Harris pleads with GOP to join her: 'There is a place for you in this campaign'
Vice President Harris on Wednesday pleaded with Republicans to join her team, telling them at a rally in Pennsylvania that there’s a place for them in her quest to defeat GOP nominee and former President Trump.
“No matter your party, no matter who you voted for last time, there is a place for you in this campaign,” Harris said in Washington Crossing, Pa. “The coalition we have built has room for everyone who is ready to turn the page on the chaos and instability of Donald Trump, and I pledge to you to be a president for all Americans.”
The event was marked by Harris being joined by a contingent of former GOP lawmakers who have publicly backed her campaign.
Harris was joined on the stage by more than a dozen Republicans, including former Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Barbara Comstock (Va.) and Denver Riggleman (Va.); former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan; and Bill Kristol, former chief of staff to former Vice President Dan Quayle. More than 100 Republicans joined the event, according to the campaign.
“I thank you all for everything you are doing and the courage you are showing. This is an extraordinary climate right now and we all recognize the courage you are showing to speak out, so publicly,” Harris said to the group supporting her.
She offered a rebuke against Trump, saying he “is increasingly unstable and unhinged and he is seeking unchecked power.”
“Our campaign is not a fight against something, it is a fight for something. It is a fight for the fundamental principles upon which we were founded,” she said.
The campaign event took place in Bucks County, a swing county in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania that President Biden narrowly won by 17,000 votes in 2020.
Harris noted that the rally took place near where President George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776, during the Revolutionary War. She used the imagery to talk about the Constitution and argue that Trump doesn’t respect it.
“The founders often disagreed, often quite passionately, but in the end, the Constitution of the United States laid out the foundations of our democracy, including the rule of law, that there would be checks and balances, that we would have free and fair elections and a peaceful transfer of power,” she said.
“These … sustained because generations of Americans from all backgrounds, all beliefs, have cherished them, upheld them and defended them. And now, the baton is in our hands.”
“Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Yet he refuses to accept the will of the people and the results of a free and fair election,” she added, mentioning the “violent” mob on Jan. 6, 2021.
Kinzinger, who is a known Trump critic, spoke before Harris.
“We must put country first. We must put our country over our party, and like you, I’m putting my country first,” he said. “Democracy knows no party; Democracy is a living, breathing idea that defines us as a nation.”
He also called voting for Harris “the conservative choice” and urged other Republicans to vote for her.
Harris was introduced by Bob and Kristina Lange, farmers from Pennsylvania, who said they voted for Trump in the past but now argued that Trump doesn’t care about “our commonwealth and our Constitution.”
The Bucks County rally was the second of a series of “Country Over Party” events, following a rally in Ripon, Wis., which is known as the home of the GOP, with former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
Date: |
-
Politics - The Hill
Ex-GOP Reps. Kinzinger, Comstock to join Harris for Pennsylvania rally
Vice President Harris will be joined at a Pennsylvania rally by more than 100 Republicans, including former GOP Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) and Barbara Comstock (Va.), a senior Harris campaign ...15 hours ago -
Top stories - NBC News
Despite her call to 'do something' for Harris, Michelle Obama has yet to hit the campaign trail
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has been working behind the scenes to boost Kamala Harris and is expected to appear publicly in the very final stretch.Yesterday -
Top stories - CBS News
Trump, Harris both campaigning in Pennsylvania
Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are hitting the campaign trail in the battleground state of Pennsylvania Monday. CBS News' Anthony Salvanto, Jake Rosen and Nidia Cavazos have the latest on the ...2 days ago - Donald Trump -
Politics - The Hill
Watch live: Harris campaigns in Pennsylvania
Vice President Harris is scheduled to appear at a campaign event in Erie, Pa., Monday evening. Harris released an economic agenda for Black men early Monday, focusing on helping business owners, ...2 days ago -
Politics - CBS News
Harris launches new push to win GOP support in Pennsylvania
The Harris campaign has started a new outreach push to target Republicans looking for an alternative to former President Donald Trump. Robert Costa reports.14 minutes ago -
Top stories - CBS News
Harris launches new push to win GOP support in Pennsylvania
The Harris campaign has started a new outreach push to target Republicans looking for an alternative to former President Donald Trump. Robert Costa reports.14 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Harris leans into prosecutorial background as campaign nears end
Vice President Harris is leaning into her time as a prosecutor and her law enforcement background in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. Harris has sought to appeal to undecided voters in ...Yesterday -
Business - Financial Times
Trump and Harris campaign donations: four key takeaways
Democratic candidate raises more than her Republican opponent in third quarter3 hours ago - Donald Trump -
Top stories - CBS News
Harris says her presidency "will not be a continuation" of Biden's
Vice President Kamala Harris' nearly 30-minute interview with Fox News was tense from the start.38 minutes ago - Joe Biden
More from The Hill
-
Politics - The Hill
Former Harris aide says Baier pulled interview questions from 'Trump/Vance press release'
Former Harris aide Symone Sanders Townsend said Wednesday that Fox News anchor Bret Baier “pulled questions” for his interview with Vice President Harris from “a proverbial Trump/Vance press ...17 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Judge rejects handful of controversial rules, including hand-count rule, from Georgia board
A judge in Georgia tossed out a handful of controversial rules passed in recent months by the GOP-majority Georgia State Election Board, arguing that the board didn’t have the authority to put ...30 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
The year's brightest supermoon is rising this week
Get ready to look up for the year’s biggest and brightest supermoon. And it's pairing up with a comet for a rare stargazing two-for-one.36 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Plagiarism expert: Harris book shows 'sloppy writing habits,' not 'wholesale fraud'
Plagiarism expert Jonathan Bailey said Vice President Harris’s 2009 book showed signs of “sloppy writing habits” but pushed back on claims that the Democratic nominee engaged in “wholesale fraud.” ...56 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Patriots owner on Trump: Like having 'a drunk fraternity brother become president'
The owner of the New England Patriots football team recently equated former President Trump to a "drunk fraternity brother" during his presidency, noting their previous longtime friendship. “I ...1 hour ago