of such threats.
