WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris has been fighting for more than a decade against the perception that her office lacks the same influence and prominence as President Joe Biden.
These events, however, have given Harris an opportunity to perform a second act.
It is as much a result of coincidence as it is by design. Harris, who was on a previously scheduled Chicago trip, was more vocal in his criticism of GOP opposition to gun safety measures the day after Biden’s tepid response to the shooting that claimed seven lives at a Highland Park July Fourth parade.
“We must end this horror. She said that we must end this violence at an event, before she made an unannounced trip to the scene of the shooting. “Enough is enough.”
Harris was again in the right place at right time when the Supreme Court declared its decision to repeal constitutional protections for abortion rights. She was en route to an event that highlighted maternal health care. She quickly scanned the text of the Supreme Court decision printed on Air Force Two and assessed it for herself. Then, she explained to her audience that it “calls into doubt other rights that were settled” — including access to contraception and interracial marriage.
Interviews with White House officials and other close to the administration reveal that the Harris staff shakeup has resulted in a closer relationship between the West Wing and Harris staff, which has allowed for greater participation in the White House’s response to key moments. NBC News learned that Lorraine Voles is the new chief of staff to the vice president. She was appointed White House chief-of-staff Ron Klain’s daily senior team meeting. Harris has been able to have a weekly one-on-1 with Klain, who was previously the chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore, and Biden, since the beginning of the administration.
Biden’s allies have resisted suggestions from his party that the president isn’t meeting at the moment. They pointed out Friday’s White House events, which saw the president sign an executive order to protect abortion access and Harris meet with legislators in GOP-dominated States fighting new restrictions. This was to show how the governing pair could offer a “one punch” on key issues that some Democrats are clamoring for a stronger response.
Cedric Richmond, a former White House senior advisor, stated in an interview that “Her wheelhouse” is fighting and drawing distinctions, whatever they may be. Richmond stated that Harris will continue to pursue the case against Harris in the coming months, focusing on Harris’ extreme views and the deviations they made to strip people from their rights.
Some Democrats believe Harris’ experience as the first Black female vice president, 22-years younger than Biden, and as a prosecutor makes her a better messenger on issues such as abortion and guns than Biden. She has used that experience to deliver a more energetic version of the administration’s message on these issues to audiences outside Washington recently.
These efforts will be a test to see if recent attempts at improving the relationship between her office, the West Wing and the White House can yield results in ways that have so far eluded them. It is too early to know if this dynamic will last or if it will fail.
The core of Harris’ early problems was Biden’s desire to replicate with Harris the type of governing partnership that he enjoyed over eight years of working with President Barack Obama. Biden had set the terms for his role as Obama’s No. — to be the “last person in a room” to offer advice to the president, particularly in areas where he has a more extensive history with the topic and key players, due his decades of service in the Senate.
Harris is, however, the first vice president to be elected in decades with less Washington experience than her predecessor. For the first months of their administration, Biden relied primarily on his personal relationships and experience, whether he was negotiating with Congress to implement his economic agenda or navigating the consequences of ending the 20 year war in Afghanistan.
Harris was first given the most prominent role in the country, which was migration to the south border. This only exacerbated the political difficulties she faced when she tried to adjust to her new position. A series of one-on-1 interviews and a heightened foreign travel schedule before Russia invaded Ukraine did not help to change the narrative about Harris struggling to find her feet in the spotlight at the second most prominent position in the country.
Joel Goldstein, a long-time student of the vice presidency, stated that the internal concern over Harris’ policy portfolio was a “mistaken search.”
“With the vice-president, the question should be: How can this individual add value given the administration’s strengths and weaknesses?” Goldstein stated that Vice President Harris is perceived to be a strong communicator. When you combine all these things — that she is an effective communicator, that she represents inclusion — it makes sense that her role would be to grab the megaphone and maybe add strength in an area that the admin needs.
As the number of challenges facing the administration grows, observers believe it is incumbent upon her to continue to capitalize on this moment.
Rep. Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, stated that “I believe she must stay out there.” 3 Democrat in Congress. “You have to keep it up.”
Chris Meagher, White House spokesperson, stated that Biden “trusts vice president Harris and knows she’ll continue to be passionately outspoken in the Administration’s efforts to protect access to reproductive healthcare and keep our children and communities free from gun violence.”
Some Harris aides admit that this moment has come to her and not the other direction. This gives her more visibility on issues that have been her main focus throughout her career. Rohini Kosoglu was the top policy advisor to the vice president and was riding along Harris’ motorcade when she pointed out that the Supreme Court opinion had gone further than the original leaked draft.
Her extensive background as a senator and attorney general in California, and as vice president of the United States, means she has a unique level of expertise. Kosoglu stated in an interview that she could not emphasize enough how shocked I believe the country was by the legal text they had published in that opinion.
Friday’s meeting Harris with Democratic legislators marks the latest example of Harris’s involvement in abortion policy, even before the Supreme Court decision.
According to Harris’ office, she has hosted four meetings about the topic with religious leaders, abortion rights activists and legal experts. She also met with doctors, nurses, lawyers, legal professionals, doctors, and other medical professionals. One of those meetings took place the day before the Supreme Court decision. It was attended by attorneys general from seven different states. After Texas passed what was at that time the most restrictive abortion law in the country, she met with patients and abortion providers. In the weeks leading up to June’s decision, she was featured on two White House videos about what the administration thought was at stake in the event Roe is overturned.
Republicans are also taking note Harris’ recent prominence. On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee noted that Harris had done 36 interviews with journalists this year, while Biden only did two.
Biden has stated that he plans to run for reelection in 2024. Harris reiterated last week that she will be there with him if he does. Despite doubts within the party about Biden’s plans, Harris’ every move has been closely scrutinized more than any first-term vice presidents.
Harris joined Clyburn recently for an annual fundraising dinner in South Carolina – a noteworthy foray by the vice president to a state that is prominently early-voting. Clyburn’s endorsement of Biden was a welcome boost for 2020. He also encouraged Biden to pick a Black woman running mate.
“Is she as strong as she will be in a year?” It doesn’t seem so. Clyburn stated that she was not as strong in two years.
