Vice President Kamala Harris made history on Sunday by becoming the first vice president to be called in at the last minute to campaign and win the election, with just 106 days to go until Election Day.
She is in a race against time to win the hearts of the 4,700 delegates at the Democratic National Convention: the elected officials, former presidents and Democratic superdelegates Biden won in the primaries.
Although his vice president was not a member of his immediate circle, Biden called her on Sunday to inform her of his decision.
Harris immediately went to work trying to convince party leaders over the phone, especially Democrats who were rumored to be launching their own campaigns.
According to CNN reports, Harris spent more than 10 hours on the phone after Biden’s announcement, wearing a Howard University hoodie and sweatpants.
Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) talks on the phone while sitting in her campaign bus
She was wearing sneakers and eating pizza with anchovies for dinner, while busy on the phone.
With Biden’s support, Harris was able to quickly garner support and the results were remarkable.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shaprio, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper all announced their support for Harris before the day was over.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton also showed their support via social media.
Kamala Harris attends a music festival in California
Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff arrive in the East Room of the White House,
Most notably, Harris rose to the top spot, raising $49.6 million in a single afternoon as skeptical Democratic donors finally opened their wallets after Biden decided to leave office.
The pro-abortion political action committee EMILY’s List announced plans to spend at least $20 million in support of Harris.
But Harris has yet to receive an endorsement from former President Barack Obama, a surprise given that he generously helped her throughout her political career and even advised her as she struggled in her first three years as vice president. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also failed to endorse Harris, despite serving with her as a Democrat in California.
Kamala’s Presidential Reboot: Trump Continued
As advisers scramble to reposition Harris on the world stage, the vice president plans to return to an old campaign theme she first introduced during her failed 2020 presidential campaign: the prosecutor.
As a former prosecutor, Harris frequently speaks of her ability to “prosecute the case” against Trump. After Trump was convicted of multiple crimes in a Manhattan court, Harris was further encouraged by the Harris team to emphasize the comparison. That language was echoed in statements of support from fellow Democrats.
“With our democracy at stake and our future hanging in the balance, no one is better positioned to lead the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and lead our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President,” Newsom wrote on social media.
Harris’ supporters shared with reporters an old campaign ad from her failed 2019 primary run, showing Harris, a hard-nosed prosecutor, taking on Trump to demonstrate her strengths in the ongoing trial.
But that ad was the product of Harris’ advisory team in November 2019, when her campaign was just gaining steam.
Still, Harris’s supporters see her image as a prosecutor as an asset, even though her law enforcement record and image as California’s “top cop” hurt her during the 2019 primary.
Democrats are frustrated with Biden’s failure to take on Trump during the debate and now want her to take on Trump.
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden in the White House
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with First Lady Jill Biden in Washington, DC
A key figure in the ‘cover-up affair’
Republicans began questioning Harris about her involvement in covering up Biden’s weakness and mental decline.
During the re-election campaign, Harris defended Biden as one of the “bravest and strongest” presidents ever and “tireless in his work.” She said Biden would “be OK” and was “in great shape and health.”
“Kamala Harris is at the heart of this conspiracy,” former Trump adviser Steven Miller said on Fox News after Biden’s disastrous June debate.
“She must appear before Congress immediately to answer questions: What did Kamala know? When did she know it? And why did she lie to all of us?”
Harris must explain to voters why she helped cover up details about Biden’s condition or why she wasn’t trusted enough to be close to him and get the truth.
Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she walks to her car after arriving in Savannah, Georgia.
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the press
The failed border tsar
Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita spoke to reporters at the Republican National Convention and indicated that the campaign was already preparing to take on Harris.
When asked about her greatest political weaknesses, LaCivita replied succinctly: “border czar.”
Republicans successfully positioned Harris as Biden’s go-to person to address the border crisis, while she and her staff did everything they could to avoid that responsibility, insisting she alone was responsible for the “root causes” of migration in countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
Republicans think they can remind voters how flippant she was on the issue of border security and how she performed so poorly on that issue that Biden had to rethink the administration’s message on the issue.
NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley reported that Harris has not spoken to Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens or former chief Raul Ortiz since she was asked to lead the administration’s response at the border.