Evan Roth Smith: Kamala Harris can demonstrate her own toughness and “close this chapter” in American politics

Slingshot founding partner Evan Roth Smith spoke to CNN’s Ronald Brownstein about how Kamala Harris’s entry changed the 2024 race and gave many Americans hope that the country could shake off the dominating political “frame” of the past decade.

“‘American politics over the last decade has been defined by a frame that Donald Trump has imposed on it and has worked to his benefit, which is this strength frame,’ said Democratic pollster Evan Roth Smith, who is leading the ongoing ‘Blueprint’ project to measure voter attitudes about key themes in the 2024 presidential race. ‘Kamala Harris entering the picture and the sea change that has occurred in this race … has [produced] this sigh of deep relief among voters that maybe we can close this chapter in American history. And that includes discarding the political frame around strength that Donald Trump imposed on our politics. Not just the man himself, but the frame.’”

“Roth Smith, the Blueprint project director, also argues that the vice president can demonstrate toughness not only through her record prosecuting violent criminals but also her lawsuits against powerful corporations.”

“‘Kamala Harris’ ability to say – ‘I put these bastards in a court room before and I will do it again’ – I think that’s important,’ he said. ‘The American people are not looking for an economic technician right now. They are looking for someone who can wield the battle ax of the federal government a little bit against these people who are seen as taking advantage of American consumers.’”

Read the full CNN article here.