Sunday shows preview: Harris gains on Trump in key states ahead of DNC

The focus of this week’s Sunday shows will most likely focus on Vice President Harris’s rise in polls as the Democratic nominee in important battleground states against former President Trump.

Harris has had a whirlwind few weeks since President Biden exited the 2024 presidential race, rising to the top of the Democratic ticket and selecting her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), in the meantime. She will be heading into the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago next week with large amounts of enthusiasm in her party, a quick turnaround of the dour emotions many Democrats felt in the wake of a rough debate performance by Biden in June.

Recent polling from The New York Times/Siena College found Harris 4 points ahead of Trump in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, 5 points ahead of Trump in Arizona and 2  points ahead of him in North Carolina. The polling also found Harris only 1 point behind Trump in Nevada and 4 points behind him in Georgia.

With the convention in his home state only a few days away, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is set to appear on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. 

Earlier this month, Pritzker said the DNC will be “phenomenal” and that “excitement is palpable.”

“The United Center, which is where the convention will happen, is being spruced up, lookin’ terrific,” Pritzker said.

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), one of the first House Democrats to call on President Biden to leave the 2024 presidential race, will appear on “The Hill Sunday” on NewsNation.

Moulton defended Walz last week following an attack on his military record by Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), who will appear on this week’s “Fox News Sunday.”

“When are @JDVance and Trump going to stop denigrating the men and women who honorably serve our country?” Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran, said in a thread on the social platform X. “JD knows personally that signing up to serve does not always mean you see combat — 90% of servicemembers don’t.”

Moulton later said in the thread that he is “proud to have served in the House alongside @Tim_Walz because I’m proud of his service as a true American patriot.”

Two others whose names were floated as possible choices for Harris’ vice presidential slot, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D) and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), will also appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation” this week. 

Kelly also went after Vance for attacking Walz’s military record last week.

“Hey @JDVance, did you forget what the [United States Marine Corps] taught you about respect? Tim Walz spent DECADES in uniform,” Kelly, a retired Navy captain, said in a post on X.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday” — Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.); Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley; Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson (D).

ABC’s “This Week” — Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.); Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D).

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.); Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.).

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.); Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio); Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.); Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram; Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.); Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.), Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.).

“Fox News Sunday” — GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio); Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).