At the RNC, GOP speakers target Kamala Harris as speculation grows over Biden dropping out

MILWAUKEE — The primary target of badgering during many of the speeches at the Republican National Convention hasn't been President Joe Biden - it's been his second-in-command.

Biden has been facing a wave of Democratic Party dissenters, but after news Wednesday night that he tested positive for COVID, just hours after saying a medical condition is the only thing that could pull him from the ticket, the attention increasingly has focused on Vice President Kamala Harris as his potential replacement.

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After former President Donald Trump picked U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, as his running mate Monday, the campaign released a statement saying they aren't able to commit to scheduling a vice presidential debate between Vance and Harris because of the current quandary over the Democratic ticket.

“We don’t know who the Democratic nominee for vice president is going to be," Brian Hughes, a Trump campaign senior adviser, said cheekily, "so we can’t lock in a date before their convention.”

Harris repeatedly took hits during high-profile Republican speeches in Milwaukee during the convention as speculation over her potential takeover grows, and the GOP strategy for winning in November evolves.

The Des Moines Register previously reported that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told the Iowa delegation at a meeting Wednesday morning that keeping Biden on the Democratic ticket is key to a smooth sailing Republican victory.

More:Democrats to hold off on early virtual nomination of President Biden amid party outcry

Polling from earlier this month showed Harris with better odds of beating Trump than Biden, though, not by much.

“I hope and pray that they don't take that nomination away from him,” DeSantis said. “We want him to be the Democratic nominee. And I will be rooting for him.”

Harris has remained loyal to Biden as calls for ending his campaign have mounted following his dismal debate performance last month.

Biden's 3,896 delegates are bound to vote for him at the Democratic National Convention next month, and he is the only one who can release them to vote for another candidate should he decide to step down and Biden has remained clear that he has no intention of doing so.

A little-known and unused clause of the party rules does allow delegates to change their vote if they believe they can't support Biden "in all good conscience."

The speculation is spurring Harris as Biden's presumptive replacement and pushing her name into microphones in the RNC's Fiserv Forum.

Kamala Harris pilloried in primetime takedowns

A thread between the first three nights of the RNC, all sporting different themes, blamed Harris for various Biden administration failures and made pointed digs throughout the primetime slots.

During Vance's nomination acceptance speech, the 39-year-old predictably took aim at the 81-year-old Biden's age while also drawing a contrast between himself and the 59-year-old Harris.

"Now, Joe Biden has been a politician in Washington for longer than I’ve been alive," Vance said. "Kamala Harris is not much further behind."

Former presidential candidate and Trump-administration U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley sneaked in a dig at the VP during her Tuesday night address.

“For more than a year, I said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for President Kamala Harris,” Haley said. “After seeing the debate, everyone knows it’s true. If we have four more years of Biden or a single day of Harris, our country will be badly worse off."

Minnesota Congressman and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who chairs Trumps campaign in the sought-after blue state, took to the stage Tuesday where he blamed Harris for the violence that erupted in Minneapolis following the police murder of George Floyd.

"When Minneapolis was in flames and businesses were in ruins, Kamala Harris encouraged and enabled the criminals and the rioters," Emmer said. "Donald Trump stands with the people and the police."

'I don't think it matters one bit'

Despite the on-stage attention to Harris, Republicans at the RNC in Milwaukee weren't particularly fazed by the Democratic chaos. When asked who they'd prefer Trump to run against in November, most said Biden. 

"He's a known entity," said Howell Shaw, an alternate delegate from Las Vegas, Nevada. "He's got so many foibles that I think it'd just be easier for people to understand there's a clear choice for president."

Still, Shaw said Harris has done a "terrible job" as vice president and predicts Trump would perform well against either candidate. But, if Democrats stick with Biden, it would allow Trump to maintain his current campaign strategy. 

Brent Bien doesn't think it makes a difference either way, he said. The Wyoming delegate said Trump's rapport with Republicans would be enough to beat either Biden or Harris.

"He's got a record to show what he's done for the country," Bien said. "I don't think it matters one bit."

Missouri delegate Angela Romine has felt a sense of unity among the party faithful at the convention, which she thinks will give Republicans a leg up on their competition regardless of the candidate.

"I don't think it would matter who runs against President Trump, if we're sitting behind him strong and united," Romine said.

— Sam Woodward is the Minnesota elections reporting fellow for USA TODAY. Melissa Brown is a state politics reporter with the Tennessean.