Harris and Trump are building a ground game as Election Day approaches

Running a successful presidential campaign requires thousands of hours and millions of dollars. Field offices are typically staffed by local staff and volunteers, which strengthens support and encourages voter turnout.

But in recent weeks there have been questions about former President Donald Trump’s ground game.

The Republicans are convinced of their strategy. According to a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, they have more than 300 offices in battleground states with hundreds of paid staff and more than 27,000 trained “Trump Force 47 captains.” Their focus is on excluding infrequent voters and encouraging early voting.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has slightly fewer offices in the swing states, at 238, but with about 1,750 employees working at those locations, they appear to have more paid staff locally. Stimulating enthusiasm and voluntary support has typically been a Democratic strength.

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But campaigns are driven by the top of the ticket. Trump himself has been busy on the road, holding rallies and campaign events in all key swing states, a change from when President Joe Biden led the Democratic Party.

“Obviously they had to adopt a different strategy because Vice President Harris was the Democratic nominee. And it looks like it took them a while, but now they’ve corrected course and are campaigning and constantly doing what they need.” “What we have to do to win the election,” said Brian Darling, a Republican strategist and former lawyer for Senator Rand Paul.

After launching her candidacy with a solid travel schedule, Harris hasn’t been as active on the trail recently. But both she and her vice president, Gov. Tim Walz, still have day jobs.

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“Ultimately, you have Donald Trump, who is simply a former member but currently holds no title, and a senator who is on recess compared to the vice president and a sitting governor, right? They definitely have.” “They’re both current leaders,” said Karen Defilippi, a Democratic strategist

And when the candidate is away and no one is knocking on the door, it is campaign ads that both parties rely on to persuade their supporters, with millions of dollars being spent to appeal to voters in these key swing states.