The Dirty Little Secret of 2024: GOP Senators Have a Soft Spot for Kamala Harris

Not even partisan politics in a presidential election can pierce the chumminess and collegiality of the U.S. Senate.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event in Elkins Park, Pa., May 8, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. Matt Rourke/AP

Senate Republicans say they’re worried Kamala Harris will allow in an unlimited number of immigrants, send grocery prices skyrocketing and generally doom America if she’s elected president.

But for those who got to know her during the now-vice president’s stint in the Senate, she’s also “smart,” “engaging” and “personable.”

“I always found her pleasant to deal with,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who overlapped with her on the Senate Judiciary Committee.