Opinion: Why This Campaign Is Shaping Up to Be the ‘Seinfeld Election’

Many have been comparing the 2024 presidential election to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ hit show Veep but it may be more accurate to compare the chaos to another of the actress’ hit shows—Seinfeld.

Millions have been sharing the clip from Veep where the sitting president decides not to run, making Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) the de facto nominee, but the 2024 race may have more in common with the “show about nothing.”

Just take a look at these six classic episodes.

1. The Roommate Switch

No American political party has ever successfully swapped out candidates after the primary elections were over, just as George Costanza observed that “in the history of Western civilization, no one has successfully accomplished the Roommate Switch.” But Democrats are trying again in 2024, swapping out President Biden for Vice President Harris, and the switch is suddenly looking possible.

2. Opposite George

After her 2020 campaign on a stridently progressive agenda failed to propel her even to the first primary in Iowa, Vice President Harris’s 2024 campaign appears to be taking the “Opposite George” approach with more moderate positions often opposite to those from her first run. If the White House does not work out, perhaps a job with the Yankees awaits.

3. The Pony Remark

Sometimes comments made to amuse or provoke can come back to bite you as Jerry Seinfeld realized when criticizing “anyone that ever had a pony when they were growing up” and Sen. J.D. Vance now finds in response to his “childless cat ladies” riff from 2021.

4. The Contest

Equating anything to Seinfeld’s famous “The Contest” episode can be fraught, yet this presidential campaign likewise presents a test of self-control: Can former President Trump or Vice President Harris resist partisan and divisive impulses to appeal to a broader set of voters?

5. The Charity Walk

Recent polling suggests Democrats risk losing working class voters turned-off by party elites whom they see as virtue-signaling and intolerant of those who don’t conform to acceptable progressive language and thinking. Once again life imitates art, with the Seinfeld episode where Kramer gets ostracized for refusing to wear an AIDS Ribbon despite participating in the charity fundraising walk.

6. He’s My Caddy

Sometimes going with the instincts of those you trust in certain areas can lead to questionable decisions in other domains where they have less expertise… like deciding to make a trial witness try-on clothing when your expert lawyer opposes the plan, or choosing your running mate.

Bruce Mehlman is a Washington-based political strategist, former George W. Bush administration official and founder of a leading bipartisan government affairs and lobbying firm. His weekly slide decks and quarterly infographic analyses published on his free Substack have become essential reading for political pros and insiders on both sides of the aisle.

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