Harris wants to run as underdog

Despite gaining a post-convention edge in polls, Jen O'Malley Dillon, chair of the Harris-Walz campaign, says today in a memo — "The State of the Race 65 Days Out" — that her candidate is the underdog.

• Why it matters: Top Democrats are wary of the party's exuberance outrunning electoral reality in what is still a 50-50 nation.

"Since Vice President Harris entered the race in late July, our campaign has seen record fundraising numbers, a surge in volunteer interest, and a spike in enthusiasm to participate in this November's election," O'Malley Dillon writes.

• "However, make no mistake: we head into the final stretch of this race as the clear underdogs. Donald Trump has a motivated base of support, with more support and higher favorability than he has had at any point since 2020."
• In nine days, "Vice President Harris will face Trump on the debate stage, where we expect him to be a formidable opponent. In 2020, the election came down to about 40,000 votes across the battleground states. This November, we anticipate margins to be similarly razor-thin."

🔎 Between the lines: Both sides try to lower expectations. The Trump campaign correctly said Harris would likely get a polling bounce after her convention.

🐘 The other side: Chris LaCivita, co-manager of the Trump campaign, told me that no matter "how the national media and Harris campaign phrase it, the working middle class of America needs help."

• "They need help from a real leader committed and with a plan to eliminate the inflationary stranglehold that is making ends meet harder by the day — food costs, energy costs and the death of the American dream," LaCivita added.
• "They want a leader focused on them ... That's the focus of Donald Trump, and that's what the next 65 days will show. Who is fighting for us?"