Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has invested big resources in fighting to win North Carolina, a state Joe Biden lost in 2020, falling to Donald Trump by 1.4 percent. Since her previous visit on Sept. 12, the Democratic nominee has been holding steady in the polls. Now, in the wake of a hugely disruptive natural event, the vice president has an opportunity to burnish her bona fides as a leader — by going back again, and soon.
The impact of Hurricane Helene on the state and others was immense in an instant. At least 62 people in five states — North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Virginia — have died to this point as a result of the storm, which struck North Carolina with devastating speed and fury. The Biden administration has already mounted an official response to the disaster, as expected.
One hopes VP Harris can see both the need for effecting the human touch, and the value in repeating candidate outreach in a state that could be pivotal on Nov. 5th. Depending on the needs and priorities of first responders on the ground, of course, it shouldn’t be that big a stretch: Kamala Harris, with few staff and no handlers, no jewelry, in jeans instead of slacks, work boots instead of heels, the vice president talking directly to voters and to citizens, getting an unfiltered assessment of what people need from the people themselves.
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It's retail American politics, of course; among its best practitioners was President Barack Obama, wearing a windbreaker, polo shirt and slacks, meeting the broken victims of Hurricane Sandy about a week before the 2012 election. But it’s also empathy, pure and simple, and North Carolina can use that right now, up close and personal, from at least one of the two people likely to be the next president of the United States.
This is more than opportunism; it’s a chance for Harris to enlarge on the oratory of her previous visits. In those campaign-rally circumstances, Harris’ team controlled the narrative; the event and its stagecraft were meticulously planned. If Harris goes back to North Carolina, in anything close to the current conditions, voters would see how she responds under the fire of the totally unexpected, how she handles being thrown into a situation that couldn’t be less manicured or stage-managed. Good practice for the 24/7 surprises of the presidency.
The usual suspects, the cynical wags and cranks on social media, will roll their eyes and slam the gesture as “phony” or “self-serving.” All of which may not matter to the people of North Carolina, some of whom will certainly think — from now until Election Day — “say what you will, Kamala Harris put in the work. She cared enough to be here. She cared enough to show up.”
In a close election, the human touch could make all the difference.
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UPDATE: Sept. 30, 1:38 A.M. PT: CBS News is reporting the Hurricane Helene death toll has risen to 116 people. North Carolina has fared the worst to this point, with at least 46 people dead, CBS reported, citing state and local officials.
