Harris upended Trump's electoral fortunes. Just look at North Carolina.
But he has now returned twice since then, and during that time some public polls have shown Harris with a new, slight lead over Trump.
“Why is North Carolina even in play at this point?” asked one prominent Republican operative in the state, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. “Why is Trump feeling like he’s got to spend so much time in North Carolina?”
Even though Republicans here acknowledge Harris’ recent show of strength, there are many reasons to doubt that Democrats, despite forcing a competitive race in North Carolina, can pull it off. For one, they haven’t since 2008, when Barack Obama became the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state.
“Decapitating the top of their ticket and installing Harris has helped diminish the enthusiasm gap for Democrats,” said Jonathan Felts, a longtime GOP consultant in the state, “but Harris still doesn’t provide North Carolina Democrats with a better message for rural North Carolinians.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/21/trump-harris-battleground-states-00175576