Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris is planning a series of trips to highlight President Joe Biden’s economic strategies and combat negative opinions about his handling of the economy. She will begin her “economic opportunity” tour with events in Atlanta and Detroit, both important battleground states for the upcoming general election.
Harris indicated that she and President Biden are dedicated to creating an economy where everyone can thrive. She mentioned their efforts to increase access to capital, support small businesses, address housing costs, forgive student loans and medical debt, invest in infrastructure, and implement policies to put money in people’s pockets and build wealth.
The White House and Biden’s reelection campaign have increasingly relied on Harris to travel, especially as the president’s schedule picks up. Harris has made over 35 trips to 16 states since the start of the year. As the country’s first black woman vice president, Harris has focused much of her outreach on minority voters, who recent polls suggest may be becoming less supportive of Biden. Harris’s favorability rating is also lower than Biden’s, according to RealClearPolitics.
Harris’s economic opportunity tour coincides with polling indicating that the economy could be Biden’s biggest political challenge six months from Election Day. Despite Biden’s overall average job approval being net negative, his economic approval is even lower.
Last month, Harris made history as the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion provider when she visited a Planned Parenthood in Minnesota. She emphasized the importance of healthcare access and treating people with dignity and respect during her visit.
