The reversal of the mood in the Democratic camp was immediate after the announcement of the candidacy of Kamala Harris for the presidency of the USA, which has revived hopes that a second presidency of Donald Trump is likely to be prevented.

The good news starts with fundraising, with Harris’ campaign saying it raised $126 million from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, volunteers have multiplied as more than 100,000 people have signed up to give to the Vice President’s campaign and 2,000 have applied for jobs, according to Kamala Harris’ chief of staff, Jen O’Malley Dillon. The polls show the same mood, with the two rivals fighting head-to-head where before Donald Trump was clearly in the lead.

What is now widely acknowledged is that the switch clearly favors the Democratic Party with donors and voters rallying to prevent a Trump victory.

The dynamics developed by Kamala Harris has surprised even former Biden campaign officials who on Sunday suddenly found themselves working on her candidacy after the US president resigned.

However, analysts point out that it is too early to draw conclusions about how Harris’ rise could change the presidential race that has long looked like a rematch between Biden and Trump. Harris has yet to pick a running mate with the Democratic convention just weeks away.

A debate between the two is also expected to be a deciding factor, drawing tens of millions of viewers and potentially changing the trajectory of the presidential race.

Although Trump said earlier this week that he has not committed to a debate with Harris, the vice president said Thursday that she would participate in ABC’s originally scheduled Sept. 10 debate between Trump and Biden.

The outcome of the televised showdown will largely determine voter attitudes in a race that has been unpredictable even as there are signs that Harris is improving on Biden’s key weaknesses among younger, non-white and female voters.

Harris has about 100 days ahead of her that will define her political career. The blunders during her 2020 nomination process, the verbal blunders and reversals that marred her early stint as vice president could resurface as Harris tries to prove she has matured politically. At the same time, she will be faced with the same challenges that Biden had as he had to unite the different views of the party on the war in Gaza.

But her campaign manager argues that a Kamala Harris nomination would widen the map for Democrats. Biden’s campaign believed his path to 270 Electoral College votes lay in the blue states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But Harris, with potentially stronger appeal among young Black and Latino votersn, could prove to be more competitive than Biden in the states expected to be contested for dominance, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

Appeal to African American Women

Every day, Harris methodically targets the Democratic base — including supporters of struggling states.

In her latest act, she sought to mobilize African-American women in a key Democratic constituency that helped secure Biden’s 2020 nomination — in a speech at the Zeta Phi Beta sorority in Indianapolis.

“There is so much at stake right now. So much is at stake, and again right now, our nation – as always – is counting on you to energize, organize and mobilize,” Harris said at the Grand Boulé rally. “Getting people to vote, getting them to the polls and continuing to fight for our future.”

He accused Trump of supporting “a plan to return America to a dark past” and argued that some positions from the 2025 agenda, including cutting the Department of Education and the Department of Medicine, “represent a clear attack on our children, our families and the our future”.

“Freedom”

Harris’ campaign on Thursday released its first campaign video, a 75-second clip featuring the song “Freedom” by Beyoncé.

Although the faces are different, the core message remains the same as Biden’s for re-election in April 2023.

In this three-minute video, Biden said: “The question we face is whether in the coming years we will have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or less. I know what I want the answer to be, and I think you do too. This is no time for complacency. That’s why I’m running for re-election.”

Harris, meanwhile, also highlighted a pro-“liberty” argument — albeit in a slight departure from Biden’s defense of democracy, incorporating women’s reproductive rights and more.

The video begins with Harris asking, “In this election, each of us faces one question: What kind of country do we want to live in?” as scenes from her Milwaukee campaign play.

“We choose freedom. The freedom not just to get by, but to move forward. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your body,” Harris said. “We choose a future where no child lives in poverty, where everyone can afford health care. Where no one is above the law. We believe in the promise of America and we are ready to fight for it. Because when we fight, we win.”