Emhoff in Las Vegas: Harris 'stepped up' in whirlwind situation for Democrats

In a cramped campaign field office in Henderson on Thursday afternoon, second gentleman Doug Emhoff compared the 2024 presidential election cycle to a television show with a fast-paced plot.

Emhoff said he wanted to pause to reflect upon all that his spouse Vice President Kamala Harris accomplished in about two months. He lauded Harris stepping up to the presidential candidacy, officially securing the nomination and debating Republican nominee former president Donald Trump on Tuesday night.

“We faced an unprecedented moment in American politics, something that had never happened before, maybe never will,” Emhoff said in regards to President Joe Biden dropping his reelection bid. “At that time, we needed a leader. We needed somebody to step up and Kamala Harris stepped up and met that moment.”

Emhoff’s visit to the Silver State came on the first day of Harris’ and running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s “New Way Forward Tour,” which seeks to rally voters in key battleground states, like Nevada.

“(I was) telling everyone she is ready; she’s going to be ready. She’s going to look him in the eyes. She smells weakness. She can see a coward,” Emhoff said of Tuesday’s debate. “I guess I was right.”

Speaking for a little more than 20 minutes, Emhoff said it was important to stay focused ahead of the election, even if polls place Harris-Walz ahead of Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.

“We basically have to vote in numbers that erase any doubt to overwhelm any effort to suppress us,” Emhoff said, quoting advice from former first lady Michelle Obama. “Why? Because that’s what they’re going to try to do.”

The second gentleman shared that he believes much of what comes from their Republican opponents is meant to “distract,” from policy-oriented conversations, like the recent erroneous claims that migrant communities are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

“By the way, that’s pure racism. It’s racist. It’s wrong,” Emhoff added.

After Emhoff’s departure, volunteers began setting up tables to prepare for an afternoon of phone banking for the campaign.

Reed Bible, a Henderson resident and retired attorney from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, has been volunteering for the campaign since May. He emphasized the importance of voting for Democratic candidates at the state and local level, pointing to the U.S. Senate race between U.S. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Republican challenger Sam Brown and the state Senate race between Jennifer Atlas and Republican incumbent Carrie Buck in District 5.

“It’s a lot of work. That heat out can be a killer sometimes, but we’re willing to do that,” Bible said. “Because we know that we need to have somebody like Kamala Harris back in the White House, and we need to give her a Democratic Congress so we can get something done.”

Atlas spoke at Thursday’s event, also signaling the importance of every race listed on November’s ballot.

“Every single race matters because we are all fighting for health care, for education; our fundamental rights are all on the line,” Atlas said.

Emhoff’s visit fell the day before Trump’s rally today in Las Vegas that focus on the economy.

Republicans said that Emhoff “stood on the sidelines for four years of failure,” under the Biden-Harris administration.

“In November, Americans will vote to restore our country and send President Trump back to the White House,” wrote RNC Nevada State Communications Director Halee Dobbins in an email to the Sun.