Look out, Liz!
Kamala Harris to ‘compete’ in N.H.
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris touched down for her first campaign visit to New Hampshire and immediately promised a packed crowd that she planned to “compete” in the state, dousing speculation that she would circumvent the first-in-thenation primary contest.
Harris’ promise is bad news for her competitors, including U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who needs nothing less than a Granite State victory to keep her campaign going.
“I intend to compete in New Hampshire,” the California Democrat said Monday night at a town hall event in Portsmouth, addressing what she called “the elephant in the room.”
“I plan on doing very well in New Hampshire. That is my intention and I’m going to work toward it,” she said, drawing cheers from the crowd of hundreds of voters.
Harris had avoided New Hampshire in her first few campaign trips since declaring she was running for president, prompting reports that she would focus more on other early primary states like South Carolina.
But her public declaration seemed aimed at firmly quelling those reports.
Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent, represents the most serious threat to Warren’s campaign because of her background and themes of “unity” and diversity.
Warren, from neighboring Massachusetts, has already been to New Hampshire several times and plans another speech there this weekend.
It’s unlikely that Warren’s campaign could survive a bad showing in the Granite State because of her close proximity and ties to the state. The Bay State senator already has a strong staff in New Hampshire and knows her campaign can’t fail there.
But Harris’ candidacy could be problematic for Warren, not just because both candidates are women. Harris could potentially have a broader appeal than Warren, who has focused on attacking President Trump and fixing the “rigged” system in Washington that favors the wealthy and big corporations.
Harris said Monday night she would be able to connect with voters in the Heartland — answering a question from a voter who wanted to know how she would be able to defeat Trump.
That’s also a key question for Warren, who has been hobbled by questions about her claims of identifying as a Native American. Warren has focused on appealing to the far left of the party with proposals like her “ultra millionaire” tax.
Harris is also a trying to prove her progressive credentials because of her background in law enforcement. The former California attorney general faces some criticism from the left for being too tough on crime and keeping criminals incarcerated.
Asked Monday night whether she would support a bill to rename Columbus Day “indigenous peoples” day, Harris said “count me in” — an answer that might not go over well with Italian American voters.
“We are the scene of a crime when it comes to what we did with slavery and Jim Crow and institutionalized racism in this country and we have to be honest about that,” Harris said.