How Republican lawmakers attack Kamala Harris

WASHINGTON – House Republicans are attacking Vice President Kamala Harris as she begins her presidential campaign – but after months of attacking President Joe Biden, they are far from united on the approach.

Just this week, after Harris quickly secured support for her nomination as the 2024 Democratic nominee, some House Republicans labeled her a product of “DEI” and a GOP lawmaker filed a motion to impeach Harris. Before leaving Washington a week early for an August vacation, Republicans also voted to condemn Harris’ handling of the southern border.

A day after Biden conceded his defeat in the 2024 election, Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee called Harris a “DEI employee.” He was not alone in this. Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin said Democrats rallied behind Harris because of her “ethnic background.”

This did not go unnoticed. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson urged his lawmakers on Tuesday to calm down and take a step back. Republicans, he advised, should instead attack Harris for her policies and tie her to the Biden administration, which they have been railing against for years.

“This election … is about policy, not personalities. Kamala Harris is not personal, and her race or gender has nothing to do with it,” Johnson said at a weekly news conference. “Every area of public policy is a disaster because the Biden-Harris administration made it that way, and that’s what this election is about.”

Most Republicans heeded Johnson’s message, but it still fell on deaf ears for some. Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming later told Gray DC that she viewed Harris as a “DEI hire.”

Burchett said on SiriusXM’s “Laura Coates Show” on Wednesday that he regrets his earlier remarks: “Would I have liked to have said it? No.” However, Burchett called his comments “the truth.”

But the Republicans attacking Harris aren’t just talking about her qualifications. Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee filed articles of impeachment against Harris on Tuesday, adding to the headache for Republican lawmakers who are trying to get their colleagues to focus on the nation’s problems.

Ogles drafted the resolution in such a way that it is privileged, meaning he can force the House to vote on the proposal at any time. Nevertheless, this move has not attracted much attention among Ogles’ Republican colleagues.

“She should be convicted, (but) impeachment is geared towards abuse of power and high crimes or misdemeanors,” Republican Rep. John Duarte of California told USA TODAY, expressing skepticism about Congress’s chances of impeaching the vice president even though Republicans control the House.

House Republicans managed to put some vulnerable Democrats in their place Thursday morning when the House voted on a resolution introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik (RN.Y) condemning the policies and actions of Harris and the White House regarding the crisis at the southern border.

Six Democratic lawmakers – all from districts expected to see fierce fighting this fall – voted for the resolution, joining Republicans in blaming Biden and “border czar Harris” for the refugee crisis.

The decision has no legal consequences, but offers an insight into the Republicans’ likely more targeted strategy against Harris.

Biden tapped Harris to coordinate immigration policy with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in 2021, but her critics labeled her a “border czar.” Harris was never officially given that title, but Republicans have long criticized many members of the Biden administration for their handling of the southern border, impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, among others, earlier this year.

The Republicans’ far-reaching strategies extend far beyond Washington. Former President Donald Trump also launched his own attacks after Harris entered the ring, telling supporters at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, that he “won’t be nice.”

From there, Trump took on Harris on issues such as abortion, gun rights and immigration. Another task: Trump, 78, must also fend off concerns about his age, as he now faces a candidate two decades his junior after 81-year-old Biden dropped out of the race.

Republicans also tried to preempt Biden’s withdrawal and Harris’ subsequent rise in their prime-time speeches at the RNC in Milwaukee last week.

The message in Milwaukee was scattered. Republican House Majority Leader Tom Emmer of Minnesota blamed Harris for the violent protests in Minneapolis following the police killing of George Floyd, while Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance of Ohio called Harris a career politician.

Johnson hopes that Republicans can ultimately contrast the Biden administration (which is tied to Harris) with the Trump administration, arguing that voters can compare their lives under both presidents.

“We’re going to have a deep debate going forward where the Trump-Vance candidates can present their ideas and our solutions to all of this and compare them to the Biden-Harris record,” Johnson said at Tuesday’s press conference. “Both candidates for president have a track record. They’ve both served in an administration for the past few years.”

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