What to tell your friends when they say Kamala Harris will never win the election.

You've seen the discourse online: that it's unheard of for a President to drop out of an election race 107 days before voting day.

That Kamala Harris has an impossible mountain to climb to stand a chance against Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has been campaigning for it since 2022. 

Then there are the 'firsts' she'll create if elected: the first female president, the first Black female president, and the first president of South Asian descent. That progress breaks barriers, barriers that undoubtedly and ashamedly, some of the less equality-minded American voters would rather reinforce.

Some Republicans are already using these 'firsts' in a smear campaign, calling her the 'DEI candidate'. DEI stands for 'Diversity, Equality and Inclusion' and the implication is that Harris isn't there for her political prowess but for the tick box of representation. As we know, that is a completely inaccurate and frankly, racist swipe. 

Then there's the fact that Biden, in colloquial terms, 'hid' Harris. She wasn't given major portfolios that make Vice Presidents successful, instead tasked with political minefields such as addressing the root causes of illegal migration and tackling Republican efforts to curb voting rights. The BBC called these, "assignments that range from the intractable to virtually insoluble," and they didn't help her public standing.

You've probably heard the above and pondered: I might align with Harris' viewpoints, but the American people won't. 

However, new polling is showing a swing in the polls for the Democrats. 

Essentially, Trump was about to walk into the oval office without a fight. With Harris' rise, he needs to get his boxing gloves on.

The new figures show that there is actually a fair chance that Harris could win. Here, we're going to explain why, so you can then explain it to the Harris doubters at your dinner table. 

You're welcome.

Listen to this episode of The Quicky to catch up with US politics. Post continues below. 

She's already garnered major in-party support. 

While Kamala Harris is still only the presumptive Democratic nominee, as the party have not yet held their 'snap contest' for the top job, it appears that Harris has wide scale party support. 

Having locked in major fundraising dollars, she's continuing to get people on side. She needs 1,976 Democrat delegates to vote for her at a convention next month in Chicago, and at this stage 2,214 have pledged to sign to her, reports Associated Press. 

It proves that the Democrats are convinced that she can win. But are the people?

A huge swing in the polls. 

The Biden administration has been dragging significantly behind the Trump opposition in the polls up until now. 

However, new polling is suggesting that the American public may not have necessarily wanted Trump, they just didn't have faith in Biden. 

Early polls produced since Biden's withdrawal on Sunday suggest that Harris is either winning or just a few points behind Donald Trump. It's a promising sign, considering that Monday, July 22, was her first real day campaigning. Trump has been doing it for years. 

The revered Ipsos/Reuters poll showed that Harris would win in a two-way race with herself and Trump, or a three-way race with herself, Trump and independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

She led Trump by two points (44 per cent to 42 per cent) in the two-way, and four points in the three way (44 per cent to Trump's 38 per cent and Kennedy's 8 per cent). 

This is the most positive poll. 

The Morning Consult polling shows Trump at 47 and Harris at 45, while Yahoo! News has them tied on 46. It's really 'too close to call' and so new polls are starting to look at the votes in the swing states, which will be crucial if the race continues to be neck-and-neck.

It's important to note that at no point during his electoral race did Biden lead against Trump, so that first IPSOS poll is a major win for Harris fans.

She's already holding ground-breaking Democratic conferences.

After the announcement of Biden's withdrawal, Harris fronted her first campaign rally in Milwaukee, the same place that the Republicans held their national convention (where Trump was shot).

She gave a speech, doubling down on her expertise and her time as a prosecutor, noting that she is now potentially in the running against a convicted felon. 

The prosecutor vs. the felon. 

While Biden was embroiled in his own legal woes with his son convicted of three felonies, Harris has been a staunch defender of the law. She started out as a prosecutor, then serving as the San Francisco's district-attorney. She became the attorney-general of California and entered the US Senate in 2017. She has been Vice President since 2021, so her credentials stack up.

It's created an interesting dichotomy in the race between presidents that will hopefully stoke the moral ground in some borderline Republican supporters.

During her appearance in Milwaukee she said she took on "predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain" during her time as a prosecutor.

"So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type," she added, jabbing her opponent.

The crowd responded jubilantly, chanting 'lock him up', a subversion of Trump's 'lock her up' chant directed at Hilary Clinton during her presidential race in 2016. The remarks clearly got her audience on side.

She's been speaking to the American people for years.

After defending them as a prosecutor, Harris has been making appearances and speaking to the public for many years. 

"I am honoured to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," she said in a statement after Biden announced his withdrawal. 

"Over the past year, I have travelled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. 

"And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead."

Listen to the speech Kamala Harris gave when she and Joe Biden won the previous election here. Post continues below. 

She's opening up new voters to politics. 

While naysayers think America's xenophobia may hinder Harris' chances of winning the presidency, she is simultaneously widening demographics who may not have felt inclined to vote before. 

In fact, US News reports that four years ago, a Zoom meeting was held to build support for Harris in which just 90 people attended. However, in mid-July another Zoom call was held where Zoom had to increase the call capacity past 1,000 participants to 40,000 participants, due to the demand to be a part of it. 

40,000 women joined the #WinWithBlackWomen network's call with a further 50,000 streaming it on other platforms. 

"It was thrilling," Aimee Allison, a regular attender of the network's calls said. "It wasn't chaos. The infrastructure was there amongst Black women to be able to scale and meet the moment. And I think this is the difference-maker Kamala Harris is injecting into the race."

A second call themed 'Black Men For Harris' also drew in 53,000 registrations to join.

In turn, the Morning Consult survey found that Democratic voters feel more strongly to vote in the upcoming election than Republicans, by 27 per cent to 24 per cent. 

Her Gen Z rebrand.

While news.com.au reports that polls show Harris is more popular with older voters (a party anomaly as Democrats are historically popular with young voters), she has embarked on a new campaign to speak to the youth of the country. 

The 'brat summer' TikTok movement is in direct opposition to the idea of the 'good girl'. It's a focus on fun, on doing whatever you please; it's defiant, carefree, confident and headstrong; and is the focus of Charli XCX's viral album Brat. 

The theme tracks for Harris: she is fun. She likes to laugh, she likes to dance. She is a feminist, she's unapologetic, and she fights for women's rights.

Her HQ Twitter page has rebranded to 'Kamala HQ' in the brat summer lime green and black font, and multiple memes have popped up showcasing her 'brat'-like behaviour. Charli XCX even posted on X, writing, "Kamala IS brat."

It doesn't get much more official for a Gen Z endorsement than that. 

Her running mate.

While Harris might not have always been the most popular person in American politics, it's hoped that her choice of running mate will increase her chances. 

A few of these people include the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, the Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, and the Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. All have been successful in their roles and are aged in their 50s. 

Some publications such as ABC have suggested that she may end up picking a white, young, male running mate in order to provide demographic balance for their presidential ticket, although there is no proof she will indeed bow to this pressure. 

Plus, Harris is bringing the money. 

Whether you're a fan of Harris or not, there's no denying that she holds the financial purse strings. As Biden's running mate, the funds he has raised can pass directly to her without incident. 

Now, she's also bringing it in herself. The Financial Times reports that the Democrats brought in $67 million USD on Sunday and Monday, following Biden stepping down. They say this is more than triple the amount raised on any other day this year. 

Harris asks her voters: "Do we believe in the promise of America, and are we willing to fight for it?"

It seems we won't know until the final count of the ballots. But that will at least be a change from what had been starting to look like a one horse race.

Image: Getty.

Listen to this episode of The Quicky about the worrying rise of Project 2025. 

Calling all Australians aged 18+ years! Take our survey now to go in the running to win a $50 gift voucher.