{"id":2316506,"date":"2024-07-31T07:40:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T11:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-back-on-defense-after-bidens-exit-brings-a-harris-surge-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-31T07:43:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T11:43:28","slug":"gop-back-on-defense-after-bidens-exit-brings-a-harris-surge-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-back-on-defense-after-bidens-exit-brings-a-harris-surge-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP back on defense after Biden&#8217;s exit brings a Harris surge &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-back-on-defense-after-bidens-exit-brings-a-harris-surge-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2316506&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses\u2064 the changing dynamics of the current political landscape following significant developments\u200b in the Democratic Party, particularly the rise of Vice President Kamala Harris as the presumptive presidential \u2062nominee after\u200c President\u2063 Biden&#8217;s exit from the race. A recent poll indicates that \u2062Harris \u200dhas \u2063closed the gap against\u2063 former President Donald Trump, showing equal support in swing states. This shift raises concerns among Republicans, who previously enjoyed\u200d a sense of\u2064 momentum.<\/p>\n<p>The Republicans face internal dilemmas regarding their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/connecticut-dems-liken-isis-attack-in-afghanistan-to-january-6\/\" title=\"Connecticut Dems Liken ISIS Attack in Afghanistan to January 6\">vice-presidential nominee<\/a>, J.D. Vance,\u2063 whose controversial past comments have sparked criticism \u200cand could\u200d potentially hinder their campaign. Vance&#8217;s remarks about &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jd-vances-past-backing-of-ivf-contradicts-jennifer-anistons-social-media-criticism-reports-the-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"JD Vance&#039;s past backing of IVF contradicts Jennifer Aniston&#039;s social media criticism, reports the Washington Examiner\">childless cat ladies<\/a>&#8221; and parental voting\u2063 power have particularly drawn scrutiny, causing some to\u200d question his suitability alongside Trump. However, GOP members maintain optimism that these issues may fade with time and as the election approaches.<\/p>\n<p>The rising prominence of Harris, aided\u200c by significant fundraising \u2063efforts, has flipped Democratic\u2063 fortunes, revitalizing their campaign\u2062 just months before the election. The piece \u200chighlights the tension among Republicans as they prepare to counteract\u2063 the renewed vigor\u200b of\u2062 the\u200b Democrats, especially in crucial battleground states.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">GOP put back on defense after Biden&rsquo;s exit brings surge to Harris and Democrats<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1717327\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Republicans were riding high just a few weeks ago. <\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3087225\/trumps-journey-i-alone-can-fix-it-united-gop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"united GOP\">united GOP<\/a> departed its national convention with a presidential nominee who dominated the polls, narrowly survived an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3082215\/trump-assassination-attempt-four-ways-change-november\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"assassination attempt\">assassination attempt<\/a>, and unveiled a long-awaited vice-presidential nominee. <\/p>\n<p>But the tides have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3100747\/how-harris-woke-up-democrats-trumps-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"quickly turned\">quickly turned<\/a> for former President Donald Trump and Republicans, who no longer envision a landslide victory or face a bitterly divided Democratic Party. Armed with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of their ticket after casting aside President Joe Biden, Democrats&rsquo; hopes have been resurrected from the dead. <\/p>\n<p>Harris has largely erased Trump&rsquo;s leads he once held against Biden in key battleground states. Peppered with questions from the press about Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) after early stumbles on the trail, Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill are having to bat down whether the vice-presidential nominee should be traded in due to a series of damaging statements that Democrats have exploited.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;At some point, you&rsquo;ll have to force Democrats into discussing the records of the two administrations,&rdquo; Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-SD) said. &ldquo;The closer we get to that discussion, the better it is for our side.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In the latest welcomed news by Democrats that vindicated their decision to effectively oust Biden from the race, a <em>Bloomberg News\/Morning Consult<\/em> poll released Tuesday showed Harris pulling even with Trump in swing states at 48% support to his 47%. Harris also raised a whopping $200 million in her first week as the presumptive Democratic nominee after opening a floodgate of campaign donations.<\/p>\n<p>With less than 100 days until the election, Republicans are putting on an optimistic face &mdash; at least publicly &mdash; that the Harris honeymoon while soon subside. That includes the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3103170\/will-real-weirdo-please-stand-up-harris-vance-campaigns-attack-blitz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title='\"weird\" battle'>&ldquo;weird&rdquo; battle<\/a> between the parties over whether Harris or Vance is the more bizarre figure. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Real people like in real America, they&rsquo;re aware of some stuff, but they&rsquo;ll really start tuning in I think after Labor Day,&rdquo; Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not concerned at all. I just think it&rsquo;s pretty remarkable that they deposed the sitting president. That&rsquo;s pretty remarkable, and she&rsquo;s received no votes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Vance himself reportedly told donors privately that Harris&rsquo; quick rise served up a &ldquo;political sucker punch.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Some of the private anxieties harnessed by certain Republicans over the state of the race can be attributed to Vance, who&rsquo;s suffered a barrage of criticism over past controversial remarks that could present liabilities for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>His resurfaced comments on &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-says-childless-cat-ladies-comment-taken-out-of-context-and-blown-up-by-democrats-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Vance says \u2018childless cat ladies\u2019 comment taken out of context and blown up by Democrats - Washington Examiner\">childless cat ladies&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and his doubling down that parents should receive more voting power, in addition to prior comments on abortion, have raised questions about whether perhaps Trump made the wrong choice. Republicans are tamping down such notions, saying opposition research comes with the territory and that Harris&rsquo; yet-to-be-chosen running mate is likely to face similar scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>Vance, who hails from the Buckeye State, is expected to bolster Republicans&rsquo; chances in the crucial battleground state for both president and the Senate. The <em>Hillbilly Elegy<\/em> author&rsquo;s middle-class upbringing in a Midwest family that struggled with substance abuse has Republicans hoping he&rsquo;ll also boost the GOP in other swing states and with working-class voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cramer, a close Trump ally and strong Vance supporter, suggested the series of flippant remarks by Vance that have recirculated or been unearthed are part of a politician&rsquo;s career that may &ldquo;require either clarification or forgiveness.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the perfect guy to weather this sort of thing, to seek forgiveness where he feels like he might need it or to clarify context where he thinks that&rsquo;s needed,&rdquo; Cramer said. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/John Bazemore)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Vance has doubled down on a long-held belief that parents should be able to cast votes that their children are unable to. He&rsquo;s previously denigrated childless Americans as &ldquo;less mentally stable&rdquo; people who are the &ldquo;most deranged and most psychotic.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Vance has since said his &ldquo;childless cat ladies&rdquo; remarks, which were made in 2021 and directed at Harris and other Democrats who he said were ruining the country, were &ldquo;taken out of context&rdquo; by Democrats and blown &ldquo;out of proportion.&rdquo; But offered the opportunity over by the weekend by <em>Fox News<\/em>&lsquo; Trey Gowdy to apologize, he declined to seize the moment. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The American people are forgiving, if we ask,&rdquo; Gowdy said. <\/p>\n<p>Vance proceeded to accuse Democrats of being &ldquo;anti-family.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you look at what the left has done, they have radically taken this out of context and in fact, aggressively lied about what I&rsquo;ve said,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The left has increasingly become explicitly antichild and antifamily. They&rsquo;ve encouraged young families not to have children at all, because of concerns over climate change.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump was forced to address the matter in an interview on Monday with the same network. He defended Vance but also made clear he did not want to alienate large swaths of the electorate who haven&rsquo;t bore children. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Democrats are good at spinning things differently from what they were,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;For him, he likes family. I think a lot of people like family and sometimes it doesn&rsquo;t work out. And you know why? You don&rsquo;t meet the right person, or you don&rsquo;t mean any person, but you&rsquo;re just as good &mdash; in many cases a lot better than &mdash; a person that&rsquo;s in a family situation. But they took it and they spun it differently.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have also zeroed in on Vance, who was elected to the Senate in 2022, for saying the year prior that &ldquo;two wrongs don&rsquo;t make a right&rdquo; when it came to abortion exceptions for rape and incest.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s other potential VP contenders included Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), whom close ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reportedly lobbied for in the run-up to Trump&rsquo;s announcement at the Republican National Convention. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But the idea Trump would ditch Vance just three months before voters head to the polls remains a fantasy among Democrats that would sow GOP division.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Well, he&rsquo;s Trump&rsquo;s running mate, so he&rsquo;s our guy,&rdquo; Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), a leading contender to become the next Sente GOP leader, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Obviously, as is true with any running mate, the media started to pick apart things he said in the past. But I think he is a very articulate, smart person with a very compelling personal story that I think can appeal to a lot of constituencies around the country that we need in our coalition to be successful in November.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>David Sivak contributed to this report. <\/em><\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1717327\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1717327\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The GOP finds itself on the defensive again as Biden&#8217;s departure has revitalized support for Harris and the Democrats. Just a few weeks ago, Republicans were feeling confident after their national convention, where they left with a strong presidential candidate who was leading in polls, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, and introduced a long-anticipated vice-presidential pick. However, the situation has shifted dramatically for former President Donald Trump and his party; they no longer anticipate an easy victory or see a deeply fractured Democratic Party. With Vice President Kamala Harris now at the forefront of their campaign following Biden&#8217;s exit, Democrats have regained momentum. Harris has effectively closed the gap that Trump had over Biden in crucial battleground states.<\/p>\n<p>As Trump faces scrutiny from reporters regarding Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) after some early missteps on the campaign trail, he and his allies are being pressed to consider whether to replace Vance due to several controversial remarks that Democrats have seized upon. &#8220;At some point, you\u2019ll need to compel Democrats to discuss both administrations&#8217; records,&#8221; stated Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-SD). A recent Bloomberg News\/Morning Consult poll revealed that Harris is now tied with Trump at 48% support in swing states\u2014a development that bolsters Democratic confidence in their decision to move past Biden.<\/p>\n<p>In her first week as the presumptive nominee, Harris raised an impressive $200 million through campaign donations. With less than 100 days until election day, Republicans are projecting optimism\u2014at least publicly\u2014that this initial surge of support for Harris will soon fade away.<\/p>\n<p>This includes ongoing debates between parties about who is more unconventional: Harris or Vance. &#8220;Real people across America are aware of certain issues but will likely start paying closer attention after Labor Day,&#8221; remarked Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO). He expressed little concern about current developments but acknowledged it was notable that they effectively removed a sitting president from contention without any votes cast yet.<\/p>\n<p>Vance himself reportedly told donors privately that Harris\u2019s rapid rise felt like a \u201cpolitical sucker punch.\u201d Some Republican anxieties regarding the race can be traced back to Vance\u2019s past controversial statements which could pose risks for Trump&#8217;s candidacy; these include comments about \u201cchildless cat ladies\u201d and assertions advocating greater voting power for parents over non-parents.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans downplay concerns about these remarks by emphasizing that opposition research is standard practice and suggesting that whoever becomes Harris&#8217;s running mate will face similar scrutiny as well.<\/p>\n<p>Vance is expected to enhance Republican prospects in key battlegrounds like Ohio while also appealing to working-class voters across Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania due to his background detailed in &#8220;Hillbilly Elegy.&#8221; Cramer noted how Vance\u2019s previous comments might require either clarification or forgiveness during his political career: \u201cHe\u2019s well-equipped to handle this kind of situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vance continues defending his stance on parental voting rights while previously labeling childless individuals as \u201cless mentally stable.\u201d He claims those remarks were taken out of context by Democrats who exaggerated them significantly but declined an opportunity over the weekend offered by Fox News\u2019 Trey Gowdy to apologize directly.<\/p>\n<p>Trump addressed these controversies during an interview on Monday where he defended Vance while also acknowledging concerns not alienating voters without children: \u201cDemocrats excel at twisting narratives,\u201d he said while affirming family values resonate with many Americans regardless of personal circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have targeted Vance since he entered office last year due partly because he previously stated two wrongs don\u2019t make a right concerning abortion exceptions related specifically rape or incest cases.<br \/>\nDespite speculation around potential VP changes before elections approach rapidly\u2014such as calls from allies lobbying for other candidates like Sen Marco Rubio (R-FL)\u2014the idea Trump would replace him just months ahead remains unlikely according Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), asserting loyalty towards current running mates amidst media scrutiny surrounding past statements made by them both<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2316507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/republican-anxieties-as-harris-democrats-surge.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3620,34059,6203,32438,5894],"class_list":["post-2316506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-biden","tag-election-2024","tag-gop","tag-kamala-harris","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/republican-anxieties-as-harris-democrats-surge.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}