Vice President Kamala Harris' Campaign Gains Momentum with $200 Million Fundraising Haul Against Republican Challenger

Trump, in a campaign appearance in St. Cloud, Minnesota on Saturday, called Harris a “crazy liberal,” accused her of wanting to “defund the police” and said she was an “absolute radical” on abortion. The vice president, a vocal proponent of abortion rights, has made clear that she will make Republican-backed efforts to restrict reproductive rights a key plank in her campaign.

Trump backer Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., also tried to brand Harris as a full partner for “a lot of the worst decisions of the Biden administration,” including the chaotic August 2021 pullout of U.S. troops led to the swift collapse of the Afghan government and military.

Cotton also accused Harris of emboldening Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah by pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over civilian casualties in the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu met separately with Harris and Biden at the White House on Thursday. Afterward, Harris said she urged Netanyahu to reach a cease-fire deal soon with the militant group Hamas so that dozens of hostages held by the militants in Gaza since Oct. 7 can return home. Harris said she also affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself but expressed deep concern about the high death toll in Gaza and the “dire” humanitarian situation there.

Tensions in the Mideast intensified on Saturday after Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teenagers. The strike raised fears of a broader regional war between Israel and Hezbollah, which denied a role in the attack.

“Frankly, it emboldens Iran and terrorist groups like Hezbollah because they believe that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will continue to put more pressure on Israel than it puts on Iran and its terrorists that are encircling Israel with the stated objective to destroy Israel,” Cotton said.

Still, some Republicans are concerned that Harris’ entrance has given Democrats a spark and that Trump needs to recalibrate.

Gov. Chris Sununu, R-N.H., said Harris is in “honeymoon” period that will probably last a month, but he also acknowledged that both Trump and running mate JD Vance should stop the personal attacks against Harris because those will not drive people to vote. Instead, he said they must stick to the issues and “stay away from the insults.”.

He said Trump missed an opportunity to do that in recent campaign events, but “hopefully they can get back on track. I think he was on track for a couple months there. I think that the change in the campaign has kind of fired him up to go against her, personally.”

But Sununu also acknowledged that, ”nobody can get Donald Trump to do anything. But hopefully the numbers, the polls, will get Donald Trump to realize what was working and what didn’t.”

Sununu was on ABC’s “This Week” and Cotton was on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

SOURCE: The Associated Press