Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes ofwebsite accessibility
Weather Alert
Increasing chance of rain this evening
Show Less
Close Alert

Rhode Island leaders weigh in on Kamala Harris announcement


Former Vice President Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. (Courtesy of Biden-Harris campaign website)
Former Vice President Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. (Courtesy of Biden-Harris campaign website)
Facebook Share IconTwitter Share IconEmail Share Icon

From the moment she dropped out of the presidential race, NAACP Providence Branch President James Vincent knew she was not done with the 2020 election.

"To me, from the beginning, Kamala Harris was the best, of all the names mentioned, for Biden to win in November," said Vincent.

As the daughter of immigrants and a woman who has won a fair share of historic races, Vincent said he is pleased with the pick.

He thinks she will appeal especially to an important group of voters.

"I think it was time to have a Black woman on the ticket," said Vincent. "And certainly, Joe Biden was saved by the Black community in South Carolina, so I think he knew the backbone of the Democratic Party were Black women."

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., was a bit more surprised by Biden's pick, but he said the young senator quickly proved herself in Washington.

He explained the two sat beside one another during intelligence committee meetings.

"When her turn came to ask questions, I was always impressed with how shrewd, how thoughtful, how incisive and how well she grasped the topic, even though she had not spent years and years and years dealing with issues of national security or intelligence," said Reed.

Harris showed her character on the presidential debate stage in December, even questioning Biden in an aggressive manor.

NBC 10 News political analyst Wendy Schiller said that was proof Harris can throw a punch.

"This really gives Joe Biden the opportunity to allow her to be really the person that goes after Trump and for Biden to maintain his relatively high likability numbers right now among a lot of voters," said Schiller.

Shortly after the announcement, President Donald Trump's campaign released an ad, attacking the Biden-Harris campaign. The spot called Harris a phony and said she rushed to the radical left.

Schiller said the tougher Trump attacks Harris, the more scared he looks to be of Biden.

"If we see Donald Trump going after Kamala Harris in a much more aggressive way than he can go after Joe Biden, that is a hint that he realizes that Joe Biden isn't the same kind of candidate Hilary Clinton was and it's going to be harder to defeat Joe Biden based on personal characteristics than it was Hilary Clinton," Schiller said.

In a statement, Rhode Island Republican Chair Sue Cienki said, "Senator Harris represents the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. She is for the Green New Deal, raising taxes, elimination of private healthcare, banning AR-15's with mandatory gun buybacks, decriminalization of sex workers, unrestricted access to abortions, student loan forgiveness and free community college. She was for the 'red flag' laws and background checks to combat domestic terrorism, she would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to determine a 'fair price' for drugs meeting certain conditions."

The political director for the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC, Corey Jones, said he thought she was going to be Biden’s running mate because of her energy and personality.

He agreed with Vincent's thoughts about appealing to women of color.

"It's important that Biden picked a member of one of the Democrats most important and underrepresented constituencies, which is Black women," said Jones.

When it comes to a shaky past with progressives, Jones expressed optimism.

"Senator Harris has some problems with her prosecution record, but I think that being a progressive relies on changing minds and welcoming new people to the movement," said Jones.

Loading ...