Harris’ travels didn’t get much attention or scrutiny before she became the Democratic presidential nominee. However, these trips helped her prepare and be ready for when the opportunity arose.
Before Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee for president, some party leaders and Washington insiders doubted her ability to rally voters. Her approval ratings were low, and she faced criticism from both Republicans and fellow Democrats for early missteps in her role as vice president. Additionally, she struggled with high staff turnover.
Despite these challenges, Harris worked hard to build a strong political network across the country and online. She engaged directly with many political activists and voters, especially through college campus tours, events focused on reproductive rights, and efforts to boost economic empowerment for the Black community. This groundwork helped her gain support and energize her party when she was chosen as the Democratic nominee.
Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., noted Harris’s dedication, recalling her meetings with culinary union workers—an influential labor group in Nevada. These interactions, including tours and speeches, have built a solid base of support. If Harris wins Nevada in the upcoming election, the union’s efforts will be crucial.
Throughout her official duties and campaign, Harris visited important swing states to connect with key voter groups. For example, in March, she became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic in Minnesota, a state that Trump has targeted. She promoted reproductive rights alongside Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is now her running mate.
The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn abortion rights upset Harris but also played to her strengths. She became a prominent voice in the White House’s response to the decision and the resulting state abortion bans. In a June 2023 speech in Charlotte, North Carolina—a crucial swing state—Harris addressed the threat of nationwide abortion bans proposed by Republicans, asserting that such measures would not succeed.
Mini Timmaraju, president of Reproductive Freedom for All and a former Biden administration official, highlighted that Kamala Harris has built strong and lasting relationships with abortion-rights activists from her time in the Senate and in California.
As a senator, Harris gained national attention by challenging Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings. Although Kavanaugh was confirmed, Harris won support from many abortion-rights advocates. She continued to champion reproductive rights by speaking in Arizona and Florida when those states faced new abortion restrictions. Both states are important in presidential elections, with Arizona voting once for Trump and once for Biden, and Florida leaning towards Trump twice by narrow margins.
Timmaraju emphasized that these efforts are significant and impactful.
As of August 14, Harris had visited seven key battleground states—Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona—between four and seven times in 2024 alone. Her campaign list shows she has been very active in these crucial areas.
At her first rally as the Democratic nominee in Atlanta on July 30, Harris was introduced by Tyler Greene, a Morehouse College graduate who had participated in a roundtable discussion on young men of color and small business. Harris also conducted a campus tour, reaching an estimated 15,000 students at various colleges, including those serving students of color, community colleges, vocational schools, and state universities.
Bakari Sellers, a former South Carolina state representative and Harris supporter, praised Harris for stepping away from Washington, D.C., to connect with people across the country. He noted that while Joe Biden focused on Capitol Hill during his vice presidency, Harris’s role benefits from her being on the road and engaging with voters directly.
Sellers explained that Harris is an effective messenger for issues like reproductive rights and Black economic mobility. Her work traveling and building relationships with engaged voters is seen as more valuable than negotiating policies with centrist senators like Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin.
If Harris becomes president, she will need to work with her former Senate colleagues. For now, her experience traveling the country and connecting with voters appears to be serving her well in the campaign.
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