Two prominent Black female activists, who have pledged to vigorously support Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid for the presidency, could stir controversy among her “White women for Kamala” base due to their past incendiary remarks reported by Fox News. Cora Masters Barry, an appointee of Democrat D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Melanie Campbell, leader of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, have frequently engaged with Harris and her team, visiting the White House over 50 times combined during the Biden administration.
In a public Zoom call just before Biden and Harris took office in 2021, Barry and Campbell made controversial comments about Trump supporters and White voters, specifically White women. Such rhetoric could lead to friction within the Harris campaign as it strives to unite various voter groups ahead of the November election.
‘Unity’ in Question
The tension comes despite Harris’s recent calls for unity. Barry and Campbell’s comments, captured on video, included Barry’s blunt dismissal of White women voters. “We have to change our strategy. We got to get our people. They got their people. They got all the trailer parks all covered,” Barry said. “All them people up in West Virginia and the hills, they’re covered. They got them all the way there to Wall Street.”
Barry didn’t hold back on her disdain for White women voters, saying, “[Trump] did that, and we’re sitting here talking about the White women. F— the White women– excuse me – forget the White women. They’re going to do what the White men tell them to do,” eliciting laughter and applause from Campbell.
Fundraising Efforts at Stake
Recently, 164,000 White women participated in a Zoom call organized by Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts and other female celebrities, raising millions for Harris’s campaign. However, Barry and Campbell’s past comments could potentially alienate this crucial fundraising group, complicating efforts to build a broad coalition.
Barry’s remarks didn’t stop at White women; she also took aim at Trump supporters, likening them to the Ku Klux Klan. “I’m not saying everyone who voted for Trump is wearing a white sheet, but they got one in their closet, and it comes out when we start messing with the economic value or the balance of power,” she said.
Internal Campaign Challenges
As Harris’s team looks to navigate these internal challenges, the pressure is on to maintain a unified front while addressing the inflammatory rhetoric of key supporters. Whether this will impact Harris’s broader appeal and voter mobilization efforts remains to be seen.
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