Do crowds at rallies tell us anything about the candidate and the campaign? I think they do.

[lees1975]

It's not an attendance contest. The number of people who turn out at political rallies is a fraction of the number of people who live in the area and will vote. And in many cases, a lot of the turnout is from somewhere else, and people drive to go see their candidate. I've done that, showing up at rallies for Democrats in Wisconsin, even though I live in Illinois. They don't come to Illinois very often.

But I have noticed something about the crowds showing up at political rallies for both candidates. One reason why I question polling data demographics is that I'm not seeing what I'm supposed to be seeing according to them.

Harris' rallies can be identified by the large number of younger people, and although white men aren't supposed to be in her demographic, she gets quite a few of those, along with black men, Asian men and Latino men. She gets large audiences of Latinos, especially in Arizona and Nevada. In fact, her audiences seem pretty balanced. If I were to guess where she is leading in demographics in the polls, based on observing her rallies, I'd say she's leading with women of all ethnicities, and under 50 years of age, men of all ethnicities, especially under 50 years of age, and that she is drawing a sizeable portion of the young vote, the black vote, the Latino vote, and the Asian vote.

Now I realize that the people who show up at her rallies would also be core supporters. But a lot of her core supporters don't match what the media has to say about the polling data they claim to report when it comes to her strengths.

They have hit on one strategy that's worked, directly related to rally attendance. They've systematically, and certainly, gotten under Trump's skin.

[Wounded Bear]

1. I think you can tell a lot from the enthusiasm of the crowds as well...

Kamala's crowds are large and rowdy, in a good way. People are upbeat and engaged. Those are the kind of people that go out and knock on doors and engage with people at booths in county fairs and public events.

trump's "crowds" have been looking lethargic and have the "gotta be there, even if I don't wannabe" feel to them. As usual, trump is not about expanding his base, but about dishing red meat to his diehard fans. With people leaving early and others sitting on their hands, I don't see the same energy as a Harris rally.

[CrispyQ]

2. Here's a story about a disgruntled Musk PAC North Carolina canvasser.

https://democraticunderground.com/1016387463

To summarize, they use an app to find the address to go to & it was glitchy & she had to restart it several times. Many homes had Harris/Walz signs in the yard, which doesn't necessarily mean they're not republicans, IMO. Lots of people weren't home or didn't answer & the ones she did talk to weren't much interested. In the end, she had a dispute over pay with the PAC.

You can't outsource enthusiasm & drive.