Despite Dem wins, VP says she and Biden have ‘a lot of work to do to earn’ reelection

Vice President Harris, in impromptu remarks from the White House, said Wednesday that while she’s “confident” about prevailing in 2024, she and President Biden have “a lot of work to do to earn” reelection.

“It was a good night, and the president and I obviously have a lot of work to do to earn our reelection, but I’m confident we’re going to win,” Harris said.

Harris spoke to a small group of reporters outside the West Wing about Tuesday night’s election results, where Democrats won control of both chambers of the state Legislature in Virginia, dealing a significant blow to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).

In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) won reelection in a reliably red state.

And in Ohio, voters approved constitutional amendments to ensure access to abortion and to legalize marijuana in the state.

Harris highlighted that the issue of abortion, an issue of which she’s been at the forefront in the Biden administration, has been particularly powerful in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

“As the American people made clear, they are prepared to stand for freedom and for the individual freedoms and the promise of freedom in America, and by extension it was a good night for democracy,” Harris said. “I think that if you look at, from the midterms to last night, from California to Kansas, Ohio to Virginia, the voters said, look, the government should not be telling women what to do with their bodies.”

Harris’s comments came at the same time White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was holding a press briefing just a few feet away. Jean-Pierre said she was not aware that Harris had planned to speak.

The Biden White House embraced Tuesday’s results as vindication of their agenda and a repudiation of Republicans’ stance on abortion in particular. And Biden allies were quick to spin the outcome as a sign of things to come in 2024, despite a slew of recent polls showing Biden trailing former President Trump in a hypothetical match-up — as well as job approval ratings that continue to slump — at the national level and in several key battleground states.

“We have always said that voting matters and polls do not,” Jean-Pierre said Wednesday. “Our focus is going to remain [on] our work to grow the economy, lower costs for families and protect fundamental freedoms against dangerous agendas that are out of touch with the American people.”