Attacks on Kamala Harris as a DEI worker pose risks for the GOP

Republicans are warning their colleagues not to attack Vice President Harris with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in her presidential bid.

Since President Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race and Democrats settled on Harris as his successor, the Republican Party has had to quickly refocus its attacks. Some of its members have also taken swipes at Harris’ race and gender, arguing that she is not qualified.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called Harris a “DEI employee.” Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) similarly to local media that the Democrats will nominate her as Biden’s successor because they “feel they have to stick with her because of her ethnic background.”

Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent, would accomplish a number of historic firsts if she became president. And DEI initiatives have become a whipping boy for Republicans, who have tried to undo equity and diversity efforts across the federal government over the past year.

But the Republican Party has aggressively courted black voters this election cycle, and women are an important voting bloc, so suggesting that Harris is in the race solely because of her race or gender risks backfiring.

Republican politicians urge their members to focus on policy arguments rather than personal or demographic ones.

“This election … is about politics, not personalities. Kamala Harris is not meant personally,” said spokesman Mike Johnson (Republican, Louisiana) at a press conference on Tuesday. “Her ethnicity, her gender, have nothing to do with it.”

Whitley Yates, diversity and engagement director for the Indiana Republican Party, said Republicans should “absolutely” be concerned about calling Harris the DEI president.

“These horrible, harmful things are going to drive people away,” Yates told The Hill, referring to Trump’s efforts to reach out to black voters.

In fact, Yates said, Republicans would have to avoid identity politics altogether if they wanted to build a more diverse coalition.

“I think we need to completely move away from race and gender and focus on the political line,” Yates said. “We don’t have time to focus on these social issues.”

Other Republicans agreed that the focus should be on policy, pointing out that Harris was elected to office by voters.

“I think instead of making allegations that are really allegations against the voters and their motives, we should just run this campaign on the basis that she did not do her job very well,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.).

This message may already be working.

When Grothman was asked about criticism of his comment on Tuesday, he steered the conversation toward Harris’ policies.

“It is best known for open borders,” he said.

Still, some Republicans are pushing back, pointing to Biden’s 2020 promise to select a woman as his running mate – and some Republicans are misremembering Biden’s statement that he would specifically select a black woman for that role – a campaign promise he actually made in connection with a future Supreme Court nominee.

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado pointed to a video she posted on social media platform X in which Biden boasted that he has the “most diverse administration in history that leverages all of our country’s talents,” adding, “That starts at the top with the vice president.”

“Joe Biden referred to Kamala Harris as a DEI worker,” Boebert said. “Remember when he almost spoke for himself? He said it then.”

Burchett also defended himself in the face of criticism.

“I feel it is discrimination when you exclude one group over another,” Burchett said.

And he rejected the argument that Harris received millions of votes as the Democratic candidate in 2020, saying: “Nobody votes for the vice president.”

Harris isn’t the only target of GOP attacks citing DEI. After the attempted assassination of former President Trump, Republicans accused the Secret Service of having a DEI problem.

Burchett called Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned on Tuesday, a “DEI horror story” during a hearing on Monday.

And he is not alone – in response to her resignation, Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz of Texas said the assassination attempt was “the clearest example yet of the DEI extremism of the Washington DC elites.”

“An innocent man was murdered, a woman is now a widow, and two girls are fatherless because the elites in Washington, D.C., chose checking a box over selecting the most qualified candidate for a job that involves protecting human life,” De La Cruz said in a statement Tuesday. “It’s time to put an end to this madness and build a culture that rewards performance, upholds accountability, and celebrates excellence – regardless of race or gender.”

Democrats are vigorously defending themselves against these comments.

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford (D-Nevada) said in a press conference Tuesday that the DEI comments about Harris were “repugnant and offensive” and said she is “the best prepared and most qualified person” – pointing out to The Hill that Harris has also been a prosecutor, senator and attorney general of California.

“It’s not just attacks on them,” Horsford said in a press conference. “When they attack DEI, it’s attacks on you and me. We are a multiracial, multigenerational society — that’s what Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans are not willing to accept. We’re not going back to the days of not being considered full citizens.”

While some Republicans wary of the DEI attacks say campaign messages should focus on policy, not demographics, they have also touted the ability to gain traction with minority voters as the 2024 election cycle heats up. Some in the party saw the addition of Amber Rose to the Republican National Convention last week as part of a larger effort to broaden the party’s appeal and chip away at key Democratic voting blocs.

“Traditional Democratic voters, black voters, Asian voters, Hispanic voters, I would now say even liberal Jews, they don’t just come to this country. … My grandfather’s Democratic Party has fallen off the precipice to the left,” House Majority Leader Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) argued last week. “They can’t support the social agenda. They can’t support the economic agenda.”

Aris Folley contributed.