Kamala Harris seems to be playing to the same crowd over and over again at her rallies, at least if the data is to be believed. According to a data expert, the Vice President’s events aren’t exactly drawing in new faces, but rather, the same old loyalists who appear to follow her from state to state. So much for energizing the base or reaching out to new voters.
As Harris crisscrosses the country on her campaign tour, she’s been relying heavily on rallies to push her message—especially since she’s been avoiding interviews like the plague. In fact, since Joe Biden announced he wouldn’t be running for re-election, Harris has managed to squeeze in about one interview every 20 days. With such a sparse media presence, her campaign’s message of “change” seems to be funneled through these rallies. But, if her audience is the same wherever she goes, maybe she’s just preaching to the choir.
The rallies themselves may be effective for getting out her talking points, but here’s where things get interesting. According to GPS data, of the 5,003 mobile devices tracked at her North Carolina post-debate rally, a whopping 3,600 of them originated from Georgia. That’s right—most of them weren’t even locals. The majority of these devices came from Atlanta, with a smaller but still significant group hailing from Savannah. So, what exactly is going on here?
Data analyst Tony Seruga dug a little deeper, and the findings don’t exactly paint a picture of a broad, enthusiastic voter base. Of the 5,000 phones spotted at her Charlotte rally, around 90% had been at three other rallies during her campaign. Even more eyebrow-raising, more than half of those same phones had also attended events in far-off places like Arizona and Nevada. Are these folks dedicated supporters, or is there some creative orchestration going on behind the scenes?
Donald Trump, never one to shy away from calling things out, has already thrown accusations that Harris is bussing in supporters to pad her rally numbers. And if the GPS data is anything to go by, he might just have a point. It’s not just Republicans noticing either—plenty of people on social media have pointed out the lack of local interest at her events. For someone aiming to be the next President, Harris may want to work on expanding her appeal beyond the same traveling fan club.
