Campaign

Rove: Democrats falling ‘in line’ and in love’ with Harris

Karl Rove smiles as he looks off to the side.
Susan Walsh, Associated Press
Karl Rove arrives at the National Cathedral in Washington.

Republican strategist Karl Rove said Tuesday that Democrats are falling “in line” and “in love” with Vice President Harris at the Democratic National Convention.

Rove contrasted the two major parties, saying the GOP generally will fall in line behind a nominee and that Democrats will normally fall in love with a candidate. But this case was different, he explained.

“No, this is normally what Republicans do, is fall in line. But Democrats normally fall in love, and they’re doing both this time around,” Rove said on Fox News when asked if he’s seen anything like this before, speaking about the first night of the Democratic National Convention.

Rove said this doesn’t mean Harris is a lock for the presidency.

He warned that inflation and the economy could hurt Harris’s campaign. She unveiled her economic agenda earlier this month, including proposing a federal ban on price gouging.

“Bidenomics, we were given a year and a half of, ‘Things are better than you think they are, and we’ve done a good job.’ And that grates on the ordinary American,” he said.

“But saying ‘things are better than you think they are, and we’ve done a great job,’ is [when] the American people say, ‘Uh-uh, you created this, and I’m still adjusting to the fact that I’m spending a lot more and my paycheck ain’t keeping up with it,’” he added.

He also said Bidenomics was a “terrible label,” noting that “if you got a lousy product, do not put your name on it.”

Rove’s comments came before the second day of the convention started Tuesday. On the first day of the convention, Democrats heard from key speakers, including a surprise appearance from Harris.

“Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation and for all you continue to do,” the vice president said on stage. “We are forever grateful to you.”

President Biden also delivered the keynote speech at the end of Monday night, passing the torch to his vice president as he grew emotional following a warm reception from the crowd.

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee for president, also delivered a speech Monday.

Tags 2024 presidential election Hillary Clinton Joe Biden Kamala Harris Karl Rove

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