Harris campaign chairwoman warns election is still a toss-up

Jen O’Malley Dillon, the chairwoman of Vice President Kamala Harris‘s campaign, isn’t letting Democrats take a victory lap quite yet.

Though Democrats have shot to new levels of hopefulness since President Joe Biden stepped aside as nominee in favor of Harris, the sprint to Election Day just started. Dillon warned on Wednesday against growing complacent, saying that former President Donald Trump’s support is greater than ever and that the election remains a toss-up.

“We don’t have it,” she said at the CNN-POLITICO Grill in Chicago when asked if she had identified a clear path to victory. “We are a polarized nation in a challenging time and despite all the things that are happening in this country, Donald Trump still has more support than he has had at any other point. … It is going to come down to every single vote.”

Despite this, she also said, “We are very confident the vice president is going to win, whether she’s against one candidate or multiple candidates.”

Regarding the prospect of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump, Dillon said the campaign wasn’t too worried.

“When you look at RFK and what’s happened over the last several months, the more the American people hear from him, the more we see that they don’t like him that much, and they think that what he’s saying is more extreme,” she said. “You saw his numbers peak several months ago. They’ve continued to drop. I think that’s similar to what we’re seeing with Donald Trump.”

“So, I don’t think it’s going to interfere with the race too much,” Dillon added.

Trump’s campaign faces a possible breakthrough after nearly a month of bad news, with the prospect of Kennedy throwing his support behind the former president. He is set to announce the decision of whether or not to drop out and support Trump on Friday in Phoenix, Arizona. Trump will be in the state for a rally the same day.

In an interview with CNN’s Kristen Holmes on Tuesday, Trump was asked about recent comments from Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, that suggested the team is considering packing up because staying in the race could swing the contest in favor of Harris.

“Well, we haven’t, but I’d love that endorsement,” he responded when asked if he had considered Kennedy for a role in his administration.

“You’re asking me a very unusual question. I haven’t been asked that question yet,” Trump said, smiling when pressed on the question. “I like him. I respect him a lot. I probably would if something like that were to happen. He’s a very different kind of guy — a very smart guy. And, yeah, I would be honored by that endorsement, certainly.”