The New Democrat Coalition is trying to make the center-left case for voters to support Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House, calling her a pragmatist who can win over swing states.
Dozens of New Dem members are preparing to act as surrogates for Harris, especially in purple districts and battleground states in the coming months. New Dem Chair Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), who is not seeking reelection, said the group’s strength lies in its numbers and battle-tested members who have experience flipping red districts to blue.
“New Dems are in the swingiest of swing districts, in the swingiest of swing states,” Kuster told us. “That’s why the path to the majority in the House and the path to the White House run through the New Dems.”
Dozens of New Dems also helped spearhead the effort calling on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race over concerns that he would drag down vulnerable members. New Dems’ support for Harris comes alongside progressives’ efforts to push the vice president’s campaign agenda to the left.
Kuster describes the pitch to moderate voters as focusing on kitchen sink issues like the economy and health care as well as working across the aisle.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz being Harris’ running mate will also help boost her campaign.
“He’s a person that I think we often relate to, that we all feel is someone who we’ve known, who we could trust,” Sherrill told us.
“She’s already been to Michigan five times,” Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) said of Harris. “[Hillary] Clinton never came to Michigan and it was a big problem. A lot of people raised it as an issue. [The Harris campaign] is not taking Michigan for granted. She’s clearly not taking the Midwest for granted.”
Of course, not all New Dems — which includes a large swath of the House’s most vulnerable members — are jumping at the chance to attach themselves to the top of the ticket. We reported Thursday that there are at least a dozen vulnerable Democrats considering skipping the DNC to focus on their own races.
The House GOP campaign arm is also trying to tie at-risk Democrats to Harris, painting her as a “San Francisco liberal.” The NRCC has already put out numerous attacks against Frontline Democrats and released a new ad Thursday calling Harris and Walz the “most left-leaning ticket” in history.
— Mica Soellner
