Kamala Harris Taking Joe Biden on Campaign Trail Could Be ‘Risky’

Vice President Kamala Harris taking President Joe Biden on the campaign trail carries some risks, experts told Newsweek.
Biden and Harris will be co-headlining an event in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Monday, campaigning together for the first time since she officially became the Democratic nominee for president. They will attend Pittsburgh’s Labor Day Parade and offer some remarks.
Later in the week, Biden will travel alone to two other battleground states—Wisconsin and Michigan—to tout his administration’s achievements.
It comes as Harris is seeking to appeal to voters by presenting herself as a candidate who will “chart a new way forward” while remaining fiercely loyal to her boss.
She defended Biden’s record and ability to serve as president in the first sit-down interview of her candidacy with CNN on Thursday.
“I think history is gonna show not only has Joe Biden led an administration that has achieved those extraordinary successes, but the character of the man is one that he has been in his life and career, including as a president, quite selfless and puts the American people first,” she said.
There are concerns that having the president campaigning for Harris could be a hindrance, especially considering the circumstances that led to Biden dropping out of the race. The 81-year-old president quit his bid for re-election under pressure in July after a disastrous debate performance magnified concerns about his age and ability to beat Republican Donald Trump in November.
But while Biden is an asset in winning over some voters, experts say his involvement in Harris’ campaign carries risks.
“I think it’s risky,” Grant Davis Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, told Newsweek.
“Many Democrats and others got excited about the Harris campaign precisely because it wasn’t a Biden campaign. Biden’s numbers up until he pulled out were trending downward. Many in the Democratic base were hoping this change meant a more progressive candidate and campaign, and this joint appearance provides visuals of continuing on with the Biden administration’s policies.”
Biden’s approval rating plummeted in the months before he dropped his re-election amid criticism of his handling of contentious issues including Israel’s war in Gaza and immigration. Furthermore, Biden’s presence on the campaign trail could also mean voters increasingly tie her to Biden’s record, including his handling of the economy, an issue that has consistently been found to be the most important for many Americans.
Newsweek has contacted the Harris campaign and the White House for comment via email.
Harris “has to differentiate herself from Biden and to come out from under the president’s shadow, but she can’t distance herself completely,” Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, told Newsweek. “After all, Harris is still his vice president and she likely has no stronger champion than Biden.”
Panagopoulos said that “despite some weaknesses, the president has many achievements to tout, and Harris can share the credit for these even is she will need to defend shortcomings.
“Biden remains popular within the Democratic party, arguably more so since stepping aside and passing the torch, and he can help to forcefully make the case that Harris is ready and able to do the job. In the end, few will contend the Harris is a carbon copy of Biden, but the unity, collegiality and mutual respect they project when standing together will contrast sharply with the other side.”
Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science and director of the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London, said Biden “is an asset in courting some voters and a liability in courting others.”
Harris “would be smart to lean on the president in regions that have high percentages of blue-collar, working-class Americans where Biden performed well in 2020,” Gift told Newsweek. “That especially includes some areas of the all-important battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Biden loves to tout his Scranton roots.”
The Harris campaign is “trying to appeal to those in the center, and the undecided or wavering voters, and Harris is struggling to provide a lot of details regarding policy that would reassure those voters,” Reeher added.
“So appearing with Biden may be hoped to signal something visually to that critical group, that she is a ‘safe’ candidate who can be trusted not to swing too far to the left. And there are still Democratic voters who strongly preferred Biden to Harris—the campaign doesn’t want to alienate them by being seen to disrespect the sitting president.”