Maine Dems call Harris a ‘fighter’ while GOP calls her ‘too extreme’
Joe Biden’s selection of Sen. Kamala Harris to be his running mate is making waves in Maine.
Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra released a statement praising the choice, describing Sen. Harris as a “fighter,” calling her the right person for the role.
Maine’s GOP chair Dr. Demi Kouzounas also released a statement calling Sen. Harris is “too extreme for Maine.”
“He looked for a partner. He got his fighting partner. And she’s going to take the fight to Donald Trump and Mike Pence, you can be sure of that,” said Spencer Thibodeau, a Portland City Councilor and senior Maine advisor for Biden Campaign.
Thibodeau says the selection taps into the same excitement he felt voting for the first time in 2008 for then-candidate Obama.
“I can only imagine what my sister thinks or that young girl on the playground, super excited about the next Vice President of the United States,” said Thibodeau.
Some on the left question if Harris, former attorney general of California, is best suited for the moment considering the growing calls for police reforms and ongoing demonstrations with the Black Lives Matter movement.
UNE professor Jeanne Hey says it’s possible some Democrats will perceive Harris as being out of step with calls for police reform.
“She did take a fair amount of criticism for that during the primary. I think a lot of that came from Bernie Sanders voters,” said Hey.
Maine GOP Chair Dr. Demi Kouzounas said, in part, “From pushing the Green New Deal, to abolishing private health insurance, and comparing law enforcement officials to the KKK, it has become as clear as ever that the left-wing mob is controlling Biden’s candidacy, just like they would control him as president.
Policy aside, Hey says Harris being the first Black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket is historically significant. Thibodeau agrees.
“We should take a moment and breathe it in and celebrate it,” said Hey.
“I can’t wait to see what shakes out the next 85 days,” said Thibodeau.
Andrew Mahaleris, RNC Deputy Communications Director for Maine and New Hampshire, says adding Harris makes it “the most radical ticket in history.”
Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra says Mainers will be key to electing Kamala Harris as the first woman Vice President.