Which gap? Jill Biden explains her ‘bond’ with Harris amid reports of a rift between the White House and the campaign

Jill Biden may have felt betrayed by Democrats when her husband made the devastating decision to drop out of the race.

But the first lady put aside any lingering anger to campaign for his replacement, Kamala Harris, in areas where the vice president might not be welcome.

Her trip to rural areas in battleground states came before Michelle Obama hit the campaign trail, but at a crucial moment when polls showed momentum with Donald Trump.

The campaign shift also comes amid rumors of renewed tension between the Biden and Harris wings of the White House with a report in Axios say things are getting worse as the election approaches.

But any hint of friction was pushed aside as Jill Biden told the crowd how she built a bond with Harris — especially over their mothers’ deaths from cancer.

In places like Yuma, Arizona – near the border with Mexico; Carson City, Nevada – 400 miles from the lights of Las Vegas; and the suburbs of Detroit and Philadelphia,

Jill Biden is a more popular figure than the vice president, and she used her personal appeal to argue for a Harris presidency.

She defined Harris in personal terms and defended the Democratic nominee against “lies” and conspiracy theories told about her.

The first lady is “an exceptional retail campaigner because, as one person more accurately described her, she is just a ruthless charm machine,” said Michael LaRosa, Jill Biden’s former East Wing press secretary and traveling spokesperson during the 2020 campaign.

“She is a talented surrogate and messenger in her own right because she has this effect on every man and every woman in her communication style that is not overly polished or robotic – it’s just her.”

Biden used that charm to convince voters in areas where Harris is struggling.

Trump leads the Democratic candidate in Arizona and in the four other states – Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – the race is almost even.

“We are incredibly grateful that Dr. Biden is campaigning for Vice President Harris in the states and communities that will decide this election. From Reno to the suburbs of Philly, she has connected with voters and generated wall-to-wall coverage, all of which informs this election’s commitment to women’s freedoms and the economy,” a Harris campaign spokesperson said.

And while her events were – at times – on the small side, they were widely covered in the local media, with the first lady dominating the evening news and the front pages of the morning newspapers.

That kind of free local media attention is invaluable in the final weeks of a presidential campaign.

The trip marked the first time Jill Biden campaigned for Kamala Harris, and from the way the first lady described the Harris she knew, there was no indication of the tension between the two that marked the early years of the Biden administration.

Biden’s stops were mapped out by the Harris campaign with a deliberate calculation in mind.

The first lady was sent to areas where there are a significant number of persuadable voters, the campaign said.

And she has tailored her message specifically to reaching undecided voters and persuasive women in suburban areas where Democrats need to run up the score.

The states had other things in common: Joe Biden won all five by narrow margins in the 2020 election against Trump, and all five states have competitive Senate contests that will decide which party controls that chamber next year.

During two days of stops in Arizona, where Biden visited Yuma, which had yet to see a Harris campaign surrogate, and Phoenix — the first lady made the case for the Democratic ticket and reminded voters that Proposition 139 was on the ballot.

It is an amendment to the Arizona Constitution to add a fundamental right to abortion.

Her stops there also came the day before Trump held a large rally in Prescott, Arizona, giving Biden a chance to make the case for Harris before the former president arrived on the scene.

In Nevada, she charmed supporters in Carson City and Reno, where local television cameras followed her every move.

In Detroit, she took a swipe at Trump.

“Some recently came to Detroit and threw some insults. But from what I have seen, this is a vibrant, prosperous city,” she said to cheers.

Last week at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump insulted both Harris and Detroit when he said, “The whole country is going to be like, you want to know the truth? It’ll be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up looking like Detroit if she is your president.”

In Wisconsin, Biden reminded voters to vote early, and in Philadelphia, she worked with volunteers on the phone banks to vote for Harris.

The first lady was an enthusiastic campaigner for President Joe Biden, but after he dropped out of the race in late July, she kept a low profile, appearing alone at the Democratic National Convention.

But she promised she would now look for Harris.

“I’m going to campaign,” she told the people of Detroit. ‘I campaign throughout the country. If you have something in mind or you think I should tell voters what you hear, please tell me.”

Her message was the same in each of the five states she visited for Harris: criticize Trump for his role in overturning Roe vs. Wade and portray him as greedy and selfish.

She also donned her teacher hat as she spoke to volunteers and organizers, telling them to remind voters of Harris’ efforts to lower grocery prices, help Americans buy homes and restore abortion rights.

She praised the get-out-the-vote efforts, reminded voters in each state when early voting begins and urged them to cast their ballots.

She also pushed aside reports that there were tensions between her and Harris in the early days of the Biden administration after Harris went after Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic primaries, to talk about the Harris she has come to know.

“As Kamala and I have known each other over the past four years, we have bonded over many things, but one of the things we talked about is how we lost our mothers, both to cancer, both long before we were born . I don’t need them anymore,” the first lady said.

She painted a more compassionate picture of Harris, talking about how the vice president cherishes a recipe from her mother and how she has fought for women all her life.

Reproductive rights were a particular focus during Biden’s trip. Democrats see it as a winning issue to motivate their base.

And it earned Biden one of her biggest applause when she told voters, “No one has to give up their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not tell women what to do with their bodies.”

But the trips also served as a thank you, a chance for the first lady to express her gratitude to Democrats for their support during the Bidens’ five decades in public life.

And Democrats also expressed their gratitude.

When Biden said the country deserves “leaders like my husband and Kamala Harris,” the crowd burst into applause and shouted back, “thanks Joe.” Thanks Joe.”

The first lady looked moved.

“Thanks,” she said. “I’ll take that home with me.”