Storm Lake Pilot: Harris Could Win Iowa.

Kamala Harris dominated Donald Trump in Tuesday’s televised debate. She played the methodical prosecutor. He took on the role of angry, incoherent gasbag. It was good TV for about 40 minutes when Trump started frothing into the camera about Haitians coming to eat your dog and cat. It was all downhill to bedtime from there. Afterwards, Single Cat Lady Taylor Swift endorsed Harris...

We suspected that Harris would hold her own as an experienced trial lawyer. She did more than that. It was a takedown.

Harris got under Trump’s skin by suggesting that fans leave his rallies early as he rambles on about how life hasn’t treated him fairly. She mocked him, laughed at him, rested her chin on her index finger toying with her next parry. Trump was no match. He looked as bad as Biden did during the first debate, a performance so weak he was convinced to step aside for Harris. Trump is old, feeble and vain, visibly so in prime time before what was sold as a record audience.

It was so bad it made us wonder once more, could Harris win Iowa?

Yes, if she tried.

Barack Obama won the state twice before it was abandoned by Hillary Clinton. The state has not fundamentally changed in character. Gov. Reynolds is among the least popular governors in America. Iowans are uncomfortable with an agenda built on censoring books, shaming gays and banning abortion at six weeks. They are outright opposed to school vouchers. Iowans will listen if Democrats speak to their issues.

Harris running mate Tim Walz could do a lot of damage in an airport tour of Dubuque, Davenport, Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Sioux City, with a detour to a small town like Storm Lake that is trying to make things work.

Harris is obliged to bury Trump. After that debate performance, and with these huge fundraising hauls and voter registration surges, she should broaden the field beyond the seven swing states. Iowa is a pretty cheap state to win in an environment that favors change. She has the money, the momentum and the message to reclaim lost territory in Iowa. The Democrats should not squander the opportunity to finish off this malignancy to our politics that Trump engenders.

https://www.stormlake.com/stories/editorials-harris-could-win-iowa,109918

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

SW-User

Much as I'd like to think it, I doubt it.

North Carolina, on the other hand...

beckyromero · 36-40, F

@SW-User

Obama won Iowa twice. Hillary's loss in 2016 might partly been attributed to her loss in the 2008 caucus to Obama. She was not very popular there. Until 2016, the Democrats won the state every election since 1988 with the exception of George W. Bush winning the state narrowly in 2004/

Trump defeated Hillary in Iowa, 51% to 42%. But Trump also defeated Biden, 53% to 45%.

But Iowa does present Democrats to reverse a troubling trend. Reliable or at least toss-up states (like Ohio and Missouri), along with states that had been leaned Democratic (like Iowa and West Virginia) have become Republican strongholds. That allows Republicans to concentrate efforts in the traditional "Blue Wall" states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Iowa's 6 electoral votes could make up for the loss of Nevada.

But North Carolina does present a nice juicy 16 electoral votes, though not enough to make up for the potential loss of Pennsylvania.

I see Harris' chance of winning the following states in this order, most likely to least likely:

Minnesota
Virginia
Wisconsin
Nebraska 2nd
Maine 2nd
Michigan
Pennsylvania
North Carolina
Nevada
Georgia
Arizona
Florida
Alaska
Iowa
Ohio
Texas

SW-User

@beckyromero I think anything below Pennsylvania is wishful thinking, if I'm honest.

beckyromero · 36-40, F

@SW-User

Without anything below Pennsylvania makes Pennsylvania and everything above it on the list "must wins," save one of the two electoral votes (either Nebraska 2nd or the Maine 2nd). Winning only one of those two Congressional districts and everything else from Pennsylania on up (and all the other "Biden" states) gets Harris to 270, the minimum number of Electoral Votes needed for victory.

Hopefully, the nut case GOP gubenatorial candidate in NC turns the state blue, making that state and Nevada insurance against a loss in PA.

SW-User

@beckyromero She might get NC, I guess, but everything else below that is slipping out of reach. It will be enough (just) though.

beckyromero · 36-40, F

@SW-User

Winning PA is so very crucial. It's why she and Walz have been visiting "red" counties in the state, to cut down on Trump's margin of win in those counties.

Hopefully, come the final week Biden will be campaiging in Scranton and Obama in Philly to help GOTV, while Harris and Walz hop-scotch around to places like Pittsburgh, Detroit and Milwaukee.

In 2016 Hillary was spending $$$ in Arizona and Florida the final weekend, trying to run up the score. Obama was sent to Florida the final weekend and twice in the last 10 days of the race, which made no sense. He made the statement that if the Dems won Florida, Hillary would win the election. And that turned out to be a false narrative. Even if she had won Florida, she would have still lost. Even Tim Kaine was in Florida the final weekend.

Just horrible campaign management. No wonder weeks before that Bill Clinton was said to have thrown his cell phone into the Arkansas River because he couldn't get the campaign to listen to his advice.

SW-User

@beckyromero If she wins Pennsylvania, it's a done deal.

beckyromero · 36-40, F

@SW-User

I'm pretty confident about Wisconsin. More worried about Michigan than WI. And more worried about PA than MI.

If she wins PA, she'll probably win MI.

The "Blue Wall" must hold!

ElwoodBlues · M

@SW-User says

I think anything below Pennsylvania is wishful thinking, if I'm honest.

I'm inclined to agree with you.

Still, forcing Trump to spend more in states he considers safe will draw some of his resources away from the battleground states. If Democrats have the massive cash advantage they appear to have, then adding more frontlines to the battle harms him more.