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Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 22, 2024, during an event with NCAA college athletes. It was her first public appearance after President Joe Biden endorsed her to be the next presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

As Vice President Harris moves closer to the Democratic presidential nomination, some top Republicans are focusing their attacks on her race and gender - and her supporters are warning that strategy might backfire for her opponents.

In recent public comments, Republican members of Congress including Harriet Hageman of Wyoming and Tim Burchett of Tennessee have described her as a DEI hire.

On Fox Business, a guest repeated that idea and referred to a vulgar TikTok meme, appearing to imply without evidence that Harris had somehow used sexual relationships with powerful men to advance her career.

Harris is the highest-ranking woman ever to hold office in the United States. And the first person of Black and South Asian heritage - not to mention that she could become the first female president.

To her supporters, like Fatima Goss Graves of the National Womens Law Center, the crude stereotypes about powerful women are no surprise.

Rather than talking about their out-of-step views, they're trying to resort to old tactics of scaring people using racist and sexist tropes, Graves said. And so it is totally predictable. But it is also ridiculous.

Its a sign, Graves contends, that Republicans are running scared after President Bidens decision to step aside from the presidential race upended the campaign.

These attacks just demonstrate how desperate they are, she said.

Supporters also see Harris as well-positioned to take on former President Donald Trump on key policy matters including abortion rights - an issue where Harris has been front and center and which motivates the Democratic base.

Ange-Marie Hancock, director of the Kirwan Institute at the Ohio State University, is curator of the Kamala Harris Project, which studies the vice president. Hancock says the messages about Harris race and gender appear designed by her opponents to undermine her credibility.

There is very much this idea that they want to make sure shes seen as not qualified, Hancock said.

Its not a new idea. In a Fox News clip from 2021 thats been circulating widely this week, JD Vance - now Trumps running mate - cast Harris as a childless cat lad[y] who is miserable and suggested that people without children exert too much influence over American politics.

Harris has two stepchildren with her husband, Doug Emhoff, whose former spouse and daughter both came to Harris defense this week.

Hancock, the political scientist, says messages about Harris gender may be aimed at key groups of swing voters.

Those kinds of things are really designed to appeal to those suburban women voters who are more traditional in their values about what kind of life women lead, Hancock suggested.

Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns for President as the presumptive Democratic candidate during an event at West Allis Central High School, Tuesday in Wisconsin. Kayla Wolf/AP hide caption

Harris supporters warn, though, that these attacks may backfire for Republicans by galvanizing the Democratic base.

What we know is that there are more people that are going to be re-engaged in this fight, explained Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign. They're going to see not only what's at risk, but what is possible, particularly if you're a person of color, if you're someone that lives at the margins. And those are the folks that were activating.

Some conservatives agree its not the right message. Republican strategist Deana Bass Williams, former press secretary for Ben Carsons 2016 presidential campaign, says Republicans should stay focused on policy.

Republicans do a much better job and we win when we are talking about the failed Biden policies, she said. So I dont think that it is appropriate to use that kind of language, and I also dont think its effective.

In a memo this week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee advised campaigns to focus on policy - including Harris role as the so-called border czar. It also encouraged candidates to label Harris as weird, and focus on several of her traits, including the way she laughs.

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Republicans call Kamala Harris a 'DEI hire' as attacks on her gender and race increase - NPR

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she is introduced during the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.'s Grand Boul, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Indianapolis. Darron Cummings/AP hide caption

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she is introduced during the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.'s Grand Boul, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Indianapolis.

It's not the first time a person of color or a woman has run for president, but Vice President Kamala Harris is already facing a new wave of sexist and racist personal attacks.

Her opponent, former president Donald Trump, has a long history of personally insulting people of color, women and immigrants. Here are just some of the attacks he's leveled at opponents:

Trump has called undocumented immigrants "animals." He has emphasized the non-European names of GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley and former president Barack Obama. He denigrates women of color as "angry" or "nasty."

The list could go on, but it's not just Trump attacking Harris.

Multiple Republican Congressmen have already called Harris a "DEI hire" or "DEI vice president," implying the former U.S. Senator and California Attorney General was not sufficiently qualified and only picked to fulfill a diversity, equity and inclusion quotient.

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Ange-Marie Hancock, director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University, has studied Harris' career and how it's been shaped by her identity as a multiracial woman.

She says Trump's language could impact swing voters whether consciously or unconsciously.

"If you were to survey independent voters or swing voters, I bet you would get a strong majority who would say...'We really don't like the way in which he talks about women or talks about his opponents,'" she says.

For swing voters leaning to the Democratic ticket, Hancock says it's unlikely that racist and sexist language would negatively impact their views of Harris. But for voters who are open to Trump:

"There would be actually a more negative impact there, both because people are filling in the gaps, and saying...'you know, maybe he's right in some way, shape or form'...But then the other piece of that is also that we have implicit biases."

Trump's rhetoric has had implications far beyond the campaign trail, Hancock says.

Hancock sees the current political climate as the result of a decades-long trend toward the "normalization" of racist and sexist attacks.

"I think, you know, in 2016 or in 2020, it was still on the upward swing...I think that trajectory has continued. I don't necessarily think it's going to change trajectory in 2024," she says.

And the hateful language and imagery used to describe Harris only gets worse in more conservative circles, she says.

"Some things can get particularly dark and really draw upon some of the most pernicious stereotypes of African American and Asian American women, sometimes very sexualized images."

This episode was produced by Brianna Scott. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Kamala Harris already faces racism and sexism from Trump and Republicans - NPR

If Colorado Republican Party members vote to oust Chair Dave Williams this weekend, a group of former party leaders led by Eli Bremer say theyre willing to step up and take the reins.

Bremer, a former U.S. Senate candidate and chair of the El Paso County Republicans, sent a letter to party central committee members saying hed be chair and offering a unity vision for the party moving forward.

What (Colorado Republicans) need is a group who can triage the situation and rectify a really bad situation and try to create something good out of it, Bremer explained. With that, I started talking to other former successful party chairs and people who are really well respected, who have the right skill set to come in on a short-term basis and try to fix the situation. And I'm very happy with the team that's come together in a unified vision of saying, let's end the drama.

Bremer would come with a full team including former Weld County GOP Chair Scott James, who would be vice chair, former Mesa County GOP chair Kevin McCarney, who would be secretary, and former Park County GOP chair Dick Elsner, who would be treasurer.

In the letter, they say if selected to replace Williams, the team would focus on restoring relationships with national Republican groups and Colorado congressional campaigns where the party did not endorse the winning candidates, state house leaders and in-state donors. They also said theyll institute financial oversight.

Its unclear if Williams, let alone the rest of the current GOP leadership team, will be removed Saturday. They argue the upcoming Saturday meeting is invalid and have sued two local Republicans leading the effort.

The State Party has the right to govern its affairs according to our bylaws and we wont allow rogue members to violate the rule of law and confuse other members with their illegal efforts, especially in a time we need to rally around President Trump to defeat radical Democrats, Vice Chair Hope Scheppelman told CPR News last week.

Bremer added hes unsure if anyone else will try to run for chair if Williams is removed. He said hed welcome that but wants to see a full plan.

I mean, I hope if anybody else decides to jump in, that they put forward a plan, a team, he explained. Because if its not going to be our team, I hope that we have another team that is competent, if not more so, and experienced and has the ability to get it done.

He said in the end its about helping Republican candidates win in close races.

Link:
If Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williams is ousted, here's what some Republicans say they'll do - Colorado Public Radio

LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman has long been involved in politics, but his recent actions have drawn criticism from both parties.

Hoffman is a longtime Democratic donor, but he recently denounced Bidens leader of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, who has been aggressive in her antitrust actions against big companies, including Microsoft, where Hoffman sits on the board of directors.

Lina Khan isa person who is not helping America, Hoffman told CNN. I would hope that Vice President Harris would replace her.

As the November presidential election draws closer, tech titans are more actively participating in politics, mostly on the side of Republicans. The worlds richest man, Elon Musk, along with influential venture capitalists like Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen, has publicly backed Trump. Meanwhile, Harris replacing Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket has reenergized Democratic donors, especially on Wall Street.

But Hoffmans recent comments about Khan were quickly rebuked by Democrats, especially progressives who accused the billionaire donor of meddling.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D.-Mass.) praised Khan and said she was doing an excellent job in a statement to CNN. Meanwhile, progressive Senator Bernie Sanders (I.-Vt.) called out Hoffman for his arrogance and said Khan was one of the best FTC chairs in a long time.

Billionaires should not be telling candidates who to be keeping on or not, Sanders told CNN. This concerns me because Lina Khan is doing a great job and I would hope and expect that the VP, if she wins, keeps her on.

Hoffman told CNN that he certainly has not pushed for Harris to replace her if elected, although the vice president herself has privately criticized Khans broad view of antitrust powers, the New York Times reported, citing an unnamed donor who spoke with her privately.

FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said Khan stands by her record.

Chair Khan is honored to serve in the Biden Harris administration, where she has protected consumers, workers, and entrepreneurs from illegal conduct and corporate abuse, Farrar said in a statement to Fortune.

Hoffman did not immediately return Fortunes request for comment.

On the other side of the aisle, Hoffman recently angered Republicans for comments made just before the attempted assassination of former President Trump. While speaking at the elite Sun Valley Conference in Idaho earlier this month, Hoffman butted heads with venture capitalist and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, according to media outlet Puck.

Thiel, who has backed former President Donald Trump, sarcastically thanked Hoffman for making Trump into a martyr by funding E. Jean Carrolls lawsuit against the former president. Hoffman reportedly responded that he wished he had made Trump an actual martyr. Soon after, a gunman tried to assassinate Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and some on the right condemned Hoffman for his inopportune comments.

Tesla CEO Elon Muskwho, like Thiel, has backed Trumpcalled Hoffman out personally in a post on X following the assassination attempt.

The Reid Hoffmans of the world got their dearest wishbut then the martyr lived, Musk wrote.

The LinkedIn cofounder was quick to clarify and apologize, saying in a statement that his words were taken out of context and that there is no place for political violence in our society.

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First Trump, now Harris: LinkedIn billionaire Reid Hoffman has successfully angered both Democrats and Republicans - Fortune

About 100 Republicans gathered in Brighton Saturday morning to discuss the potential removal of state party Chair Dave Williams, though no vote on the issue was taken due to a judges restraining order.

That effort was thwarted after an Arapahoe District Court ruled Friday to temporarily block the group from conducting a previously scheduled formal meeting. Williams had called a planned vote invalid and filed a lawsuit several days ago.

I was pretty stunned, Eli Bremer, an Olympian, former chairman of the El Paso

County GOP and candidate vying to replace Williams, said when describing reading a text message about the temporary restraining order.

But, despite the ruling, the group still rallied at a church, with speeches from four GOP candidates to replace Williams and signatures collected for a petition to conduct a future meeting to formally vote to remove the chairman.

Its not yet clear when such a meeting could take place. Fridays restraining order bars Williams critics from doing so for 14 days or until further action from the court. Meanwhile, they need signatures from a quarter of the states central committee to conduct the meeting. And Williams disputes whether the organizers have reached that threshold.

The last thing we want to do is go against a restraining order and put all of us in contempt, Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer said.

We are in a crisis mode, and Im not saying that lightly, Kirkmeyer told the crowd. She noted that the GOP is one senate seat away from being a super minority in both chambers of the statehouse. Our state senators and representatives and candidates for those offices arent getting support from party leadership.

She said another loss would mean the GOP could not block things like veto overrides or proposed constitutional ballot amendments.

We are screwed, Kirkmeyer said if the legislature becomes a super Democratic majority.

Williams has had a tumultuous tenure at the helm of an embattled and diminished Colorado GOP. After months of long-standing criticism, anti-Pride emails he sent in June ignited an unprecedented public uprising against a state party chair. He also faced backlash for using party resources for his failed congressional bid in Colorados Fifth Congressional District and endorsing candidates in GOP primaries.

Multiple Republican nominees for Congress signed a letter Friday asking Williams to resign or face removal from office.

In a Facebook post Friday, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert called the state party infighting embarrassing.

We have a golden opportunity this November to flip seats at every level of government, Boebert wrote. Instead of uniting we've seen lawsuits, threats, and censures, resulting in a failure to come together fueled by all sides of the party.

Boebert placed the blame on Williams for failing to lead the party and called on the party chair to either show a plan to support candidates up-and-down the ballot or be removed.

Williams did not respond to a request for comment from CPR News but did provide a copy of the temporary restraining order issued Friday.

Brita Horn, a firefighter from the Western Slope, was one of the four candidates willing to replace Williams. She said the party needs robust fundraising.

Money, unity and victory, said Horn. Weve got to win. We have it in our grasp to win.

Bremer, another candidate, said the party cant fight against itself.

Weve got a lot of relationships we have to restore, Bremer said, listing the RNC, NRCC, county and state leaders as well as grassroots activists.

Candidate and Statehouse Rep. Richard Holtorf of Akron said his future vision for the Republican party would include building coalitions.

People dont want to give to a dysfunctional Republican party, Holtoft said. In the country we have country values.

And Douglas County GOP Chair Steve Peck said its a losing strategy for Republicans to spend money against other Republicans in primary races.

What I want is party unity, Peck said. Sometimes it is unity behind a letter.

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Colorado Republicans still gathered Saturday to discuss removing state Chairman Dave Williams, but no vote was taken - Colorado Public Radio