Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden will headline a campaign event Monday in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, where Harris will manage to present herself as “a new way forward” while also remaining intensely loyal to Biden and the policies he has pushed.
Both will attend Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade where they will offer remarks, the first time the two have shared a speaking slot on the political stage since the stunning electoral reshuffle that provided a fresh jolt of Democratic enthusiasm for the 2024 election.
Harris’ campaign has said Pennsylvania voters are newly energized since Harris moved to the top of the ticket six weeks ago, with tens of thousands of new volunteers signing up to campaign for her and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Harris and Biden’s appearance at the parade, one of the largest such gatherings in the country, is part of a campaign in a key state just over two months before Election Day.
Harris, 59, has sought to appeal to voters by positioning herself as a break from poisonous politics, rejecting the vitriolic rhetoric of her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, while also seeking to move beyond the Biden era. Yet while her pitch may be very different from Biden’s, Harris’ agenda is packed with the same issues he has championed: capping the cost of prescription drugs, the Affordable Care Act, the economy and helping families pay for child care.
“We’re fighting for a future where we build what I call an opportunity economy, so that every American has the opportunity to own a home, start a business, and build wealth and intergenerational wealth. And a future where we lower the cost of living for America,” he said at a recent rally, echoing Biden’s calls to grow the economy “from the bottom up and from the middle up.”
Harris briefly appeared onstage with Biden after the president delivered his remarks on the opening night of last month’s Democratic National Convention, but the two have not shared a microphone at a political event since Biden himself ran for office. At the time, the campaign was using Harris primarily as its lead spokesperson for abortion rights — an issue they believe can help them win in November as restrictions increase and health care for women worsens after the fall of Roe v. Wade.
The 81-year-old president stepped aside in July after a disastrous debate performance with Trump and a growing chorus within his own party for him to make room for a new generation. Harris and Trump will debate on Sept. 10.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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