Redefining Party Identity

Former Republican operative turned Harris campaign strategist Maria Comella joins Chuck Todd to deliver a brutal post-mortem on Democratic failures and to reflect on her unique career path across the political spectrum. From her early days in Republican politics to the inner workings of the Harris campaign, Comella offers candid insights on what it takes to run for office in an era defined by partisanship, shifting voter coalitions, and struggling party identities. She shares stories about Christie’s sharp self-awareness, Giuliani’s early years, and the challenges Harris faced in balancing her legal background with her political ambitions.

Together, Chuck and Maria dive into the pitfalls of Democratic messaging in the Trump era, why Harris couldn’t connect with Republican voters, and how Biden and Harris miscalculated their approach to the left. They also explore the rise of outsider candidates like Sanders and Trump, the failure of movements like “No Labels,” and whether a third party—or even a unifying military figure—could ever gain traction. With upcoming races in New Jersey and New York on the horizon, Comella weighs in on the donor class panic over Mamdani, Cuomo’s uncertain future, and what it will take for either party to break through with an electorate hungry for reform.

Timeline:

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00:00 Maria Comella joins the Chuck Toddcast

02:00 Maria’s origin story

06:30 Difficulty running for state/local offices after being in unpopular congress

07:30 Experience of working for Rudy Guiliani

11:15 Moving from Republican politics to the Harris campaign

12:15 Do Cuomo, Giuliani and Christie have much in common?

13:15 All three are voracious readers

14:15 Chris Christie was the most self-aware of the three

15:30 Christie was mad at Chuck over Meet the Press interview

18:00 Did you have a seat at the table with the Harris campaign?

19:45 Kamala Harris tried to be everything to everyone

21:30 Harris seemed like a more natural fit in law than in politics

22:15 Harris had ideological identity issues 

23:45 Why Harris didn’t appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast

24:45 Harris for Republicans vs. Republicans for Harris

25:30 Biden & Harris didn’t know how to talk to Republican voters

27:00 Liz Cheney wasn’t effective as a surrogate

29:00 Biden & Harris were afraid to go after the left

30:15 Harris campaign said she’d be different, but didn’t show it

31:30 Harris’s appearance on The View symbolized her loss

33:15 Harris had nearly a difficult, but not impossible task

34:30 Harris didn’t need to campaign with never Trump Republicans

36:00 Harris was too late with her closing argument message

37:30 Dukakis’s closing message was just an airing of grievances

38:45 Harris’s closing message didn’t meet voters where they were

40:00 Democratic messaging has been dumb and lazy in Trump era

41:30 Obama was the last candidate the public voted “for”

42:45 Rise of Sanders and Trump show how weak the parties are

43:15 Is there room for a third party?

44:45 Why the “No Labels” party fell flat

47:30 Could a less partisan military leader bring the country together?

49:15 The system was built to force compromise rather than win/lose

51:00 Voters want a reformer/change, Harris didn’t offer that

53:30 The GOP “establishment” let problems fester and ended up with Trump

55:30 Rand Paul & Josh Hawley have stayed true to themselves

57:15 Imitating Trump doesn’t ever work for GOP candidates

59:30 Who on the Democratic side could break through with GOP voters?

1:01:30 The “Stop Mamdani” movement can’t coalesce around one candidate

1:03:00 Donor class panicking they can’t stop Mamdani

1:04:15 Schumer & Jeffries failed to find good NYC mayor candidate

1:06:30 What will Cuomo do? Could he drop out?

1:08:15 Money & ad buys won’t stop Mamdani

1:10:30 New Jersey governors race will be the closest race in November

1:12:00 The Democratic consultant class is out of touch with voters

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