MILWAUKEE — As drama raged for the Democratic Party, Republicans gathering at their party’s national convention this week were placing bets on who their November opponents will be.
Speakers not only criticized President Biden, but also the “Biden-Harris” administration. They called Vice President Harris the “border czar” because of her mandate to address the root causes of migration. Some also openly speculated about how former President Trump would handle someone other than Biden.
Republicans have made it clear they see Biden as a weakened candidate with declining support and want him to continue in the race, but Harris is the most likely successor if he were to step down, and Republicans signaled this week they would be prepared to attack the vice president if she ascends.
“The last time I checked [it] “The Biden-Harris combination was key to victory. Everything Biden has done is something she’s been complicit in,” said Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, rejecting the idea that a Harris-led combination would change the electoral map.
“Never mind the fact that she’s also, you know, a master of gaslighting who says, ‘Oh, he’s fine. He’s in great shape,'” LaCivita added. “I mean, do you know how many tapes there are on this?”
Biden has not publicly indicated he plans to withdraw from the race, but there is growing pressure from Democratic Party leaders to reconsider his candidacy, who say he could be a drag on the party as a whole.
While speakers focused on Biden throughout the week, many also mentioned Harris, particularly in connecting her to issues that resonate with many voters, such as inflation and immigration, and arguing that she cannot be separated from Biden’s record.
On Thursday, one delegate changed a sign that read, “Fire Joe Biden” to read, “Fire Joe Biden, Kamala next!”
Trump did not mention Harris by name in his lengthy speech Thursday night, but Republican lawmakers and campaign officials have been asked this week how a replacement by Biden from the top spot could affect the party’s chances of winning the presidential election in November.
“Things will definitely change and it will change depending on who we elect,” said Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.), “but I’m very comfortable with where we are. I’m comfortable with the message. I think the American people are electing Trump right now because of his policies versus the disaster we’ve had under the Biden administration.”
LaCivita said the clearest attack on Harris has been the “border czar.” While that was not her official title and her job was to understand why migrants were coming from the Northern Triangle to the southern US border, Republican attacks on her work on the issue have persisted.
Other speakers in Milwaukee described Harris as soft on crime, despite criticism from some progressives over her record as a prosecutor and California attorney general.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) used his platform to slam Harris for her response to protests in Minnesota after the 2020 killing of George Floyd, citing her push for a bail fund for arrested protesters.
Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley repeatedly argued during her own campaign for the 2024 presidential election that a vote for Biden was actually a vote for Harris, a sentiment she reiterated in her convention speech on Tuesday.
“After watching the debate, everyone knew that was true,” she said, arguing that the country would be worse off if Harris were president “for just one day.”
There are several polls suggesting that Harris would have an advantage over Biden in a head-to-head matchup with Trump, but the results are mixed.
AnnNBC News SurveyThe poll released Sunday showed Trump leading Biden by two percentage points (45 percent to 43 percent) and Harris by two points (47 to 45).New York Times Siena/College PollHarris was found to have slight leads over Biden in Pennsylvania and Virginia, but both states need to be won by Democrats.
Biden’s team has said no transition of power is planned, even as the situation is becoming increasingly untenable for the president.
“Obviously, the president is in this race,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said Friday. “You’ve heard the president say that many times.”
Some Democrats argue that simply having a candidate who can make a strong case against Trump every day will improve their chances of victory in November.
With Trump in quarantine recovering from COVID-19, Harris gave a glimpse of what that might look like by campaigning in Michigan and North Carolina this week.
“Are you ready to speak up? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are you ready to fight for it?” she said in a lively call-and-response with a crowd in North Carolina on Thursday.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said at a CNN-Politico Grill event outside the convention that he would urge Republican leaders to commission a poll to find out what messaging, language and branding would be most effective for a Harris-led candidate.
Sununu has suggested that Harris should choose a state governor as her running mate, naming Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear have also been mentioned as possible running mates for Harris.
Harris’ slate could make history by becoming the first woman and person of color elected to the presidency, while the Republican Party has nominated two white men for three consecutive terms.
And some Republicans acknowledged that a change in nominee could benefit their Democratic rivals, at least in the short term.
“If they made the switch, it would change everything. A lot of close states would be closer. There would be more energy,” Sununu said Thursday. “I think Democrats would essentially be rewarded by independents saying, ‘No one liked the Biden-Trump pairing to begin with.'”
Al Weaver contributed.
