Vice President Kamala Harris is kicking off the week as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president now that Joe Biden is leaving the race. Harris, who has Biden’s backing, says she plans to earn the position. The Democratic National Convention is next month in Chicago and it’s not clear if the former California Senator will face a serious challenge. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, who tells WAMC he is endorsing Harris today, spoke with WAMC’s Ian Pickus this morning.
I was really awed by this really statesman-like decision, putting the country first over his own interests or preferences. Clearly, he was demonstrating the kind of leadership that has been so impactful and courageous throughout his presidency, and I was excited by the reaction that I heard and saw around the state as I went from picnics to barbecues and so forth, involving fellow Democrats, but also independents and others who really are ready for new leadership. And I was impressed by the sense of unity and excitement.
How do you think it changes the race, given the likelihood, and we don't know all the details yet, but the likelihood, at this point, that Vice President Harris will be the standard bearer?
There's no question that Joe Biden is one of the most courageous, consequential presidents and leaders of our time, and so Vice President Harris has a legacy to continue, a tradition of leadership and programs like providing more aid to our veterans through the PACT Act, when they're exposed to toxic substances, or cutting prescription drug prices, reducing inflation and standing up for women in their reproductive rights, among many other causes where Joe Biden has had an impact. So she has a record of accomplishment by his side. And I think that right now, the important point is for the party to unify around a ticket. I will be endorsing Vice President Harris later today. Very proud to do it. I worked with her in the Senate as a member of the Judiciary Committee on issues like criminal justice and reproductive rights for women, and then sat next to her as matter of fact on the floor of the floor of the Senate. Literally, our desks were next to each other, and I got to know her that way, as well as through her work as attorney general of California. I was attorney general of Connecticut, so I think she has a real record and promise of accomplishments ahead.
Senator, let me ask you about a line of attack that I heard from a top state Republican in New York on Sunday. The chair of the GOP said that Vice President Harris had a firsthand look to see that President Biden was in decline and should have made an effort to get him out of the Oval Office well ahead of July of an election year. And I have already heard that type of attack ramping up now that Harris appears to be the likely nominee. What do you say to those types of accusations?
First, I think they are utterly and totally unfounded, really graceless and vicious, essentially on Joe Biden, who is fully capable of governing. And by the way, holding an office is very different from campaigning for an office, which imposes a lot of demands that actually being in the office may not impose. And I was with Joe Biden in Normandy for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day commemoration. I was with him when he gave speeches there, met with leaders like Macron of France, and then at the state dinner on that Saturday night, and he's fully in command and control, knowledgeable about world affairs and capable of governing. So I think the attacks are totally baseless and vile, and I think they kind of demonstrate a lack of basic human grace and dignity on the part of our some of our Republican counterparts. I think it's an exception, frankly, and I'm hoping that they will come around to the point of view that, in fact, Joe Biden has governed with dignity and determination, and that this kind of attack is completely unfounded. I have a few four letter words for it, but I'm going to just use one, which is, they are bunk.
We thank you for not using any of the harsher ones that could get us in some trouble here. I'm wondering if you have a name or two in mind to be Harris's running mate?
I have a couple, you know. I know Roy Cooper, who's the outgoing North Carolina governor very well, because we served as attorneys general together. He in North Carolina and I in Connecticut. I have real respect for him. Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania is another whom I have come to know. He was attorney general there. And there are probably others who could serve well in that role. And I think it should be someone who is a centrist, who can bring perhaps some of the more moderate and battleground states, put them in play, because we have a real challenge ahead. And again, unifying the party is going to be one of our first tasks.
It seems like it has the potential to be a little bit awkward. What kind of role would you like President Biden to play on the trail between now and Election Day?
He'll be one of our major assets, as a speaker, as a rallier, as a leader. I think he'll be extremely important, and I think there'll be growing appreciation for what he's done for our nation. You know, he led us out of the COVID crisis, one of the most severe public health crisis in our nation history, led us out of a COVID caused economic crisis, and he has worked to rebuild our country with roads and bridges. We're seeing them in Connecticut as well as veterans programs, public health initiatives to, for example, cut the prices of prescription drugs. So I think he will be a major asset for Vice President, soon to be presidential candidate, Harris.
And you don't see any way that she would not end up being the nominee here.
I would bet very heavily on her being the nominee, not that I'm a betting man or that we want to bet on political outcomes, but I think she is gaining momentum from what I can see and what I've heard from colleagues around the country already, she has a majority of my Senate colleagues backing her, and I think the same will be true of the Democratic Party and the country. I think the country will rally around her. She has a great story as a bootstraps-up person who has made her own way and fought for human rights and women's rights and real champion of everyday Americans, just like Joe Biden. You know, as I talked to people yesterday, there was a real reverence for Joe Biden as someone who's always fought for the little guy. And I think that Vice President Harris has the same kind of quality, and she's going to create an excitement and exuberance that we haven't seen lately.
