California Senator-elect Adam Schiff said the “entire Democratic Party” is to blame for Vice President Kamala Harris’ election defeat as party leaders continue to point fingers over their colossal losses earlier this month.
In an interview on “Meet the Press” Sunday, host Kristen Welker played a clip of Schiff on her show a month prior to Election Day when he predicted that Harris would win “overwhelmingly.”
Asked now what Democrats got wrong, Schiff replied, “I think Joe Biden’s decision to step aside and pass the torch is the right decision. It gave us a chance to win, not a guarantee. I thought she could win. I thought she could win in all the battleground states.”
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Congressman Adam Schiff speaks at the “Just Majority” Burbank Press Conference on May 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Demand Justice)
Schiff said President-elect Donald Trump’s victory boiled down to an “anti-incumbent wave” in the U.S. “that took out both progressives and conservatives and our party became associated with the status quo.”
“That was too much to overcome. I think the principal issue is the economy,” he argued. “And over years and decades it has gotten more and more difficult for people working full-time to make a living. And until we resolve that challenge to the economy, we may find the presidency is easier to get than it is to keep.”
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Welker pressed further, asking Schiff whether he agreed with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who blamed President Biden for costing the party the election by failing to drop out of the race sooner.
Schiff deflected, arguing instead that Democrats have to make a new case to the American public who no longer feel the party represents their interests.
“Senator-elect, do you believe that President Biden bears some responsibility for staying in too long?” Welker pressed again.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a concession speech after the 2024 presidential election, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
“Look, I think the entire Democratic Party bears the responsibility,” Schiff retorted.
“Myself included. And the former president…they mounted an effective campaign. You have to give them credit for that. The challenge we have is we need to put forward a bold vision of how we’re going to move the economy forward, make the economy work for every American. To me, the existential question is if you, working hard in America, can you still earn a good living and too many people doubt that that’s possible.”
Democrats have spent the days following Trump’s resounding victory casting blame at different factions of the party for Harris’ stunning loss. Some have blamed Biden for staying in the race as long as he did, while others said Harris was to blame for covering up Biden’s mental decline. Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders pinned blame for the loss on the Democratic Party for “abandoning” the working class.
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Other Democrats and insiders pointed to former President Barack Obama for the loss, after Obama reportedly worked in the background over the summer to encourage Biden’s ouster from the race. Some media pundits blamed the Democratic Party’s shift away from blue-collar, middle class voters for the loss with others warning that the party’s embrace of “woke” progressive ideologies likely cost them the election.
Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.