On Wednesday’s NPR Morning Edition broadcast, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) was asked how he would evaluate 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris’ record on immigration, saying, “I’m not going to be a judge or an analyst for other candidates. I’m just going to tell you my record,” but Republican opponent Dave McCormick “makes a big fuss about immigration and the border, but doesn’t do anything to make our communities safer.” And Harris is a perfect fit for Pennsylvania voters who are “ready to be commander in chief.”
co-host Steve Inskeep asked. [relevant exchange begins around 1:05] “Voters are connecting Harris to Biden’s record on the border. If there’s one thing voters know about Harris, it’s that she had some connection to Biden’s border efforts. How can she and Democrats defend that record in Pennsylvania?”
Casey responded, “Well, I’m a candidate, so I’ll tell you what I’m doing. I want the people of this state to know that I’ve voted 25 times over and over to invest in border security. That was years ago. I voted for two of the toughest border provisions in American history, in 2013 and 2024. This bipartisan bill, which I support and my opponent strongly opposes, gives the president the power to close the border. And if it had passed a few months ago, when Republicans initially supported it but blocked it until the presidential candidate told them to stop, the situation on the border would have been much better a few months later than it is now. So I think that makes a difference. But also, my opponent actually invested millions of dollars in China’s largest fentanyl manufacturer when he was a hedge fund manager. So that’s going to be a big issue in this race, because we’re losing too many Pennsylvanians to fentanyl poisoning.”
Inskeep then asked, “How would you rate Harris’ approach to immigration as vice president?”
Casey responded, “Steve, I’m not going to be a judge or analyst to evaluate other candidates. I’m simply going to tell you my record, which is the opposite of what my opponent has been saying on the campaign trail. He yells about immigration and the border, but has done nothing to make our communities safer. In fact, he got rich off investments he made as a hedge fund manager.”
Inskeep then asked, “Do you think she’s a good fit for the voters of Pennsylvania?”
Casey responded: “I think so. Part of the reason is that she has a background as a prosecutor. She’s been both a district attorney and an attorney general, and I think she’s prepared to be commander in chief. One of the reasons she’s prepared is that she has a strong law enforcement background.”
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