PARIS — Vice President Kamala Harris said the time has passed for Democrats to reflect on the party’s loss in the closely watched Virginia governor’s race, one she previously called a harbinger for future elections.
“There’s been a robust dialogue and discussion about the elections that just took place,” Harris said Friday about whether Democrats had too readily cast aside the election results. The vice president is in Paris to burnish her foreign policy credentials.
President Joe Biden rejected blame for the collapse and arguments that the result should be considered a referendum on his presidency. Polling shows the president’s job approval at historically low numbers, and Harris does not fare better.
Republican Glenn Youngkin beat former Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a state’s former governor seeking reelection by a small margin, 50.6% to 48.7%.
Harris pointed to the White House’s bipartisan infrastructure deal, which passed the House with Republican votes last week after a push by Biden amid the Virginia race helped bring the legislation to his desk.
“Republicans, not just one or two, came together with Democrats, understanding that it is important that we who are engaged in electoral politics deliver on behalf of the people. And we have accomplished that,” she added.
Harris left her analysis there, instead choosing to talk up the administration’s legislative victory.
“Some would say it was historic and that we’ve been talking for quite some time, for many administrations, about infrastructure week,” she told reporters.
It was a departure from her remarks late last month. Then stumping for McAuliffe in Norfolk, Virginia, Harris said the governor’s race could prove a bellwether for future races.
“Tuesday is a critical day that will determine whether we turn back the clock or move it forward,” Harris said, noting the race for Virginia governor is tight historically. “What happens in Virginia will in large part determine what happens in 2022, 2024, and on.”
Democrats sought to nationalize the race, drawing a slew of bold-faced names to the state to rouse voter enthusiasm. Harris appeared that night alongside Grammy-award-winning musician Pharrell Williams, a Norfolk native.
Biden captured a 10 percentage point win over former President Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election. Democrats believed the long-purple state may be swinging blue, but the results were a kick in the teeth.
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Democrats need to review their strategy, David Ramadan, an adjunct professor at the Schar School at George Mason University and resident scholar at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, told the Washington Examiner after the loss.
“It’s simple — if Democrats do reckon with this, if they take this and understand the issues that came across here, they will have a chance of holding the political gains they had over the last few years,” he said. “If they do not, they will lose continuously.”
