Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly set to hold her first rally with a running mate as her presidential campaign counterpunches former President Donald Trump on immigration rhetoric.
Harris, who became the likely Democratic presidential nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, will be joined by her still unannounced vice presidential pick for a rally in Philadelphia on August 6, according to a Politico report citing the Harris campaign on Tuesday. She is expected to announce her running mate before the rally.
While a Harris campaign aide reportedly “cautioned against reading too much into” the first tour stop, the decision to go to Philadelphia will undoubtedly increase speculation that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro could get the job. Others in contention include Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
The Harris campaign confirmed next week’s campaign stops for the vice president and her running mate in an email to Newsweek. Over a period of four days, the likely Democratic presidential candidate will make battleground visits to the following locations:
- Philadelphia
- Western Wisconsin
- Detroit
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Savannah, Georgia
- Phoenix
- Las Vegas
Harris went on the offense against Trump regarding immigration during a solo campaign stop in Atlanta on Tuesday, accusing the former president of working to block a bipartisan border security bill in Congress this year for his own political gain.
“Our administration worked on the most significant border security bill in decades,” Harris said. “Some of the most conservative Republicans in Washington, D.C., supported the bill. Even the Border Patrol endorsed it. It was all set to pass, but at the last minute, Trump directed his allies in the Senate to vote it down.”
“He tanked the bipartisan deal because he thought it would help him win an election,” she continued. “Which goes to show, Donald Trump does not care about border security. He only cares about himself.”
The Harris campaign also released an immigration-themed ad hours after the Trump team released an ad on Tuesday that accused her of allowing millions of migrants to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border as Biden’s “Border Czar,” a title given to Harris by the media after the president asked her to investigate the “root causes” of illegal migration in early 2021.
The Trump ad accuses the “failed, weak and dangerously liberal” Harris of having “failed us” by allowing in “over 10 million illegal border crossings” per year and allowing 250,000 Americans to die from fentanyl on her “watch.” Harris is also accused of being responsible for “brutal migrant crimes” in the ad.
Official U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics show 1.9 million, 2.7 million and 3.2 million encounters nationwide for fiscal years 2021, 2022 and 2023. Border crossings have dropped by more than 50 percent over the past few weeks. Biden signed an executive order limiting border crossings last month.
While Harris’ record on immigration is likely to be a focus of political debate until Election Day, she was not tasked by Biden with solving immigration and the office of vice president is limited to statutory powers that include only the ability to cast tied votes in the Senate and to count Electoral College votes after presidential elections.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
