2024’s accidental election innovation: a shorter campaign

By Madeleine Kunin

Editor’s note: Madeleine Kunin served as the 77th governor of Vermont from 1985-1991. 

Just about every article about the Harris/Trump presidential campaign emphasizes how little time we have left until Election Day: fewer than 100 days. The authors of these stories see these few days as a crisis, a disadvantage or at least a major problem to be overcome.

I disagree. I think a shorter presidential campaign is a great advantage — for both parties. Remember the old days of 2020 and even farther back? We got sick of the campaigns. We got bored. We changed the channel when we could. The campaign ads we had to watch were the “same old, same old.” We had a hard time paying attention. And think of the money spent.

What a contrast 2024 has become. We are experiencing something new. We’re actually paying attention to the campaigns by both parties. By sheer accident — because President Biden stepped down and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris later than usual — we’re doing what most democracies do: have three-month or even shorter election campaigns.

Admittedly, some of the excitement is caused by the possibility that Harris may be the first woman president in American history.

But our attention span is longer and deeper than that. A short campaign holds our attention. Attention is a quality of mind that both candidates desperately want to achieve from the audience. That is the best way to win over a voter.

Who knows? Shorter campaigns might become a habit. I, for one, would be happy.