Kamala Harris is changing the way America does politics. And I'm going to prove this by taking you away from Ohio and Michigan and Pennsylvania and the rest of the swing states to talk about a state I'm from. Kansas.
Harris' opponent won Kansas in 2016 by over 20 points. Kansas is so overwhelmingly red that there are currently more people registered "other" in Kansas than there are registered Democrats.
But in 2018, Kansas also elected a woman to the governorship - a Democrat named Laura Jean Kelly. And in 2020, Harris' opponent won by only 8 points. In 2022, they re-elected Governor Kelly to a second term. And in the same year, Kansas Republicans tried to sneak a statewide abortion ban past without anyone noticing. Instead, Kansas came out in droves to defeat that ban in a landslide 60-40 vote.
And now, in 2024, Harris' opponent is leading by only 4 points in the polls. Now sure, you could look at that and say, Trump is up by 4 points against Harris. But remember that Trump LOST in 2020. He needs to pick up NEW voters if he is going to win this year. So another way of looking at those numbers is that Trump is DOWN 4 additional points from 2020, points that he NEEDS to win nationally.
And if you look at the voting lines, they also tell a different story from the polls. 2 hour early voting lines aren't uncommon across Kansas. And there is anecdotal evidence of people standing in line for 4 or even 5 hours to cast their votes. Now, will all of those be for Kamala? No. But ask yourself why would Republicans be standing around for 5 hours to vote in a state that's definitely going to go red anyway.
Folks, here's why people are doing that. This isn't just a campaign. This is a movement.
We are not going back. That includes Kansas. That includes those of us in North Dakota. That includes Texas. That includes Puerto Rico. That includes every state and territory in the Union. Because this isn't just about electing our nation's first black, female President. This is about restoring America to its promise. That we are a place where every person is created equal, regardless of race, creed, gender, orientation, or national origin.
And do you know what? Even if those are Republicans standing out there in the October cold for 5 hours to vote red, that only proves my point harder. Because that means we're making them fight for EVERY state. EVERY state is a swing state now. EVERY state matters. EVERY state is leaning more and more blue. It means that they know that their views are so unpopular that EVERY state in the Union has become a "battleground state". Even Kansas.
