While U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D) clings to her fourth-place position in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary polls, she hasn’t been able to make any significant strides in recent days. From a major screw-up at a New Hampshire campaign event where she failed to chastise an attendee for calling the Trump administration’s action’s ‘mentally retarded‘, to resurfaced allegations of wrongdoing during her time as a District Attorney in San Francisco, she could use a miracle right about now.
Well, a report from Politico released yesterday regarding Kamala is neither a tailwind or a miracle. In fact, the article reports on how a briefing memo was accidentally left behind at a New Hampshire restaurant. This memo highlights politicians and individuals of influence within the Democrat party that the Harris campaign is targeting for support. The Washington Examiner points out that in July, she had dinner with Bill Shaheen, husband of New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and automatic delegate to the 2020 Democratic convention in Milwaukee, and had lunches with Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and state Sen. Martha Hennessy.
Kamala Harris speaks at a New Hampshire Democratic Party convention below:
Some talking points for Kamala on the memo included how she plans to address the lack of campaigning in New Hampshire thus far.
“You haven’t traveled to New Hampshire as frequently as some of your Democratic rivals,” the memo said, anticipating questions from reporters. “Is the state a priority for your campaign?”
The memo acknowledges that she is having a summer slump and details how she is supposed to bob and weave if the question comes up and detail her ‘path to victory’.
Currently, Kamala Harris shows a distant fourth place in a Real Clear Politics national polling average in the presidential primary, and not too far ahead of fifth place’s ‘Mayor Pete‘ Buttigieg. According to the released memo, they are well aware of the polls and Kamala’s talking point is “Fully intend to win”. One of the notes read: “Note: Recent polling- Boston Globe/Suffolk (8/1-8/4) Biden 21%, Sanders 17%, Warren 14%, YOU 8%”
Politico reported towards the end of their exclusive:
The memo also provided a never-before-seen list of party influencers Harris is trying to woo.
Most recently, Harris had dinner in July with Bill Shaheen, another automatic delegate who is married to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). She’s also had one-on-one lunches with Joyce Craig, the first female mayor of Manchester, and state Sen. Martha Hennessey, whose district includes Dartmouth College and Hanover, one of the strongest bastions of Democratic voters in the state.
The briefing document also laid out potential responses to questions on her Medicare for All plans, gun control, climate change and mental health care for veterans. And it included notes on her stump speech and biographical information: that she’s a mother and fought for civil rights, for instance. It had a reminder to bring up the oft-told story of how her mom was five feet tall “but after meeting her, you’d have thought she was 7 feet tall.”
It included information about every event she participated in over her previous four trips to New Hampshire, including a one-on-one interview with a local anchor from the state’s only TV station. Veteran WMUR Political Director Adam Sexton, who is covering his fourth primary, offered a piece of advice:
“In May, Sexton gave YOU the advice to continue visiting New Hampshire because of the strong reception YOU have received in YOUR trips to the state,” it said.
