Just over 100 days before voters decide President Donald Trump’s fate, 2020 has become a tale of two campaigns moving in sharply different directions.
Trump just demoted his campaign manager, high-profile supporters are openly questioning his reelection strategy, and voters across the political spectrum are condemning his erratic leadership during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Democrat Joe Biden appears to have consolidated his party’s divergent factions, and has doubled down on an empathetic message of hope and competence. As the closing stretch of the campaign nears, Biden's effort will expand to include Republicans disaffected with President Donald Trump.
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican and frequent Trump critic, has been approached and is expected to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Biden’s behalf next month, according to a person with direct knowledge of the plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss strategy. Kasich is among a handful of high-profile Republicans likely to become more active in supporting Biden in the fall.
Last fall, Kasich said he supportedimpeaching the president. He ran against President Trump in the 2016 Republican Primary.
With about 100 days until Election Day, there’s time for sudden developments that could shift the trajectory of the campaign. The Friday announcement that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s cancer has returned was a reminder of the potential volatility ahead.
In 2016 Trump effectively used the prospect of Supreme Court appointments to win over conservatives who otherwise found him distasteful.
And in crucial battleground states such as Florida, some Democrats are concerned that Biden’s current standing could be a high-water mark.
Some polls suggest Biden’s strength comes more from voters’ displeasure with Trump than excitement over Biden, whose regular gaffes, long Washington record and recent attempts to appease progressives leave him in a tougher spot than some Democrats would like to believe.