Kansas Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton said this week he does not want former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigning for him, offering a blunt rejection when asked directly by a reporter.
MS NOW’s Peter Alexander pointed to Harris’s Tuesday appearance with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and asked Hamilton whether he would welcome a similar visit to Kansas.
“No, I would not,” Hamilton said. “No offense intended for her, but she would not be a help to me. We are a different kind of Democrat, and the national Democrats, some of the leaders do not represent where the people in Kansas are.”
Asked what he would say if Harris wanted to campaign with him anyway, Hamilton didn’t soften his answer.
“Please do not come to my state, I do not need you here. You would actually hurt me.”
The comment came a day after Harris appeared in Michigan for El-Sayed, who is running against Republican Mike Rogers in a competitive Senate race. During that event, Harris said twice that opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs amounted to an “attack on maternal care.” El-Sayed, who has previously called cuts to breast cancer research funding “disturbing,” appeared subdued standing beside her, and Harris did not appear to register his demeanor.
Hamilton’s response has drawn attention as a rare, unvarnished acknowledgment of the political distance some Democratic candidates in red states want to keep from Harris and the national party’s brand. Whether Hamilton would ultimately vote in line with national Democrats if elected is not established by his remarks; what he made clear is that he sees embracing Harris publicly, in this race, in Kansas, as a liability rather than an asset.
