Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter sees similarities between the way Vice President Kamala Harris has responded to the nation’s economic challenges and the way football star O.J. Simpson reacted to the murder of his ex-wife.
Speaking at a campaign rally for GOP nominee Donald Trump in Georgia, Mr. Carter said it is befuddling to hear Ms. Harris pledge to strengthen the economy if elected, when she has served as President Biden’s sidekick for nearly four years.
“We got higher gas, we got higher groceries, we got our economy in shambles, thanks to you,” Mr. Carter, Georgia Republican, said in Savannah. “Now, can you believe Kamala Harris is going around the country trying to convince people that she is going to fix what she just spent the last four years destroying?
“That is like O.J. going across the country looking for the real killer,” he said, sparking laughter from the crowd. “Hey, if the glove fits.”
Simpson, a Hall of Fame running back, was acquitted of the murders of his former wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994. He was later found responsible for the deaths in a civil trial.
Mr. Trump has the upper hand on most issues voters care about — with the clear exception of abortion.
He has been trying to use his issue advantage by asking voters the Ronald Reagan-inspired question: Are you better off now than you were four years ago?
Nonetheless, Ms. Harris has made the race competitive since President Biden’s mid-July decision to halt his re-election push.
Despite serving in the administration, Ms. Harris has presented herself as the fresh face in the race, and there are some signs the strategy is working.
An NBC national poll released over the weekend showed she had a 47% to 38% lead over Mr. Trump when voters were asked which candidate would be better “representing change.”
Meanwhile, the latest polling averages show Mr. Trump holds a slim lead in Georgia, which has been at the forefront of his unproven 2020 stolen-election allegations.
Mr. Biden narrowly carried the state in 2020.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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