Vice President Harris has been central to several major political debates and national conversations in recent weeks, giving her an important platform as she and President Joe Biden prepare to campaign for reelection.
Harris became the most senior official in the Biden administration to visit Africa when she traveled to the continent late last month.
Last week, she hastily arranged a trip to Nashville after two black Democrats were expelled from the state legislature for participating in protests about gun violence.
And Harris once again found herself a leading voice in the administration’s defense of reproductive rights, with a judge striking down a popular abortion drug and banning the procedure in Florida after six weeks of pregnancy.
David Thomas, a Democratic Strategist and former aide to former Vice President Al Gore, explained being “thrilled” to see Harris making headlines for those two issues in recent weeks.
Thomas added that the Harris spotlight makes sense because the Democrats will refocus on the campaign trail.
The Democratic Strategist continued, noting how “guns and abortion” are big contrasts between Democrats and Republicans.
The Vice President stepped into the foreign political spotlight late last month when she traveled to Tanzania, Ghana, and Zambia as part of a week-long trip to Africa.
Harris’ presence was intended to reaffirm the Biden administration’s commitment to the continent, supported by billions of dollars in government and private investment to strengthen women’s economic opportunities and efforts to adapt to a changing climate.
The trip also took on a personal dimension for Harris, the first African-American woman to serve as Vice President.
After touring Ghana’s old slave trading post, Harris made somber remarks about the need to remember and learn from history.
Upon her return to the United States, Harris quickly found herself at the center of a major national story when she flew to Nashville on short notice to meet with the “Tennessee Three,” a trio of state legislators forced out because of protests about gun violence on the state House floor following a deadly school shooting.
