Harris’ ‘working-class’ McDonald’s experience highlighted at DNC, on campaign trail
(CHICAGO) — McDonald’s — and politics?
Vice President Kamala Harris having worked there in college has repeatedly been brought up by speakers at the Democratic National Convention — almost as if it’s on a menu — and her campaign is using it as a symbolic, shorthand way of connecting her experience with that of working-class Americans.
Harris has noted in the past and now in campaign ads that she worked a summer job at McDonald’s in her late teens, between her freshman and sophomore years at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Her early job is a common one among Americans, according to data from the chain which says one out of every eight Americans has worked at McDonald’s.
The giant burger chain did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Harris and Walz have pointed out that their working-class roots are in sharp contrast to former President Donald Trump’s much wealthier upbringing. Walz took a dig at a campaign event a few weeks ago, claiming that Trump wouldn’t be able to cut it as a fast-food worker.
“He couldn’t run that damn McFlurry machine if it cost him anything,” he said.
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett took a jab at the DNC.
“Let’s compare their resumes, shall we?,” she said. “One candidate worked at McDonald’s while she was in college at an HBCU, [Howard University]. The other was born with the silver spoon in his mouth and helped his daddy in the family business.”
The McDonald’s connection has extended to second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who not only worked there but also was named employee of the month, which he proudly recounted to the convention crowd, telling how the experience had helped shape his career.
“I still have the framed picture which you just saw, and there was a ring, golden arches and all. And then, I waited tables, parked cars. I was working full-time, so I could afford to go to college part-time. And thanks to partial scholarships, student loans, and a little help from my dad, I got myself through law school, and I got my first job as a lawyer,” he said.
Harris’ time behind the fast-food counter has even impressed one of the most famous — and notoriously frequent — McDonald’s customers, former President Bill Clinton, mocked in “SNL” skits as stopping there while jogging in Washington and eating other customers’ fries.
“She greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, ‘How can I help you?’ Now she’s at the pinnacle of power and she’s still asking, ‘How can I help you?'” Clinton said at the DNC Wednesday night.
“I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House as president because she will break my record as the president who spent the most time at McDonald’s,” he joked.
It’s unclear whether Harris herself will bring up her McDonald’s experience during her nomination acceptance speech on Thursday night, but it could very well become something she can say she has in common with working-class voters on the campaign trail.
(CHICAGO) — Democrats are kicking off their convention in Chicago this week to formally nominate Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to top their 2024 presidential ticket.
The gathering marks an opportunity for Democrats to ride the good vibes around Harris, who last month was elevated as the party’s de facto nominee after President Joe Biden ended his own bid. The convention is anticipated to be heavy on messages of “freedom” as Harris and Walz run against former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Beyond highlighting the party’s marquee figures, the event could also offer a platform for protesters critical of the administration’s handling of the war in Gaza and elevate rising stars on the Democratic Party bench.
Here are five things to watch for at this year’s DNC:
It’ll be a party — but for how much longer?
Democrats are euphoric as Harris takes over as their pick and ushers in a polling boost over Biden’s numbers.
That vibe sets up the convention as a party, just weeks after Democrats left their presidential hopes for dead with Biden as their nominee.
“The sheer joy that you see in Democrats these days is just incredible. I mean, it is really remarkable the way that she and the campaign and now Tim Walz have been able to capitalize on both the frustration and a sense of dread of a possible Donald Trump-JD Vance administration. Folks are coming out of the woodwork to give money. They’re coming out of woodwork to volunteer. It’s demonstrable,” said former Democratic Alabama Sen. Doug Jones.
Harris has been enjoying a nearly monthlong “honeymoon” since Biden dropped out, riding a wave of flattering social media praise. That boost is likely to continue this week and for a short time afterwards, enjoying a traditional post-convention bump.
Speculation abounds about how big of a festival the United Center will host, with whispers of whether big-name performers such as Taylor Swift and Beyonce will make an appearance.
After the convention, however, the question will be how long the good times can roll.
Harris and Trump will face off at their first debate on Sept. 10, and a good performance there could extend Harris’ honeymoon.
But while Democrats hope the vibes never change, operatives in both parties have predicted Harris’ campaign will come back down to earth — and then, all bets are off.
More freedom, less threat to democracy
Harris has framed her campaign around a message of “freedom,” even down to highlighting Beyonce’s hit song of the same name.
That message, an umbrella for, in Harris’ words, everything from the freedom to make choices on abortion to freedom to get ahead economically, is likely to take center stage in Chicago — supplanting Biden’s warnings about Trump’s threat to democracy.
The strategy is more forward-thinking, rather than Biden’s rallying cry, which harkened back to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, an event that Democrats still mention, but appeared to resonate less with voters agitating for a more long-term vision.
Still, the “freedom” messaging could dovetail with Biden’s discussions of democracy, some Democrats said.
“I think there was an understanding when we looked at how Trump was really trampling democratic norms, so there’s that connection between democracy and freedom,” said one Democratic strategist with ties to Harris’ team.
To be certain, Harris isn’t running away from Biden.
She’ll still be Biden’s right hand for five more months, and the two appeared together in Maryland on Thursday to tout savings made by allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of certain medications.
Biden heads for a hero’s welcome
Biden is set to be feted Monday night by a base that desperately wanted him to move on and is intensely grateful he did so.
The president’s catastrophic June debate performance started the clock on the end of Biden’s political career, and the fact that he’ll be a one-term president will no doubt be a part of his enduring legacy.
However, Democrats have cast Biden’s decision as nothing short of heroic, and Harris has been singing his praises on the campaign trail, sparking chants of “thank you, Joe.”
“He deserves tremendous credit for such a selfless act,” said the Democratic strategist with ties to Harris’ team. “I’m sure when he speaks on Monday, it’s going to be a huge reception.”
How does the convention handle the war in Gaza
While Biden’s debate and age were the chief factors in ending his political career, he was also dogged by criticism from the left over his handling of the war in Gaza. And those detractors aren’t going away just because he’s no longer Democrats’ nominee.
Protests over the rising death toll in Gaza will be held blocks away from Chicago’s United Center, and delegates who were sent to the convention by “uncommitted” votes in various states have full access to the event floor, with nothing to stop them from interrupting the proceedings.
It’s unclear precisely how much the convention will deal with the war and if there will be any interruptions at all.
Harris has adopted a tonal shift from Biden, putting more of an emphasis on mounting civilian casualties in the enclave than the president had. But on policy, there hasn’t been as much of a change so far, raising questions over how much of a wait-and-see period she’ll receive from those who were critical of Biden.
Who are the rising stars?
Conventions for both parties are primarily occasions to highlight leaders, chiefly the presidential nominees. But they also serve as opportunities to elevate rising stars.
Perhaps most famously, Barack Obama was selected as Democrats’ keynote speaker in 2004 when he was still a state senator in Illinois. Four years later, he spoke at the convention as his party’s presidential nominee.
Other speakers have included Julián Castro when he was mayor of San Antonio in 2012 and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2016.
Democrats have not said who this year’s keynote speaker will be — but their pick could indicate who they view as a future party leader and in what ideological direction they’re heading.
(WASHINGTON) — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is seen as one of the front-runners to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, sources have told ABC News.
Kelly hasn’t immediately commented on speculation on his possibly joining the presidential ticket.
While relatively new to Capitol Hill — having been first elected in 2020 — the border state senator and former NASA astronaut has long been involved in national issues.
Kelly, 60, was born and raised in New Jersey with his twin brother, Scott. After graduating high school, he attended United States Merchant Marine Academy where he graduated in 1988 with highest honors.
Kelly became a U.S. Navy pilot and was deployed to Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. He flew 39 missions during the war, according to his service record. Scott Kelly was also deployed as a U.S. Navy pilot during the war, but operated on a different ship.
Kelly continued to serve as a Navy pilot following the war and in 1996 NASA selected him and his brother to be space shuttle pilots. During his 15-year NASA career, Mark Kelly logged in 54 days in space, including several missions to the International Space Station, according to his NASA records.
Kelly became closer to the world of Washington, D.C., politics after he married his second wife, Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords in 2007, just months into her first term. Kelly was at Giffords’ bedside after she was shot during an event with constituents in January 2011.
He would retire from NASA later that year as he helped his wife recuperate from her near-fatal wounds.
The couple became vocal gun control advocates and started a political action committee — Americans for Responsible Solutions — in 2013 which eventually evolved into the gun control non-profit Giffords. For years, Kelly would advocate for tighter gun control legislation including universal background checks, red flag laws and other measures.
Kelly, who is a gun owner, has worked with local, state and federal officials on this issue and backed candidates who shared those views.
In 2020, Kelly announced that he would get more involved in Washington and ran on the Democratic ticket for the special election that year for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat.
Kelly won the highly watched election with just roughly 78,000 votes, beating out Republican incumbent Martha McSally. The election helped Democrats gain power in the Senate.
Kelly would be reelected two years later, beating out Republican challenger Blake Masters with over 125,000 votes.
Since he joined the Hill, Kelly has positioned himself as a moderate Democrat who has been vocal on the issues.
Kelly continues to advocate for laws and policies that enact gun control, including universal background checks.
Last month, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that ruled a ban on federal ban on bump stocks was illegal, the senator vowed to introduce legislation that would make them illegal nationwide.
“Banning bump stocks is common sense. They make semi-automatic guns even deadlier, and as a gun owner and someone who knows personally the damage a gun can do, I will always support efforts to protect Americans from the most dangerous weapons and devices,” he said on a statement on his X page.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overruling Roe v. Wade guaranteeing nationwide access to abortion, Kelly has been pushing for abortion access for women both in Arizona, which has a ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and around the country. The state legislature repealed an Arizona State Supreme Court ruling that banned all abortions this year.
“Right now, as Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans, physicians are choosing not to come to our state and others are considering leaving, putting women’s lives at risk. We must write abortion rights into law to eliminate once and for all the catastrophic consequences of Roe v. Wade being overturned,” he said in a statement in May.
In the past, Kelly has criticized President Joe Biden over his policies on immigration, specifically ending Title 42, which allowed the U.S. to turn away asylum seekers during the pandemic.
“When the president decided he was going to do something dumb on this and change the rules that would create a bigger crisis, I told him he was wrong. So I pushed back on this administration multiple times,” Kelly said during a 2022 debate.
Kelly has been calling for more border agents and support in Arizona to handle the influx of migrants.
The senator commended Biden recently after the president issued an executive order in June that turned away migrants who cross illegally between ports of entry and try to claim asylum after seven consecutive days of more than 2,500 encounters.
“This doesn’t change the ability for individuals to come here and seek asylum,” Kelly said in an interview with PBS last month. “There will be pathways.”
Kelly chastised former President Donald Trump for calling on Republicans to block a bipartisan bill that would have addressed the migrant crisis.
“The politics of the presidential election superseded everything,” he told PBS. “To run away from a comprehensive piece of legislation that was going to help the Border Patrol, help CBP, [and] help communities in Southern Arizona and other states…I have never seen [it].”
(WASHINGTON) — After more than three years supporting President Joe Biden’s policy agenda as his deputy, Vice President Kamala Harris must articulate her own agenda for her presidential campaign — and the first term that could follow.
Since Biden announced on Sunday that he was leaving the 2024 race, Harris has secured commitments from enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee if they all honor their commitment when voting, according to ABC News reporting.
Now Harris — who ran well to the left of Biden during her unsuccessful presidential primary campaign in 2020, but has since become a loyal advocate of the administration’s policies — is taking on the challenge of establishing her own path forward and stance on key issues that matter most to voters as the November election approaches.
Her 2020 platform and some remarks from during her vice presidency offer a glimpse of a Harris presidency that could prove more progressive than Biden’s in several key areas.
Israel-Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, with Harris — who, as vice president, customarily presides over such proceedings — noticeably absent.
While Harris’ team has said her absence is merely the result of a scheduling conflict and the vice president will meet one-on-one with Netanyahu later this week, she has in recent months signaled that she may take a more stern approach to Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
In the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Harris was initially a strong supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas — knocking down a suggestion that the Biden administration might condition aid to the country in November, saying “we are not going to create any conditions on the support that we are giving Israel to defend itself.”
But by December, Harris began wading deeper into Middle Eastern diplomacy during a trip to Dubai for a United Nations climate conference where she also met with leaders from the region. During the trip, she took a more forceful tone with Israel than many other senior administration officials had done at the time, declaring “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed” and saying the administration believes “Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians.”
In a March address in Selma, Alabama, marking the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Harris called out Israel again — saying its government “must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid — no excuses” and calling on Israel to open border crossings and ensure humanitarian workers were not targeted.
In an interview published earlier this month in The Nation, Harris said young Americans protesting the war in Gaza are “showing exactly what the human emotion should be” and that while she “absolutely rejects” some of their statements, she understands “the emotion behind it.”
And she’s been vocal in her support of an at least temporary cease-fire, saying during her March speech in Selma that “given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire” for at least six weeks.
Harris doesn’t have a long-standing relationship with Netanyahu in the same way Biden does, but she met with Israel’s Benny Gantz at the White House while he was serving on the country’s war cabinet in March. She also met with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog earlier this year on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Abortion
Already the administration’s lead messenger on the central campaign issue of abortion rights, Harris has been consistently more boldly outspoken on the issue than Biden.
Before running for president in 2020, she went after crisis pregnancy centers as California attorney general and went viral for a line of questioning with then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, where she pressed him to name a single law that polices what men can do with their bodies.
Her 2020 platform included a proposal to pass a Reproductive Rights Act that would have taken affirmative steps to enforce Roe v. Wade, which the Supreme Court later overruled in 2022.
Since the Supreme Court’s decision affecting Roe, Harris has toured the country as bans went into place. She made history by being the first vice president to ever visit an abortion clinic in March — a move that demonstrated how loudly supportive of abortion rights she is — and delivered a fiery speech on then-GOP presidential candidate Ron Desantis’ home turf in Florida this spring when a six-week ban went into effect there.
She made it clear in her first rally on Tuesday that abortion rights would continue to be a central issue for her as a presidential candidate.
“We who believe in reproductive freedom will fight for a woman’s right to choose because one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do,” Harris said in a rally in Indiana on Wednesday, addressing the Zeta Phi Beta sorority.
That’s not to say Biden didn’t also make abortion rights a central tenet of his administration and campaign, said Mary Ziegler, a professor of law at University of California, Davis and abortion historian. However, she said, he was constrained by generational and religious differences that made Harris “the much more effective, passionate messenger on reproductive issues.”
Should Harris win in November, “I think there would be some differences in substance, really significant differences in tone, and then, maybe or maybe not, differences in outcome,” Ziegler said.
Outcomes — such as codifying Roe vs. Wade into law, going even further to also protect birth control or in-vitro fertilization, or pursuing further legal challenges to protect abortion rights — would depend primarily on how Democrats perform down the ballot in November and whether Harris has the opportunity to confirm any more justices to the Supreme Court.
Health care
In her remarks to campaign staff Monday, Harris said that her campaign will “fight to build a nation where every person has affordable health care.”
The Medicare for All plan that Harris proposed in 2020 would have covered all medically necessary services, including emergency room visits, doctor visits, vision, dental, hearing aids, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and comprehensive reproductive health care services. The plan had a 10-year transition period.
Under Harris’ plan, Americans would have had a choice between the public Medicare for All plan and plans from private insurers that would have had to adhere to strict Medicare requirements on costs and benefits.
To pay for the program, she proposed charging an additional premium to households making above $100,000 per year, with a higher income threshold for those in higher-cost-of-living areas.
In 2020, Biden called for a less ambitious “Medicare for all who want it” public option plan. However, according to Roll Call, he hasn’t mentioned that public option since December of 2020 — before he took office.
Biden also previously suggested he would veto a Medicare for All bill, arguing that it would raise taxes for the middle class.
But the vice president’s past policy differences with Biden may not mean all that much for a Harris presidency.
“I wouldn’t expect it to change at all [from Biden’s agenda],” David Barker, a professor of government at American University, said. “Until there’s some indication that that’s politically realistic, I don’t think anybody’s going to even try.”
Barker added that smaller changes, similar to the $35 price cap on insulin for seniors on Medicare in the Inflation Reduction Act, is “the way they’ll continue” in a Harris administration.
Criminal justice
While Harris faced sharp criticism from the left during the 2020 primary for her background as a prosecutor, her platform that year contained a slate of ambitious reforms to the criminal justice system aimed at ending mass incarceration and fighting racial inequities.
Harris’ platform advocated to legalize marijuana and expunge some marijiuana-related convictions; end cash bail and mandatory minimums; eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine; and stop the use of private prisons and the death penalty.
Her criminal justice plan also sought to increase the Department of Justice’s oversight of police departments and limit them from acquiring certain kinds of military equipment. In a clip that has been circulated by Republicans, she also advocated for restoring the right of formerly-incarcerated people to vote and automatically expunging non-serious, non-violent offenses after five years.
The Biden administration’s most significant action on criminal justice came when it took action on marijuana, reducing federal criminal penalties for offenses relating to the drug and pardoning those with criminal charges for simple possession of marijuana.
While Harris’ 2020 platform went well beyond Biden’s on criminal justice, her recent remarks make no indication that it will be a major theme of her campaign. The issue went unmentioned in her speech at the campaign’s Wilmington, Delaware, headquarters on Monday.