So far, all is going according to plan. Harris has transformed Biden’s moribund Democratic Party into an energized, enthusiastic machine, which explains much if not most of her rise in the polls. Meanwhile, a fawning press covers the vice president as if it’s taking orders from her campaign manager—seemingly satisfied with running stories about how much “joy” the Harris campaign is exuding, in lieu of asking her any real questions, starting with why she isn’t willing to answer any real questions.

But while the media would have us believe that Harris will soon have the race for the White House all sewn up, there are reasons to think this election still may end up being a jump ball. To begin with, in spite of the breathless coverage of her rise in the polls, nearly one month in, this race is still very much up for grabs: According to Real Clear Politics polling averages, Harris leads Trump by only one point in head-to-head matchups and has pulled only even or slightly ahead in the swing states.

Also, not to state the obvious, but a campaign strategy that centers on keeping the candidate from speaking extemporaneously, ever, is hiding a fundamental, maybe even fatal weakness. In Biden’s case, his team (which included Harris) was covering up the fact that he was not physically or mentally up to the job. Given the vice president’s reputation for quickly turning her comments into gibberish when she’s speaking without a teleprompter, her handlers are clearly hoping that they can avoid any word salads until Election Day.