Harris meets with small team as she builds a campaign on the fly
As Vice President Kamala Harris ramps up a presidential campaign with almost unprecedented speed,
she has been meeting quietly but regularly with a small group of close aides to go over everything
from upcoming speeches
to her convention address and debate preparation.
Sometimes the meetings are at Harris’s official residence in the Naval Observatory;
other times, in deference to her intensifying travel schedule, they take place on the road, with some aides joining via Zoom.
The group, which started convening in June to prepare Harris for what was expected to be a vice-presidential debate,
has now become the closest thing she has to a brain trust.
The team includes #Lorraine #Voles and #Sheila #Nix, her chiefs of staff at the White House and campaign respectively.
Also included are #Karen #Dunn, who helped Harris prepare for her 2020 debate,
and #Rohini #Kosoglu, a longtime policy adviser.
Harris, supplied with briefing books by her aides,
often spends time in the mornings or aboard Air Force Two reviewing materials assembled by these aides and others,
taking notes and making edits.
#Philippe #Reines, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, has been lined up to play the part of Trump in debate practice.
The meetings are a reminder that Harris is assembling a campaign on the fly.
Less than a month will have elapsed between President Joe Biden’s exit from the race on July 21, making Harris the likely nominee,
and the kickoff of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19.
That provides a tiny window for Harris to figure out how she wants to talk to voters and shape her message.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/09/harris-trump-debate-plans/