Vice President Kamala Harris urged supporters Wednesday not to give up on the November election, on the same day that a prominent Democratic lawmaker from her home state called on President Biden to quit the presidential race.
At a campaign event in Michigan, Ms. Harris, who would be the most likely replacement at the top of the ticket, urged voters to stay engaged despite the temptation to become jaded about U.S. politics.
“This is not a time to throw up our hands, this is a time to roll up our sleeves,” Ms. Harris said. “We should not become dispirited. We should remember the power of the people to make a decision about who sits in these offices, and that power rests with us.”
Ms. Harris was responding to a question about how to defeat “extremism.” But her comments came as Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the Democratic nominee for a Senate seat, called on Mr. Biden hours earlier to quit the race. He is an ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is reportedly working behind the scenes to persuade the president to give up his reelection campaign against former President Donald Trump.
Ms. Harris also made her first public remarks about Saturday’s assassination attempt on Mr. Trump, calling the shooting a “heinous” act. She said political violence cannot be acceptable to Americans.
Ms. Harris said it was important to acknowledge the Pennsylvania tragedy before she discussed abortion rights and other agenda items during a campaign stop in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“It was a heinous, cowardly and horrible act,” she said.
Ms. Harris said she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, said a prayer for Mr. Trump and his family after they learned the news. The gunman grazed Mr. Trump’s ear but also killed one rally attendee and injured two others.
“No one should have to fear for the safety of a loved one because they serve in public office,” Ms. Harris said.
The vice president also paid homage to Corey Comperatore, the 50-year-old father who died while protecting his family from the gunfire.
Ms. Harris is in the spotlight as pressure rises on Mr. Biden to drop his candidacy and let an alternative lead the ticket.
The vice president tends to poll slightly better than Mr. Biden against Mr. Trump, though she still has political weaknesses — including a failure to tackle border security, and a lack of success in pushing for voting rights and other parts of a to-do list she took on earlier in the administration.
Efforts to boot Mr. Biden eased after the assassination attempt on Mr. Trump. But they are surging again, with Mr. Schiff becoming the 21st congressional Democrat to call on the president to step down.
Michigan will give 15 electoral votes to the winner of November’s election. Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris may need to win the swing state again to ensure a victory.
Ms. Harris is leaning into Democrats’ message on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in 2022 that overturned the broad national right to the procedure.
The vice president said people who pushed to strip away abortion rights didn’t think through the implications of the decision. She pointed to women who must travel across state lines for an abortion, perhaps for life-saving medical reasons.
“Think about what we’re putting people through,” Ms. Harris said.
Ms. Harris will deliver remarks in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Thursday. The Tarheel State doles out 16 electoral votes.
It will be her seventh trip to North Carolina this year and 15th trip to the state since taking office, the campaign said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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