JD Vance says the quiet part out loud as he admits Harris replacing Biden was a ‘sucker punch’

Publicly, Vance has remained confident that Harris’s entry into the race will not change ‘the political calculus’

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance admitted to donors that Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket was a “political sucker punch.”

During a donor fundraiser in Golden Valley, Minnesota, on Saturday, Vance explained that defeating Harris would require a different strategy because she “does not have the same baggage” as Biden, according to a recording of his comments obtained by The Washington Post.

“All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch,” Vance said referring to Harris.

“The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might say, Kamala Harris is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did,” he added.

Vance’s private comments appear to be the first time the VP contender has recognized Harris has a much stronger campaign than Biden – one that could shake up the current political landscape.

Publicly, Vance has said differently, telling reporters on July 22, “I don’t think the political calculus changes at all.”

The Independent has reached out to a spokesperson for Vance for comment.

On the campaign trail, Vance has launched attacks against Harris, claiming she “lied” about Biden’s health before he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, criticizing her for supporting clean energy alternatives, failing to address and fix the border crisis and more.

Donald Trump has used similar rhetoric, telling CBS News that Harris is “no better” than Biden and “could be far less competent.”

Vance greets supporters at the Park Diner on July 28. While on the campaign, he has downplayed Harris entering the race, his private conversations paint a different picture. (Getty Images)

The Trump campaign has maintained a confident image since the Democratic candidate shake-up, pointing to polling that shows Trump polling ahead in key swing states.

In a statement provided to The Washington Post, a spokesperson for Vance said, “Poll after poll shows President Trump leading Kamala Harris as voters become aware of her weak, failed and dangerously liberal agenda. Her far-left ideas are even more radioactive than Joe Biden, particularly in the key swing states that will decide this election like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.”

Although Trump is polling ahead, since entering the race Harris has narrowed the gap between her and the Republican nominee. She has also pulled in more than $200 million in fundraising within the first week of her campaign.

With renewed enthusiasm, potential Democratic voters may be more motivated to vote in November – something Vance seems to acknowledge.