Plouffe says Sun Belt ‘back in play’ thanks to ‘breath of fresh air’ from Harris campaign

(NEXSTAR) – A senior adviser for the Harris-Walz campaign told Nexstar at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday that states in the contested Sun Belt region are “back in play.”

David Plouffe, known for his prior role as campaign manager and White House senior adviser for President Barack Obama, said they have already started spending in the battleground states at “a heavy rate.”

“I think prior to Joe Biden’s really brave and selfless decision, we really were down to Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania,” Plouffe said. “Now those other states are back in play. You see the Trump campaign starting to dramatically spend more money in those states so they see it too.”

Plouffe called the Harris-Walz ticket a “breath of fresh air” and said they are focused on doing the most the can with the 77 days left, as of Tuesday.

“It’s still going to be a really close race, I mean Donald Trump’s going to get 47%, 48% of the vote in all these states – in some cases he’s a little closer to 49% than I’d like,” Plouffe said. “So we got our work cut out for us.”

The re-invigorated party has drawn thousands to the DNC in Chicago, including a number of celebrities. On Tuesday, “Goonies” actor Sean Astin, actor/musician Common and singer Patti LaBelle were in attendance, to name a few.

Following Biden’s unofficial farewell address Monday, the second day of the convention will feature speeches by former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, among others.

The Associated Press contribute to this report.