As of Monday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris is the presumptive nominee. According to reports from multiple news outlets, she now has majority support from the Democratic delegates. We are off to the races. The 2024 campaign is now Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump with democracy on the line.

As President Biden was deciding whether to stay in the race, there was an intense debate about if Kamala Harris could give Democrats a better chance to defeat Trump. Over the last week or so, she performed about 2 points better than Biden in hypothetical matchups with Trump — but she’s still trailing (although a couple of polls show her ahead). We see something similar in battleground state polling. Like Biden’s, her approval rating is in the high 30’s. All of this with the caveat that polling done before Biden withdrew and Harris ascended is speculative at best and hot garbage at worst.

Despite that polling, Kamala Harris can defeat Trump. She starts as the underdog with a short runway but here’s the upside for Kamala Harris:

1. She’s the Best Messenger in the Race

Political campaigns are about the art of persuasion. Winning candidates must convince people to get off the couch and cast a ballot. Getting people to participate is a high bar during this time of great cynicism and disillusionment.

Democrats have a great argument to make for themselves and a damning case against Trump. There were concerns that Biden couldn’t make this case effectively. There are no such concerns about Kamala Harris.

She is the best messenger in this race… by far. Watch her remarks yesterday in Milwaukee or at the Biden Campaign HQ on Monday. She offers a compelling future-oriented message with a brutal and believable contrast against Trump; and she did it with humor, gravitas, and charisma...