A video of Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to a bakery in Georgia this week has drawn comparisons to JD Vance’s recent donut shop trip in the same state, which was widely panned for the awkward interactions between the Republican vice presidential nominee and the shop’s staff.
Harris paid a visit to Dottie’s Market in Savannah in the crucial swing state, accompanied by reporters and campaign officials. The video, posted to social media, shows the Democratic presidential nominee engaging with shop workers and buying food for local activists.
Earlier in August, Vance was filmed visiting Holt’s Sweet Shop in Valdosta, Georgia where he is seen talking to the staff—one of whom asks not to be filmed—and requesting “just whatever makes sense” with regards to his donut order.
Both campaigns consider Georgia to be a key battleground state this election, with the Harris campaign hoping to recreate President Joe Biden’s success there in 2020. By contrast, former President Donald Trump is hoping to reclaim the Peach State after his win there in 2016.
In reaction to the Harris video, one viral post on X, formerly Twitter, read: “Honestly, there are worse strategies than just filming yourself doing the exact same stuff JD Vance has done but normal.”
Another said: “I love having a VP that can order dessert without making it weird.”
Newsweek reached out to Vance for comment via a representative outside normal working hours.
Harris’ campaign has been increasingly using videos such as these to inject enthusiasm into the race, after many Democrats were jaded by the age issues facing Biden when he was the nominee.
One viewer highlighted the contrast, saying: “Her campaign definitely got the idea from this tweet, it’s honestly refreshing to see a campaign use modern marketing tactics.”
Her campaign definitely got the idea from this tweet, it’s honestly refreshing to see a campaign use modern marketing tactics. https://t.co/NxcCFNnjWY
— LePinkprint (@LePinkprint) August 30, 2024
Vice presidential nominee Walz also made a similar visit to a restaurant in Nebraska just a few days after Vance’s donut shop visit, which also prompted comparisons to the awkwardness of the Republican’s encounter.
Vance later said during an interview with NBC that he “felt terrible” for the employee in the shop who did not want to be on camera.
“We walked in, and there’s 20 Secret Service agents, and there’s 15 cameras, and she clearly had not been properly warned, and she was terrified, right? I just felt awful for her.”
Vance has struggled in the polls since Trump picked him as his running mate, though recent surveys show that Trump and Harris are locked in a tight race.
FiveThirtyEight’s polling aggregate of Vance’s favorability currently has unfavorable opinions of Vance at 43.2 percent and favorable opinions of him at 33.2 percent on Thursday. Vance has said he does not believe these polls.
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