With just more than 30 minutes to go until the CNN-New York Times debate, here’s one major thing to look for this Tuesday night: the Beto-Kamala factor.
Early on, both of these candidates seemed promising. Harris was posting healthy double digits into the summer. Yet both candidates have fallen to the low single digits. And with the latest Quinnipiac University poll showing Harris on 4% and O’Rourke at 2%, both candidates need to stand apart tonight if they are to have any chance of building momentum toward the primaries.
Recommended Stories
To stand out, they will need a performance that makes Democratic primary voters reconsider their candidacies. Some moment that makes those voters stop, think, and say, “Actually, maybe I’m with her (or him)!”
What might that entail?
Well, I would suggest both candidates trying to do two things.
First, rising above the rest of the lower-ranking pack.
As Harris and O’Rourke address other second-tier candidates such as Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang, Amy Klobuchar, and Pete Buttigieg, expect tenacity. The polling data suggests Democrats don’t simply want a candidate they can believe in, but a candidate they believe can confidently beat Donald Trump in November 2020. That means aggression against challengers. Considering the continuing Turkish offensive against erstwhile U.S. allies in northern Syria, Gabbard is likely to come under particular pressure for her previous statements in support of Bashar Assad.
Second, expect Harris and O’Rourke to pick either Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden and go after them.
These two will want to show primary voters that they have the better ideas, greater courage, and stronger will to win in 2020. And that means unseating the two candidates at the top of the pack. The key here is that we’re now in October 2019. We’re just 13 months away from the general election. The time for playing is over. Whether they admit it or not, Democratic primary voters are now beginning to consolidate in favor of their front-runners.
Harris and O’Rourke need to stand out tonight. If they don’t, they can kiss their presidential aspirations goodbye.
