WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her 105-day sprint to Election Day outside of Milwaukee on Wednesday, basking in having consolidated support in the Democratic Party. Behind the scenes, her team has been trying to quickly set up a campaign to match.
Three sources told NOTUS that Harris’ allies are trying to recruit Jim Messina, the architect and manager of former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.
Messina, who has been a vocal supporter of Biden’s during his reelection campaign, was approached by Harris allies about a senior role, though the exact duties he would have weren’t immediately made clear to NOTUS. Messina declined to comment.
Harris’s campaign denied that Messina is under consideration: “This is not happening,” a campaign spokesperson told NOTUS.
Harris’ team is in contact with another longtime Obama adviser, David Plouffe, NOTUS confirmed. The outreach campaign is a sign that top Harris aides are looking to bolster the vice president’s senior staff with more experienced operatives.
Of course, Harris isn’t starting from scratch. She has taken over Biden’s robust campaign operation, without making major changes. She announced during a visit to the campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, that she had asked Jennifer O’Malley Dillion to stay on as campaign co-chair and for Julie Chávez Rodriguez to remain campaign manager. Campaign staff were also told they would continue in their positions.
In just over a day after Biden’s withdrawal, Harris had amassed enough verbal commitments from delegates to win the Democratic nomination. She raised more than $100 million after launching her candidacy, according to the campaign.
“I am told as of this morning that we have earned the support of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination,” Harris said enthusiastically in Wisconsin. “I pledge to you I will spend the coming weeks continuing to unite our party so that we are ready to win in November.”
If Messina and Plouffe accept roles on the campaign, they could be in place before Harris picks a running mate. Multiple vetting requests have gone out to potential candidates, two sources familiar with the process told NOTUS. Among the most serious contenders at the moment is Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly are also reportedly under consideration.
In Milwaukee, surrounded by the full force of the state’s top Democrats, including Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Gov. Tony Evers — who have both endorsed her— it was Harris’ party.
The Harris campaign told reporters that 3,000 people attended the vice president’s first rally in the high school gym in Milwaukee’s suburbs — an event reminiscent of pre-COVID-19 rallies.
The loudest applause came when she used her prosecutorial background to pin former President Donald Trump on his multiple felony convictions, a line she previewed Monday in Wilmington.
“In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds: predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain,” she said, to chants of ‘lock him up’ from the crowd. “So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type. In this campaign, I promise you, I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week.”
One person close to Harris said her campaign is “building the plane while we’re flying.” Over the next few months, she will have to answer to some of the most divisive issues in her party, like the war in Gaza and the Biden economy.
But already attendees, who ranged from Wisconsin residents to local politicians and political operatives, told NOTUS that they were immediately struck by the difference in energy in the room compared to Biden’s events.
“I think she’s exciting. I think she’s going to energize the campaign,” said Carol Wolcott, a woman in her mid-60s, who attended Tuesday’s rally. “I think people were really depressed about Biden after his debate performance. It was evident that he was old.”
Alderman Ray Turner of West Allis said he was surprised at how quickly Democrats coalesced around Harris following Biden’s exit. “I am very happy to see that I was wrong, that it didn’t take much time and that the delegates understood that we have to win this election to keep our country safe.”
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Jasmine Wright is a reporter at NOTUS.