Kamala Targeting Voters Overseas

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has announced an unprecedented initiative to invest over $100,000 in efforts to register the 9 million Americans residing abroad. This move aims to bolster support for the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the upcoming November 5 presidential election.

The funding will be allocated to Democrats Abroad, an organization representing U.S. citizens living outside the country. The money will be used for comprehensive voter registration campaigns and educational efforts to assist Americans abroad in casting their votes, as confirmed by a DNC official.

According to DNC sources, there are approximately 1.6 million Americans from key battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—currently residing overseas. Recognizing the critical role these states play in the election, the DNC is determined to secure every possible vote.

These swing states are crucial for both Harris and former President Donald Trump, as the 2020 election was narrowly decided. President Joe Biden’s narrow victory over Trump hinged on just 44,000 votes across Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin.

The DNC emphasized its commitment to ensuring Harris becomes the next president, highlighting that only 8% of Americans living abroad were registered to vote in the 2020 election. With the election just three months away, every vote is deemed essential, including those from Americans serving or living internationally.

The largest group of expatriate Americans is located in Mexico, with significant populations also in Europe, according to a DNC official. Harris, alongside her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has been actively campaigning in crucial battleground states, energizing supporters and gaining traction since taking over as the Democratic front-runner after President Biden’s withdrawal from the race.

Biden, 81, ended his campaign and endorsed Harris after struggling against Trump and facing internal party dissent. Harris has since shown improved poll numbers, surpassing Trump by four percentage points in key swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, according to recent surveys by the New York Times and Siena College.

Nationally, Harris leads Trump by five percentage points in a recent Ipsos poll, a significant increase from earlier figures. Martha McDevitt-Pugh, chair of Democrats Abroad, praised the DNC’s funding as a vital endorsement of the overseas electorate’s influence, noting their decisive role in past elections, such as Georgia in 2020.