Pundit Panel: Even Before Commanding Debate, Harris Expanded Electoral Map - "This is Not the Same Trump We've Seen"

Kamala Harris quickly sought to capitalize on her dominating debate performance against Donald Trump this week, rallying supporters in a border state long-loyal to his coalition, while also competing hard in Sunbelt states once thought out of reach for Democrats.

Trump shamelessly and laughably continues to insist he won the debate in Philadelphia -- despite multiple independent national polls showing Harris won, not to mention the near-unanimous verdict of political professionals.

Members of the (all rise) Newsmakers Panel of National Political Pundits agreed this week, however, that she not only forced him into a defensive crouch at Tuesday night's showdown -- but also is doing so in the race for 270 Electoral Votes.

Longtime star political reporter Carla Marinucci, veteran campaign strategist Bill Carrick, and Harris biographer Dan Morain joined the genial host for a lively post-mortem on the debate, and some fearless forecasting of what the events, watched by at least 65 million people, may mean for the contest going forward.

"This is not the same Trump we saw in 2016, or even 2020," said Carrick, who has managed presidential races, along with countless statewide contests across the nation, after serving early in his career as a political aide to the late Senator Ted Kennedy.

As psychiatric professionals dissected the 78-year old ex-President's shaky showing against the incumbent Vice President for evidence of his cognitive decline, our advisory group of political insiders said it was notable that Harris's first campaign stops after the debate came in North Carolina, a state Trump won in both his previous campaigns, but where Harris is now tied with him in the bid for its 16 Electoral Votes.

Since Joe Biden stepped aside at the top of the Democratic ticket, and endorsed Harris to take his place in late July, she also has moved into statistical dead heats or small leads in Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona, three states where the president defeated Trump four years ago, but where he had fallen significantly behind before his withdrawal.

Harris's political strength in those four states is significant because it opens up multiple paths to a victory in Electoral College, an 18th Century feature of American elections designed to buttress the influence of rural slave states at the time of the Constitution, and which structurally favors the Republican Party today; twice in this century, Democratic candidates (Al Gore and Hillary Clinton) won the popular national vote, but lost the Electoral College.

Without the four Sun Belt and Southern states,, the only avenue to victory for a Democrat as a practical matter is a sweep of the industrial toss-up states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with 44 total Electoral Votes, which have grown extremely competitive in recent years, all decided by tiny margins in the last two presidential cycles.

In the conversation, our panelists also went behind-the-scenes on Harris's debate preparation, updated the political status of Gov. Gavin Newsom in the campaign, discussed the enormous importance of Pennsylvania, drilled down on the state of play in the battle for the House and Senate, and offered thoughts on Taylor Swift's seismic endorsement. Plus: the latest on a new, up-to-date edition of "Kamala's Way," Morain's terrific Harris biography, out before the election.

All this and more, right here, right now on Newsmakers TV.

JR

Check out our conversation with Carla Marinucci, Dan Morain and Bill Carrick, via YouTube below, or by clicking through this link. The podcast version is here. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program on Monday at 5:30 p.m.