U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris presides over a conversation with former Trump administration national security official Olivia Troye and former Republican voter Amanda Stratton in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on July 17, 2024 Give a speech.
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For more up-to-date information on the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, head to NPR Network’s live updates page. Plus: You can watch NPR’s live video coverage of tonight’s speech. That’s it.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Vice President Harris is at the forefront of the Biden campaign’s efforts to counter the Republican National Convention today as President Biden self-isolates at home due to the coronavirus.
Given the open question of whether Biden should remain atop the Democratic vote, Harris’ speech — in a state Democrats hope they can turn blue this fall — is likely to draw more viewers than it would otherwise. focus on.
To be clear, Biden and his campaign say he’s not going anywhere. But some Democrats say Harris would be the party’s obvious choice if Biden drops out of the race.
“Our campaign cannot address any situation where President Biden is not the favorite. He is and will be the Democratic nominee,” deputy campaign chairman Quentin Fulks told reporters in Milwaukee today. He was a little annoyed by the questions.
The campaign is working to contrast Biden’s policies with proposals from former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. Vance – particularly on reproductive rights.
Yesterday, Harris promised another potential debate date with Vance, although the Trump campaign said the internal Democratic debate over Biden’s fate also cast doubt on the vice presidential debate.
“We can’t lock in a date before their convention. Doing so would be unfair to Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer or whoever Kamala Harris chooses,” Trump said. Brian Hughes, a campaign consultant, said in a statement.
The governors of California, Illinois and Michigan are often mentioned as potential future Democratic candidates. There has been speculation that North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper could be a running mate if Harris comes out on top in the race.
This story originally appeared as part of the NPR network Live coverage from the RNC.
