It’s Kamala Harris’s Party Now. What’s Different?
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Take a free test drive of OCI at oracle.com slash NYT. oracle.com slash NYT. Let's start off the night by talking about what's at the heart of the Harris-Walls agenda. All week, speaker after speaker at the DNC has made their case for Kamala Harris. Kamala and Tim will protect your freedom.

They'll protect your vote to write your right to vote. They'll protect your civil rights. Kamala Harris and House Democrats will fix our broken immigration system and secure the border. Kamala Harris.

understands that government must work in partnership with the business community. She'll cap drug costs. She'll go after corporate price gougers. She will safeguard our freedom to vote. She will restore abortion rights nationwide.

She will lead with joy and toughness, with that laugh and that look, with compassion and conviction. But if you listen closely to how people talk about her priorities, a lot of it sounds like things that could also apply to President Biden, or any Democrat for that matter. Which reminds me of what's so unusual about this year and this convention.

Harris became the party's nominee less than a month ago without any serious opposition or traditional primary process. And while speakers are listing off things they hope she'll do, it's less clear what her actual legislative priorities will be. And if and how they'll be different than your typical Democrat. So before Harris gives her big speech Thursday and formalizes her ascent to the top of the party,

I went on a bit of a side quest to answer the question that's been on my mind all throughout the convention in Chicago. Is a Kamala Harris-led Democratic Party substantively different than the Democratic Party of Joe Biden? Or is this all just a change in style? Today, I put that question to three convention speakers to try and find out. From the New York Times, I'm Ested Herndon. This is The Run-Up.

Hi, Ested. How are you? Hi, Senator. Thank you so much for making some time out. It's been a while. How are you? Oh, happy to do it. It has been too long. You've got to come by and have tea with me or something. I'm going to take you up on that, actually. Good. Good. Much to talk about. The first person I wanted to hear from was Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a progressive leader and former presidential candidate who ran against Biden and Harris in 2019.

I called her as she was in the car, headed over to the United Center on Wednesday. Tonight, Warren is slated to speak on the convention floor and make an economics-focused case for Harris' candidacy. It definitely seems as if, you know, this is a jubilant convention, aren't you speaking? What's been your sense of the mood of Democrats right now? Oh, Democrats are fighting with a joyful heart.

We're excited because we have a terrific candidate. We know we're the underdogs, but we are ready to get in this fight and give it everything we've got. You know, I heard you're speaking on the floor with a specific message of making the economic case for Kamala Harris. I wanted you to sum up that case for us. What is it? I'll be talking about how she has an established record of fighting hard for working families and

And she's the person we can count on to lower costs for our families and to be on their side. And that's a pretty sharp contrast with Donald Trump, who's never fought for anybody but himself. You know, this leads me to a question we've been asking people all week. Are there any substantive ways you think a Harris-led Democratic Party will be different from a Biden-led Democratic Party?

Our party is evolving, and I mean that in a generous way, and it's been going on for a long time now. Now we've got a Democratic Party whose leadership just looks a whole lot more like America, and a Democratic Party with a lot of people who just come from a whole bunch of different backgrounds. And, you know, this is kind of like one of those moments where

What I'm seeing right now is a Democratic Party that doesn't just play lip service to, oh, yes, diversity is a nice thing, but that is really living it because we believe that this is how we build a stronger nation. We see a future that is better than today. And that's worth fighting for.

You know, I hear you making the case that the diversity that Harris represents is something that brings the party together. I was wondering, though, what do you think is the kind of issue or policy impact that that diversity can bring? And when you looked at this economic policy rollout speech that she gave last week, is that something that could have happened under Biden? Do you think that's unique to having Vice President Harris as the candidate?

When Vice President Harris talks about price gouging, it's authentic. She didn't glue that on or have a sudden change of heart. Kamala Harris, as Attorney General back in California, was fighting price gougers following the California wildfires during the pandemic. She and I worked together in the Senate to beat back price gouging. And as President,

She will be both fully committed

and effective in lowering costs for working families. You know, one criticism folks have levied on Vice President Harris in the last month has been that she's been light on policy specifics. Of course, you were a presidential candidate who became famous for having a plan for every issue. Is that something that has to change for the Democrats between now and November? Do we need more meat substance on the bones?

I just think that's wrong. So let me just start with, let's talk about how are you going to lower costs for families? Have you read Donald Trump's proposal for how he's going to lower costs for families? Yeah. Long pause. He said, no, it was not rhetorical because that's the whole point. He's going to wave the magic wand. He has actually said his plan for lowering costs is that he's going to get rid of inflation. Now,

It's pretty clear he doesn't know what he's talking about. But the point is, he doesn't even care enough to bring in some advisors who could lay out a reasonable plan for how to lower costs for families. By contrast, look at what Harris said about price gouging. It's not only a very specific idea, it's also one that already has

a Senate bill attached to it. Um, and, uh, a specific roadmap for how to get there. Yeah. Uh,

The one question I wanted to make sure I asked is that you wrote a book a few years ago where you looked back on your campaign. It was one of the few times you kind of spoke to the difficulties of running for president as a woman. And you said that you were – some people seemed to be afraid of that idea and how hard it was to run in the shadow of people like Clinton and Martha Coakley. Michelle Obama spoke to some of those anxieties last night. But I wanted to hear you kind of reflect on them. Do you think something's changed?

between 2016 or even 2020 and now that allows a different possibility with Harris to break said glass ceiling? I do think there's been a change. That every time we can roll the ball just a little further forward, it matters. In 2016,

Hillary ran, and she didn't make it all the way, but she got out there and she ran and ran a credible campaign. In 2020, no, none of us made it, but we ran. And that means over and over and over, people looked at women, different women, and at least tried on the idea that that could be a leader.

That could be our president. What changed, though? Why is now not going to be a trying out, but you think it's going to happen? I guess I'm wondering, do you think there has been a shift in electorate that allows the final step to go? Well, that's what I'm trying to say. Look, you only get the final step when you get the final step. But the point is, trying out...

over and over brings us closer every time. We're not in the same position we were in the day after the election in 2020 or the day after the election in 2016 or the day after the election in 2012. Each time we moved closer to the idea that a woman could be in the Oval Office.

Let me say it another way, too, because I think there's another piece that I want to angle in that I think also changes things. The number of women who serve in the Senate, in the House, who are now governors and state attorneys general, the number of women who are cabinet secretaries and university presidents and leaders throughout our country.

government and educational system, as that number goes up, it forces everyone to see women in leadership roles. And no longer does it have to be some specialized particular woman who fits only the narrow woman mold. But it's now women who...

don't all look like each other, who don't all come from the same set of backgrounds, and who most of all don't have to wear the same clothes and don't have to say the same things. Because we no longer have to be the one woman who might be leader. We can be the people we are who bring talent and ideas and energy of our own to the table. And

And that the rest of the world can see the value in that.

Last thing I would say, and I know you got to run, is the whiplash of the last month to now is really noticeable. You mentioned the enthusiasm. I think we all know, it kind of played out publicly, that that's not where the party was, obviously, a month or two ago. From your position, how has this been to watch the party go from kind of open, kind of infighting, to this sense of unity? How would you describe what the last month has been like? Exhilarating. Interesting. It's

It's been a moment when Democrats and much of America embraced change, not just change for the sake of change. Let me think of the right way to say it. It's a moment when people embrace a vision of an America that can be. And every day that's gotten stronger.

I get it. We're still underdogs. We still don't know if we'll pull it off. But, Stan, you can smell it in the air. It's a different world out there right now. Thank you so much, Senator. We appreciate your time. You take care. Yep. All right. Bye-bye. Bye. Warren's answer stood out to me because of who it's coming from. Back when she ran for president, her whole thing was about policy specifics and having a plan.

Now, she's making an argument where that doesn't seem as important. And while she trusts Harris to deliver on issues like inflation, and certainly more than Donald Trump, she also seems to be saying that policy papers aren't everything. Warren wants a candidate who can finish what she and others started. And the messenger matters just as much as the message. We'll be right back.

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- Hello, this is Yuande Kamalefa from New York Times Cooking, and I'm sitting on a blanket with Melissa Clark. - And we're having a picnic using recipes that feature some of our favorite summer produce. Yuande, what'd you bring? - So this is a cucumber agua fresca. It's made with fresh cucumbers, ginger, and lime.

How did you get it so green? I kept the cucumber skins on and pureed the entire thing. It's really easy to put together and it's something that you can do in advance. Oh, it is so refreshing. What'd you bring, Melissa?

Well, strawberries are extra delicious this time of year, so I brought my little strawberry almond cakes. Oh, yum. I roast the strawberries before I mix them into the batter. It helps condense the berries' juices and stops them from leaking all over and getting the crumb too soft. Mmm. You get little pockets of concentrated strawberry flavor. That tastes amazing. Oh, thanks. New York Times Cooking has so many easy recipes to fit your summer plans. Find them all at NYTCooking.com. I have sticky strawberry juice all over my fingers.

The next person I wanted to talk to, in search of any possible differences between a Harris-led Democratic Party and a Biden-led Democratic Party, is someone who has worked closely with the Biden administration, albeit from the outside. Sean Fain is the president of the United Auto Workers Union, which oversees more than 400,000 workers across the country and is a prominent force in Democratic politics.

I want to ask you, like, what do you think are the areas that a Kamala Harris-led Democratic Party might be different from a Joe Biden-led Democratic Party? Are there areas that would be different? Are we really talking about a continuation of the same type of Democratic values we saw in the administration the last four years? Well, I mean, I think there's differences, and I think we'll see differences. Kamala's her own person. I mean, and, you know, you—

I mean, even me, I mean, as I became president of the UAW, you know, I had a, I worked under other leaders and, you know, we somewhat, you know, followed their direction, their policies and whatnot. And when I took over the UAW, I wanted a different UAW. I wanted, there's things I thought we could have done better and obviously things I thought needed to change. And so, you know, I've pushed for that. And, you know, look, I believe Kamala, obviously the Biden-Harris administration has been very good for working class people. They've, you know, with the CHIPS Act, with

Inflation Reduction Act, you know, factories are being built in the United States, you know, jobs are being created in the United States. So I think a lot of those things, I think she'll carry on. Obviously, she was a big part of all those things, an integral part of it. But I believe America, you know, and Americans, working class Americans really fall in love with her and Tim Walz. I think it's just who they are. You look at Kamala Harris, you look at Governor Walz, and you see, I mean, people see themselves.

you can relate to them. You know, she's made, you know, obviously a couple different comments on Gaza and just, you know, I mean, we called for a ceasefire in UAW back, you know, in November. And, you know, obviously she understands the humanity issue of this. And I mean, my conversations I've had with Kamala Harris have been very good, very fruitful. I mean, she's been 100% behind anything we came to them with, whether it was help with reining a battery industry in, whether it was, you know, raising that standard, you

Whether it was, you know, helping to revive a community here in Belvedere, Illinois, bringing jobs back to Lordstown, Ohio, people that Trump left behind. I just think, obviously, Joe Biden has been a great president, done great work throughout his presidency. So, you know, I do believe she's going to carry on a lot of those policies because, you know, we say he's the most pro-worker president we've ever had. And I believe Kamala understands that. You know,

You know, you mentioned Gaza as a one potential area, and you mentioned Biden's specific history. I mean, there was such a long tracker record with him and organized labor. What gives you the confidence that Kamala Harris can continue on that kind of pro-worker vision? Is it your conversations you had with her? Is it the fact that she was in the administration? Like, as you go back to your own union members, what are you telling them is informing your level of confidence? Because she does seem like Biden had a record that seems a little more extensive, right? Is that fair to say?

Well, I see both. I mean, and I tell our members this is it's an easy for me. It's easy to talk about this election with our members because, you know, I always tell them this isn't my opinion. This isn't party politics. What we do, just like we did in our big three contract campaign and our big three fight our strike. We put facts out there. You know, the corporations have made a quarter of a trillion dollars in the last decade. Our wages went backwards.

And, you know, 75% of America supported us in that fight. And I believe it for a reason, union or not. And I believe for a reason because they're all living that same reality. And when I talk about this election, I use facts again. I tell them it's not my opinion. This isn't party politics. Let's put Joe, let's put now Kamala Harris and Donald Trump side by side and let's look at their body of work over the years.

I mean, it's a very telling picture. Donald Trump has spent a lifetime serving himself. You go back to the recession, Donald Trump blamed auto workers for what was wrong with the big three, which was a lie. In 2019, when he was president, factories were closing. GM's Lordstown assembly plant closed. Workers were dispersed all over the country. He did nothing. Nobody says he cares for auto workers. When GM workers were on strike for 40 days in 2019, Donald Trump was missing in action.

But Kamala Harris was right there on the picket line standing with those workers in 19, before it was a popular thing to do. I mean, she's always talked to us about what needs to happen, where we need to head, what can they do to support us. And I think, to me, the biggest difference in looking at both sides of this fight is

Kamala Harris has a message of unity, a message, we're a diverse nation. And I think that ticket, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, looks like what America is. And I think when people look at that, they see themselves. And they're preaching unity. They're preaching solidarity. They're preaching how America becomes great when we all stand together. And Trump and his side, they preach division.

You've previously said that a third of UAW workers voted for Trump in the last two cycles. That comes even as you've labeled him as a con man, a scab. I was wondering, do you expect that number to continue this cycle? And what do you think it says that someone who you would label as a scab is still pulling a significant chunk of your workers? Well, I mean, Trump is a con man. He's a con artist. He's very good at what he does. And like, you know, I mean, he's a liar.

virtually everything he says, you know, I mean, he talks about being for the auto worker and caring about auto jobs, but when he was president and had a chance to do something about it, he did nothing. There's a failure of Democrats that some of that has worked with some folks. So, yeah, but what I would

get to when talking about our members. I mean, look, there are members that vote a certain way for one reason. I mean, there are members that vote strictly on right to life. There are members, you know, that vote strictly on the Second Amendment, you know, and they believe that Democrats are going to take their guns, which, you know, it's a farce. I mean, Democrats have never said we're taking all your guns.

But, you know, that's the ideology the other party puts out there and people buy into it. So, you know, there are members that vote strictly on one issue like that. And the odds of flipping people like that are very slim. But I've talked to a lot of members since Kamala Harris has come into this equation. And I speak every week at conferences we have. And I go through the comparison of these two side by side and their body of work.

And I can tell you, I've had a lot of members come up to me and say, you know, I voted for Trump last time. It won't happen again. And so, look, we go back to 2008 looking at presidential elections. And, you know, it's always been an average of about 65 percent or a little more for the Democrat candidate. And it's been, you know, 30 to 32 percent.

vote Republican. And we don't, you know, in the UOW, we don't tell our members who to vote for. We're a democratic union. We tell them, you're going to vote for who you want to vote for. But it's our job to look at these things or how they affect working class people, how they affect or how their policies will affect our union and

and give you those tools, whatever decision you make is your decision. Has your pitch to your own members become easier with the candidates? Well, you bet. Well, and I mean, it wasn't, no, it was easy for me even talking about Biden and Trump. I'll be honest with that because the body of work Biden had delivered on was great for us. But I think there was just a reservation. I mean, a lot of people in this nation, and look, we're all going to get old someday, you know, and I love Joe Biden. Joe Biden is a great

great man and the most decent human beings I've ever met in my life. And I salute him for putting country before himself because Donald Trump, people like that would never put anything before themselves. But obviously there was some concern there, I think, with some of the Americans and some of our members, just that he wasn't the Joe Biden that he was four years prior. And that's just, we're all going to get there someday.

When it comes to Kamala, I mean, I just believe that naturally, I think people feel a different energy. They see, you know, they see themselves. They see more of themselves in this ticket. And I just think that's going to, more people are going to shift. Right.

toward this ticket. One of the people I wanted to ask you about, we talked to voters across the country. Actually, last week, we aired an interview with a person we met out in Michigan named Monica. She's from Royal Oak, and she's a UAW member. And she said that she was unsure what she was going to do in the next election, partially because she's worried about her job and specifically because of the EV mandates. When we called her back last week, she said she was more interested in Donald Trump, even though she felt that he was divisive.

that she felt that he was someone who kind of tore people apart. What is your message to someone like that who thinks that, you know, understands the kind of unity versus division aspect, but seems to also be thinking that there's something about Republicans and Trump that might have a direct benefit to them and thinks that some Democratic policies have made them uncomfortable? Well, there is no benefit to them with where Trump wants to go. And it's a real simple thing for me. You go back to 1970, right?

The UAW held, when they opened Black Lake, which is our family education center in northern Michigan, they opened Black Lake and they had a meeting, the first ever time the United Nations had a meeting with a union. And they had a meeting over environmental issues. And back then, the UAW president, Leonard Woodcock, was talking about the combustible engine and how it's destroying the environment, how it's poisoning the air. And that's 54 years ago. Not much has changed in those 54 years. The world is going toward, you know, a cleaner environment.

economy to, if global warming is happening, we see it. We see it with the temperature shifts, with the weather extremities. And so when EV battery mandate was shifting to the U.S., I mean, we're going to embrace that. The way it's going to cost us jobs is if we stick our head in the sand and pretend it's not coming. So what I would tell that worker, Monica, in Royal Oak is Donald Trump had a chance to protect our jobs and he did nothing

In Romeo, Michigan, an engine plant closed. Trump did nothing. In Baltimore, Maryland, a transmission plant closed. Trump did nothing. In Lordstown, Ohio, an assembly plant closed. Trump did nothing. And so in the last 20 years, 65 plants in the big three were closed or spun off.

That's what cost us jobs. And those were combustible engine plants. So just because they killed the battery industry don't mean that things are going to change for us. We have to have leaders that understand that these jobs matter and that union jobs matter and that that's what's going to help us help save our jobs. And that's what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz understand. Donald Trump doesn't give a damn about our jobs. And so that would be my message to her. Is there one thing you want to see the next president do in regards to the organization?

We'd love to see the PRO Act pass because obviously, you know, the laws in this nation are very stacked in favor of corporate America, thanks to Republican policies. And, you know, when we go to organize anywhere, any union goes to organize, 60 million Americans say they would join a union tomorrow if they had the opportunity. When we did polling in Alabama and Tennessee, it was two to one people in favor of the UAW. Why didn't that translate into wins all the time? Because the laws, the corporations...

They thumb their nose at the law. They threaten workers. They intimidate workers. They fire workers. And it kills the will for people to want to vote for a union, although they want it. So, you know, to me, it all goes back to that. I mean, we want to see policy change with the PRO Act where workers can organize and not have the law broken every time they try to do it so that they can get the justice they deserve on the job. Thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it. Thank you.

Like Warren, Paine is not talking much about policy distinctions between Biden and Harris. He's more positive about the new enthusiasm Harris has brought than anything else. So after spending time with two national figures who had descended on Chicago for the week, I wanted to talk to someone who lives here full time and is quickly becoming known for his willingness to speak out. On Wednesday evening, at an event for the University of Chicago Institute of Politics,

where I sit on the Board of Advisors. I put this question to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, an outspoken progressive who has made a point of pushing the National Party on issues like the war in Gaza.

You know, I'm going to ask you a question that I asked a lot of folks at the DNC, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, Sean Fain of the UAW. You mentioned the switch in candidate that kind of has really changed the direction of what we're experiencing here in Chicago. But is it the shift of just style or what is the substantive shift too? Like, what are the ways you think a Kamala Harris-led Democratic Party might be different than a Joe Biden-led Democratic Party? How should we understand the tangible impacts of this change? Well, first of all,

President Joe Biden will be recorded as the most substantial and consequential presidents in the history of this country. He will. I mean, he...

he put forth a vision for this country that strengthened and protected this democracy. And so I just want to acknowledge the fact that the Inflation Reduction Act, the fact that he is providing resources to remove lead service lines throughout this country, creating jobs, making sure that we are investing in green and blue technology so that we can have a more transformational, sustainable environment, that's real substantive. Here's what people are experiencing.

For someone to have the torch passed to them, it has to be already lit. The torch was already lit. We just needed somebody who could run. I love you, Joe. But someone who could run just a little bit faster. That's it.

Somebody run a little bit faster. So is that a change? So should we think of what Harris is promising voters as a second term of Joe Biden? Or should we think, are there clues to what different legislative priorities or policy issues might be more prominent in a Harris-led Democratic Party versus a Biden one? Do we know that? Well, she's put forth some policies already. Her vision to expand, I'm going to say it like this since we're in Chicago, Obamacare.

As he said last night, now that it's popular, they don't call it Obamacare anymore. So her work to expand that, her work, remember it was President Obama as well as Vice President Joe Biden who provided assistance for families that purchase homes.

Guess how I know that? Because I benefited from it. The home that my family, my wife and I purchased was the direct result of the Obama-Biden administration. Biden carried on that work and Kamala Harris is going to expand that work. That's really what this is about. This is about the expansion as well as the long-term sustainability to the solutions that we are putting forward. And we are putting forth strong solutions. So around healthcare,

housing, think about her work around behavioral health.

She's committed to hire more behavioral health workers in our schools across America, 14,000 of them. Well, that's aligned with my work here. I reopened mental health clinics that were closed by previous administrations. So her work for mental health, for healthcare as a whole, for housing and affordability, our environment, the workforce, this is about carrying on the work and doing it with that much more energy and expediency.

There's a tension, it feels like, in the air a little bit over at the United Center, where there is a real confidence, enthusiasm, there's an energy. But you also hear folks saying, you know, don't forget the ghost of 2016. You cannot become complacent and things like that. I want to do an honest assessment of where you think Democrats are. I know they want to say that they're the underdog, and I know there's an incentive to that. But do you think, how do you feel about where the kind of ticket is? And how do you stop said complacency from setting in?

Well, again, I'm so grateful that we are having a safe and vibrant convention. This is where it really, really kicks off. Look, I'm going to do everything in my power. And I know people in this room and all over the country, we're going to do everything in our power to not just simply make history, because there's a couple of components here. It's not just about electing.

Vice President Kamala Harris and social studies teacher, like myself, Governor Tim Walz. It's about protecting the Senate and taking back the House, because once we do those two things, we will have the opportunity to also make history when we elect or nominate the first Black Speaker of the House in Hakeem Jeffries. This is an incredible moment in our nation's history. And so we have to do what we do well. We tell our story. We knock doors.

We phone bank. You know, we take the work that we have done in states that are already secured as blue, and we take that organizing to these other battleground states so that they know that the people of the world are not only watching, but the people of this country, we have what it takes in this party to transform our economy, to make life a little bit better or a lot better for working people in this country.

You made a point to identify as a progressive. I've asked Kamala Harris about that. That's something she actually has stepped away from. For you, what is the value of those type of labels? And how do you see where the Democratic Party is moving ideologically? Do you see a kind of question within the party about shifting it more to the left too? Is that also important to you? There are Americans all over this country who receive free breakfast and lunch in our schools across America. That was the Black Panther Party. -Mm-hmm. -Right?

When we talk about healthcare as a human right, it was the Black Panther Party that set up health clinics. And Chairman Fred, a West Sider like myself, led these movements across this country. I'm going to say something that might be a little controversial. Progressivism is not an East Coast white person agenda.

Black liberation in this country has always been about the progression of this society and building a more perfect union. The descendants of slaves in this country have always called for a progressive, more favorable union to people who helped build this country. So if there's any label we should embrace, we should embrace the label of Black liberation

that ultimately brings liberation for all. Because we know that rising tides lift all boats, and that rising tide is going to lift our sister, a Black woman of Asian descent, to the White House, Kamala Harris 2024. Thank you all very much. Thank you all for your time, and thank you, Mayor Johnson.

So, in the end, I'm not sure I got an answer to my question. It's not clear exactly how Kamala Harris-led Democratic Party would be different than the Joe Biden-led Democratic Party, at least when it comes to legislative priorities.

Maybe the vice president makes that more clear in her speech tonight. Or maybe she doesn't think anything needs to shift in the first place. Or, more likely, is that all of this is a potential problem for after the election. Because what's clear already is that the biggest difference between a Biden-led party and a Harris-led party doesn't really have to do much with policy at all, at least right now.

It's that the party is more enthused and united than it was a month ago. And for Democrats, if that gives them a better chance to win in November and keep Trump out of the White House, the rest is fine print.

AI may be the most important new computer technology ever, but AI needs a lot of processing speed, and that gets expensive fast. Upgrade to the next generation of the cloud, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI. OCI is the single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. Do more and spend less like Uber, 8x8, and Databricks Mosaic.

Take a free test drive of OCI at oracle.com slash NYT. oracle.com slash NYT. The Run-Up is reported by me, Ested Herndon, and produced by Elisa Gutierrez, Caitlin O'Keefe, and Anna Foley. It's edited by Rachel Dry and Lisa Tobin, with original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Pat McCusker, Diane Wong, Sophia Landman, and Alisha Ba'i-Tubin.

It was mixed by Sophia Landman and Alyssa Moxley. And fact-checked by Caitlin Love. Special thanks to Paula Schumann, Sam Dolnick, Larissa Anderson, David Halfinger, Maddie Maciello, Mahima Chablani, Jeffrey Miranda, and Elizabeth Bristow. Do you have questions about the 2024 election? Email us at therunupatnytimes.com. Or better yet, record your question using the Voice Memo app in your phone.

That email again is therunup at nytimes.com. Thanks for listening, y'all. AI may be the most important new computer technology ever, but AI needs a lot of processing speed, and that gets expensive fast.

Upgrade to the next generation of the cloud. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI. OCI is the single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. Do more and spend less like Uber, 8x8, and Databricks Mosaic. Take a free test drive of OCI at oracle.com slash nyt. oracle.com slash nyt.