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The October surprise: Harris is navigating a pair of them
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With only a month left until Election Day, Vice President Harris is navigating a pair of external challenges in the month of October that pose risk to her campaign.
At home, there’s the recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene — including in the vital swing states of North Carolina and Georgia. And abroad, there’s the real risk of escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The twin crises present a unique challenge for the Biden administration and, by extension, Harris — who is a key part of that team. So her campaign and the White House are pulling out the stops to try to show voters they’re on top of things, even as Harris pushes ahead on the campaign trail.
For Harris, there’s the fear that these “October surprises” go sideways and she gets some blame. In a race this close, every vote matters.
But these kinds of high-profile crises also present an opportunity to demonstrate leadership, said Democratic political strategist Ian Russell.
“What she has to do, and what she is doing, is showing up and showing that she's engaged, showing that she's capable of stepping up to the challenges that the country and the world face and I think she’s doing that very well,” Russell said.
How Harris has been responding to these October surprises
Harris took a break from the campaign on Wednesday to visit a Georgia neighborhood ravaged by Hurricane Helene where more than half of residents don't have power and many don't have running water.
“The president and I have been paying close attention from the beginning to what we need to do to make sure the federal resources hit the ground as quickly as possible,” Harris said. “That includes what was necessary to make sure that we provided direct federal assistance. And that work has been happening.”
President Biden also surveyed Asheville, N.C., where some of the most severe storm damage occurred, as he and Harris try to reassure voters in the critical state that their administration is up to the task. Harris’ campaign has said she plans to tour storm damage in North Carolina soon, too.
Her opponent, former President Donald Trump, is slated to be it the state on Friday for a town hall.
Another crisis was averted: the economic fallout from a strike
The International Longshoremen’s Association decision to go on strike on Tuesday had been another challenge for Harris, threatening to upend the economy heading into the election.
But on Thursday, the union dockworkers and port operators reached a tentative agreement on wages and agreed to extend their contract to Jan. 15. Harris and Biden had sided firmly with the union, and on Thursday Biden said both sides had acted “patriotically” to reopen the ports to ensure supplies were available for hurricane rebuilding efforts.
Trump sees opportunity in these crises
The Trump campaign is on the lookout for anything they can use against Harris in the closely contested race — including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
On Tuesday, Trump told his supporters that he was the person to take on Iran after it attacked Israel. “We have a nonexistent president and a nonexistent vice president, who should be in charge, but nobody knows what's going on,” Trump said.
Harris made sure to get out in front of cameras this week to reaffirm her support for Israel. “As I have said, I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist militias,” she said.
“And let us be clear: Iran is not only a threat to Israel; Iran is also a threat to American personnel in the region, American interests, and innocent civilians across the region who suffer at the hands of Iran-based and -backed terrorist proxies.”
How the White House, Harris and her campaign are able to navigate these “October surprises” is critical in a race this close, with only a month left.
“There's always going to be something that could go wrong at home or abroad," Russell said. “And our leaders need to be able to step up and deliver while also being politicians.”
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