Washington:
US Vice President Kamala Harris called for a rally of more than 6,000 black women on Wednesday to help her revitalize the Democratic presidential campaign ahead of her Republican rival Donald Trump’s return to the campaign trail.
Harris emerged as the Democratic presidential nominee in the Nov. 5 election after President Joe Biden, 81, ended his re-election bid on Sunday in the face of intense opposition from fellow Democrats who questioned her ability to win or serve for another four years. he should do this.
The 59-year-old vice president, the first Black and Asian-American woman to serve as vice president — who would also be a historic first as president if she prevailed over 78-year-old former President Trump — shook a sober race awake new energy among Democrats.
That surge will not go unanswered on Wednesday, when Trump holds his first rally since Biden ended his campaign – in the swing state of North Carolina.
Trump’s campaign has insisted it is prepared for Harris’ candidacy, arguing that she serves as Biden’s proxy on the economic and immigration policies that have contributed to his declining popularity with voters.
Harris spoke at an event in Indianapolis hosted by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, which was founded at Howard University, the historically black college she attended. She hopes to leverage the sororities’ multigenerational network of Black women — who played a major role in Biden’s 2020 victory — to deliver strong voter turnout for Democrats again in November.
“I thank you. And now, in this moment, our nation needs your leadership once again,” Harris said.
Harris and Trump are closely competitive, public opinion polls showed this week.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll concluded on Tuesday showed Harris with a marginal two percentage point lead over Trump, 44% to 42%. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS showed Trump leading Harris, 49% to 46%. Both conclusions were within the polls’ margins of error.
BIDEN TO SPEAK
Biden, who returned to Washington after isolating at his Delaware home with COVID, will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday night to explain his decision to drop out after a disastrous June debate with Trump raised questions about his ability to win the election, or serve an additional four years if successful.
On Tuesday, Trump took the unusual step of speaking to reporters on a conference call to underscore his campaign’s line of attack on the border, saying Harris was partly responsible for a record influx of migrants.
Biden tasked Harris with working with Central American countries to help stem the tide of migration, but she was not held responsible for border security.
“She is a radical left person and this country does not want a radical left person to destroy it,” Trump said on the call. “She wants open borders. She wants things nobody wants.”
Harris did not call for the removal of border controls.
Trump, coming off a triumphant week in which his party rallied behind his presidential bid following a failed assassination attempt two weekends ago, had to watch as Biden’s sudden exit from the race dramatically changed the narrative and sparked a wave of attention toward Harris at his expense.
Harris campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a memo released Wednesday that Democrats would aim to compete in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, opening a map that at the end of Biden’s campaign weeks seemed to be more focused on the Midwest.
“This race is more fluid now — the vice president is well-known but less well-known than Trump and President Biden, particularly among Democratic-leaning constituencies,” O’Malley Dillon wrote.
Democrats will formally name their new ticket at next month’s convention in Chicago, following a virtual vote on Aug. 7. Roy Cooper, the Democratic governor of North Carolina, is considered one of the candidates to serve as Harris’ running mate.
Harris and her campaign worked at a breakneck pace to consolidate support among Democrats in Congress and delegates across the country. Candidates who could have been potential rivals for the nomination jumped in and supported her.
Harris’ campaign said Wednesday that it has raised $126 million since Sunday, with 64% of donors making their first contribution in the 2024 campaign.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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