“Harris Must Do More”: NYT Columnist Calls for Direct Engagement with Voters

Writing that Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign “must do more” to win the support of undecided voters, New York Times columnist Charles Blow argued Wednesday that her path to electoral victory depends on engaging directly with what he calls the “final 5%.”

“Harris has run a remarkable race, one truncated by the historic route by which she became her party’s nominee,” Blow wrote in his op-ed. “But now she must finish it in the way many longer campaigns begin: by prioritizing retail politics that win over the reluctant.”

Blow emphasizes that while Harris is “a must-win candidate as a guard against a rising authoritarianism,” her campaign’s cautious approach—avoiding smaller, more intimate settings out of concern for “gotcha” moments—may be hindering voters from seeing the “humanizing moments” that large rallies often fail to provide.

This hesitancy, according to Blow, could be preventing Americans from feeling like they truly know Harris and understand her positions. “The campaign doesn’t need a post-joy strategy, but it definitely needs an in-addition-to-joy strategy,” he writes, suggesting that the desire of voters to learn more about her offers a crucial opportunity for the Democratic nominee.

Blow also acknowledged that Harris is gradually stepping into more challenging and intimate settings, noting her recent appearance on 60 Minutes as a positive step. However, he stressed that this is not enough. “But her campaign must do more,” he insists. “Harris has to come down from behind the rally podiums for more personal interactions with individual voters.”

For Blow, the solution is clear: Harris needs to increase her visibility in smaller, more personal events where she can directly engage with undecided voters and demonstrate her authenticity. As the campaign progresses, he believes this approach could be key to swaying the “final 5%” and securing electoral victory.