Harris campaign shifts strategy as anxiety rises over Trump gains

New tack is to win over more men and Republicans, sharpen attacks against rival

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Vice-President Kamala Harris is shifting her campaign strategy to win over more men and Republicans, and sharpening her attacks against Donald Trump as Democratic anxieties rise over polls that show her rival making strong gains.

The Democratic nominee is in a statistical dead heat in crucial states with Trump, the Republican former president, according to public and internal campaign polls cited by Democratic sources, sparking a round of finger-pointing and second-guessing from some corners.

It is a frustrating moment for a whirlwind campaign that opened with a huge jump in enthusiasm and cash when she replaced President Joe Biden in July, put on a robust Democratic convention and was widely hailed as the winner of her only debate with Trump.

“This was always going to be a tight race... That doesn't mean we are not losing sleep over it,” said a Democratic campaign aide, reflecting what interviews with donors, aides and advisers show is the mood at the White House and the Wilmington, Delaware-based campaign headquarters.

After weeks of focusing on policy and trying to define herself on the national stage, Ms Harris is going back to her prosecutorial posture of July, an adviser said, hoping to demonstrate strength to voters who might be attracted to Trump's strongman image.

At her Oct 14 night rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, she took the rare step of showing clips of Trump's remarks about an “enemy within” America to underscore her argument that he poses a danger to the country.

This week, she sat down with radio host Charlamagne tha God to reach black men, and followed up with a confrontational interview with Fox News to address conservatives. Popular podcaster Joe Rogan and his young, male followers could be next.