As the 2024 presidential election heats up, political strategists are closely monitoring early voting trends. Jim Messina, a veteran of political campaigns who masterminded President Barack Obama’s successful runs for the White House, has voiced his concerns about the preliminary voting numbers for Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” on Sunday, Messina pointed to a noticeable increase in early Republican votes, a development that he considers “alarming” for the Harris campaign.
“Republicans didn’t do what they did last time. Last time, Trump said, ‘Don’t early vote.’ And so they didn’t,” Messina explained, emphasizing the potential impact on the election’s outcome. He added, “Republicans do have an advantage in early vote numbers. When the early vote comes in, it’s going to look a little bit different than 2020, and that’s scary.”
While acknowledging the potential challenges, Messina remains optimistic about the turnout for Harris among young voters and women. “Women voters make up 55 percent of the early voters, and in the past 10 days, young voters in these battleground states are coming out — in what looks to be, for early vote, historic numbers — and that makes the Harris campaign very, very happy,” he stated.
Despite these positive signs, the early voting figures have undoubtedly generated some anxiety among Harris’s supporters. Messina recognized this, noting, “The Republicans have done a better job than they did last time on early vote.”
The University of Florida’s Election Lab has reported that over 78 million early votes have been cast in the 2024 election, highlighting the growing significance of early voting in determining the outcome of the race.
With the election rapidly approaching, the 2024 contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is expected to be a close race. Online prediction markets have shown fluctuating trends, with Trump regaining an edge over Harris on the final day before the election. Messina, who had previously dismissed early election speculations as “silly” in November, is now keenly focused on the potential impact of early voting patterns.
The race for the White House remains tight, and early voting patterns are providing crucial insights into the potential trajectory of the election. As the election approaches, the focus will likely shift to the remaining undecided voters and their impact on the final outcome.
