Vice President Kamala Harris will join Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg on a visit Charlotte, North Carolina this week – in a jo...
Vice President Kamala Harris will join Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg on a visit Charlotte, North Carolina this week – in a joint effort to pitch the infrastructure law following reports of intrigue surrounding the 2024 presidential ticket.
The event will put both former presidential candidates on the same stage in support of the $1.2 trillion program President Biden signed into law earlier this month. The event follows reports of frustration with Harris inside the White House – and Buttigieg's own denial that he is thinking about running in 2024, amid Biden's sagging approval ratings.
'I'd say the other thing that I'm really enjoying about this job, although it's very demanding and obviously requiring a lot, is that this is the least I have had to think about campaigns and elections in about a decade and that's a very good thing,' he told Politico in an interview published last week.
Vice President Kamala Harris 'will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to discuss how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will upgrade our nation’s infrastructure and create good-paying union jobs in North Carolina,' according to the White House
That came amid a Politico / Morning Consult poll showing the Transportation Department secretary with a higher favorability rating than both Biden and Harris – whom he led by 12 points.
'On Thursday, December 2, Vice President Harris will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to discuss how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will upgrade our nation’s infrastructure and create good-paying union jobs in North Carolina,' according to the White House. 'She will be accompanied by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Congresswoman Alma Adams,' said a brief statement, promising 'additional details.'
Buttigieg denied any kind of a feud with Harris in a Sunday appearance on 'Meet the Press' on NBC.
'She and I are part of a team that is disciplined and doesn't focus on what's obsessing the commentators,' he said. 'We're too busy with a job to do.'
'There's no room to get caught up in the parlor games and I'm proud to be part of the Biden-Harris team,' Buttigieg added.
Transportation Sec. Buttigieg says his relationship with VP Kamala Harris isn't affected by reports of rivalry: 'She and I are part of a team that is disciplined,' he said Sunday
President Joe Biden, 79, is suffering in the polls, and spoke Monday about a new coronavirus variant
But Buttigieg's name has come up among White House aides when talk has turned to 2028 or even 2024, according to the Politico report that stoked the round of speculation.
'Nobody in the West Wing shuts that down. It's very open,' said a person with knowledge of the situation.
The Harris visit to the swing state is the latest signal of the White House focus on North Carolina. The president and first lady Jill Biden were there for a pre-Thanksgiving visit to Fort Bragg.
President Biden, who just turned 79, intends to run for reelection, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last week.
The visit comes as Harris has been stepping up her public efforts to sell the infrastructure plan, after struggling to steer the narrative after Biden tasked her with focusing on the 'root causes' of immigration amid a migrant surge.
A CNN report earlier this month described Harris supporters as having to bat down rumors Biden might try to name her to the Supreme Court as a way to clear the field, while complaining privately that she faces a double standard.
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