Journalist Don Lemon has been hitting the streets talking with voters about what they’re looking for in their next president for his talk show, “The Don Lemon Show.”
The Root spoke exclusively with the former CNN host and author of the new book, “I Once Was Lost: My Search for God in America,” about how Vice President Harris can win the election and bring along undecided Black voters.
Going into the Presidential debate, Lemon says he’s gone from being “cautiously optimistic” to “a little nervous,” considering how close the two candidates are running in the polls. But he adds that in the case of this election when voters are choosing between a former prosecutor and a convicted felon, there shouldn’t be any question who’s more fit for office.
“When you have someone who denigrates women in the way that he does, who denigrates minorities and swindles people who are living paycheck to paycheck into paying his legal bills, I can’t believe that it is this close,” he said.
How Does Kamala Harris Reach Undecided Black Voters?
Since President Joe Biden decided to drop out of the race, likely voters have come out strong in support of Vice President Harris. The Harris campaign says it has raised $540 million since her campaign officially began one month ago.
While Zoom calls filled with thousands of Black Harris supporters have ignited unprecedented energy around her bid for the White House, there are still Black people who aren’t ready to give her their vote.
According to Lemon, the biggest hurdle Harris needs to overcome is the fact that people don’t know her. He adds that some voters are also hesitant to give over their vote to a party they feel only pays attention to them when they’re trying to win elections.
“Many of them have an issue with the Democratic Party because they believe they take their vote for granted,” he said. “[Democrats] only come around every four years when they need their vote and they never hear from them again. [Black people] vote for a politician and then the politician doesn’t meet their needs.”
How Does She Win The Debate?
Lemon says the key to a debate victory for Vice President Harris will be her ability to stay on message and make her policy positions clear rather than trying to call out all of Trump’s lies. After all, they only have 90 minutes.
“She has to get across who she is and state her policies without having to fact-check Donald Trump and call him a liar every single time,” he said. “He’s going to steal the moment. He’s going to try to steamroll her, talk over her and lie. She’s basically going to have to be a prosecutor.”