Harris started 'like a rocket' in Michigan: Now she's slipping

MICHIGAN, Oct 16 (BBC): Marcie Paul is nervous. A Democratic activist, Ms Paul has been knocking on hundreds of strangers' doors, making phone calls and sending out flyers, all in an effort to woo people here to vote for Kamala Harris.

When Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate in July, Ms Paul was hopeful, as she saw the vice-president go "off like a rocket" in Michigan.

The state is one of three "blue wall" states - along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - that went Democrat in 2020, and if won again, would help clinch a presidential victory for Harris.

But with less than a month to go before election day, Harris's honeymoon period in Michigan could be ending, leaving her pathway to victory less certain. A Quinnipiac poll last week indicated Donald Trump is leading in the swing state by three points.

"To keep that pace for the whole race - even though it's seriously abbreviated - would be really unrealistic for anyone," said Ms Paul, a resident of West Bloomfield, Michigan and co-founder of the liberal advocacy group Fems for Dems. "But I thought that we'd be a little more comfortable."