The 2024 election is ‘freedom’ versus ‘power’: Voters reveal the words they associate with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris
According to a poll of likely voters, the battle for the White House now comes down to a choice between freedom and power.
It shows how the idea of Kamala Harris and the idea of Donald Trump have become one word in the minds of Americans.
When 300 voters in seven swing states were asked to describe in one word what they thought Harris would most like to achieve in office, the most popular answers were “freedom,” “equality” and the words “middle” and “class.”
For Trump, the answer was “power,” along with “dictator” and “revenge.” (“Revenge” was the most popular answer when DailyMail.com and JL Partners asked the question late last year.)
It suggests that the two campaigns have had some success in getting their message across to voters.
JL Partners asked 300 likely voters in seven swing states (Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada) to sum up in one word what they expected from a Kamala Harris presidency. The results are displayed in a word cloud
And it shows how Harris’ campaign managed to steal the Republican flag by positioning the vice president as a candidate for “freedom.”
Beyoncé’s “Freedom” is the candidate’s theme song, soundtracking rallies and ads. The campaign is organizing a “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour, and she has sold her gun control message as the freedom to be safe from violence.
There are also negative terms in her word cloud: some respondents use the terms ‘communism’ and ‘socialism’, but also ‘chaos’.
But it’s a far cry from Biden’s word cloud of last December. When voters were asked what they wanted from a second term, they overwhelmingly said, “Nothing.”
Conservative commentator Matt K. Lewis said he was astonished that the two candidates could be so close in the polls when voters had such different ideas: “freedom” and “middle class” on one side, and “power” and “dictator” on the other.
“My only conclusion is that there are many Americans who simply don’t care, and that’s a terrifying thought,” he said.
‘On the other hand, this suggests that Harris is doing a pretty good job of getting his message across.’
Harris received many more votes and fundraising after becoming the Democratic nominee.
However, the latest polls indicate that her honeymoon is coming to an end.
Harris and Donald Trump will meet for the first time on a debate stage in Philadelphia on Tuesday, in what could be a pivotal moment in the election race
For Trump, respondents said “power” was the most important thing they expected from him
‘Freedom’ plays a major role in Harris’ campaign – as seen here
A New York Times/Siena College poll released over the weekend found Trump had regained his lead, albeit by just one point.
According to James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, both campaigns can get something positive out of the word clouds. According to him, both campaigns seem to be getting the message they want across to voters.
“For Harris, her message of ‘freedom’ and her attempts to steal a traditional Republican strength is infectious. And Trump has moved from ‘revenge’ as the main aspect of his agenda to ‘power.’
‘Voters may not see Trump’s agenda as that of a gentle father of the nation, but they do associate him with strength, a key vote-getter in November.’
Trump has sought to contrast the current administration with what he sees as its weaknesses, including its failed withdrawal from Afghanistan and the way it has emboldened adversaries such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
He closes each meeting with a call to restore American power.
“We will put America first and together we will take our country back, we will make America mighty again; we will make America rich again; we will make America healthy again; we will make America strong again; we will make America proud again; we will make America safe again; we will make America free again; and we will make America great again,” he says over the rousing music.
According to the DailyMail.com/JL Partners election model, the former president now has a 55 percent chance of winning the election, up 4.5 percentage points from last week.
Robert Kennedy Jr.’s decision to remove his name from ballots in some states has given Trump a boost.
That means the former president now has a 60 percent chance of success in Pennsylvania, while Harris saw her chance of success drop from 64 percent to 52 percent in Michigan (though the state Supreme Court reversed the decision on Monday, which will benefit Harris.