Pro-Harris Super PAC Raises Concerns About Focusing on Trump and Fascism
The leading super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris is raising concerns that focusing too narrowly on Donald J. Trump’s character and warnings that he is a fascist is a mistake in the closing stretch of the campaign.
Mr. Trump’s former White House chief of staff, Lt. Gen. John F. Kelly, said last week that Mr. Trump “falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure,” a remarkable caution from such a top-ranking official, which Ms. Harris and her team immediately echoed and amplified.
In an email circulated to Democrats about what messages have been most effective in its internal testing, Future Forward, the leading pro-Harris super PAC, said focusing on Mr. Trump’s character and the fascist label were less persuasive than other messages.
“Attacking Trump’s Fascism Is Not That Persuasive,” read one line in bold type in the email, which is known as Doppler and sent on a regular basis. “‘Trump Is Exhausted’ Isn’t Working,” read another.
The Doppler emails have been sent weekly for months — and more frequently of late — offering Democrats guidance on messaging and on the results of Future Forward’s extensive tests of clips and social media posts. The Doppler message on Friday urged Democrats to highlight Ms. Harris’s plans, especially economic proposals and her vows to focus on reproductive rights, portraying a contrast with Mr. Trump on those topics.
“Purely negative attacks on Trump’s character are less effective than contrast messages that include positive details about Kamala Harris’s plans to address the needs of everyday Americans,” the email read.