(Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Two months ago, Democrats were eagerly watching their candidates battle in the Iowa Caucus and Republicans were lock-in-step behind “The Donald” in his Senate impeachment trial. Joe Biden was falling behind in the polls and Trump was riding the wave of a decade long economic expansion, while preparing his declaration of victory and vindication in his efforts to damage Joe Biden. In a few short weeks, things couldn’t be more different. Joe Biden has fought his way to become the presumed Democratic nominee, the coronavirus has caused an economic and public health crisis, and Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic has been shaky at best. The coronavirus has changed the dynamics of the election entirely.

Donald Trump’s election strategy was rather simple: draw crowds of supporters to his rallies in Florida, Michigan, and Pennsylvania to tout the successes of our booming economy and rant about the corrupt and “sleepy” former Vice President, Joe Biden. The outbreak of the coronavirus rules out large gatherings, so the infamous Trump rallies are out of the picture. The economy is plunging into a historic recession and large swaths of the country are facing unemployment, so there’s no economy to brag about. And in times of crisis this devastating, attacks on the former Vice President’s son are the last thing worried families want to hear from their President. A “Keep America Great” rally would be ironic and totally absurd as a pandemic infects the population and millions are out of work. The Republicans who have rested their re-election hopes on their support of Donald Trump’s presidency will have difficult questions to answer when they ask their constituents to keep the Republican party in power.

(Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Joe Biden had a tough road ahead; he had to energize the Democratic electorate and convince otherwise unenthusiastic swing state voters that the chaos and moral failings of this President are not redeemed the economic expansion under Trump; particularly since it began during his tenure as VP. On top of that, he’d have to continuously recite the facts and correct the fiction coming from Trump and the folks at Fox News. Now that Donald Trump dropped the ball in the early stages of the outbreak and this disaster continues, Biden’s case for unifying the country and making government function properly is all the more appealing to Americans looking for change. Biden wants to restore the soul of America and rebuild relationships across the globe, two things this country desperately needs to dig ourselves out of this new hole. An optimistic and ideologically moderate message will help Democrats win elections in purple districts and states up and down the ticket.

(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Since traditional organizing efforts are hindered by social distancing — like phone banking, canvasses, and rallies — campaigns will need to rethink their efforts on the component most likely to reach voters: digital strategy. Donald Trump, with his unprecedented use of big data and omnipresence on Twitter, is a force to be reckoned with in the digital sphere. His messaging, however, has yet to be clarified. With a crumbling economy and limited freedom to focus on frivolous conspiratorial allegations, the deck is stacked against him. Joe Biden, while not known for any unique digital strategy, has much to gain from the new playing field of predominately digital messaging. Biden has long been known for his gaffes, so a campaign cycle with fewer opportunities for verbal blunders in front of an audience isn’t all that bad. Since pre-recorded video is likely to dominate the digital advertising content, Biden gets to articulate his message without the risk of a misspoken error turning into a viral meme. An almost entirely virtual campaign is a brand new concept in American politics and both campaigns will need to think outside of the box to be successful.

There’s one universal truth for every campaign, regardless of party: cash is oxygen. The economic crisis caused by COVID-19 limits the donor power of supporters across every income bracket from both parties. The Donald Trump campaign and the Republican party are flooded with cash; eight times more cash than the Democratic party, to be exact. Digital advertising isn’t free, so Trump and the Republicans enter the post-economic-crisis chapter of the campaign cycle with a sizable advantage in terms of fundraising. Earned media will be crucial, and each candidate will be battling for coverage. Trump’s earned media will likely be confined to his management the crisis, whereas Joe Biden is able to focus more on his campaign message and his plans to save the country from further damage. Limited fundraising will hurt both campaigns but Trump’s readily available cash and Biden’s broader access to earned media opportunities provide unique advantages to both camps.

(The Tokenist)

This election will be unlike anything America has seen before. The new dynamics of the race, for better or worse, force Donald Trump and Joe Biden to ditch their playbook, go back to the drawing board, and reassess their strategies to convince voters they are most fit to combat this crisis and lead the United States to a brighter future. The undecided voters will be asking one simple question this year, who can clean up this mess?