Rep. Newhouse on Vice President Harris: “I’m Not Sure It Matters”

Rep. Dan Newhouse is calling into question the remarkable, speedy ascent of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris will be a dutiful heir to outgoing President Joe Biden, and a progressive visionary in her own right - that was the crux of her rip-roaring speech in Milwaukee on Tuesday. The crowd lapped it up. It was a welcome change of pace for the long-maligned Harris.

(Biden, meanwhile, is just now digging out from under a furious media dogpile. Over the weekend he finally bowed to demands to suspend his reelection campaign.)

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The handoff from Biden to Harris is undemocratic and coronation-like, says Rep. Newhouse. Newhouse, a Republican from Sunnyside, has represented Washington's 4th congressional district since 2015.

"I understand why they're in the position they're in - having to change candidates," Newhouse says.

"It's an interesting thing that they've done. The [Democratic] party has gone above, or beyond, the wishes of the primary electorate. 14 million people spoke and wanted Joe Biden as their nominee. So this is an interesting shift. Is it truly the democratic way?"

That figure - "14 million" - is being cited endlessly by Republicans. (They have their own issues with intra-party democracy.)

If we're talking solely about policy prescriptions, Biden and Harris are birds of a feather, Newhouse says.

"I'm not sure it matters necessarily if it's Joe Biden or Kamala Harris [as the nominee]," Newhouse says. "Their policies, their priorities - they may be a little bit different, but overall they're going to be very similar."

"I said before that the country couldn't afford another four years of Joe Biden. I think that remains the case with Kamala Harris."