Harris Positioned as 'Turn the Page' Candidate, Seeks to Distance Herself from Biden Era

Former Obama adviser David Axelrod argues that Vice President Kamala Harris is positioning herself as the change candidate in the race, seeking to reintroduce herself and distance herself from the perceived failures of the Biden administration.

Former Obama adviser David Axelrod believes that Vice President Kamala Harris is effectively positioning herself as the change candidate in the race to win over voters who are weary of another Donald Trump presidency. Axelrod argues that Harris is trying to reintroduce herself while painting her opponent, former President Trump, as "more of the incumbent" in this race.

"Yeah, I think this has been the dynamic from the moment she emerged as a candidate, John, she is the turn-the-page candidate in this race, at least that‘s the way it’s been so far," Axelrod said, speaking to CNN anchor John Berman.

Harris Positioned as 'Turn the Page' Candidate, Seeks to Distance Herself from Biden Era

According to Axelrod, there is a weariness with the politics of the past era, and Harris has offered herself as a way to move forward and turn the page on that era. He believes that this has been a powerful driver behind her surge in popularity and has put her in the race.

A recent USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that Harris leads Trump 48% to 43% among likely voters, which is within the poll's margin of error. A Fox News poll also found that voters in the Sun Belt put Harris on par with Trump as "bringing needed change" (49% Harris, 48% Trump).

Harris Positioned as 'Turn the Page' Candidate, Seeks to Distance Herself from Biden Era

Axelrod argues that Trump was perceived as the change candidate in the race against Biden but that this dynamic has shifted.

"I think that Trump was change in a race against Biden. Suddenly Trump is not change," Axelrod said on CNN. "And when people start chanting, ‘we‘re not going back,’ they’re talking about Trump. So this is a problem for them," he said of the Trump campaign.

Harris Positioned as 'Turn the Page' Candidate, Seeks to Distance Herself from Biden Era

Harris herself has emphasized her desire to turn the page on the past era during her recent interviews. In an interview with CNN's Dana Bash, Harris said she wanted to "turn the page on the last decade of what I believe has been contrary to where the spirit of our country really lies."

While Harris was vice president for three-and-a-half years of that decade, she countered that she meant moving on from this "era," seemingly referring to the political rise of Donald Trump that began in 2015.

Harris Positioned as 'Turn the Page' Candidate, Seeks to Distance Herself from Biden Era

Axelrod believes that Harris has effectively rebuffed the Trump campaign's efforts to tie her to Biden. "They‘ve tried to link her to Biden. I think that was a reasonable strategy to try and make her a stand-in for Biden but she has established her own identity in this race and that's a problem for the Trump campaign," he said on CNN.

The Trump campaign has argued that Harris is not the candidate of change and that she is responsible for the failures of the Biden administration. However, Axelrod believes that Harris has successfully distanced herself from Biden and is now seen as a candidate who can bring change.