JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Many top Democrats are endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, setting the stage for a likely showdown between Harris and former President Donald Trump in November.
News4JAX Political Analyst Rick Mullaney weighed in on some issues both parties could address.
"On the Trump side, whether it’s Kamala Harris or Joe Biden, they’re gonna go after the last three and a half years, and they’re big issues number one, two and three, inflation. And you saw Donald Trump feature that in his convention address. He’s talking about the devastating impacts of inflation for senior citizens, for those trying to buy a house, for gas prices, for groceries,” Mullaney said.
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Mullaney said other issues of focus would include immigration, energy policy and crime.
“If you’re Kamala Harris, she’s well positioned, I think, on abortion. In particular, she’s been a spokesperson for the Biden administration on abortion. I expect her to press that case,” Mullaney said. “I expect her to contrast her background and experience as a prosecutor versus Donald Trump as a convicted felon, and also with those civil fraud cases against him.”
He said Harris could also focus on health care and climate change. Political professor Daniel Cronrath, however, felt like those issues might not be the focus.
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“I think on the Democratic side, you’re going to be hearing a lot of talk about the opportunity to elect our first female president and our first African American female president and Asian female president. I think there’s going to be a lot of call -- because the United States is one of the world’s largest democracies to have never had a female head of state,” Cronrath said.
Cronrath also talked about the Republican Party’s possible campaign focuses if Harris becomes the nominee.
“I think on the Republican side, they’re going to be squarely looking at the economy. They’re going to be looking at the record. They’re going to be looking at Kamala Harris’ failure, in their minds, to address the border, the southern border,” Cronrath said.