By almost any metric, Vice President Kamala Harris, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and the entire Democratic Party should feel good about the successful convention they had in Chicago.
Following one of the most turbulent months in American political history, VP Harris announced her presence atop the Democratic ticket with a passionate speech that introduced herself to voters as someone who, above all else, will work for the country.
Quite simply, Harris did what she needed to do at the DNC.
Heavily focused on the themes of freedom, patriotism, democracy, Harris’ keynote address clearly sought to draw contrasts between the forward-looking vision she outlined, and what she called the “chaos and calamity” of Trump’s presidency.
Moreover, Harris attempted, with considerable success, to define her possible presidency as one that will prioritize unifying the country, supporting the middle class, rejecting polarizing ideologies, and one that will enhance and defend freedom from the government, particularly on abortion.
And while there was no shortage of energy throughout the entire convention, there was a noticeable lack of a well-defined and clearly articulated agenda for a Harris presidency.
To be clear, that is not to take anything away from the Vice President, who headlined a successful and emotionally powerful DNC.
Rather, it is to make the point that aside from abortion and Harris’ commitment to American women, there was little in Harris’ speech that told voters how Harris will address the issues that tend to play an outsized role in who Americans vote for: the economy and cost of living, immigration, and crime and public safety.
Whether because polling shows that on the issues, Trump tends to lead Harris, or because her campaign is confident that for now, simply not being Joe Biden nor Donald Trump is sufficient to win, Harris largely preferred drawing contrasts between herself and Trump on a personal, not political level.
As such, Harris often resorted to her personal biography, rather than her political positions when making her case to voters.
Emphasizing her upbringing, she positioned herself as a champion of the middle class and for women, in comparison to Trump, who works for the ultra-wealthy and helped curtail abortion rights.
To her credit, the few times Harris did go deeper into policy, such as how she would approach the war in the Middle East, she took a relatively centrist approach, avoiding a far-left platform that may have alienated some voters in swing states.
Harris is almost certain to see a post-convention polling bump, although it is unclear whether or not Harris – or her surrogates – said anything that will drastically change the election.
Indeed, Harris is still part of a Biden administration led by a president who, immediately prior to the convention had a 37% approval rating according to ABC News/Washington Post polling.
As elections tend to be a referendum on the incumbent administration, it stands to reason that between now and election day – and especially during the debate in September – the Trump campaign’s strategy will be tying Harris to the incumbent.
Not only is this likely to resonate with voters, but it puts Harris in a tough spot, either criticizing her own administration or defending an unpopular president.
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Further, the American electorate is more polarized now than ever before, leaving less potential swing voters. And, despite national polls showing Harris with an average 1.5-point lead per RealClearPolitics, presidential elections often come down to a small number of votes in a handful of swing states.
There is also the unique Trump factor vis-à-vis polling.
Despite the surge in momentum Harris has seen since she replaced Biden atop the ticket, as well as the inevitable bump she will see in the coming days, in both the 2016 and 2020 general elections, Trump outperformed pre-election polls.
According to Politico, the chances of this happening again are worrying the Harris campaign and other Democrats.
Ultimately, Harris’ DNC address rose to the occasion by doing exactly what it needed to do. She positioned herself as an experienced, centrist leader who would govern from the middle, not the far-left, and unafraid to pick a fight.
Harris’ success notwithstanding, the presidential race is far from over. Whichever candidate can refocus their messaging to revolve around the issues that matter will have a considerable advantage in the final weeks before Americans head to the polls.
Douglas Schoen is a longtime Democratic political consultant.
