Vice President Kamala Harris is shifting her tactics within the Democratic Party, and it appears to be paying off, as her rising poll numbers suggest. According to Adam Jentleson, former assistant chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Harris is utilizing a new approach, which he calls “vice signaling,” to expand her voter base in a way that resonates with a broader audience.
In his column for The New York Times, Jentleson highlighted Harris’s recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, where the Vice President made headlines by discussing her ownership of a gun and her willingness to use it in self-defense. Jentleson suggests that this messaging is designed to appeal to voters who may be turned off by what is commonly referred to as “virtue signaling,” which tends to resonate primarily with college-educated white voters.
“Harris has been ruthlessly effective at expanding her voter base,” Jentleson wrote, pointing out that her message is intended to reach a broader cross-section of Americans. Jentleson clarified the difference between “virtue” and “vice” signaling in political messaging: “‘Virtue’ and ‘vice’ here are not to be taken literally.
Rather, they refer to the worldview of college-educated whites, a narrow but influential part of the Democratic coalition whose rigid views on virtue aren’t shared by many Americans. It’s precisely these breaks from the traditional mold that signal something powerful to the average voter.”
According to Jentleson, the Democratic Party has long been hesitant to embrace the kind of messaging—”vice signaling”—that Republicans have successfully used for years. He argued that this reluctance has prevented Democrats from connecting with voters on a more visceral level, even when their policies are popular.
“Many Democratic policy positions are popular, but when it comes to ideology, most American voters feel closer to Republicans,” he explained. “Democrats have fallen out of step with the American people on something larger: their approach to the world. Americans are mavericks, yet Democrats are seen as rigid, with lawn signs that discourage dialogue unless there’s agreement on a litany of issues.”
As the election approaches, Jentleson advised Harris to continue using this strategy, which has proven effective in recent debates. “The debate showed that vice signaling works. Left-wing interest groups melted down, but undecided voters liked Ms. Harris’s performance, rating her the winner by a wide margin,” he wrote.
In closing, Jentleson encouraged Harris to embrace this approach with “gusto,” noting that it could help reshape the public’s perception of the Democratic Party as one that is more tolerant of diverse views.