Vice President Kamala Harris is returning to Nevada on Tuesday for her sixth visit to the battleground state this year, her 14th since taking office and her first since leading Democrats began openly debating whether to replace Harris with the front-runner for vice presidential nomination.
In these extraordinary circumstances, Harris is expected to keep the focus on the current race in a speech in Las Vegas on Tuesday, discussing the outcome of the election between President Biden, 81, and former President Donald J. Trump, 78.
But with some Democrats, horrified by Biden’s dismal performance in last month’s debate, urging him not to seek reelection or to question his ability to serve a second term, Harris is arguably more in the spotlight than she has been since taking over as vice president.
“It’s going to be a microscope, or a magnifying glass,” former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat who supports Biden’s reelection, said in an interview. “People are hoping for some indication, some signal from her that something might change.”
Biden, who was trailing in the polls in battleground states before the debate, has increasingly insisted he has no plans to drop out of the presidential race, and key Democrats this week endorsed him. Harris has backed him at every turn, vocally campaigning for his candidacy and has relentlessly touted his administration’s record at events and media appearances since then.
But with less than four months to go until election day, intra-party bickering over the candidate’s future has not stopped.
Many Democrats, including members of the Democratic National Committee, have already said they want an open, competitive process to determine the party’s nominee if Biden leaves office, and some have said the party should quickly unify behind Harris in that scenario.
“I don’t want to see an open convention. It will just drag on and confuse the Democratic Party,” said Nevada Democratic Representative Dina Titus, whose district includes parts of Las Vegas. “Let’s solve the problem. The easiest way would be to have her stand up. But for now, I’m hopeful that the Biden-Harris ticket will still be elected.”
Harris is expected to tout her candidacy on Tuesday and try to refocus the nation’s attention on Trump.
Harris will speak at a campaign event focused on the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. As the first woman and first woman of color to hold the vice presidency, she has played a key role in solidifying support among key Democratic constituencies that have been waning in enthusiasm, including young people, women and black voters.
Jennifer Fernandez Ancona, founder of the national progressive network Way to Win, said raising Harris’ name profile at this point will be crucial for her party, regardless of Biden’s future.
“We are not advocating for Biden to step down, but we are supporting Vice President Harris no matter what the outcome is because she is on the shortlist,” she said. “Focusing on her will help our struggling constituency overall.”
Harris will face an uphill battle in Nevada, where recent polls have generally given Trump an edge.
“She’s doing well in the Hispanic community and among young people,” Titus said, but added that “she’s here to endorse a candidate, she’s not here to run on her own, and I think she’ll be seen that way.”
