As another turbulent election cycle enters its home stretch, the polls remain tight, and the race is still up for grabs. Though the ultimate winner is uncertain, one thing is clear: Over the past three months, Vice President Kamala Harris has put herself in the best possible position to pull off an unprecedented victory.
Consider the series of events since President Joe Biden’s abrupt withdrawal on July 21: Harris inherited a national political operation and made it her own, relatively free of leaks and drama. She shattered fundraising records by hauling in more than half a billion dollars in the first month. She orchestrated a highly successful national convention while consolidating support within her own party. She outclassed her opponent on the national stage in their one and only debate.
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Most important, unlike former President Donald Trump, Harris extended an olive branch to the other side of the aisle. Not only did she appear on Fox News this week in a much-discussed sit-down interview, but the campaign has also welcomed disaffected Republicans into the fold with open arms — and no strings attached.
This week, I joined a group of my fellow Republicans in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, for a campaign rally with the vice president. Fittingly, the event took place on the banks of the Delaware River where on a frigid Christmas morning in 1776, George Washington launched a surprise attack against British troops stationed in nearby Trenton. The treacherous and dangerous crossing of the icy water is widely regarded as one of the key inflection points of the American Revolution. Washington and his men have been heralded for their bravery and courage.
This week’s event was grounded on the importance of democracy and the need to preserve it. Despite a stage full of people with policy differences with the vice president, there was no doubt in our minds where she stands on the most important policy of all: democracy. In normal times, these are ideas that do not rest with one party over another, but 2024 is unlike any other election year.
During her remarks, Harris stressed the importance of the U.S. Constitution as “not a relic of our past” but the document that “determines whether we are a country where the people can speak freely and even criticize the president without fear of being thrown in jail or targeted by the military.”
The split screen with Trump, who spent the week fulminating about his political opponents as the “enemy from within,” was lost on no one, including me.
As the campaigns enter the final chapter, the fluff tends to fall away and the core issues stand out, and this year is no exception. It’s fair game for Republicans to criticize Harris on being too liberal, changes in her positions since the 2020 campaign or her unwillingness to conduct media interviews until late in the game.
For my Republican friends uneasy about the idea of pulling the lever for a Democrat from California, remember that one candidate pledges adherence to the Constitution while another is less than four years removed from attempting to overturn an election rather than accept its results. During a town hall this week, Trump tried his latest rebrand on the events of Jan. 6, 2021, labeling it a “day of love.”
We can get back to work arguing our differences on issues like taxes, immigration and spending, but not until we have moved on from the past. Yes, Harris has been part of an administration whose record leaves a lot to be desired — three quarters of Americans want a new direction, according to a recent ABC News poll.
Harris is the next logical step in the right direction for this country and is a bridge to someplace new. Not a perfect place, but significantly steadier and safer than the alternative.
With Trump, we know what we are getting: more anger-filled chaos, division and selfishness that leads this country and my party toward the gutter.
One candidate is denouncing his domestic political opponents as “more dangerous than China, Russia” and one is telling levelheaded Republicans that “no matter who you voted for last time, there is a place for you in this campaign.”
One of the strongest signs of an effective leader is being the same backstage as onstage. That box was officially checked in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday afternoon for me and other Republicans who want our conservative party back.
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