Former Barack Obama David Axelrod has warned against overconfidence in Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
During an appearance on CNN, Axelrod asserted that the initial “enthusiasm” among Democrat voters for Harris’s campaign is now waning.
He noted that “if the election were today,” President Donald Trump would likely beat Harris.
Axelrod argues that it’s a “very competitive race” that will come down to “an Electoral College fight.”
During the Sunday interview, Axelrod said Trump may still be in the lead in the swing states that will decide the race.
He continued by expressing concerns that Democrats are being overly confident that Harris could beat Trump.
A recent survey conducted by Ipsos found Trump and Harris are close or effectively tied in seven swing states.
Those swing states are:
- Michigan
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Arizona
- Nevada.
Harris received 42% of the vote share in the seven swing states, compared to Trump’s 40%.
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy’s share was 5%, according to the poll.
“This is still a very competitive race,” Axelrod said.
“If the election were today, I’m not sure who would win, and I think it may well be President Trump because it’s an Electoral College fight.”
“I’ve said several times here that for a Democrat to win those battleground states they have to have a significant lead in the Electoral College,” he said.
“It’s good to be enthusiastic,” Axelrod continued.
“That enthusiasm is really, really important for the Democratic Party, but you have to turn that into energetic action in order to win the election”
In 2016, Hillary Clinton was crushed by Trump in the Electoral College, costing the twice-failed Democrat the election.
In 2020, Biden “won” by about four points in the popular vote.
However, Trump still came close to winning the election due to Biden’s razor-thin margins in the decisive states of Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia.
Axelrod, who irked Biden’s inner circle with his criticisms of the president while he was the nominee, said that Harris’ campaign has made rapid and “extraordinary progress” with voters.
He noted how the race looked during the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month after Trump narrowly avoided assassination.
“We were all in Milwaukee a month ago and there was euphoria there and a sense that this race was over, that they were going to win by a landslide, perhaps sweep in big majorities in the House and Senate and things have changed dramatically,” he said, referring to the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
WATCH:
Approximately 52% of respondents in the swing states said that inflation is the most important issue facing the country, per an Ipsos poll.
32% said immigration is the most pressing matter.
The poll was conducted between July 31 and Aug. 7.
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