Vice President Kamala Harris returns to Nevada on Tuesday for her sixth visit to the swing state this year, her 14th since taking office and her first since some prominent Democrats began voting. discuss openly if she should replace his running mate at the top of the ticket.
In this extraordinary context, Ms. Harris is expected to keep the focus on the race as it stands, laying out the stakes of the election between President Biden, 81, and former President Donald J. Trump, 78during a speech in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
But as some Democrats, horrified by Mr. Biden’s disastrous performance in last month’s debate, say, urge him to not run for re-election or question her ability to serve a second term, the spotlight on Ms. Harris is perhaps at its highest since she became vice president.
“It’s going to be like a microscope or a magnifying glass,” former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat who is backing Biden for reelection, said in an interview. “People are looking to her for some indication, some signal, if there is one, that something might be changing.”
Mr. Biden, who had lagging behind in the polls in swing states, even before the debate, was more and more categorical that he would not quit the presidential race, and some key Democrats have stressed their support for him this week. Ms. Harris has backed him at every turn, issuing a statement convincing arguments for his candidacy and promote relentlessly the administration’s record during the events and in media appearances since.
But that has not prevented intra-party wrangling over the future of the ticket, less than four months before election day.
Several Democrats, including members of the Democratic National Committee, have already said that if Mr. Biden were to step down, there should be an open and competitive process to determine the party’s nominee. Others have said the party should quickly unite behind Ms. Harris in that scenario.
“I don’t want to see an open convention, that would prolong it and put Democrats in disarray,” said Rep. Dina Titus, a Nevada Democrat whose district includes parts of Las Vegas. “Let’s solve the problem. And bringing her in would be the easiest solution. But for now, I hope the Biden-Harris ticket stays.”
Ms. Harris is expected to promote the ticket on Tuesday, while seeking to turn the nation’s attention back to Mr. Trump.
She is scheduled to speak at a campaign event focused on Asian-American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. Harris, the first woman and first woman of color to serve as vice president, has played a key role in trying to shore up support among key Democratic constituencies, including young people, women and black voters, who have been lacking enthusiasm.
As she begins her three-state tour to mobilize voters in Nevada, Texas and North Carolina, Harris finds herself in a unique position.
A growing number of Democrats are rallying behind her as a potential party leader if Mr. Biden were to resign. They believe she is essential to energizing their base. But every time she gives a speech pitting Mr. Biden against Mr. Trump, she also does so contrasts his messaging ability with that of the president.
Stefanie Brown James, co-founder of Collective PAC, an organization dedicated to electing black officials, said Harris should not worry about whether her performance this week would highlight Biden’s limitations.
“We need her to shine her light. She can’t dim it because people think it’s going to overshadow hers. She is who she is,” James said. “Quite frankly, it’s a woman thing. It’s a Black woman thing. We’re often asked to dim our light because it’s diminishing someone else.”
“She’s been very clear: I’m President Biden’s vice president,” James added. “I’m his partner in this. This is not about me. I don’t think that’s going to change. I think she’s going to continue to be the best representative of this administration.”
Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, founder of the national progressive network Way to Win, said raising Harris’s profile at this time would be crucial for her party, regardless of Mr Biden’s future.
“We’re not advocating for Biden to resign, but our position is that no matter what the outcome is, we should support Vice President Harris because she’s on the ticket,” she said. “Focusing on it helps reach voters we have difficulty with in general.”
Ms Harris has her work cut out for her in Nevada, where Mr Trump has generally had a advantage of the survey in recent surveys.
“She plays well in the Hispanic community and with young people,” Titus said. But, she added, “she’s here to support her team, not to run on her own. And I think that’s how she’s going to be perceived.”
Zolan Kanno-Youngs contribution to the report.
