The campaign arm of the House GOP is targeting Vice President Kamala Harris in an ad that calls her the “enabler in chief,” elevating the No. 2 as Democrats consider whether to dump President Biden from the ticket.
Over ominous music, the 75-second clip shows Ms. Harris talking about how proud she’s been to serve alongside Mr. Biden. It also says she struggled to tackle illegal immigration — one of many tasks delegated to her early in Mr. Biden’s term.
The National Republican Congressional Committee’s ad mocks Ms. Harris’ laugh and some of her aspirational quotes. It also says House Democrats are too closely aligned with the vice president.
“This November: Vote Republican. Stop Kamala,” the ad says.
The NRCC is trying to take advantage of the chaos in the Democratic Party after Mr. Biden’s lousy debate performance in Atlanta.
At least one House Democrat has called on Mr. Biden to step aside, though the president shows no sign of giving up.
SEE ALSO: President Biden’s decline raises questions about Jill Biden’s power
Ms. Harris would be a natural replacement, though Republicans will argue she is no better and hid Mr. Biden’s health status from the public. The GOP also wants to make similar claims about down-ballot House Democrats.
“Everything Kamala Harris touches turns into an unmitigated disaster. Whether extreme House Democrats call on Joe Biden to step aside or not, Kamala Harris deserves the blame for many of the crises making life unsafe and difficult for American families — and we plan to make her a prominent feature of the 2024 campaign,” NRCC national press secretary Will Reinert said.
Republicans hold a six-seat majority — there are three vacancies — in the House, so Democrats are hoping to take it back this cycle.
Mr. Biden is virtually tied or trailing former President Donald Trump in polls. A recent CNN poll shows Ms. Harris would trail Mr. Trump by 2 points, 47% to 45%, if she ran against him while Mr. Biden trails Mr. Trump by 6 points.
Republicans politically attacked Ms. Harris hours before she was scheduled to have lunch with Mr. Biden in the president’s private dining room, a meeting that stirred more talk of a shakeup on the Democratic ticket.
Ms. Harris also trended heavily on the X platform. Users debated the vice president’s political merits or posted clips of Ms. Harris doing funny impressions of other people.
The Biden campaign is running ads attacking Mr. Trump’s fitness for office, saying he has a loose grasp of the truth and is too power-hungry to serve in the White House again. It launched an ad Wednesday highlighting the Supreme Court’s opinion that presidents enjoy immunity from prosecution for official acts.
“The American people deserve a president who fights for them — not ‘a king above the law,’” Biden campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler said. “If Monday’s decision showed us anything, it’s that the American people must reelect President Biden — for the survival of our country.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.