While still cautious, advisers and allies believe that casting Donald Trump as a fascist is working, and that their expansive ground game and appeals on abortion rights may carry the day.
As the presidential contest enters the final sprint, campaign aides and allies close to Vice President Kamala Harris are growing cautiously optimistic about her chances of victory, saying the race is shifting in her favor.
Top Democratic strategists are increasingly hopeful that the campaign’s attempts to cast former President Donald J. Trump as a fascist — paired with an expansive battleground-state operation and strength among female voters still energized by the end of federal abortion rights — will carry Ms. Harris to a narrow triumph. Even some close to Mr. Trump worry that the push to label him a budding dictator who has praised Hitler could move small but potentially meaningful numbers of persuadable voters.
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This article is based on interviews with more than two dozen political strategists, campaign aides, pollsters and others close to the two campaigns and candidates, many of whom insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
It really feels like people high up in political organizations are just uncontrollably gossipy and simply can’t restrain themselves even if it’s dangerously counterproductive. It’s all just a fun game.