Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance is furious after admitting during a recent audio recording of a fundraising event that Kamala Harris’ entry into the race was a “sucker punch” for the GOP ticket.
Vance, 39, former President Donald Trump’s pick for vice president, was speaking to donors at an event in Minnesota on July 27 when he made the remarks, reports The Washington Post.
“We’ve all been hit with a little political sucker punch. The bad news is Kamala Harris doesn’t have the same baggage that Joe Biden has, because whatever we say, Kamala is a lot younger,” the former “Never-Trumper” said.
“And Kamala Harris clearly doesn’t have the same problems as Joe Biden.”
This embarrassing development for the Trump campaign comes after a new poll from the nonprofit Angus Reid Institute shows Harris with a two-point lead over the GOP candidate.
Meanwhile, Harris’ approval rating among Americans reached 43 percent, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll in late July, up from 35 percent before Biden dropped out of the race.
JD Vance has been publicly optimistic about the prospect of Vice President Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket
New poll gives Harris an extremely narrow lead over Donald Trump
Vance has been publicly optimistic, claiming that Harris’ entry into the race after President Joe Biden’s shock announcement that he would not run had no impact on the “political calculus” for Republicans.
Vance’s deputies are focusing on Harris’ record at the border, his support for police funding and fracking.
“We have a unique opportunity, but we also have a unique challenge. Because let’s face it, 10 days ago, everyone had an opinion about the two presidential candidates,” Vance told supporters.
‘Like them or not, everyone has an opinion about Donald Trump and Joe Biden after the last eight years… but Kamala Harris, people don’t really know.’
Angus Reid’s poll shows that Harris votes much more diversely and youthfully.
A whopping 56 percent of non-white voters say they support the former California senator, compared to 25 percent for Trump.
When it comes to the youth vote, 50 percent of potential Harris voters are under 35, compared to 32 percent for Trump.
Among voters between the ages of 35 and 54, the majority is the same.
It’s no surprise that Trump is the favorite of white voters (51 percent to 37) and older voters (49 percent to 40 percent).
In response to The Washington Post report, a spokesperson for Vance called Harris “weak” and “failed” while promoting a “dangerously liberal agenda.”
“Her far-left ideas are even more radioactive than Joe Biden’s, especially in the key swing states that will decide this election, like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin,” said Will Martin.
This week it was announced that Harris’ campaign has raised $200 million since she emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last week
This week it was also announced that Harris’ campaign has raised $200 million since she emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last week, a staggering haul in her battle against the Republican nominee.
The campaign, which announced its latest fundraising total on Sunday, said the majority of the donations — 66 percent — came from first-time donors during the 2024 campaign and were made after Biden decided not to run.
More than 170,000 volunteers have also signed up to help the Harris campaign with phone banking, canvassing and other get-out-the-vote efforts. Election Day is just 100 days away.
“The momentum and energy for Vice President Harris are real, and so are the fundamentals of this race: This election will be very close and decided by a small number of voters in just a few states,” Michael Tyler, the campaign’s communications director, wrote in a memo.
Her campaign said she held some 2,300 organizing events in key states this weekend, while several high-profile Democrats who were in contention to be Harris’ running mate endorsed her.
Harris campaigned in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday, drawing hundreds of people to a fundraiser held when Biden was still at the top of the Democratic ticket.
According to the campaign, the fundraiser was expected to raise $400,000, but ended up raising $1.4 million.
Mandy Robbins, 45, of Decatur, Georgia, drove to one of those organizing events in the northern suburbs of Atlanta on Sunday to hear from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a potential running mate for Harris.
She thought Biden did a “terrific” job in the White House, but admitted she “wouldn’t have been nearly as excited” if he had stayed in the race.
“I finally feel hopeful,” Robbins said, adding, “We can win this with Harris.”