“If you want Donald Trump to win, say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”

So said Vice President Kamala Harris at her rally in Michigan on Wednesday night after being interrupted for the second time by pro-Palestinian protesters (and after meeting with leaders of the “uncommitted” movement, which withheld support from President Joe Biden in the primary to signify dissatisfaction with U.S. policy toward Israel, before the rally).

Harris’ shutdown of the protesters played well in the rally: People enthusiastically cheered. And being heckled is frustrating: I have never run for president, but once, while giving a toast at my father’s birthday, I was heckled by his friend. It’s been more than a decade, and I’m still annoyed about it (John). But moving forward, perhaps the question for the campaign, which has, over the past few weeks, effectively crafted and stuck to a message on basically everything else, is: What is the message that they want to get out about Israel and Gaza? What will excite voters? What will keep people engaged? What will keep the largest coalition possible, including and especially in important swing states like Michigan, on board?

This will hardly be the last time Harris faces protesters at her rallies. In these moments, is her best option to shut down protesters—or to acknowledge why they’re there and reiterate a commitment to working toward a cease-fire and related, shared goals?

Some argued that this approach did not work for Biden. The journalist Yair Rosenberg, for example, noted on social media, “Biden did exactly this, it did not work. Harris was there and saw it happen. As the saying goes, she didn’t just fall out of a coconut tree. … In general, if you want to influence a politician, you have to bargain and give them a little space, not just make constant demands, or they will determine........

© Slate