The press seems to be confused over how to write possessive forms of the candidates in the US elections. Should we write Harris’ or Harris’s campaign?
There are different accepted rules for singular proper names ending in an “s” sound.
You can either add “´s” or just an apostrophe.
The Associated Press stylebook states that only an apostrophe is needed, so Harris’, whereas The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal state the opposite: Harris’s.
The best solution is to be consistent. However, as you can see from the examples below, this is not the case.
For plurals, when referring to the family, it’s the Harrises’ home.
Here are some examples from news articles over the last few days:
CNN: On top of looking to boost Harris’ candidacy, …
Fox news: Kamala Harris’ campaign is ‘reminiscent’ of Biden’s ‘basement campaign’ strategy …
New York Times: Harris’s team, with a wink, insists she’s an underdog
BBC News: Debates have played a major role in Ms Harris’s political career
Washington Post: Harris’s campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, …
The Guardian: Harris’s figures since then have generally enhanced the small leads …
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Carol Waites (PhD)
Email: carolswritingtips@gmail.com
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