Even though Senator John Tester (D-MT) reportedly helped Vice President Kamala Harris rise to the US Senate several years ago and supported her when she ran beside President Biden in 2020, he won’t endorse her presidential bid. Instead, he claims to be focusing on his own race and how he can help Montanans. Gee, could his snubbing the VP have anything to do with his bid for re-election? He’s in a crucial race in a state that former President Donald Trump won the last time around and is likely to win again. But Tester isn’t the only Democrat to shy away from the presidential hopeful. Perhaps it’s the ultra-liberal policies Harris may or may not still champion or her vacillating on her views whenever necessary to dodge rebuke. As Election Day nears, some might wonder: Will the country see more Democrats treat Harris as if she were contagious?
Endorse Harris or Try to Win?
Aside from Sen. Tester, the most notable Democrats who won’t endorse Harris are “Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Josh Harder of California, and Mary Peltola of Alaska,” according to The Daily Signal. Harder, hoping to win a third term, faces Stockton’s Republican Mayor, Kevin Lincoln II. Harder might be disassociating himself from Harris because “if Lincoln is able to consolidate the Republican votes cast in a so-called jungle primary in March, the Stockton mayor will be on his way to Washington.” Harder knows he needs votes from GOP supporters to win, so maybe avoiding Kamala feels like playing it safe.
Alaska’s at-large representative, Mary Peltola, ranked first in an open primary on August 20. In 2022, Peltola defeated Alaska’s former governor, Sarah Palin, and now seeks to win a second term. NPR reported on Peltola’s apparent indifference to endorsements back in July and noted a social media post the Alaskan representative wrote: “I’m not voting for Trump & I’m not endorsing anyone else either.” Earlier in the month, the National Rifle Association (NRA) endorsed her, a rare occurrence for a Democrat, which could partly explain why Peltola doesn’t want to be connected to the VP and her gun control policies.
Rep. Jared Golden is supposedly struggling to defend his seat in Maine’s Second Congressional District. The contest is listed as a toss-up in the Cook Political Report, though many believe Golden will win. His reasons for not supporting Harris are similar to Sen. Tester’s. “Let me be as clear as I can be,” Golden said in a statement. “I will not be endorsing in the presidential race. The reason is simple: I am running to represent all the people of this district, regardless of who they vote for at the top of the ticket.”
Golden faces Austin Theriault, a Republican whose campaign manager, Shawn Roderick, expressed his thoughts on the opposition in a statement: “Jared Golden isn’t being honest or straight with the voters of Maine. We have a right to know who Jared is voting for – regardless of who he’s endorsing or not endorsing. Jared Golden has worked with VP Harris for four years. So is he voting for her? It’s a simple yes or no question.”
Same Story, Different Representative
The familiarity some of these stories share is better than if they were scripted. Here’s another one. According to Fox News, in August 2020, Sen. Tester wrote on Twitter (now X): “My friend @KamalaHarris is a proven fighter and an excellent pick for Vice President. As VP, I’m confident she will continue to fight for working families across this country. Looking forward to supporting her and @JoeBiden in November.” Nobody is safe, it appears, from the infectiousness of flip-flopping.
Tester is vulnerable, no doubt, running in one of the most vital Senate races this year. His opposition, Republican Tim Sheehy, wasn’t bashful in his statement reported by Fox News: “Jon Tester skipping Kamala Harris’ DNC coronation will not hide the fact that he launched her political career by recruiting her to the U.S. Senate and votes with her radical agenda 95% of the time.”
Oh, how slippery and slanted the floor beneath some politicians is. That some Democrats in crucial races won’t endorse Harris, seemingly because they’re afraid to be associated with her rigid liberal stances, doesn’t look good. Will Republican voters believe what the Democratic holdouts say and toss them a few votes? Who knows – perhaps this is only the beginning. But when it’s all said and done, how many holdouts will run back to Harris and shower her with praise or consolation after November?
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