Vice President Kamala Harris tours the Rust Belt to target politicians
By Alexandra Jaffe and Marc Levy
Vice President Kamala Harris is on a tour of the Rust Belt to raise funds and to bolster two fellow Democrats seeking reelection next year, visits that also give the potential 2024 presidential candidate a chance to reintroduce herself to voters in states that swung to the Republicans in the last election.
The two-day swing through Pennsylvania and Ohio on Thursday and Friday sees Biden’s presidency into the country’s broader political environment as his party advances legislation in Congress meant to build up the country’s public works and social safety net.
Harris is appearing with Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in economically struggling Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, then holding a fundraiser with Sen. Bob Casey. She headlines two events in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Friday, where she is joining two Democratic congresswomen seeking to fend off spirited Republican challenges next year.
The two-term Wolf and five-term Casey could face tough challenges next year from Republicans in a state where the GOP is accusing them of overreaching on coronavirus pandemic restrictions that had become an issue for some voters.
Footage from a Sept. 8 event in California showed Harris pausing as advocates offstage competed to take credit for aiding refugees. Harris grew frustrated enough that her spokeswoman had to intervene.
Biden won the White House by a 2 percentage-point margin in Pennsylvania in 2020, becoming the first Democrat to carry the state since 1992. He also won narrow victories in Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin, and if Republicans put those states back in their column, they will deny Democrats an electoral advantage.
Harris aides and allies say it is far too early to predict who would lead a hypothetical Democratic field in 2024, but describe the vice president as in frequent contact with business leaders, donors and labor unions as one indicator of how seriously she is taking her prospects. She intends to campaign in the coming months for Democrats entering midterm races.
Some here remain skeptical of her as a candidate, especially after her short-lived 2020 presidential campaign managed few direct appeals to voters.
The last time Harris courted voters outside campaign supporters was in 2019, when she wooed Michigan conference-goers.