Has Kamala Harris’ Media Blitz Worked? Analysts’ Verdicts

Vice President Kamala Harris has been on a media blitz, sitting down for a string of national interviews this week.

On Tuesday alone, she appeared on The View, spoke with radio host Howard Stern and taped a show with late-night comedian Stephen Colbert. On Monday, her interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes aired. On Sunday, Harris’ episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast was released.

Until the tour, Harris has largely avoided interviews as the Democratic presidential nominee—a decision that’s been met with harsh criticism from the campaign of former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. As she seeks to counter that narrative, political analysts spoke with Newsweek to break down whether or not it will pull Harris ahead in the race.

You can have your say, too. Let us know if you think Harris’ media blitz has worked for her campaign in our poll below.

Robert Shrum — Yes

Trump is talking to [voters] he’s already converted to his base, on Newsmax, on Fox, going on Ben Shapiro. [Harris] is reaching out, and it’s across a wide range of platforms. After people complaining that she wasn’t doing interviews, I think she’s doing the interviews that will do her the most good because it will help her get to casual voters, help people to find out more about her. I think Howard Stern’s interview was really interesting. We learned a lot about her, and whether it all works, we’ll find out Election Week.

Shrum is a well-known Democratic political consultant who served as senior adviser to John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign and Al Gore’s 2000 campaign. He is director of the Political Future and the Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics at the University of Southern California.

James Haggerty — TBD

It was definitely too late, that’s for sure. The only question now is whether it’s too little.

Unfortunately, Harris fed her opponents a perfect argument: that she isn’t giving interviews because she can’t think on her feet…and, the argument goes, if you can’t think on your feet, you shouldn’t be president. You can see the effects of this not only in the way Trump and [Trump running mate Ohio Senator JD] Vance have attacked her, but also in the fact that her avoidance of interviews has left a bad taste in the mouth of many media outlets. One only need look at the tepid endorsement by The New York Times for evidence of that.

But is it too little? It all depends on turnout. Her media tour and the outlets she’s chosen—Colbert, 60 Minutes, Howard Stern, The View—seem to be designed not so much to sway undecideds, but to get those predisposed to voting for her out the door to vote [or to the mailbox, I guess]. The thinking seems to be: the more they like her, the more they’ll resist the urge to sit this one out.

Haggerty is president and CEO of PRCG Haggerty LLC. He was named as one of the “18 top public-relations experts CEOs scramble to hire in a crisis” by Business Insider in 2023.

Matt Bennett — Yes

The Harris media blitz is working. The imperative in these last few weeks is to reach voters who have not yet decided whether to vote or for whom to vote. These are generally not consumers of cable news, so you need to go to big outlets like 60 Minutes and niche places like podcasts [Call Her Daddy, etc.] and talk shows [The View, Colbert].

Given the unusual route she took to the nomination, a lot of those folks don’t know her. And the president lives in our lives in a real way, so voting decisions are often based on how we feel about the person. The opportunity to show her personality and her passions, in ways that don’t come across from a stump speech, are vitally important. Any time a candidate does an interview, there is risk involved, and her answers haven’t been—and won’t be—perfect. But these voters aren’t looking for perfection, they’re looking to see if they like her enough to have her live in their heads for at least four years.

Bennett is a veteran Democratic strategist who served as a former White House deputy assistant to the president during the Clinton administration. He is also senior vice president for public affairs at Third Way.

Steve Mitchell — No

After assiduously avoiding the media since President Biden was forced out of the race on July 21, Vice President Harris has started a media blitz going to primarily friendly news or social networks. To call Harris’ performance uneven is a compliment.

From saying on The View she would have done nothing differently than President Biden, to her failure to answer specific questions on 60 Minutes, Harris has played into her image of being unable to provide clear answers to precise questions.

One woman “on the street” called Vice President Harris a, “lettuce-head, because all she comes out with are word salads!”

Harris has been forced out into the public by a narrowing race. However, she is even having difficulty not making mistakes in front of friendly audiences and friendly reporters. Will these interviews help or hurt her candidacy? We will know on November 5.

Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Research & Communications, is a Michigan-based pollster who worked on President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 campaign.