EAST WHITELAND TWP – Vice President Kamala Harris continued her efforts to win over disgruntled Republicans in suburban Philadelphia on Monday during a moderated discussion with former GOP congresswoman Liz Cheney.
“For me, every single thing about my experience and my background played into my decision to support Vice President Harris,” said Cheney, who once finished third in her caucus. “It starts with the fact that I am a conservative and I know that the most conservative of all conservative principles is loyalty to the Constitution.”
“And in this race you have to choose between someone who has been faithful to the Constitution, who will be faithful, and [former President] Donald Trump, who not only we predict how he will behave, but we watched what he did after the last election. We watched what he did on January 6,” she added.
Harris thanked Cheney for supporting her candidacy and campaigning for her during an event at the People’s Light and Theater Company.
The event in Chester County attracted several hundred people, was invite-only and lasted just over 40 minutes. It was the first of three Monday events held in suburban communities in Blue Wall battleground states and marked the first time Cheney and Harris campaigned together in the Keystone State.
Monday marked the second time last week that Harris held events with Republicans in suburban Philadelphia. October 16 Harris gave a speech in Bucks Countythe lone purple county in the Philadelphia region, joined by former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and others.
During Monday’s event, Harris touched on her foreign policy experience as vice president, saying she has met with more than 150 world leaders and knows them “on a first-name basis.”
“They are very concerned, our allies,” Harris said, echoing other world leaders’ concerns about Trump regaining the presidency. “Because, as you know, when we walk in these rooms around the world representing the United States of America, we have traditionally been able to walk in these rooms with our head up and our shoulders back.”
The Harris Courts have discouraged Republicans in Bucks County
Cheney pointed to the number of former GOP officials who served under Trump who also support Harris as evidence that she is the right person for the job, especially on foreign policy.
Harris recently appeared on The View and replied that “nothing comes to mind” when asked if she would change anything from her previous four years in President Joe Biden’s administration. During a rally in Pennsylvania on October 9Trump played the clip as an attack on her.
But on Monday, Harris made clear that her campaign slogan, “A New Way Forward,” would guide her if she won the election.
“First of all, let me say that this is a metaphor that is also intended to describe my intention to lead the next generation,” Harris said. “And needless to say, mine will not be a continuation of the Biden administration.”
“I bring my own ideas and my own experiences to this,” she added, emphasizing the need to move beyond the discourse of the last decade, which has been so influenced by Trump.
On Monday, Harris briefly highlighted her “opportunity economy” and said the investments she says are needed from the federal government are needed to address the U.S. housing shortage, while appearing to offer a pitch to Republicans and Independents skeptical of government influence.
“As a devout public servant, I also know the limitations of government,” Harris said. “I want to work with the private sector,” adding that she has already done this in her career and giving the example of her plan to work with developers to raise housing supply, she said her approach includes cutting “bureaucracy.”
The discussion was moderated by Sarah Longwell, publisher of Bulwark magazine and chairwoman of the Republican Campaign Against Trump.
Harris answered an audience question by detailing her plan to restructure Medicare to cover the cost of home health care for parents so they can stay at home.
Harris also emphasized her belief that the government has no role in limiting women’s reproductive rights, saying that if Congress passes a bill restoring those protections at the federal level, she would sign it. The audience applauded.
In 2022 Cheney praised the decision United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. However, she shared a different perspective at an event in Pennsylvania on Monday.
“I think this is an extremely important point,” Cheney said. “I think there are many of us across the country who are pro-life, but we’ve been watching what’s been happening in our states since the Dobbs decision and watching state legislatures pass laws that result in women not getting the care they need.” they need.”
Cheney used the example of Texas, describing the current situation as “unsustainable” and adding that “something has to change.”
The Trump campaign downplayed efforts related to events related to the Harris campaign and Cheney.
“Featuring irrelevant former ‘Republicans’ of the past at campaign events does not change the fact that Kamala Harris is seeking to extend her record of unlimited illegal immigration, rising prices and endless wars abroad for another four years,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Kush Desai said in a statement in a statement. “Another incompetent Harris administration is the last thing Pennsylvanians want or need, regardless of Liz Cheney’s opinion.”
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U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (R-Chester) represents the district where Monday’s event took place. After the discussion, she told reporters that she thought Cheney was an effective substitute for the Harris campaign.
“He is an extremely serious person,” Houlahan said. “Say what you want, like I said, you don’t agree with her on a lot of political issues, but she takes her role as a patriot and representative of our country really, really seriously, so I think it’s quite brave for someone so serious when she and her “I’m coming out with a really vital message to the American people, to Republicans and Independents, especially since this is a completely different election.”
Ashley Scott, who grew up in Bucks County and lives in Chester County, was able to ask Harris a question on Monday. After a moderated discussion, she told the Capital-Star that it was really vital for Harris to present a bipartisan front, mentioning the campaign’s line of presenting a “beyond partisanship.”
Scott said she thinks the economy is a major issue for people her parents’ age, Generation X, but said “reproductive health” is a huge issue for her generation.
Philadelphia’s suburbs have shifted toward the Democratic Party in recent years, although Chester County, which hosted Monday’s event, has the distinction of being the only county in the entire state to flip from red to blue for the 2012 presidential election in 2016
Republican Mitt Romney narrowly defeated President Barack Obama in Chester County by less than 1 point, while Obama won the state by 5 points in 2012. The after the electionsDemocrat Hillary Clinton defeated Trump by 9 points in Chester County. IN 2020Biden continued to build on those gains, defeating Trump by 17 points in Chester County.
Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley withdrew from the presidential race a month before the Pennsylvania primary, even though she continued to poll in double digits in every Philadelphia county.
In Chester County Haley received 24.97% of the voteswhich is the highest percentage of votes she received in any of the state’s 67 districts.
As the general election date approaches, surrogates for both campaigns continue to circulate throughout the commonwealth.
Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, is also scheduled to campaign for the Pennsylvania ticket on Monday, with events scheduled in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.
Trump showed up in Bucks CountyLancaster and Allegheny County on Sunday.
Monday is the last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania for the general election.
