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... Some Republican senators think former President Donald Trump should have seen the swap atop the Democrat ticket coming and crafted a messaging and political strategy weeks ago.
They see Trump's awkward discussion about Harris' racial heritage at the National Association of Black Journalists convention as a clear sign the Trump campaign hasn't yet hammered out a workable strategy for Harris.
GOP lawmakers also view Trump's selection of Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, as his running mate as evidence that Trump didn't expect Biden to drop out of the race. They worry Vance's outspoken views on restricting abortion and his claim that "childless cat ladies" run the country play right into the message that Harris and Democrats will center their campaign on in the fall.
One Republican senator who spoke to Trump before he announced Vance as his running mate said the former president expressed skepticism that Biden would drop out of the race.
"I think they were caught off guard. I think they were surprised," the senator said. "I think there was shock when the Democrats revived [their party] really quickly" and unified support behind Harris.
"I think she's more formidable than Republicans give her credit for. It's going to be a short election, that favors her. It's going to be sprint. We're used to these long elections. This one's going to end up being short. That helps her," the lawmaker said of Harris, who announced she had raised $310 million for her campaign in July.
The lawmaker said Trump's selection of Vance as his running mate to combat Biden's strength in Michigan and Pennsylvania, specifically, showed he expected Biden to be his opponent in the fall.
A second GOP senator in contact with Trump who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the campaign said the GOP nominee and his team weren't ready for the entire Democratic Party to rally behind Harris within a few days of Biden dropping his reelection bid.
"I think it was a surprise," said the lawmaker. "I wasn't surprised at all. I was already betting on a different nominee. What was impressive to me was how quickly they consolidated" behind Harris. ...
