Republicans prepare attacks on Harris as pressure mounts for Biden to resign

MILWAUKEE—Republicans gathered this week for the party’s national convention hedged their bets on their November opponent as the Democratic Party spiraled into drama.

Speakers criticized not only President Biden, but the Biden-Harris administration as well. They called Vice President Harris the “border czar,” a reference to her mandate to address the root causes of migration. And some openly speculated about how former President Trump would fare against someone other than Biden.

Republicans have made it clear they would like Biden to remain in the race, seeing him as a weakened candidate who is slipping in the polls. But if he were to step aside, Harris would be the most likely replacement, and Republicans signaled this week they would be prepared to go on the offensive if the vice president is elevated.

“The last time I checked it was Biden-Harris. So everything Biden did is a matter that she was complicit in,” said senior Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita, who dismissed the idea that a Harris-led ticket would change the electoral map.

“It doesn’t matter that she’s also, you know, the gaslighter-in-chief who’s specifically like, ‘Oh, he’s fine. He’s in great shape,'” LaCivita added. “I mean, do you know how much tape we have on this?”

Biden has not publicly indicated that he plans to resign as nominee, but pressure is mounting from senior Democrats to reconsider his candidacy, warning that he could drag the entire party down with him.

Speakers throughout the week focused on Biden, but many referred to Harris, seeking to tie her specifically to issues like inflation and immigration that resonate with many voters, and arguing that she cannot be separated from Biden’s record.

A representative on Thursday changed a sign that read “Fire Joe Biden” to “Fire Joe Biden, Now Kamala!”

While Trump did not mention Harris’ name in his lengthy speech on Thursday night, Republican lawmakers and campaign officials were asked throughout the week what it would mean for the party’s chances in November if Biden were to be replaced as the ballot leader.

“It’s certainly going to be different, and it depends on who they choose,” said Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.). “But I feel very, very good about where we are right now. I feel good about the message. I think the American people are choosing Trump right now because of his policies, compared to the disasters we’ve had with the Biden administration.”

LaCivita said the clearest line of attack against Harris would be the term “border czar.” While that was never Harris’ official title and her job was to address why migrants from the Northern Triangle were coming to the U.S. southern border, the GOP’s attacks on her work on the issue have stuck.

Other speakers in Milwaukee portrayed Harris as soft on crime, despite criticism from some progressives of her record as California’s prosecutor and attorney general.

House Majority Leader Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) delivered a fiery speech slamming Harris for her response to protests in Minnesota following the 2020 death of George Floyd, citing her promotion of a bail fund for arrested protesters.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley repeatedly claimed during her own 2024 campaign that a vote for Biden was effectively a vote for Harris. She reiterated that belief in a speech at the convention on Tuesday.

“After watching the debate, everyone knows it’s true,” she said, arguing that the country would be worse off if Harris were president “for one day.”

There are a number of polls available showing whether Harris would fare better than Biden in a head-to-head matchup with Trump, but the results are mixed.

An NBC News poll released Sunday showed Trump leading Biden by 2 percentage points, 45 percent to 43 percent, and Harris by 2 points, 47-45. A New York Times poll in Siena/College showed Harris slightly ahead of Biden in Pennsylvania and Virginia, two states Democrats need to win.

Biden’s campaign has indicated that no change is in the works, even as the situation appears increasingly untenable for the president.

“Absolutely, the president is in this race,” Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said Friday. “You’ve heard him say that over and over again.”

Some Democrats argue that they would improve their chances in November if they had a candidate who could vigorously defend Trump on a daily basis.

Harris showed what that might look like this week with campaign visits to Michigan and North Carolina while the president is in isolation recovering from COVID-19.

“Are you ready to make your voice heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it?” she said in an energetic call and response with the crowd on Thursday in North Carolina.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said during a CNN-Politico Grill event outside the convention arena that he would urge Republican leaders to conduct polls to determine what kind of messaging, wording and branding would be most effective against a Harris-led ticket.

Sununu suggested that Harris choose a governor as her running mate, and mentioned Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania as a possibility. Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky have also been mentioned as possible candidates for Harris’ VP picks.

A nomination with Harris as the frontrunner would also potentially be historic, as she would be the first woman of color elected president, while Republicans are nominating a candidate with two white men for the third time in a row.

Some Republicans acknowledged that a change of candidate could at least provide short-term benefits to their Democratic rivals.

“If and when they make the switch, everything will change. It’s going to be very close in a lot of those tighter states. There’s going to be more energy,” Sununu said Thursday. “I think the Democratic Party would be effectively rewarded, if you want to call it that, by independents saying, ‘Hey, none of us liked the whole Biden-Trump ticket to begin with.'”

Al Weaver contributed.