Pennsylvania Democrats Express Concerns About Kamala Harris’ Campaign Strategy

Regional rivalries among campaign staff could reportedly spell trouble for Kamala Harris

Reports suggest that some of the top Democrats in Pennsylvania are unhappy with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign strategy in the crucial battleground state for the upcoming US presidential election.

Pennsylvania, with its 19 Electoral College votes, holds significant weight for Democrats, who rely on their traditional strongholds of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to deliver victory for Harris against Republican Donald Trump on November 5. Both parties are expected to spend over $500 million on TV advertising in the state, more than any other.

“Democrats fret that any mistake here, big or small, could tip the election away from them,” Politico reported on Wednesday, citing internal sources.

“Pennsylvania is such a mess, and it’s incredibly frustrating,” said one elected Democrat, speaking anonymously. “I feel like we’re going to win here, but we’re going to win it in spite of the Harris state campaign.”

Harris’ Pennsylvania campaign manager, Nikki Lu, has faced criticism from the Philadelphia wing of the party. One strategist claimed that she “empowers a culture” that has left local elected officials feeling “unengaged and disrespected.” Lu hails from Pittsburgh, located on the opposite side of the state.

Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks told Politico that “there’s been a lot of struggles” within the campaign, attributed to “folks coming into Philadelphia that are making assumptions about what needs to happen in Philadelphia and not necessarily having the relationships to move Philadelphia politics.”

Lu has also been accused of neglecting outreach to black and Latino voters, seen as crucial Democratic voting blocs. Although concerns about voter outreach are common among Pennsylvania Democrats, “this level of frustration and finger-pointing is not,” Politico observed.

The campaign’s initial Latino coalition manager, Mariel Joy Kornblith Martin, resigned after just two weeks on the job. In an August memo to state party leaders, she complained about being denied access to necessary data and infrastructure. A Harris campaign official dismissed Martin’s claim as “untrue.”

According to former Philadelphia city council member Maria Quinones-Sanchez, the campaign has become “so scientific around door-knocking and connecting, that they forget that culturally, Latinos like just noise.”

“We need young African American men to come home. We need African American women… to come out in record numbers, and disaffected African Americans,” said Ryan Boyer, a prominent Philadelphia labor leader. He accused Lu of being “slow” to connect with surrogates who could help with outreach to the black community, including Mayor Cherelle Parker.

Lu declined to comment to Politico. Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez issued a statement asserting that Democrats were “running the largest and most sophisticated operation in Pennsylvania history,” with 50 staff dedicated to reaching out to black voters and another 30 focused on Latinos.

However, in recent weeks, the campaign has brought in President Barack Obama’s former field director for Pennsylvania, Paulette Aniskoff, along with several other operatives with ties to Philadelphia.