US Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign event was her seventh visit to North Carolina this year and her 15th trip to the state since taking office in Fayetteville, North Carolina, US on July 18, 2024.
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Vice president Kamala Harris has won more public support from Democratic lawmakers as a potential alternative to President Joe Bidenif he decides to drop out of the race against former President Donald Trump.
California Representative Mark Takano Saturday became the thirty-sixth day Democracy ABOVE Capitol Hill to call back Biden to exit the race on the record. He added that he believes Harris should be the leader of the ticket.
“President Biden’s greatest accomplishment remains defending democracy in 2020. He can and must do so again in 2024 — by passing the torch to Vice President Harris as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee,” Takano said in a statement.
“It is clear to me that the demands of a modern campaign are best served by a vice president who can easily transition into the role of our party’s front-runner,” he said.
In early July, Takano was among several senior Democratic committee members who voiced concerns about Biden’s re-election effort in a private meeting with House Democrats Leadership.
Chairman Mark Takano, House Veterans Affairs Committee (D-CA) speaks with members of the Congressional Delegation recently traveling to the Indo-Pacific Region at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on August 10, 2022 in Washington, DC.
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Although some Democrats have sought to push for a open conference If Biden leaves, Takano has positioned himself among the party’s group that sees Harris as the rightful heir to the top job, along with a campaign budget of at least $91 million.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Saturday that Harris is “ready to stand up and unite the party” if the president decides to drop out of the race. Warren has not formally called on Biden to drop out.
“Joe Biden is our nominee. He has a very important decision to make, but we are very fortunate to have Vice President Kamala Harris. Eighty million people voted for her so she can move forward if necessary,” Warren said in an interview on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.”
“Look, if you’re running against a convicted felon, a prosecutor like Kamala is really the right person to defend that case,” she added.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks to reporters during a break at the bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Deep Dive Forum for all U.S. senators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, September 13, 2023.
Julia Nihinson | Reuters
Since Biden stumbled in his June 27 debate with Trump, concerns about his age and his ability to win in November have left deep cracks in the Democratic Party. Dozens of Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists have called on him to drop out, even though he has steadfastly pledged to stay in the race.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that some donors are holding fundraisers to vet potential vice presidential candidates in case the current Democratic field changes.
As divisions within the Democratic Party grow, the president remains in Covid quarantine in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Biden’s campaign continues to publicly and firmly reject mounting pressure to drop out, pledging that the president will stay in the race and return to the campaign trail when he is no longer Covid-free.
“As soon as we get the green light, we will be back on the campaign trail,” Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler told reporters Saturday morning.
Tyler said Biden is expected to return to campaigning “in earnest” next week.
Biden on Saturday completed his sixth course of Covid treatment with the antiviral drug Paxlovid and is recovering “stable,” according to an update from him. doctorKevin O’Connor.
Meanwhile, Harris is taking on the campaign’s message. On Saturday, she spoke at a campaign fundraiser in Massachusetts that raised more than $2 million. And on Friday, Harris participated in a call with Democratic donors where she doubled down on her support for Biden, according to NBC News.
“We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: our President, Joe Biden,” she said. “We will win this election. We will win.”
Conservatives are still basking in the Democratic Party’s emerging divisions, especially in the wake of the Republican National Convention, a four-day celebration of Trump, their official nominee.
On Saturday, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s new running mate, took advantage of pressure from Democrats, calling on Biden not only to drop out of the race but to resign entirely.
“Anyone calling for Joe Biden to *stop running* without also asking him to resign as president is on a level of irrational cynicism,” Vance wrote in a post on X. “If you can’t run, you can’t serve. He should resign now.”
Some Biden allies are steering clear of the pressure campaign, instead backing whatever path the president chooses.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clintonfor example, still “respects” Biden’s decision to continue his campaign, two people familiar with the Clintons’ thinking told NBC News on Saturday.
The Clintons have been actively trying to maintain donor support for Biden and have told the White House they will help in any way they can, these people said.
While Biden acknowledged concerns about his age, he has remained steadfast in his re-election stance and partly blamed the media for focusing too much on his political weaknesses, even as some recent polls show his support slipping.
Protesters from a grassroots group called “Passing the Torch” gathered on the White House sidewalk on Saturday, praising Biden’s record as president but calling on him to abandon his bid for a second term.
“We are ready to unite behind a new candidate and do everything in our power to defeat Donald Trump in November,” Aaron Regunberg, one of the organization’s leaders, cried. “We implore Joe, if you’re listening, to be a hero. Be a public servant, be the leader we know you are. Pass the torch.”
