VP Kamala Harris will stump in NC, as some Democrats call for Biden to end campaign

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to hold a political event in North Carolina on Thursday, the Biden campaign confirmed first to McClatchy.

Harris’ visit comes during a tumultuous time for President Joe Biden, as some Democrats and political pundits call for Biden to bow out of the race following a weak debate performance against former President Donald Trump.

In a private meeting on Sunday, several senior Democratic members of the U.S. House joined those who expressed that Biden should end his campaign, according to reporting from CBS News, quoting unnamed sources.

And all eyes will be on Congress this week as the House and Senate return, for the first time since the debate, from the Fourth of July recess.

The House members were part of a call with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in which other Democrats from their chamber also expressed concerns about Biden’s ability to win reelection, CBS reported.

But Biden remains resolute that he will not leave the race and continues adding campaign stops to his schedule.

And his surrogates continue to campaign on his behalf.

That includes Harris, who plans to travel to Greensboro on Thursday, marking her sixth visit to North Carolina this year and her 14th since taking office.

She was last in Greensboro in September, when she visited N.C. A&T State University on her “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour.

First lady Jill Biden plans to visit Wilmington Monday, where she will deliver a speech around 12:15 p.m. at a political event. From there she will travel to Florida and Georgia.

The Biden campaign has been hyper-focused on North Carolina, a battleground state that has decided its presidential winner by less than 4% in each election since 2008. That was the year former President Barack Obama became the only Democrat to win the state since 1976.

Biden finished behind Trump in North Carolina in 2020 by 1.3 percentage points, the smallest margin of any state Trump won.

His campaign has been laser-focused on ensuring that Biden wins the state in 2024, and has opened 18 campaign offices around North Carolina.

Which could explain why Biden made Raleigh his first campaign stop following his debate against Trump. During his Raleigh rally, he acknowledged that he wasn’t as young as he used to be, but said he wasn’t giving up.

And that’s a message Biden has continued to give in the weeks since.

However, there is some speculation that if Biden steps aside, Harris or Gov. Roy Cooper could be on the short list to replace Biden at the top of the ticket — and that if Harris becomes the Democratic nominee, Cooper could become her running mate.

Cooper and Harris have a relationship that stretches back to when they both served as attorneys general of their respective states.

Cooper’s public schedule for Monday does not include any events, including the first lady’s visit to Wilmington. His plans for Thursday have not yet been announced.

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