Impact2020: August 12, 2020
In today’s Impact2020 briefing, we break down Joe Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate. We also take a look at what could happen to Harris’ Senate seat if the Democratic ticket wins in November, and why a QAnon supporter in Georgia is likely headed to Congress.
On the Ground
Why Kamala Harris?
Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first Black and South Asian-American woman to appear on a major party’s presidential ticket. As McClatchy’s Dave Catanese writes, Harris was “long considered by Democrats as the front-runner to be Biden’s No. 2 due to her ideological similarities to the former vice president, the diversity she brings to the ticket, and her experience running a national campaign.”
“The number of boxes that Harris checked outweighed the perceived strikes against her,” Catanese notes. “Biden avoided a more ideologically polarizing pick ... and a less politically tested option … in favor of a person squarely in the firmament of mainstream Democratic politics.”
Many Democrats see the Harris choice “as a nod to the political adage that a running mate should first, and above all, do no harm” with public polls showing Biden ahead of President Donald Trump. Some also hope that “Harris will be able to help the campaign maximize turnout among Black voters in key battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.”
Credit: Paul Sancya, AP file photo
But not everyone is on board: “some progressives advocated against her selection, contending that Harris will do little to energize younger and more liberal voters who didn’t cast ballots for Biden during the primary.” And, her record on criminal justice is expected to “draw renewed scrutiny” in the wake of the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.
As election day draws nearer, “Harris will become a key voice to make the case against Trump,” Catanese writes. The Trump campaign released a video attacking Harris as a “phony” who has rushed to the “radical left.” And, Trump called Harris “nasty” and the “meanest” member of the Senate during a White House briefing, McClatchy’s Michael Wilner reports. He specifically pointed to her questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate confirmation hearing.
As for the current VP...
Vice President Mike Pence was in Arizona on Tuesday when the Harris news was announced, the Arizona Republic’s Rachel Leingang and Cleo Krejci report.
“As you all know, Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have been overtaken by the radical left,” Pence said. “So given their promises of higher taxes, open borders, socialized medicine, and abortion on demand, it’s no surprise that he chose Sen. Harris.”
And he had a message for Harris: “Congratulations, I’ll see you in Salt Lake City,” in reference to the vice presidential debates scheduled there for Oct. 7.
In his speech at an event launching a “Latter-day Saints for Trump” coalition, Pence said that the election wasn’t a choice between red or blue, but “whether America remains America.”
What might be next for Harris’ seat
As soon as Harris was chosen as Biden’s running mate, the speculation soon started over who California Gov. Gavin Newsom would pick to fill out her term in the U.S. Senate if she becomes vice president, Sophia Bollag, Hannah Wiley, and Kate Irby report for the Sacramento Bee.
Among those floated to fill out Harris’ term, which runs through 2023, in that situation: Rep. Karen Bass, who was a potential VP pick, state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, state attorney general Xavier Becerra and Rep. Barbara Lee.
But for the time being, California Democrats are thrilled to see one of their own on the presidential ticket. The Sacramento Bee’s Andrew Sheeler rounds up the reaction in the state.
And elsewhere in the Bee, David Lightman takes a look back at Harris’ record as a politician in California.
Trail Mix
More Harris reaction
McClatchy’s Summer Lin wraps up how other Democratic vice presidential contenders responded to the Harris announcement.
Former VP pick Sarah Palin offered some advice to Harris, including “Don’t get muzzled.” McClatchy’s Chacour Koop has more.
Miami Rep. Frederica Wilson, an early Harris supporter during the Democratic primaries, called the selection “an earth-shattering moment in the history of women and in particular in the history of Black women who have carried the Democratic Party on their shoulders since they got the right to vote.” Alex Daugherty has more on the reaction from other Florida lawmakers for the Miami Herald.
Battle for Congress
North Carolina GOP congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn is under scrutiny after old social media posts went viral that some say signal support for white nationalism, Jim Morrill reports for the Charlotte Observer.
Marjorie Taylor Greene won the GOP primary runoff in Georgia’s 14th congressional district, “and she is likely to become the first QAnon supporter to earn a seat in Congress,” Tia Mitchell and Greg Bluestein write for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Rep. Ilhan Omar fended off four Democratic primary challengers in Minnesota’s 5th district, Briana Bierschbach reports for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
COVID update
David Lightman explains why Washington state residents shouldn’t expect to see the extra $400 unemployment benefit Trump announced any time soon in the Tacoma News Tribune.
Kansas hasn’t committed to the Trump unemployment benefit plan either, with the acting state secretary of labor saying it “may not even be legal.” Jonathan Shorman and Bryan Lowry have more for the Wichita Eagle.
Number of the Day
79%
The percent of respondents to a Morning Consult poll who had at least heard of Harris — “more than any of the other Black women reportedly on Biden’s short list.”
“He was spitting teeth like Chiclets”
Stephen Colbert hasn’t forgotten about those Biden-Harris clashes during the Democratic primary debates.
For Planning Purposes
August 12
Biden and Harris deliver remarks in Wilmington, Del.
August 13
Pence visits Iowa
Pete Buttigieg participates in virtual Biden campaign event in North Carolina
A new episode of McClatchy’s Beyond the Bubble podcast is available on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts Until then, catch up with the latest episode.
August 18
Primary elections in Alaska, Florida and Wyoming
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This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 12:43 PM.