This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. With almost $2 billion in advertising in the rearview mirror, millions of doorbells rung, and a half-million early-vote ballots requested, it all may add up to a presidential campaign season that is leaving voters unmoored from reality. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] It’s a disquieting notion, but one that hit me last week during a stop in a Detroit magnet school’s gym to hear the pitch being made by Vice President Kamala Harris’ allies to first-time voters and seasoned activists.