US presidential hopeful Kamala Harris appears to be taking a leaf out of rival Donald Trump’s playbook by focusing on evoking emotion, rather than explaining policy, on the campaign trail — and she’s hoping her appeal to “joy” will help her beat the Republican at his own game.
Since taking over from President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic Party’s ticket in July, Harris has had to run her campaign in fast-forward, with just months to go before the November election.
With few exceptions she has avoided press conferences, interviews and lengthy discussions on policy. Instead, her official coronation at the Democratic National Convention focused on one pervasive theme: “joy”.
And the vibe-heavy approach appears to be working.
While Biden was lagging behind Trump, Harris has pulled back into the race, with the two candidates running neck-and-neck in six key battleground states, according to the latest polls.
The shift to evoking a primarily emotional message, experts say, is effective political strategy.
“We think we think like scientists, carefully and objectively weighing the evidence and facts before us,” said Jennifer Mercieca, a communications professor at Texas A&M University.
“But we actually think like lawyers, building a case for our preferred position.”
The appeal to so-called emotional truths — things that “feel true,” even if they are not rooted in empirical evidence — is powerful, she said.
