MILWAUKEE — The Republicans running to join the Senate next year repeatedly tied Vice President Kamala Harris to the crisis at the southern border on Tuesday, the latest sign of uncertainty over whether she will replace President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.
In a parade of speeches on the second night of the Republican National Convention, two Senate candidates invoked “border czar” Harris, a reference to the early days of the Biden administration, when the president tapped Harris to address the “root causes” of illegal immigration.
Border crossing ballooned to unprecedented levels in the months that followed, posing a liability to Biden as he runs for a second term.
“They have encouraged millions of illegal aliens to invade America,” Bernie Moreno, the Republican Senate candidate in Ohio, said from the stage.
“And Joe Biden’s border czar, Kamala Harris, and the Democrat Senate have put the welfare of illegals ahead of our own citizens,” he added.
The speeches, delivered to thousands of delegates and supporters at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, offered a window into the candidates’ campaigns for Senate.
Kari Lake, a Trump loyalist running in Arizona, cast herself as an angry “mama bear” who was fed up with the “fake news” media and the “indoctrination” of children in schools.
“This is MAGA energy tonight,” she said at the opening of her remarks. “This is electric.”
Meanwhile, more understated candidates like Sam Brown of Nevada used their backgrounds to strike a unifying tone.
“I’m here to offer a message of hope because I know the importance of hope in difficult times,” Brown said as he highlighted the injuries he suffered while serving in Afghanistan.
But the speeches also signaled how Republicans plan to attack Harris if Biden, who is facing Democratic calls to step down over his disastrous debate performance, were to step aside, with his vice president taking his place.
“Who’s ready to retire Joe Biden and send border czar Kamala Harris back to California?” Dave McCormick, who is running against Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) in Pennsylvania, said.
He later blamed “Biden, Harris, and Casey” for the trafficking of drugs across the country’s “wide open” border.
The GOP is betting the border crisis will hand them control of Washington in November, making the issue a centerpiece of their campaign messaging.
But the uncertainty over Biden’s candidacy has led them to broaden their critique, arguing Harris is responsible for the same policies they blame for the crisis.
Illegal immigration has dropped since reaching record levels in December, thanks in part to a new partnership between the Biden administration and the Mexican government. But Republicans cite Biden’s repeal of Trump-era policies, including “Remain in Mexico,” to tie his administration to the influx.
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The calls for Biden to step aside subsided in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend, but as the national shock over the shooting subsided, the infighting has resumed.
House Democrats are circulating a letter urging the Democratic National Committee not to rush a roll call vote nominating Biden, while Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) warned donors on Saturday that the party risked a wipeout electorally if the president remains the nominee.
