REPORT: Warren and Harris at Odds, Refuse to Speak to One Another

Sen. Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts has attempted to apologize to Vice President Kamala Harris for her previous remarks, but Harris reportedly did not respond to Warren’s phone calls. The senator did not explicitly endorse Harris as President Joe Biden’s running mate in the 2024 election during a Boston Public Radio interview in January.

In the interview, Warren was asked if Harris should be Biden’s running mate if he seeks reelection in 2024. Warren said, “I really want to defer to what makes Biden comfortable on his team. I’ve known Kamala for a long time. I like Kamala. I knew her back when she was an attorney general and I was still teaching, and we worked on the housing crisis together, so we go way back. But they need — they have to be a team, and my sense is they are — I don’t mean that by suggesting I think there are any problems. I think they are.”

Warren’s comment has fueled accusations and misunderstandings between the two offices, with some in Harris’ circle feeling insulted. Some Democrats are concerned about Harris’ negative perception, with fears that it could impact the party’s future and turn voters away from the ticket.

CNN reported, “The Warren moment is infuriating many in Harris’ circle: To them, it’s the latest in a long string of snubs to a vice president whom they say has never gotten the respect or support she deserves. Warren’s words sting even more, they say, because they came from a former rival who in 2020 hoped to be picked as Biden’s running mate instead.”

The incident and its aftermath, different details of which were described to CNN by multiple people close to the Massachusetts senator and people close to the vice president, has fed an ongoing breakdown of accusations and purported misunderstandings.

“Pretty insulting,” is how one person close to Harris described the feelings of many in the vice president’s office and in her wider orbit.

Several people close to Warren said the senator was calling to explain her statement as purely a mistake – a fumbling, unintentional attempt to avoid stepping on a campaign announcement from the president. A spokesperson for Warren pointed to the statement the senator issued hours after the original interview clarifying what she said, and an additional person close to Warren cited a personal and political relationship that goes back to being the first senator to endorse Harris for Senate and said of her support, “she didn’t mean to imply otherwise.

“According to CNN’s conversations with three dozen leading Democrats, is fear that years of Harris negativity could now prove a political problem. Any running mate is a heartbeat away from the presidency, they say, but that’s a different proposition when the heart in question has been beating for more than 80 years.”

Harris has dismissed attacks on her and remains focused on improving the lives of the American people. Biden advisers have affirmed their commitment to Harris as a key player in the administration.

“Harris declined an interview request but has repeatedly dismissed attacks on her as ‘political chatter’ in interviews while saying she’s looking forward to another campaign and continuing to build out a partnership with Biden that has started to find its complementary rhythms” according to CNN.