We review Vice President Kamala Harris’s swing state road trip and look ahead to what’s next in the Harris campaign.
PIEN HUANG, HOST:
It was just three weeks ago that Vice President Harris launched her campaign for president. Since then, she’s picked her own running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. She’s raised millions of dollars, and she’s found some of the largest crowds this campaign season. Harris hasn’t yet released details on her policy proposals in the campaign, but it’s something she’s starting to tease this week. NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram joins us from San Francisco, where she’s covering Harris. Hey, Deepa.
DEEPA SHIVARAM, BYLINE: Hey there.
HUANG: So Deepa, Harris told reporters yesterday that she’s going to be laying out her vision for the economy this week. What is she expected to talk about?
SHIVARAM: Well, the broad theme is going to be about lowering costs, and that’s something Harris has started to tease out in her stump speeches the last few days. And even though inflation is falling, Harris has acknowledged that the prices of things like groceries are still too high. And she says a Harris administration would work on lowering the cost of prescription drugs and capping rent increases. And yesterday in Las Vegas, she brought up a new policy she’s backing, which is eliminating taxes on tips.
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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: When I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America…
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HARRIS: …Including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers.
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HUANG: That sounds like it got a pretty positive reaction in Vegas, which is a city with a big service industry.
SHIVARAM: I mean, yeah, you definitely heard the cheers there, and many of those were from workers in the Culinary Union, which endorsed Harris a few days ago. And a Harris campaign official said that the measure would have to go through Congress, and Harris would push for a proposal that comes with an income limit. And she’d also want there to be requirements so that people like hedge fund managers and lawyers can’t take advantage of the policy when they structure their compensation. I’ll also point out, though, that Harris’ remarks drew quick reaction from former President Trump, who said earlier this year, he also supports ending taxes on tips, and he said Harris was copying him.
HUANG: OK so more details on the economic plan coming this week. The other main focus this past week was on Harris picking her running mate, Tim Walz, and introducing the new ticket to the country. So how’s that going so far?
SHIVARAM: I mean, well, the enthusiasm and energy has been really strong for Harris and Walz. But the thing to remember is that, you know, he’s still a relatively unknown figure for a lot of voters. On Friday, Harris and Walz visited one of their campaign offices in North Phoenix where they greeted volunteers, and one woman there said she had been enjoying learning about Walz this week. And that kind of stood out to me because even the folks who are really plugged into Democratic politics, who are volunteering with the campaign, they’re also getting to know Walz and who he is and what his record is like.
And, you know, so is Harris. This is not a politician that she had a longstanding relationship with. So it’s been interesting to see their interactions. And once or twice this week, there’s been this moment where one of them will, like, go for a handshake and one of them will go for a high-five, and they kind of, like, awkwardly meet in the middle, which just sort of paints a picture of how new this all is.
HUANG: Right. And it’s not just Democratic voters getting to know Walz. Republicans are also really trying to figure out how to frame him, too, right?
SHIVARAM: Right. So Senator JD Vance, who is former President Trump’s running mate, is a veteran like Walz is. And he’s been going after Walz’s military record, accusing him of lying about taking weapons into war. The Harris campaign acknowledged yesterday that Walz, a 24-year veteran of the National Guard, misspoke about that a few years ago. And at the same time, you know, Democrats are trying to tie Walz to rural America – being a teacher and a high school football coach. The campaign has even made new signs that they hand out at rallies that say coach on them. And they’re hoping Walz can appeal to Midwestern voters in states like Wisconsin and Michigan, where Harris and Walz rallied earlier this week and drew huge crowds.
HUANG: That’s NPR’s Deepa Shivaram. Deepa, thanks for joining us.
SHIVARAM: Thanks for having me.
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