Harris fights her biggest foe: Washington’s view of her

By Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza and Rachael Bade

With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

Insiders working with VP Kamala Harris privately admit that her first year and a half in office was a bit rocky. | Photos by Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO

JUST POSTED — It’s the first 2024 NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of the cycle by esteemed Iowa pollster ANN SELZER. 

The takeaway: DONALD “TRUMP’s early advantage in the first nominating contest — which proved to be one of his toughest states the last time he faced a competitive race for the GOP nomination — is the largest Republican caucus lead recorded by the poll since the 2000 contest won by GEORGE W. BUSH.” More from NBC

THE TWO BIGGEST STORYLINES OF THE WEEK … 

1. It will likely be the most Trump-centric week of news since January 2021. 

In Atlanta: He’s due to surrender to law enforcement in Fulton County, Ga., for processing on the 41-count indictment handed down last week. The deadline: Friday at noon. (That’s also the deadline for his 18 co-defendants, including RUDY GIULIANI, MARK MEADOWS, JOHN EASTMAN and JENNA ELLIS, among others.) On the scene: “Atlanta Takes Center Stage in the Political Trial of the Century," by Teresa Wiltz

In Milwaukee: He’s expected to no-show the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 cycle. Trump himself reiterated this last night on Truth Social: “I WILL … NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!” (Note the plural. NBC’s Katherine Doyle reports that the declaration applies only to the first two debates, both of which are Fox affairs.) He’ll inevitably remain the main character of the event, with his indictments and continuing grip of the GOP base shaping the entire night’s proceedings. More from Zach Montellaro and Steve Shepard

2. The jockeying to be the non-Trump GOP contender could get some clarity.

This morning’s top read on that: “As Trump plans to skip first debate, his rivals plot to seize spotlight,” by WaPo’s Maeve Reston, Hannah Knowles and Dylan Wells:

The target audience: “In part because of concerns about Trump’s electability, part of the target audience for the Republican contenders Wednesday night is not just GOP voters, but wealthy donors who are still on the sidelines — surveying the field while skeptical that any of the candidates have what it takes to topple Trump.”

Knives out for DeSantis: “[H]e is under scrutiny within the donor class because of his failure to meet the high expectations set for his candidacy. That has created an opening for rivals to woo donors who are losing interest in DeSantis — and Trump’s absence on the debate stage gives them a chance to make their case.”

Knives out for VIVEK RAMASWAMY: “Advisers to several candidates, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the stage will likely serve as a venue to litigate the inconsistencies in Ramaswamy’s policy statements.”

Related reads: “When Candidates Ghost Debates,” by NYT’s Neil Vidgor … “GOP presidential debate puts spotlight on Wisconsin, one of the few remaining swing states,” by AP’s Scott Bauer

TOP-ED — “If Republicans Narrow the Field, We Will Beat Trump,” by New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU in NYT: “As governor of the first-in-the-nation primary state, I will do everything I can to help narrow the field. I plan to endorse and campaign for the best alternative to Mr. Trump. As of now, it’s anyone’s for the taking.”

THE BIG QUESTION FOR HARRIS — VP KAMALA HARRIS’ political future, and quite possibly the success of the Democratic ticket in 2024, hinges on a simple question: In modern-day D.C., is it possible to make a second impression?

Eugene has a big, buzzy read on that this morning, drawing from extensive reporting and a sitdown in her West Wing office. We have the backstory — and some exclusive bits from the interview for Playbook readers.

The backstory: If you’ve talked to insiders in Harris’ orbit lately, you’ve consistently heard one idea over and over again: The VP has hit her stride. In recent public appearances, she’s often unscripted and seemingly at ease — no notes or teleprompter in sight. All eyes are on her, and she seems … comfortable.

That hasn’t always been the case. Harris insiders privately admit that her first year and a half was a bit rocky. There are any number of factors they blame for this: Covid, Dems’ slim Senate majority (which kept her here in Washington), being assigned a political portfolio that didn’t mesh well with her background or strengths, and so on.

Add it together, and you get the D.C. conventional wisdom about Harris being stilted or overly scripted — at odds with the uninhibited interrogator she was known as in the Senate. It has even fueled whispers about whether she’ll be a drag on President JOE BIDEN’s reelection.

Harris said she’s not fazed by any of it.

“I’m not going to be distracted,” she told Eugene. “Otherwise, that stuff will get in your head and debilitate you.”

There are three dynamics that Harris’ allies think could finally shift the prevailing C.W. about her:

1. Harris feels more confident in her role after two-plus years on the job.

White House chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS, who has lunch with Harris once a week: “It’s always been true that there’s a delta between how people in D.C. view her, versus when she’s out doing her thing in the country with the American people. I think D.C. is starting to catch up. … I would argue she’s been great throughout, but as she’s really mastered the demands of the job and been through so much already, that experience enables her to perform at an even higher level.”

2. A portfolio of issues that plays to her strengths, like abortion rights and civil rights, where she is uniquely positioned to speak personally in a way that resonates with the voters most affected.

“The very issues that we see the election hinging on are the exact issues that she is leading on,” a Biden campaign aide tells POLITICO. “The issues where she’s out in front happen to be the ones that people care about the most and that motivate our base.”

3. The 2024 campaign has revved up.

She’s due to play a starring role in GOP attacks on Biden’s age and capacity for the job, and the looming specter of a Harris presidency.

As one senior Republican strategist put it to us recently: “She is a bogeyman that Republicans can [and will] use when it comes to pushing their message. A President Harris would be even worse than a President Biden because she campaigned as a progressive fighter and had to moderate herself when she became Biden’s running mate.”

Harris and her team are used to these attacks. Since the beginning of the administration, Republicans have slammed the VP — a San Francisco Democrat who is also a woman of color, the daughter of immigrants, etc. — as a way to hurt the administration, something that hasn’t typically happened with other White House No. 2s.

But that could end up having something of a rally-to-the-flag effect for Harris among Dems — solidifying her central position in the Democratic Party.

Good Monday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

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Photo by Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO

MORE FROM THE HARRIS INTERVIEW …

On whether she faces more media scrutiny than her predecessors as VP: 

“I think that that is the case. … It’s what it is. I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Oh, you know, it’s not fair,’ because, you know, I am not new to these things.”

The one question she always asks staff about policy: 

“When my team is in here, maybe it feels like a little bit of cross-examination, but I’m getting into the detail, because it’s not conceptual for me, it’s not intellectual for me, it’s not academic for me. … One of the questions I’ll often ask my team, whatever the subject: ‘How does this affect a child?’ That will tell you a whole lot about what you’re talking about. It’s something I always ask myself — I don’t care what it is: ‘How does this affect the child?’”

Her view of the role of VP:

“There are meetings that I take, there are conversations that I have that only the leaders can have. … [T]here is a lot that is about the vice presidency that is just taking some stuff off the plate of the president, because the president simply cannot do everything where we need a leader to be present. And I think of it that way. And then there’s all that it is behind the scenes in terms of the relationship, the advice, the feedback, the partnership. … When you talk to [vice presidential historian] JOEL GOLDSTEIN, he’ll tell you [that] the modern vice presidency … in many ways was defined by understanding that, after FDR, the size and expanse of government and its responsibilities grew exponentially. And so the president cannot possibly do everything that is required of that office. And that is where the vice president steps in.”

And a bonus: RON KLAIN, former White House chief of staff, told Eugene that Harris sees a big part of her job as making sure there’s “no one spreading bullshit in the Oval Office.”

Eugene asked Harris about that. She agreed, saying she wanted to make sure Biden was getting information that is “not sugarcoated and not filtered and not through some policy wonk-speak. I do feel very strongly about that. I have a very keen and very deep sense of understanding of the significance and the weight of the decisions that the president must make. And it is important to me as a partner to the president, that when I’m there and when we’re getting briefed on something, that every aspect of it is made clear in that room, and that people aren’t sugarcoating something for the sake of I don’t know what because the decision will have impact.”

A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API):

All Over the Map on Energy: On one hand, the Biden administration urges more supply of American oil and natural gas to meet growing energy demands. On the other hand, they put more American acreage off limits for development and add barriers to developing energy. Let’s advance smart policy together.

GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

An ambulance drives through a flooded street as Tropical Storm Hilary approaches on Aug. 20, in Palm Springs, Calif. | Mario Tama/Getty Images

MORE POLITICS

HURRY UP AND WAIT — New York is likely to be one of the most significant battlegrounds for the House next year, as Democrats look to claw back multiple seats they lost in 2022. But the legal battle over a potential new map could keep the fields largely frozen until as late as next spring, as candidates wait to find out where they might run, Bill Mahoney reports from Albany this morning. If a friendlier court does allow Dems to execute the gerrymander that slipped away from them last cycle, many of the current primary- and general-election matchups could be scrambled. Some people are waiting on the sidelines for now.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Rep. DAVID TRONE’s (D-Md.) Senate campaign is rolling out endorsements from 27 fellow House Democrats this morning, including two who are also looking to make the jump to the Senate: Reps. COLIN ALLRED (D-Texas) and ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.). Other prominent names include Reps. GERRY CONNOLLY (D-Va.), ERIC SWALWELL (D-Calif.), ANNIE KUSTER (D-N.H.) and JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-N.J.). None are from Maryland, though. (Trone’s principal competitor, Prince George’s County Executive ANGELA ALSOBROOKS, has picked up support from Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN and Reps. STENY HOYER and KWEISI MFUME.) Read the full list here

THE ANTI-BETO DEMOCRAT — “Texas Democrats Like The ‘Anti-Beto’ Campaign Colin Allred is Running Against Ted Cruz,” by The Messenger’s Adrian Carrasquillo: “[T]here is one way [COLIN] ALLRED is expected to run his campaign differently than [BETO] O’ROURKE, who famously eschewed negative campaign ads … To win, Allred’s campaign knows it needs to turn out Latino and Black voters, an area where Texas operatives felt O’Rourke left votes on the table in 2018 and underperformed in his 2022 race for governor.”

2024 WATCH

AGAINST THE GRAIN — “What the Polls May Be Getting Wrong About Trump,” by The Atlantic’s Russell Berman: “A new, broader survey of Republican voters suggests that the indictments have, in fact, dented Trump’s advantage in the primary. The study was designed by a group of university researchers who argue that pollsters have been asking the wrong questions to assess how the indictments have affected Republican voters.”

POLICY CORNER

ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES — “Biden administration to urge Americans get new Covid-19 boosters,” Reuters: “The Biden administration plans to urge all Americans to get a booster shot for the coronavirus this autumn to counter a new wave of infections, a White House official said on Sunday.”

STUDENT LOAN LATEST — “Borrowers With $39 Billion in Student Loans Finally See Relief,” by Bloomberg’s Ella Ceron and Claire Ballentine

A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API):

Washington should support the nearly 11 million oil and gas workers and suppliers powering America.

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

THE TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED — “Where Her Father Became a Hero, Caroline Kennedy Redefines Diplomacy,” by NYT’s Damien Cave: “Half a world away from the United States — where another Kennedy, her cousin ROBERT, is running for president, tying that famous name to a long-shot campaign fueled by conspiracies about Covid-19 — [Ambassador] CAROLINE KENNEDY has been trying to activate her family’s legacy for diplomacy.”

FOR YOUR RADAR — “U.S., Japan and Australia plan joint navy drills in disputed South China Sea, Philippine officials say,” by AP’s Jim Gomez in Manila

THE ECONOMY

DOWN TO THE WIRES — “Biden administration announces more new funding for rural broadband infrastructure,” by AP’s Kavish Harjai

INFRASTRUCTURE STUMBLING BLOCK — “Biden’s infrastructure building boom is missing one thing: Workers,” by NBC’s Shannon Pettypiece: “[T]he wave of federal dollars comes at a time when companies have already been struggling to find workers, particularly in some fields that will be needed the most to complete the infrastructure projects, like welders, electricians and broadband technicians.”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

HURRICANE SEASON — “Hilary rolls into Southern California, bringing heavy rain, flooding,” by the L.A. Times’ Brittny Mejia, Connor Sheets, Jeong Park, Rong-Gong Lin II, Hannah Wiley, Keri Blakinger, Rachel Uranga and Kate Morrissey

MEGATREND — “Medicine without doctors? State laws are changing who treats patients,” by WaPo’s Shera Avi-Yonah

MEDIAWATCH

NOT A GOOD LOOK — Semafor’s Max Tani and Shelby Talcott report an astonishing allegation against Newsmax: that network head CHRIS RUDDY told Vivek Ramaswamy he’d get more coverage if he bought more ads.

That would be a massive breach of an ironclad rule of journalistic ethics: the separation between editorial and business decisions. What’s more, Semafor reports that there has been a similar arrangement between Newsmax and businessman PERRY JOHNSON, which could explain why the long shot has gotten so much more coverage on the network than elsewhere and why he’s bought ads on Newsmax.

A Newsmax spokesman denies the allegation, saying the idea “that Newsmax is asking candidates to advertise in order to ensure coverage as some quid pro quo … is categorically untrue and incorrect. Newsmax would take an assertion such as that very seriously. There is no correlation between advertising and editorial visibility for any candidate on Newsmax.”

SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.

THE LINEUP, PART I — Bill and Hillary Clinton are announcing the full lineup for the Clinton Global Initiative’s 2023 meeting, which takes place next month in NYC. Among the featured participants: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

THE LINEUP, PART II — Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service is announcing its class of fellows for the fall semester: Cristóbal Alex, Brenda Gianiny, Joe Hack, Nia-Malika Henderson, Emily Horne and Craig Minassian.

BOOK CLUB — NYT’s Katie Rogers is publishing “American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden” on Feb. 27.

MEDIA MOVE — Jonathan Lai is joining POLITICO as our first data and politics editor. He previously was a data editor and democracy reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

TRANSITIONS — Shauna Rust is now a senior policy adviser in the Office of the Administrator at HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration. She previously was a professional staff member for the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Dems. … Guy Mentel is now senior foreign policy adviser to the U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States. He previously was president and chief legal officer at Global Americans. … Ellie Kaverman is now a strategic comms and visibility associate at WestEd. She previously was a policy analyst at the Center for the Study of Social Policy.

ENGAGED — Julia Canady, federal affairs coordinator for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Wells King, senior policy adviser for Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), got engaged Saturday in her hometown of Lakeland, Fla. They met in an American Enterprise Institute reading group for Matthew Continetti’s “The Right.” Pic … Another pic

WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Rebecca Maz, a recent University of Michigan Law School grad and incoming D.C. attorney, and James Carino, associate director at EAB, got married Saturday at the Appleford Estate in Villanova, Pa. They met in their high school marching band, but didn’t start dating until they reconnected in 2019 on a dating app in D.C. He was so sure about her that he deleted the app after their first date. Pic

— Hunter Goh, a senior director at Plus Communications, and Sami Gilkes, a managing director at Targeted Victory, got married Saturday in Madison, Wis. They met while working together at the NRSC. Pic … SPOTTED: Keith and Kristin Gilkes, Mark Morgan, Abbi Sigler, Phil Bartel, Jeff Snow, Sarah Delahunty, Robby Burke, John Hall, Ted Dacey, Karen Goh and, of course, Bucky Badger.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) … The Atlantic’s Elaine Godfrey … Peter Hamby of Snapchat and Puck … White House’s Tericka Lambert, Carli Kientzle and Deirdre Kelly … DOD’s Marguerite Biagi … Steve Case of Revolution and the Case Foundation … Ken Mehlman of KKR … Arkansas AG Tim Griffin … Brian Parks of Locust Street Group … Drew Morris of Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) office … Jana Winter … Ryan McCormack of Rep. Scott Fitzgerald’s (R-Wis.) office … Joe Minges … Stephen Neuman of American Airlines … Thomas Bradbury of the American Conservative Union … Rubén Olmos of Global Nexus … Mary Ann Naylor … WaPo’s Manuel Roig-Franzia … Pamela Engel … CBS’ Fin Gómez … Harry Smith … Ben Howard of the Duberstein Group … Bloomberg Gov’s George Cahlink … David Heifetz of Breakthrough Energy … Francine McMahon … Mary Brady of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. … Rachel Hirschberg Light … CNN’s Cameron Hough … Teresa Carlson … Jack Kelly

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Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.

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Economic Engine and Protector of Parks: Americans count on oil and natural gas developed, refined and delivered by nearly 11 million workers and suppliers in all 50 states and DC. American energy delivers local economic impact amounting to nearly 8% of our national total and close to Canada’s entire GDP. Meanwhile, thanks to funding from offshore natural gas and oil production, the Land and Water Conservation Fund is helping maintain parks across America. In 2022, the conservation fund allocated $398 million toward conservation projects across the U.S., including national parks, wildlife refuges, outdoor recreation opportunities and more. This critically important work couldn’t be done without America’s dedicated natural gas and oil workforce leading the way toward ever-stronger U.S. energy leadership. Washington policymakers must stand with them.

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