andi teggart burdullis

Smart strategic comms decisions: (1) Good timing. Posting this right after the debate was maximally helpful to the campaign, on top of the endorsement itself. Dropping it that evening made sure it was included in all the post debate analysis. That helped form an impression that Kamala won the debate. (2) Didn’t coordinate the details with the Harris campaign. The campaign might have known this was coming (although the official line is that they didn’t), but the post itself seemed to surprise even Tim Walz as he learned about it while doing a live TV interview. That made the endorsement feel more sincere and earnest. It also extended the news cycle by stoking interest in the campaign’s reaction, which would’ve been less relevant if they had been in on it. (3) Gave reasons for choosing Harris but didn’t mention “first woman president” or anything similar that would’ve set off a spiraling DEI debate or exacerbate identity-based tribalism. (But the signoff hints at tribalism just enough to start a rallying cry.) (4) Prefaced the announcement with a reference to an AI of her, which gave air cover against the inevitable accusations that she’s getting too political. Given the “dangers of spreading misinformation,” she’s not wading into politics for its own sake — she’s just protecting herself, clearing up the truth, and being transparent! She’s going direct with her decision. (5) Photo was perfect meme fodder.