Snap out of it, Democrats. Take a deep breath and stop hyperventilating. Vice President Kamala Harris has maintained a consistent lead in the national polls, and there is no way anyone can be certain which way the swing states are swinging until the votes are counted. Stop all the doomscrolling and go win the election.

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Democratic Party guru David Axelrod fretted publicly that Harris is not doing enough barnstorming. Jamal Simmons, the vice president’s former communications director, told the Hill that, given the unknowns about how Harris’s race and gender might influence the vote, “if you’re not nervous, you’re not paying attention.” Anecdotally, the question readers most frequently ask me is: Why doesn’t Harris have a bigger lead?

The nation has been here twice before, facing the possibility that Donald Trump will be elected president. In 2016, we didn’t take the threat seriously enough — hence the angst that the “Never Trump” majority is feeling right now. But don’t forget 2020, when Joe Biden not only defeated Trump but also won traditionally Republican states such as Georgia and Arizona. There is no rule that says all Election Day surprises must be bad.