Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has outlined her strategy to defeat former President Donald Trump in a memo released on Wednesday. The campaign highlighted that it has raised $126 million since President Joe Biden announced his exit from the 2024 election.

Building a Broad Coalition

Jen O’Malley Dillon, chair of the Harris campaign, emphasized Harris’ strong position in the race, citing three main factors: robust support among Black, Hispanic, and young voters; the potential to expand Democrats’ growing advantage with college-educated voters; and her appeal to undecided voters.

Following Biden’s withdrawal, Harris quickly secured enough Democratic National Committee delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee, garnering support from the party’s establishment. However, the coming days are crucial as she defines her candidacy amid Republican attacks and demonstrates her capability to defeat Trump, the Republican nominee.

O’Malley Dillon noted Harris’ ability to energize the Democratic base, with a net approval rating significantly ahead of Trump among Black voters (54 percentage points), young voters (25 points), women voters (21 points), and Asian American and Pacific Islander voters (30 points). She also performs better than Trump among undecided, independent, and third-party Latino voters, as well as those skeptical of both Biden and Trump.

Campaign Strategies and Key Issues

Beyond the base, Harris is positioned to build on Democrats’ strong performances in the 2020 and 2022 elections, particularly among suburban voters turned off by Trump. This group includes Democrats, independents, and some Republicans. Harris’ net favorability among white college-educated voters is 19 percentage points higher than Trump’s, and she leads Trump by 18 points among voters 65 and older.

O’Malley Dillon highlighted Harris’ focus on critical issues, such as restoring women’s reproductive rights and upholding the rule of law following January 6 and Trump’s criminal convictions. Harris’ campaign frames the election as a fight for a future that strengthens democracy, protects abortion rights, and ensures opportunities for everyone, in contrast to Trump’s agenda, which they argue would roll back rights and freedoms, harm the middle class, and threaten democracy.

Most national polls show Trump narrowly leading Harris, but these were conducted before Biden’s exit from the race. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted after Biden’s withdrawal found Harris leading Trump 44% to 42% among registered voters. O’Malley Dillon stated that the race is “more fluid now” with Harris at the top of the ticket, noting that the approximately 7% of undecided voters are disproportionately Black, Latino, and under 30, making them more likely to support Harris over Trump.

Fundraising and Support

The Harris campaign has raised $126 million since Sunday, including $81 million in the first 24 hours after Biden’s exit, the largest one-day fundraising haul for any candidate. Contributions have come from 1.4 million donors, 64% of whom were first-time donors in the 2024 election cycle. The campaign also reported adding 74,000 new volunteers since Harris announced her bid for president and inheriting Biden’s extensive campaign infrastructure, including 250 offices across battleground states.

The Harris campaign is focusing on seven battleground states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. While Biden won all but North Carolina in 2020, current polling shows Trump leading in all seven. O’Malley Dillon emphasized Harris’ advantages with young, Black, and Latino voters as crucial to securing the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. “This campaign will be close, it will be hard fought, but Vice President Harris is in a position of strength – and she’s going to win,” O’Malley Dillon asserted.