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Harris to court Republican voters in Philadelphia, Fox News events

U.S. flags stand on a vehicle with stickers supporting Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, on the day she attends a campaign event in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein 

Kamala Harris Targets Republican Voters in Pennsylvania as Election Nears

Harris Appeals to Republicans in Battleground Pennsylvania

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in the 2024 presidential race, will aim to broaden her appeal to Republican voters on Wednesday as she visits Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a key battleground. Harris will be accompanied by over 100 Republican supporters, including Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican Congressman and a prominent critic of Donald Trump. Kinzinger was a member of the House committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a focal point of Harris’ campaign efforts to distance Trump from moderate Republicans.

Harris, who currently leads Trump by a narrow margin of 46% to 43% in a recent Reuters poll, will emphasize Trump’s previous attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, which he lost to President Joe Biden. The Harris campaign sees this outreach as an opportunity to persuade voters who are disillusioned by Trump’s leadership to consider crossing party lines in the upcoming November 5 election.

Trump’s Competing Events and Republican Endorsements of Harris

In a parallel campaign effort, Trump will engage with voters on Wednesday through two town hall events. He is set to participate in one hosted by Univision and another on Fox News with an all-women audience, positioning himself to rally support across diverse voter bases.

Harris’ efforts to attract Republican voters have gained traction in recent weeks. Earlier this month, former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a vocal Trump critic and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, publicly encouraged voters to prioritize the nation over party and support Harris, arguing that Trump is unfit to lead.

Focus on Bucks County and Voter Turnout

Bucks County, located outside of Philadelphia, is a pivotal area where elections have historically been close. In the 2020 election, Biden won the county by approximately 17,000 votes, while in 2016, Hillary Clinton narrowly defeated Trump by under 3,000 votes. Harris’ visit to this politically crucial county comes as early voting has already begun, and her appearance is strategically timed to energize local voters.

The setting for her speech holds symbolic value, as it will take place near the site where George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War. The Harris campaign aims to invoke themes of national unity and historical patriotism as she speaks to a bipartisan audience.

Media Engagements and Expanding Reach

In addition to her appearance in Bucks County, Harris will be interviewed on Fox News. This engagement with a conservative-leaning network comes as Fox News continues to grapple with the fallout from a $787 million settlement it paid in 2023 to a voting machine company, following false claims of vote-rigging made by some of its hosts after the 2020 election. Harris’ appearance on Fox News represents an attempt to connect with more conservative-leaning voters and address concerns over election integrity.

Harris is also reportedly considering joining Joe Rogan’s podcast, a platform with millions of listeners from across the political spectrum. Rogan has previously made light-hearted comments about Harris’ debate performance, suggesting a “puppet master” might have been behind her success. Nevertheless, appearing on Rogan’s widely-followed show could provide Harris with an opportunity to reach independent voters and undecided men, a demographic that could be crucial in the final stretch of the campaign.

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