Republicans mocked Hillary Clinton when she said she would happily assist in a future Kamala Harris administration. During a media interview, the former First Lady was asked if she would work in a Harris government, and Clinton confirmed that she would, saying there is much work to do and for Democrats, it must be “all hands on deck.” Republican strategist Steve Cortes quickly reacted on social media, saying a vote for Harris is a vote for Clinton.
Fellow GOP strategist Matt Whitlock took a similar view and suggested that Kamala and Hillary would be “on the lookout to start a new war.”
Mrs. Clinton, however, made it clear that she would only seek to help a Harris administration “unofficially.” She added that her primary focus is what happens before November 5, and she will do everything she can to ensure Harris reaches the Oval Office. The former Secretary of State noted her optimism about the prospects of a President Harris, saying she has the capacity to bring people together and to “lower the temperature” across the nation.
Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, endorsed Harris within hours of Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the Presidential race. During her speech to the Democratic National Convention in August, Hillary Clinton, who had wanted to be America’s first female President, declared that Harris could take up the mantle and finally break the “highest, hardest glass ceiling” in American politics by becoming commander in chief. “When a barrier falls for one of us, it clears the way for all of us,” she said.
Vice President Harris, however, has not mentioned her gender in any of her major speeches and has not spoken about becoming the first woman in the Oval Office – a strategy some commentators suggest is working in her favor. The Vice President also avoids reference to her racial identity and routinely portrays herself as a uniter of all Americans. Supporters of Harris’s approach say focusing on identity is off-putting for many voters, and in any case, the fact that she is female and mixed race is self-evident, so there is no need to risk alienating voters by mentioning it.
