Fox News political analyst Karl Rove expressed on Tuesday threw a chilling dose of reality at the optimism surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign, suggesting her polling numbers are weaker than those of Joe Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016 at similar points in their respective campaigns.

During a segment on Special Report with Bret Baier, Rove responded to a Democratic strategist’s critique that Harris’s current strategy of staying silent on policy and avoiding the media is “borne of conceit and foolhardiness.”

“What do you make of that?” Baier asked Rove.

Rove noted that Harris needs to be clearer on policy positions. “Let’s not be critical of her by saying she has to have a Democrat Congress and a Democrat Senate in order to get these things done,” he said, comparing her situation to former President Donald Trump, who also required control of Congress to advance his agenda. “People want to know where you’re coming from, and they want to know enough about the specifics to get their hands around it,” Rove added.

Rove also emphasized Harris’s polling struggles compared to previous Democratic candidates. “On this day in 2020, Joe Biden was up 7.1% above Donald Trump in the RealClearPolitics average. And at this point in 2016, Hillary Clinton was up 6.3%. Today, Harris is up over Trump by 1.5% in the RealClearPolitics average and 3.5% in the 538.com average,” Rove pointed out. He stressed that while Harris is ahead, her lead is significantly smaller than Biden and Clinton’s at similar points in their campaigns.

Rove further noted the importance of battleground states, where polling data is still sparse. “We have a few polls in several states, but we certainly don’t have 6 or 7 or 8 polls that would give us an average and therefore give us a better idea of where they actually are,” he explained, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding Harris’s standing in key swing states.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)