Vice President Kamala Harris' greatest challenge at this week's Democratic National Convention is going to be unifying different factions of the Democratic Party, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., told Newsmax on Monday. Phillips, who broke ranks with his party by challenging President Joe Biden in the primaries this year, said on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," "the greatest challenge [Kamala Harris] is going to face, I think, is going to be consolidating this awfully broad and big tent.
"Of course, we've got protesters outside on behalf of the Palestinian cause. We have a disparate group of moderates and progressives, and it is a big tent to kind of keep together."
He went on to hail Harris' pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, calling it "an awfully smart choice." Phillips added, "[Walz] appeals to a very different subset of Democrats that I think is part of this energy that we're feeling right here."
As for Harris' campaign strategy, Phillips says the former California senator needs to sell herself not as President Biden's second term, but to introduce herself, her platform, and her vision to voters. Phillips says Harris has a "grand opportunity" to show Americans what she stands for and to "separate in certain areas from President Biden, elevate in other areas, and introduce what she believes to this country."
Phillips also said that after getting quite a bit of vitriol during his short-lived presidential campaign, he's now getting "high-fives and handshakes and hugs," adding it's refreshing he could be a voice of dissent and still be "welcomed back home."
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Kate McManus ✉
Kate McManus is a New Jersey-based Newsmax writer who's spent more than two decades as a journalist.
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