Vice President Kamala Harris is facing pressure from political strategists and Democratic allies to engage more with the media as she continues to avoid formal press conferences since becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee. “You always just have to do enough national stuff to keep the press off your a–,” Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha told NBC News.
Since the Harris-Walz ticket was announced, Harris has participated in just eight non-scripted interviews, while former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, have conducted at least 48 interviews.
The debate on Harris’ media strategy has divided Democratic politicians and strategists. While some believe she should focus on local news interviews, others argue that avoiding national media could be detrimental. “I think she should do as many interviews as possible in battleground states, but the rest is a waste of time,” Rocha said. He added, “[National] interviews mean nothing to persuading voters. Media is too broad now for this to matter.”
After her recent debate with Trump, where she was seen by many pundits as the victor, Harris is still perceived by some independent voters as evading direct answers on key issues. A Democratic strategist, speaking anonymously to NBC News, expressed concerns: “I don’t think you can hide for 56 more days from media interviews. The biggest issues with her are because people still don’t know enough about her.”
The strategist further emphasized the need for Harris to make herself more visible to voters: “It’s going to take a lot more than one debate and one CNN interview to scratch the itch. Voters want to know whom they’re going to vote for and what they stand for and want to see them tested. It’s a dangerous strategy of trying to do a four-corners defense when there’s still a lot of clock left in the game.”
Despite some calls for more media engagement, others, like Democratic strategist Paul Maslin, support Harris’ current strategy. “Concentrate on those seven [battleground] states with paid communication and unpaid communication,” Maslin told NBC News. “I don’t think she’s going to give a hoot about the national media.”
A Harris ally also reinforced the importance of direct voter engagement over media appearances. “This election will not be won with TV ads,” they said to NBC News.
