As the Harris campaign unfolded after Biden’s withdrawal from the election, there was an undeniable excitement brewing in the Democratic party. Looking back, the tik tok edits, Charli XCX endorsements, and Lil Jon DNC performances brought a distinctly youthful energy to the earliest days of Harris’ campaign. For Gen Z voters like myself, the excitement behind the Harris campaign was a far cry from the 2016 and 2020 elections we remember most vividly. For older voters, the comparisons came quickly: it felt like 2008. 

The comparisons that have been made between 2024 Kamala Harris and 2008 Barack Obama are not necessarily about tangible policy issues. Instead, the comparisons focus on the sense of energy and excitement that their campaigns seemed to capture. Stefanie Brown James, Obama’s 2012 national African American vote director told U.S. News, “They are very similar in the way they do politics. It is very relational with an air of joy.”

Leaning into a political predecessor to inspire voters isn’t a novel idea. Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan was previously used in 1980 by the successful Reagan-Bush campaign (United States Studies Centre). Reusing slogans or other campaign tactics that have previously proven successful is intuitive and resourceful. 

Source: United States Studies Centre

 

A similar strategy was used in 1876 by Rutherford B. Hayes and William A. Wheeler. Instead of generating an entirely new campaign song, the Hayes campaign recycled the melody from William Henry Harrison and John Tyler’s popular “Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too.” The new version – “Haye’s the True and Wheeler, Too” – appealed to older voters, successfully building a sense of nostalgia. For younger voters, the catchy melody created a similar sense of excitement as the original lyrics had in 1840 (Library of Congress).

Source: Library of Congress

 

As Kamala seeks to energize her base in the final month of her campaign, she doesn’t need to completely reinvent the wheel. Historical evidence shows that slogans, songs, and ideas that successfully energized Obama’s base in 2008 will hold up 16 years later.

 

Source:

Pop stars, massive crowds and history: How the Obama and Harris Campaigns compare, Phillip M. Bailey, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, 8/20/2024, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/08/20/obama-kamala-harris-campaigns-compared/74772276007/

Voices, Votes, Victory: Presidential Campaign Songs, https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/presidential-songs/issues-and-slogans.html#obj7

Reagan: ‘Making America great’ the first time, https://www.ussc.edu.au/reagan-making-america-great-the-first-time