A New York Times poll released on Sunday showing Vice President Kamala Harris trailing former President Donald Trump by a point nationally set off a wave of alarm among many progressives.
However, former Republican pollster Sarah Longwell is advising Democrats to take a closer look at the poll — and understand that it is full of opportunities for their 2024 presidential nominee.
Writing in The Bulwark, Longwell says that the poll shows that Harris and her campaign have significant work to do, but she says that work is far from an impossible task.
"If you look at the numbers and talk to these people, it’s evident that Harris has room to win them over; Trump far less so," she writes.
ALSO READ: 'Fully radicalized' Republicans are ready to carry out 'really dangerous plan': columnist
Longwell then shares quotes from several members of her focus groups that show a strong curiosity about Harris and an interest in learning more about her and what she stands for.
Crucially, says Longwell, these voters already know enough about Trump to have made a negative decision about him — but they don't yet feel comfortable voting for Harris.
"The debate is Harris’s best opportunity to give voters like these a sense of who she is and what kind of president she will be," writes Longwell. "Which is why she should focus on clearly articulating what her policy priorities will be and not letting Trump turn the debate into a circus. People already know why they don’t like Trump. They need to figure out why they like Harris."
Longwell then goes through a series of quotes from undecided voters saying they like certain things about Harris — such as her sense of humor or the fact that she behaves "like an adult" — but they need more information to make them completely comfortable.
"Every one of those voters should be gettable for Harris — because they already voted against Trump at least once," she writes. "But they’re not on board yet. Harris’s first job at the debate is to bring them home and they’re saying very clearly what they want to hear from her."
