A Democrat representing a Republican-leaning Congressional district in Washington state has revealed a revealing exchange with Vice President Kamala Harris in the months before Donald Trump's harsh campaign attacks.
Congresswoman Marie Grusenkamp Perez said in an interview with the New York Times Harris initially had high hopes when she became the Democratic nominee, but the phone call failed to solidify support for her, she announced Friday.
“When Harris first came out, I actively talked to her. I know she called a lot of my colleagues. She never called me,” the Democrat said. the new student said. “I only interacted with Harris once at a Christmas party at the Naval Observatory.''
“I'm not really used to that kind of thing. After a few beers, I realized that the wreaths were almost all plastic. There are a hell of a lot of Christmas trees in my district. It’s growing,” she recalled.
“I took the photo with great determination. I said, 'Mrs. Vice President, where we live, we grow them,'” Grusenkampf said. Mr. Perez continued.
“She just walked away from me. I guess kind of rolled her eyes. My thought was, it's important to the people in the area where I live. It's a respect for the farmers. , cultural respect. I felt like she didn't understand what I was trying to say.”
Harris' apparent disdain for fellow auto repair shop owner Grusenkamp Perez and her working-class voters paid off Tuesday night.
Trump, 78, won the election with a majority of support from Americans without a four-year college degree, according to reports. be FOX News Voter Analysis.
Grusenkamp Perez, who calls herself “at the platinum level of bipartisanship,” represents the rural 3rd Congressional District, which is comprised of counties that Trump easily won in the past three election cycles. He is entering his second term.
The Democratic incumbent declared victory Thursday night after a local newspaper predicted him to win by about 11,000 votes over Republican challenger Joe Kent with 87% of votes counted. According to the Associated Press.
The Times noted that preliminary results show Grusenkamp Perez leading Harris by seven points in the district's two most Republican counties, including timber-exporting Wahkiakum County.
Grusenkamp Perez was one of several battleground state Democrats who called on President Biden to withdraw after his June 27 debate with President Trump was a fiasco.
She also cast tough votes against Democrats and the White House's agenda in the House, urging Biden and Harris to reinstate Trump-era border fixes like Title 42 and Remain in Mexico, as well as hundreds of billions of billions in They called for the dollar student allowance to be abolished. Cancellation of debt.
Other unpopular votes that Grusenkamp Perez voted on in conjunction with Republicans include a bill requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and a resolution condemning Harris as a “border czar.” was.
“I have received threats of physical violence from both sides,” the 36-year-old Texas native told the Times.
“I hope other normal people look at me and think they can run too,” she added. “There's no weird trick that's going to fix the Democratic Party. Parents of young children, people in rural areas, people in industry are going to run and be taken seriously.
“I was talking to a woman who runs one of the largest labor and delivery wards,” she recalled of her conversation with a constituent. “She said she was 40 years old.[%] At least one of the infants has a parent addicted to fentanyl. What is empathy? Telling them it's their problem or taking border security seriously?
“People are putting their groceries on credit cards. If you try to use some economist's data points to tell their lived experience, no one will listen to you.”
A representative for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
