GOP Senators: Trump Had No Plan for Democrats' Switch

Donald Trump and his campaign were surprised by the Democrats' change in their presidential ticket and the resurgence that has followed, said several Republican senators—and it shows. "I think they were caught off guard," said one, adding, "I think there was shock when the Democrats revived [their party] really quickly." Trump's selection of JD Vance as his running mate, a move to counter Biden's strength in Michigan and Pennsylvania, the senator said, indicates the nominee expected the president to be atop the Democratic ticket, per the Hill. Congressional Republicans say Trump should have had a strategy for running against Harris ready to go. Signs of Harris' momentum include:

• States in play again: Georgia, Arizona, and North Carolina had been looking good for Trump, per Axios. But in the past two weeks, Harris' campaign has signed up 21,000 volunteers in Arizona, 15,500 in Georgia, and 10,500 in North Carolina. Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican, said there are 100,000 votes available now in his state. "The Number 1 excuse that I heard [about Biden] was: 'My gosh, he's just so old. I just can't imagine him governing for four years,'" Duncan said. "She takes that risk of physical and mental failure off the table." Winning North Carolina still seems a stretch for Harris, per Axios, but Trump's campaign for the first time has had to spend money on ads there.

• Fumbling for a message: Some GOP senators say Trump's attack on Harris over her racial heritage at the National Association of Black Journalists convention shows he hasn't figured out a workable angle yet. "It's pretty hard; she's sort of having a honeymoon period here," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said he thought Trump realized Harris might ascend the ticket. The former president instead should attack Harris on policies, he said. "It should be about the issues," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski—not about "which nasty name you call somebody."
• Putting the coalition back together: A new poll conducted in battleground states shows Harris with an almost 20-point lead over Trump among Hispanic voters. That could help put Sun Belt states thought to be moving out of Biden's reach back in play, per the New Republic. The poll that covered Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and North Carolina has Harris up 55% to 37% when head-to-head against Trump. The findings also suggest Harris has a chance to draw young nonwhite voters back to Democrats. It was conducted July 23-26.

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