There’s no denying that there was a surge in excitement among Democrats when Vice President Kamala Harris officially replaced President Joe Biden atop the 2024 presidential ticket.
There’s also no denying that much of that “momentum” appears to have hit a ceiling, and it’s all baked into the numbers.
Just ask CNN‘s very own political director.
In a now viral clip from CNN’s Wednesday morning programming, political director David Chalian tried to put a positive spin on this stalled momentum — but he had to admit “trouble” was looming nonetheless.
“So there’s still room here for Harris to grow and consolidate the black vote, which is going to be necessary if she is going to win in places like Georgia and Pennsylvania, which are clearly in play here in toss-up races,” Chalian began, per a CNN transcript.
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He continued: “Among Latino voters, you see in Nevada that Kamala Harris has a big advantage there. She [has] an eight percentage point advantage.
“But look at the advantage that Trump has in Arizona with Latino voters. He is 43 percent to 37 percent, a six percentage point advantage in Arizona.”
At this point, Chalian pointed areas where Harris would experience particular trouble against former President Donald Trump in the general election.
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“And if you look at the white voters without college degrees, this is a Trump base constituency, obviously, you see his huge numbers with this group,” Chalian continued. “You see that this is a trouble sign for Harris. She also in a place like Georgia is not doing well with white college-educated voters.
“She probably wants to make up some ground with white college-educated voters across these battlegrounds, as well.”
CNN host Kate Bolduan responded by calling the situation “an important gut check” for both the Harris and Trump campaigns.
You can watch the relevant segment, courtesy of the Daily Caller, below:
CNN’s David Chalian Warns Of ‘Trouble Sign For Harris’ As She Lags Behind Trump’s ‘Huge Numbers’ With Key Demographic pic.twitter.com/Nos557lENn
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 4, 2024
Earlier in the segment, Chalian touted his outlet’s latest polling and told viewers “you see how close this race is.”
Chalian noted that Harris is enjoying an “outside the margin of error” lead in key battleground states Wisconsin and Michigan, while Trump enjoys a similar lead in Arizona.
“But in Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, [there is] no clear leader within the margin of error,” Chalian pointed out.
What once may have seemed like smooth sailing for Harris following the Biden switch-up looks to be must choppier waters than Democrats would prefer.
