Vice President Kamala Harris addressed members of the historically Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta on Wednesday in Indianapolis, launching a direct appeal to women of color, a critical constituency for her 2024 campaign. Harris spoke passionately about presenting a future-focused vision for the nation, contrasting it sharply with what she described as backward-looking extremism from her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.

In a bold rallying cry, Harris told the sorority members, We are not playing around and emphasized her determination to win the presidency. In a memo released on Wednesday, campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon highlighted the importance of grassroots support from female, nonwhite, and younger voters. Where Vice President Harris goes, grassroots enthusiasm follows, Dillon wrote. The campaign memo underscored that Harris is in a position of strength, despite the challenges posed by inflation and an energized Republican base.

Indiana has not supported a Democratic presidential candidate in nearly 16 years, but Harris is betting on a strong turnout from women of color to flip traditionally Republican states. Her speech in Indianapolis was part of a strategic effort to build a broad coalition of support, leveraging her historic status as a Black and South Asian woman and her appeal to nonwhite voters. After her Indiana visit, Harris is set to travel to Houston to speak at the national convention of the American Federation of Teachers, who have endorsed her candidacy.

Meanwhile, the 2024 campaign landscape has dramatically shifted with President Biden stepping aside. Harris's ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket has offered a new sense of hope to the party. A recent CNN poll indicated that Harris performs better than Biden against Trump, gaining more support from young voters, women, and Black and Hispanic voters. However, the poll also showed Trump leading nationally within the margin of error.

Harris's campaign strategy involves focusing on key battleground states. The campaign aims to maintain its emphasis on Blue Wall states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania while also being competitive in Sun Belt states such as North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. This multifaceted approach is part of a broader strategy to secure the crucial 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

Both Harris and Trump are keenly aware of the high stakes. Trump's campaign is preparing for what it calls a Harris honeymoon, expecting an initial bump in her poll numbers but predicting it will pass. On the other hand, Democrats are hopeful that Harris, who would be the first female president, can invigorate key constituencies in a way Biden did not. The vice president's appeal to Black women, in particular, is seen as pivotal. For context, in the 2020 election, 93% of Black women voted for Biden, significantly contributing to his narrow victories in crucial states.

Across the country, Harris's message is resonating with women who see her candidacy as a historic moment. It's a serendipitous moment, said Stacie NC Grant, the president and CEO of Zeta Phi Beta, reflecting on Harris's appearance at their convention. The enthusiasm among women at the event in Indianapolis was palpable, even as many expressed concerns about the challenges Harris would face. In interviews, some attendees worried that voters might be reluctant to elect her due to her race and gender.

Historic parallels are being drawn to Hillary Clinton's 2016 run, with Clinton herself warning that Harris's record and character will be distorted and disparaged as she faces Trump. This caution underscores the steep hill Harris must climb to counteract entrenched bias while energizing new voter blocs.

In her speeches, Harris has consistently highlighted Project 2025, a conservative blueprint critiqued as regressive. Trump has distanced himself from the project, calling it seriously extreme, but Harris insists it embodies the very vision of America's past she is fighting against. This framing positions her squarely as the candidate of progress against a backdrop of conservative retrenchment.

Beyond individual campaign events, Harris's strategy involves leveraging organizational support. The Divine Nine, a network that includes her own sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, may not officially endorse candidates, but it is a powerful force in voter mobilization. With high engagement from Black women evidenced by her virtual campaign launch, Harris's outreach efforts go beyond traditional campaigning, focusing on community-driven enthusiasm and support.

Harris's campaign is drawing significant financial backing, with $126 million in donations pouring in shortly after Biden's exit. This financial boost, alongside her substantial voter mobilization apparatus, positions her for a rigorous but hopeful path to the White House. As she travels from Indiana to Texas and beyond, her campaign remains fixated on building a coalition capable of overcoming the political polarities defining the 2024 election.