Overview

• Maria Comella’s memos advised Harris in the final weeks to distance herself from President Biden and court independent and ‘soft’ Republican voters.
• The strategist urged acknowledgment of Democratic shortcomings on the economy, border security, crime, and climate to create ‘clear daylight’ between Harris and the Biden agenda.
• Comella recommended targeted media outreach, including appearances on Joe Rogan’s podcast and listening tours focused on local issues like fentanyl addiction.
• Harris’s team largely ignored the counsel, maintaining loyalty to Biden after he privately insisted there be ‘no daylight’ between them.
• The memos appear in the new book ‘2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,’ prompting fresh scrutiny of whether a different approach could have shifted the election outcome.