House Republicans outline attack strategy against Kamala Harris

The House Republican campaign arm is developing a targeted attack plan to pin specific parts of Vice President Kamala Harris’ record against Democrats running in competitive House races as Harris marches toward the Democratic nomination.

The framing of the GOP’s attacks on down-ballot Democrats is beginning to take shape, even though Harris is not yet officially the Democratic presidential nominee, as the GOP campaign arm seeks to quickly adjust its message and maintain its goal of retaining control of the House. The plan, which is still evolving, is to continue to link Harris to what they see as the Biden administration’s failed policies while also resurfacing some of her positions from her 2019 presidential bid.

“It’s the Harris-Biden ticket,” Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas told the CNN . “His failures are her failures.”

But that doesn’t mean GOP lawmakers will necessarily stay on message. Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee called Harris a “diversity hire” as she is on track to become the first Black woman nominated for president by a major party, a sentiment echoed by many of his colleagues.

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steve Horsford said Burchett’s comments were “inappropriate, offensive and truly disgusting.”

Behind closed doors, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida urged the House GOP to stay focused on Harris’ policies, according to one attendee, a sign of how many Republicans are concerned about attacks on their race.

The National Republican Congressional Committee also issued a separate memo to candidates, encouraging members to be specific in their messaging.

“DO NOT waste time talking about anything other than what Harris WOULD do as president,” the memo reads.

The memo also acknowledges the challenges for Republicans in having to quickly pivot their messaging to address Harris when they have built their entire strategy around attacking President Joe Biden for his age and his family’s foreign dealings, in addition to his policies.

“Republicans have never had less time to define the presidential candidate than our opponents,” the memo stated. “Because of this, it is vital that our entire Conference is on message and working together to present Kamala Harris as an extreme progressive from San Francisco who is out of step with the American people.”

Because GOP lawmakers may struggle with their message, the GOP’s campaign arm has been experimenting with specific targets.

In key swing districts in Arizona and New Mexico, the GOP campaign arm plans to build on Harris’s efforts to address the root causes of migration from Central America, as Republicans seek to make border crossings and mass migration a major campaign issue. Republicans have long dubbed Harris the “border czar,” and one GOP strategist said he expects Republicans to further tie elected Democrats to that title.

“The only problem with picking her is she can’t get away with any of this,” Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota told the CNN .

The White House has rejected the title of “border czar,” arguing that its focus was on long-term solutions. In a key vote in February, Senate Republicans blocked a major bipartisan border deal and a foreign aid package with assistance to Ukraine and Israel amid a torrent of attacks on the bill from former President Donald Trump and top House Republicans.

In addition to her White House border mission, Republicans also resurfaced a moment from a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate in which Harris raised her hand when candidates were asked whether they favored decriminalizing illegal border crossings, and uploaded a clip from her appearance on “The View” shortly afterward, where she tried to clear her position but appeared to further contradict herself.

After the Democrat running in southern Arizona endorsed Harris, the NRCC released a statement calling Harris a border czar with a link to a portion of Harris’ 2019 interview with “The View.”

Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa said in a statement to CNN : “Vice President Kamala Harris has held criminals accountable her entire career – and Donald Trump will be no different. Vice President Harris has dedicated her career to improving the lives of working people – while Trump only cares about himself. That is the contrast the American people will see over the next 106 days.”

In Pennsylvania, the GOP campaign arm is focused on Harris’s previous statements as a 2019 presidential candidate about banning fracking, a technique for extracting natural gas from deep underground fractures. The campaign group has been publicizing comments Harris made during a statewide CNN in 2019, in the districts of Democratic Representatives Matt Cartwright and Susan Wild, specifically.

And in states like Minnesota and Oregon, the NRCC is framing Harris as soft on crime, tying Democrats in those districts to a 2020 tweet where she solicited money for a charitable bail group after the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests.

Both Biden and Harris condemned the riots and violence that have occurred on multiple occasions and expressed support for peaceful protests.

The NRCC is already working on developing ads, but its initial attacks on vulnerable House Democrats provide a window into the strategy that is unfolding behind the scenes at a rapid pace.

“I think this is a policy dispute, not a personal dispute,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson. to CNN . “What happens in this race is that both Harris and Trump have held office. They’ve been these two competing administrations that you can, you can sit side by side, and people are asking, ‘What was I like during the Trump administration and what am I like now?’”

“And I think the answer is clear to a lot of people, and I think that’s why we’re going to have a good November and I particularly like our chances with her at the top,” Johnson added.