‘Political sucker punch’: Vance sweats race against Kamala Harris to private donors

Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance told donors that Democrats' swap from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris on the ticket will be a significant obstacle to Donald Trump getting back into the White House.

In a July 27 leaked recording, Vance comments to donors during a Minnesota fundraiser reveal he’s also lost some confidence in Trump’s ability to defeat Harris, as reported by The Washington Post.

“All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch,” Vance reportedly said in the recording. “The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might have to say, Kamala is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did.”

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Vance’s remarks reflect a different perspective than what he’s stated publicly, that a Harris ticket doesn’t change “the political calculus” for Republicans. To defeat Harris, Vance’s campaign has said Republicans will have to target her record on the southern border, fracking and police funding, which could be potential soft spots.

In the recording, Vance shares that defining Harris will pose a hurdle.

“We have a very unique opportunity, but also a very unique challenge, because, let’s be honest, 10 days ago, the two candidates who were running for president, everybody had an opinion about ’em,” Vance said in the recording. “Love ’em or hate ’em, everybody has an opinion about Donald Trump and Joe Biden after the past eight years… but Kamala Harris, people don’t really know.”