LAS VEGAS — After 10 weeks as the presumptive and actual Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris is finally facing the problem that her candidacy has not gone through the primary.
And the question wasn't asked by a reporter, but by an undecided voter at Univision's Thursday town hall.
“You got a candidacy without going through the normal process of primaries and caucuses,” said Mario Sigbaum, a Uruguayan-born real estate manager who became a U.S. citizen 28 years ago. “That really got my attention. I'm also concerned that President Biden feels sidelined. How can we unravel this?”
Harris acknowledged that she obtained consent in an “unprecedented” manner.
“President Biden's decision is probably one of the most courageous presidential decisions history has ever made, and he has made a decision to put the country above his personal interests. He made that decision within the same period of time, supported my candidacy, and encouraged me to run,” Harris said in one of her signature word salads. “And I am honored to have won the Democratic nomination.”
But in a quick pivot, she said that unlike Harris, former President Donald Trump, who defeated her rivals in two presidential primaries, represents the real anti-democratic threat. .
“Donald Trump said, 'Abolish the Constitution of the United States,' and I'm using the quote, 'Abolish the Constitution of the United States,'” Harris said. “Imagine if the U.S. Constitution guaranteed the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments against unreasonable searches and seizures against you by the government.”
The Democratic Party did not mention the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, or the Second Amendment, which codifies the people's right to bear arms.
“Noticias Univision Presents: Latinos Ask, Kamala Harris Responds,” sponsored by the Spanish-language network, airs Thursdays at 10 p.m.
The hour-long program, recorded on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, featured questions from Hispanic residents who say they are unsure of their choices next month. The network invited at least two voters from Florida and Wisconsin to the event.
Voters asked questions in Spanish and English, with moderator Enrique Acevedo providing translations for Harris as needed. She answered in English.
At one point, Ms. Harris expressed sympathy for a questioner who said her non-citizen mother, who had apparently lived in the United States for decades, died without access to the medical care she needed.
“We have to remember how she lived,” Veep said. “It’s not how she died.”
But later in the debate, Harris took a tougher stance. Asked by members of the audience to list three positive things about President Trump, the candidate could only praise the former president's “love for his family.”
Mr. Harris continued. “I don't know him very well. To be honest, I've only met him once in a debate. I've never met him before, so I don't have much more to offer you. there is no.”
She then touted “80 pages of policy positions” on her campaign website.
For the rest of the Q&A, Ms. Harris reached into her stump speech bag and asked for stock answers on topics such as inflation (which she blamed on “price gouging”) and abortion, but she didn't “mainly… In 2024, the year of 2024, women shouldn't have to do that. I worry that “politicians” will decide the choices.
Harris took questions as part of an effort to shore up support from communities where voters are increasingly flocking to Trump.
A September NBC News/Telemundo poll found that Democratic support among Hispanics is at its lowest level since 2012. In 2016, 7 in 10 Hispanic voters supported Hillary Clinton, but this year, Harris' approval rating was just 54%, compared to 40% for Trump.
Univision, which is scheduled to host a similar event with President Trump next week, declined to open the audience to reporters. A spokesperson did not provide a reason for the quarantine.
