Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a speech at a meeting of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority in Houston on July 31, 2024.
AP FILE PHOTO/MAT OTERO
The fact that Kamala Harris’ campaign was compressed into about 100 days is not a disadvantage, but an improvement. Campaigns that last two years cannot win or hold the attention of us voters, but a 90-day campaign can and must be exciting.
Primaries and debates would be important, rather than mostly theatrical rituals. I believe that all other democracies have election campaigns that last several weeks and successfully elect their leaders. It is downright absurd that someone can gain special status by announcing their candidacy 730 days before the election.
Great damage can also come from hypocritical legislators refusing to make nominations and legislation because it is an election year. I think a party could gain an advantage by concentrating its campaign activities in the months of August to November. It is a bit like Mohammed Ali’s “rope-a-dope” strategy.
Jeremiah Keating
Northampton
