Where’s Kamala Harris? Democrats Want A More Public Role for the VP

When President Joe Biden last month met with the top congressional leaders to find a solution to avoid a government default, a key question followed: Where was Vice President Kamala Harris?

Harris was missing from the May 9 meeting, which was attended by other top White House officials, including Shalanda Young, Steve Ricchetti and Louisa Terrell, who went on to lead negotiations for an agreement to raise the debt ceiling.  

The vice president, who was in Washington, did not have any public events on her schedule that day.

While Harris did attend a second meeting on the debt discussions later in the month, the first absence was part of a larger trend that month, according to an analysis by The Messenger. 

In May, the month following the announcement of the Biden-Harris reelection campaign, the vice president did not have public events scheduled for nearly half — 15 days — of the month. In that same period, Biden had four days with no public events listed on his public schedule and two additional days for which the only item on his public schedule was receiving the President’s Daily Brief.

“The public kind of needs to see her doing meat and potatoes political stuff,”  said a Democratic strategist who has worked on recent presidential campaigns. “That’s the kind of stuff voters need to see her out there on. 

The strategist said the White House should have featured Harris at the heart of the debt discussions, which eventually narrowed to Biden’s aides and allies of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). 

“Let her be a passenger on a victory and they haven’t figured out how to do that,”  the strategist added. 

‘Isn’t as forward facing’

The strategist’s thoughts are part of a broader sentiment across the Democratic Party about Harris. In interviews with more than 20 Democratic operatives, lawmakers, and donors, many have voiced complaints that the vice president isn’t being utilized in the right ways. And they have looked for ways to boost her profile, especially since she and Biden launched their 2024 campaign in April.

Harris has had a bumpy tenure as vice president dating back to the start of the administration, when she struggled to find her bearings on policy issues and had trouble holding on to key members of her staff. It has resulted in a fear among Democrats that she isn’t ready to take over a campaign or the presidency should something happen to Biden, who will be 81 in November. 

Harris, as one aide in the Obama White House said, “isn’t as forward-facing and in the public eye as she should be.”

“There’s broad concern that she’s not ready and I think a good part of that is that she’s not out there as much as she should be,” the aide said. 

Harris press secretary Kirsten Allen said in a statement that the vice president has been a “critical governing partner” to Biden.

“If anonymous sources are saying they don’t see the Vice President, they must not be looking,” Allen said in a statement. “Since day 1, she has been a critical governing partner to President Biden as they have created over 13 million jobs, made our largest investment in history to address the climate crisis, and passed the first major gun safety law in 30 years. As she travels across the nation, she continues to lead the Administration’s fight to protect access to reproductive health care, demand further action to end gun violence and call out extremists for their attacks on our democracy.” 

'Hard-working, loyal and effective'

Others close to Harris say the gaps in her public schedule are not reflective of the work she does. Oftentimes, she is in private meetings that aren’t listed on her public schedule. 

A Biden campaign aide pointed out that Harris has held the most fundraisers for the 2024 campaign. She held several fundraising events for the Biden campaign, including the battleground state of Georgia, in the weeks after the campaign launched. The vice president has more fundraisers scheduled in the coming weeks for the campaign as well.

Harris also delivered remarks on abortion rights, an energizing issue for Democrats, at her alma mater Howard University on the day the reelection campaign officially launched. She also made history in the month of May by being the first ever woman to give the commencement speech at West Point.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) argued that Harris has been a productive partner to Biden. 

“Bluntly, I don’t think she gets the credit she deserves and the press for how many world leaders she’s working with, meeting with, how much of an impact she’s had domestically,” Coons said in an interview. “And the extent to which she is a hard-working, loyal and effective vice president.”

Historically, vice presidents have taken a backseat during election years as voters would prefer to hear from the president, said Joel Goldstein, a historian of the vice presidency. However, Harris is a historic figure — being the first woman vice president and first Black and Asian vice president — and can appeal to some constituents that are particularly important to the Democratic Party, he added.

“She may have an impact in terms of energizing and reaching those voters in a way that adds value to the Democratic ticket rather than simply as redundant,” Goldstein said.

Harris also has to prove herself in ways other vice presidents haven’t had to do in recent years, political observers say, as many voters are still getting to know her. But voters are watching to see if Harris is up to the task of being president. 

In the latest The Economist/YouGov Poll conducted this week, 38% of Americans said they viewed Harris favorably, compared to the 53% who viewed her unfavorably. A recent Los Angeles Times analysis found Harris’ favorability rating was behind where Biden was at a similar point in his vice presidency. 

“Since President Biden is one fall away from serious damage to his candidacy, Harris will be required to take on a more significant role in the campaign,” said Tobe Berkovitz, a professor emeritus at Boston University who served as a political media consultant. 

Still, some allies maintain Harris is playing that role now.

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said in an interview with The Messenger that Harris needs to focus on what she’s doing currently to support Biden and his agenda.

“Just go out and talk to people based upon her own background,” Clyburn said. “And experiences and how this administration has been such a benefit to them. I think that the record is clear that this administration has done what needs to be done for this country, and she needs to just go out and make that case.”

Dan Merica contributed.