Vice President Kamala Harris was in Seattle on Saturday to raise funds for what she told supporters was her “high-stakes re-election” campaign.
In two speeches to supporters — one at her West Seattle home and the other at the Westin downtown — Harris highlighted the “extreme” contrast between her running mate, Joe Biden, and former President Donald Trump when it comes to issues such as health care.
Harris listed hot-button issues in her speech, including abortion, Obamacare and the economy, but did not mention Trump’s conviction this week for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. Her second speech was interrupted twice by protesters opposed to the Gaza war.
The vice president arrived at Boeing Field around 3:30 p.m. and was greeted by local elected leaders before heading to his first destination, his home in Genesee Hill in West Seattle.
Harris told the party group that the November election was crucial and momentum was in Biden’s favor.
“In this reelection, listen, folks, we are going to win,” Harris said. “Our knuckles may be bloody when it’s over, but we are going to win, and our country is worth fighting for.”
Harris said Biden would veto any nationwide abortion ban that Congress might pass, and she praised the administration’s efforts to limit insulin costs for seniors.
Harris, speaking at her second fundraiser at the Westin in downtown Seattle from 5:40 to 6 p.m., repeated much of the same talking points from her previous speech, but she also cited the Biden administration’s economic stimulus package, citing “historically” low employment and a surge in new manufacturing jobs.
Harris said that while many things in the world and at home are “complex and nuanced,” the November election is an “either-or-nothing choice.”
“On the one hand, we have a former president who openly praises dictators and has said he would be a dictator from day one in office, who has essentially said he would use the Justice Department as a weapon against his enemies, his political opponents, and who has professed pride in his work to repeal the protections of Roe v. Wade,” she said.
“On the other hand, Joe Biden and our administration have done transformative work that the history books, or today’s pundits, will point to in terms of what we’ve done to strengthen and grow the American economy and invest in the nation’s future,” she continued.
Her speech at the Westin was interrupted twice by protesters against the war in Gaza.
A man in a red shirt rose first, shouting “Children are burning in Rafah” before being escorted out of the room.
“I appreciate your right to express legitimate concerns. … We are working to end this war as quickly as possible,” she said.
Soon after, a second protester stood up and asked, “Mr. Vice President, when are you going to stop supplying weapons to Israel?”
As the second protester was escorted outside, Harris said, “Thank you, I’ll speak now.”
The people who interrupted Harris’ speech – later identified as Kevin Bocek and Arin Flaster of Jewish Voice for Peace in Seattle – said after the speech that they wanted to convey their anger and sorrow over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.
“It was important to carry out this act of civil disruption to get the message across to the vice president and all those present that the sending of weapons and military aid to Israel must be stopped,” Bocek said.
The two were escorted from the room and handcuffed by officers outside, and released about 15 minutes later, Flaster said.
Governor Harris last visited Seattle in August, when she spoke about the Biden Administration’s efforts on climate change and clean energy and at an event marking the anniversary of the signing of the Controlling Inflation Act.
