Vice President Kamala Harris visited Denver on Tuesday where she praised the Biden administration’s accomplishments, particularly on behalf of Latino voters, and called former President Donald Trump a threat to their interests.
The Colorado stop was part of a nationwide tour by Harris following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech last week. It also comes as the presidential general election slate is largely set — Trump vs. Biden again.
Harris’ appeal comes as polls indicate that some Latino voters are souring on Biden and turning to Trump.
She spoke in Denver’s River North Art District of accomplishments in reducing the costs of insulin and prescription drugs for seniors, canceling student loan debt and addressing gun violence.
On immigration, she said, “President Biden and I are fighting for a path to citizenship … and to make our immigration more orderly and humane.”
Then she turned to the recent failure of an immigration-border security compromise that died in the U.S. Senate because Republicans wouldn’t support the deal.
“Donald Trump told them not to because it is clear that while we want to fix a problem, they want to run on a promise” of fixing it in the future, Harris said.
“They got nothing else to run on,” she said to cheers.
“It’s on us … to recognize the threat he poses,” she said. “In this election, we each face the question, what kind of country do we truly want to live in? Do we want to live in a country of liberty, freedom and rule of law or a country of disorder, fear and hate? Each of us has the power to answer these questions in so many ways, including at the ballot box.”
Ana Temu Otting, owner of Broomfield’s Corazón Printing, said she’s excited to support the Biden-Harris campaign.
“We clearly know this time around that if we have Trump elected to the White House, our democracy and our foundation will be shaken,” she said at the event. “I want to make sure that we are protecting our future and our democracy and the progress that we’ve made so far.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters chanted outside the ReelWorks event center on Market Street in RINO, but Harris and her entourage entered via the alley behind the venue.
Before her speech and a private briefing at the venue, Harris dropped in at Ratio Beerworks, a 9-year-old brewery on Larimer Street. She met with the owners, Scott Kaplan and Jason zumBrunnen, and talked about the Paycheck Protection Program loans the company received during the pandemic ($526,000 in two loans that were forgiven).
Kaplan and zumBrunnen told Harris about how the street shut down during the pandemic and hasn’t reopened, and how the businesses formed a nonprofit to sponsor events.
“I love stopping by small businesses because … the people who run and own these businesses are really community leaders,” she told reporters outside the brewery. “They’re engaging in working with other nonprofits in a way that uplifts this entire area. It’s really very special.”
Harris left with a six-pack of Ratio’s King of Carrot Flowers Saison, as office workers across the street looked out their windows at the spectacle below.
“It’s actually an award-winning beer,” Harris said. “And it is actually made with carrots.”