Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) forecast that Vice President Harris will be the Democratic Party’s next presidential contender. He suggested that some party members may feel pressured to choose her because of her race following President Biden’s withdrawal over the weekend.
“A lot of Democrats feel they have to stick with her because of her ethnic background,” Grothman said of Harris’s chances at the nomination in an interview with Milwaukee’s CBS-58 on Sunday.
Following Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he was not seeking reelection, many Democrats—including the president himself—have thrown their support behind Harris, who has emerged as the front-runner for the nomination.
In addition to serving as the vice president in office, Harris’s status on the current ticket gives her the advantage over other contenders in that she may simply seize the president’s $91 million war chest for her own presidential campaign.
As of right now, Harris has no opponents seeking the Democratic nomination. She would be the first woman, Black woman, and person of South Asian origin to hold the office of president if she were elected in November.
Grothman said that any Democrat, including Harris, will be a tougher challenge for former President Trump to defeat compared to the incumbent.
“I think it will be more difficult to beat somebody who’s not Joe Biden,” he said. “It’s going to be a difficult race.”
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But he also remarked that Harris isn’t without her weaknesses.
“I know there are some Democrats who don’t like her,” he said. “And she has the obvious weaknesses, the border, as well as she hasn’t been the most articulate candidate so far.
Before Biden even withdrew from the race, the Trump team started attacking Harris, criticising his administration’s border policies. She was given responsibility for the southern border early in the administration; but, later on, that responsibility was changed to address the underlying causes of migration.
Based on nationwide polling, the presidential contest between Trump and Harris is quite close. The Hill/Decision Desk HQ average shows that Trump leads Harris by 2%, which is a little better than Biden’s showing against the outgoing president.
