MILWAUKEE — Republicans gathered for their party’s national convention this week were hedging their bets on their November opponent as drama engulfs the Democratic Party.
Speakers levied criticisms at not just President Biden, but the “Biden-Harris” administration. They labeled Vice President Harris the “border czar,” a reference to the assignment she was given to address the root causes of migration. And some openly speculated about how former President Trump would fare against someone other than Biden.
Republicans have made it clear they would prefer that Biden remain in the race, viewing him as a weakened candidate who is down in the polls. But should he step aside, Harris would be the likeliest replacement, and Republicans signaled this week they are prepared to go on the attack should the vice president be elevated.
“The last time I checked [it] was Biden-Harris. So every single thing that Biden did is an issue that she is complicit in,” senior Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita said, rejecting the idea that a Harris-led ticket would change the electoral map.
“Never mind the fact that she’s also, you know, the gaslighter-in-chief specific to, ‘Oh, he’s fine. He’s in great shape,’” LaCivita added. “I mean, you know how much tape we have on this?”
Biden has given no public indication he plans to step aside as the nominee, but there is mounting pressure from top-ranked Democrats for him to reconsider his candidacy, as they warn he could drag down the entire party.
Speakers throughout the week were focused on Biden, but many referenced Harris. They specifically tried to tie her to issues including inflation and immigration that resonate with many voters, arguing she cannot be separated from Biden’s record.
One delegate on Thursday changed a “Fire Joe Biden” placard to read “Fired Joe Biden, Kamala Next!”
While Trump did not name-check Harris in his lengthy Thursday night address, Republican lawmakers and campaign officials have been asked throughout the week what it would mean for the party’s chances in November if Biden were replaced atop the ticket.
“It’ll certainly be different and it’s going to depend on who they pick,” said Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.). “But I feel very, very good about where we are. I feel good about the message. I think the American people are picking Trump now because of his policies, compared to the disasters we’ve been through with the Biden administration.”
LaCivita said the clearest line of attack against Harris would be the phrase “border czar.” While that was never Harris’s official title and her job was to address why migrants were coming from the Northern Triangle to the southern U.S. border, GOP attacks over her work on the issue have stuck.
Other speakers in Milwaukee painted Harris as soft on crime, despite criticism from some progressives over her record as a prosecutor and California attorney general.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) delivered a fiery speech blasting Harris for her response to demonstrations in Minnesota following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, citing her promotion of a bail fund for protesters who were arrested.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley repeatedly claimed during her own 2024 campaign that a vote for Biden was really a vote for Harris, and she reiterated that belief in a Tuesday speech at the convention.
“After seeing the debate, everyone knows it’s true,” she said, claiming the country would be worse off if Harris were president for “a single day.”
There has been a smattering of polls available showing whether Harris would fare better than Biden in a head-to-head match-up against Trump, but with mixed results.
An NBC News survey published Sunday found Trump ahead of Biden by 2 percentage points, 45 percent support to 43 percent, and ahead of Harris by 2 points, 47-45. A New York Times/Siena College poll found Harris running slightly better than Biden in Pennsylvania and Virginia, both states Democrats need to win.
The Biden campaign has said there is no switch in the works, even as the situation looks increasingly untenable for the president.
“Absolutely, the president’s in this race,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said Friday. “You heard him say that time and time again.”
Some Democrats have argued having a candidate able to forcefully make the case against Trump on a daily basis would alone boost their odds in November.
Harris has shown what that might look like this week with campaign stops in Michigan and North Carolina, while the president is in isolation recovering from COVID-19.
“Are you ready to make your voice heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it?” she said Thursday in North Carolina in an energetic call and response with the crowd.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said at a CNN-Politico grill event outside the convention arena that he would urge Republican leaders to commission polling to find what kind of messaging, wording and branding would be most effective against a Harris-led ticket
Sununu suggested Harris should choose a governor as a running mate, name-checking Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as a possibility. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear have also been mentioned as potential Harris VP picks.
A Harris-led ticket would also potentially be historic, as she could be the first woman and woman of color elected to the presidency, while Republicans nominated a ticket with two white men for the third cycle in a row.
And some Republicans acknowledged a change in candidate could provide at least a short-term benefit for their Democratic rivals.
“If and when they make the switch, everything is going to change. It’s going to get very close in a lot of those tighter states. There’s going to be more energy.” Sununu said Thursday. “I think the Democrat party would effectively be rewarded, if you will, by independents for saying, ‘Hey none of us liked that whole Biden-Trump ticket to start with.’”
Al Weaver contributed.