Days after the Republican National Convention ends in Milwaukee, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris will pay a visit to the state’s largest city, according to a Biden-Harris campaign official.
Kamala Harris’ campaign trip to Milwaukee on Tuesday—her fifth visit to the battleground state this year—comes as a growing chorus of Democratic candidates and donors call for President Joe Biden to step down from the race, following a poor debate performance that raised doubts about the 81-year-old president’s ability to lead the ticket.
Kamala Harris, 59, last visited Milwaukee in May, arguing that the Biden-Harris administration’s economic policies have benefited Americans, particularly by addressing imbalances affecting black Americans and business owners.
The vice president’s travel to Milwaukee follows Biden’s appearance in Madison on July 5, immediately after the contentious debate.
Biden faces Republican former President Donald Trump, 78, in a rerun of the 2020 election. Trump formally accepted the nomination in Milwaukee on Thursday night. Trump’s 2016 triumph and 2020 defeat were both determined by about 20,000 votes in Wisconsin.
Biden has stated repeatedly that he intends to stay in the race.
After learning Wednesday night that he tested positive for COVID, only hours after claiming that a medical issue was the only thing that could force him off the ticket, Republicans’ attention at the convention shifted to Harris as a possible substitute.
In a letter issued Thursday, Biden’s doctor stated that the president is having “mild upper respiratory symptoms” and is taking Paxlovid.
“He does not have a fever, and his vital signs are normal.” Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor wrote that he will continue to perform the business of the American people.
Speculation has focused on Harris replacing Biden at the head of the ticket, but the vice president has stayed loyal to Biden despite demands to stop his candidacy.
To satisfy numerous states’ ballot deadlines, the Democratic National Committee aims to confirm Biden as the party’s nominee with a virtual roll-call vote ahead of its convention, which is scheduled for August 19–22.
