Opinion: I'm ready to call the election for Harris

Now that the dust has settled over the Sept. 10 presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, I’m ready to call the election for Harris.

And not just because of the debate. There’s also Taylor Swift, the superstar childless cat lady who cleverly endorsed Harris immediately after Harris wiped the floor with Trump.

If you don’t see the significance of the Swifties, you haven’t been paying attention to pop culture. We’re talking hundreds of millions of fans worldwide, millions of whom will be voting right here in the good ol’ U.S.A. According to a survey by Morning Consult, 53% of America’s voting-age adults are fans.

And mostly, they’re “white, suburban and lean Democratic,” the Morning Consult reported in March 2023.

Swift is a powerful voice of a generation that could turn this election for the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz ticket, so her endorsement matters in a race this tight. 

But, of course, Harris has a lot more going for her than that. Even before that stellar debate performance, she had the momentum and the enthusiasm on her side. Now she’s running even stronger.

Meanwhile, the debate highlighted questions about Trump’s cognitive abilities. He may still have roughly 40% of the nation’s voters in his hip pocket, but it must be getting mighty uncomfortable in there, considering his age and mental deterioration.

Harris, on the other hand, looked younger than she actually is (she’ll turn 60 just before Election Day). She looked spry and agile in the debate, while Trump looked cantankerous and easily goaded into flights of fantasy. 

Despite all that, the fact remains that about 90% of us have already made up our minds, which translates to about 10% of this year’s voters deciding the election — actually fewer than that, thanks to our antiquated Electoral College. By one estimate, when you narrow the race down to only the states still considered to be in contention, about 30,000 swing voters in seven battleground states will determine the outcome of this election. 

Trump’s surrogates are saying that if he can stick to the issues of the economy and immigration, he can still win, but he can’t stick to the issues. Trump responds to pokes and strokes to his ego; all Harris and her surrogates need to do is pick at his fragile ego and he’ll go off message. That was clear in the debate he so famously flubbed.

Regardless of the outcome on Nov. 5, Trump’s going to declare that he won.

Trump is a cheater, that’s how he wins. So, if Harris wins this election, legally, fairly and squarely, a whole new fight will begin.

Of course, I don’t know that Harris is going to win. I’m aware of the risk, with the Electoral College still in place, that Trump won’t win the majority but he could win most of the electoral votes, like he did in 2016.

If Trump does win, it’ll be with votes won through deception, anger and fear — by voters who obviously didn’t see the same debate that I watched.

I never thought I’d say this, but bring on the Swiftie vote! They may not be listening to the music that used to move me into action, but they’ve got their own powerful song, and now they’re singing along with Harris.

Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:

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