Vice President Kamala Harris made her latest campaign stop in Greensboro, N.C., on Thursday, telling supporters to give President Joe Biden four more years and warning November’s election is “the most existential, consequential and important election of our lifetime.”
As she has at a flurry of events in recent weeks across the country, Harris campaigned without directly addressing growing fervor in Washington over Biden’s future at the top of the ticket. Her remarks came on Thursday as more Democrats in Congress joined the steadily growing list of over a dozen members calling for Biden to step aside.
“We will win because we know what's at stake. And in this election, there can be no doubt, no doubt who you can count on to fight for you when it counts,” Harris said. “It's simple. President Biden and I fight for the American people. Donald Trump does not. He fights for himself.”
While she joined herself with Biden in taking credit for the achievements of their administration, she specifically highlighted him individually for strengthening the NATO alliance and promised that if Democrats retake control of both houses of Congress and pass abortion access protections in line with those once preserved by Roe v. Wade, “our president, Joe Biden, will sign it.”
At one point, a protester interrupted her speech and the crowd chanted “four more years” to drown the individual out.
“Four more years, that’s what we’re looking forward to,” Harris said in response.
Harris spoke of her personal biography, recounting being taken to civil rights marches in a stroller by her parents, and referenced the troubles plaguing the Biden campaign — “the past few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy, nor should it be.” But she was ultimately there to make the case for Biden and rally supporters to be enthusiastic backers of the 81-year-old president as questions about his age and ability swirl.
Some Democrats are already looking to her as the heir apparent atop their party’s ticket should Biden decide to step aside. Responding to a clip of Harris’ speech in North Carolina where she highlighted Biden’s work on preserving and building up the NATO alliance and contrasted it with Trump’s more friendly posture towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, California Rep. Jared Huffman wrote “Harris is on fire” on social media.
“She's vetted, tested, and has been Democrats' strongest messenger throughout this campaign,” Huffman wrote. “She's next up if we need her, and we might. Let me be very clear: if/when President Biden passes the torch, I'm all-in for Kamala Harris!”
Huffman is not alone in looking to Harris to lead the party if Biden changes courses. South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn and California Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic candidate running for a Senate seat in his state in November, both name-checked her in the last week as a preferred replacement — though neither they nor Huffman have explicitly called for Biden to call it quits. For his part, Clyburn insisted he was “riding with Biden” after House Democrats met to discuss the campaign’s future earlier this week.
Five members of Congress on Thursday joined the growing list of Democrats publicly calling for Biden to step aside: Michigan Rep. Hillary Scholten, Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider, Hawaii Rep. Ed Case, Arizona Rep. Greg Stanton and Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez all issued statements stating as much, though none named a preferred replacement.
“I cannot avoid the conclusion that that choice should be presented with another Democratic candidate,” Case said. “As to who that candidate should be, there are various paths to that decision. They are difficult and uncertain. But no more difficult and uncertain than the current path, nor any reason to stay on this path, which I do not believe is the best path forward for our country."
Public polling released in recent days has been mixed on Harris’ chances against Trump compared to Biden. An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll had her up two points over Trump, while a poll from The Economist/YouGov had her down four. But polls consistently show her polling slightly better than other prominent Democrats who may get in the race if Biden drops out.
The Biden campaign insisted in an internal memo obtained by Spectrum News on Thursday that “there is also no indication that anyone else would outperform the president vs. Trump” and argued that the party’s attention should be on defeating Trump, not debating Biden’s viability.
“Hypothetical polling of alternative nominees will always be unreliable, and surveys do not take into account the negative media environment that any Democratic nominee will encounter,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote. “The only Democratic candidate for whom this is already baked in is President Biden.”
For his part, Biden made clear earlier this week that he believes he’s the only person who can beat Trump, telling the hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday that “I wouldn’t be running again if I didn’t absolutely believe that I am the best candidate to beat Donald Trump in 2024” and challenging doubting Democrats to announce their candidacy and try to beat him at the Democratic convention in August.
“Who else do you think could step in here and do this?” Biden said.
Spectrum News' Taylor Popielarz contributed to this report.