Philly Democratic Chair Bob Brady slams Kamala Harris campaign after loss to Trump

Hours after Donald Trump’s victory winning Pennsylvania and the White House, Philadelphia Democratic Chair and former congressman Bob Brady slammed Kamala Harris’ campaign, claiming their lack of communication with him and his organization contributed to her loss.

“I would’ve liked to see the Harris campaign – especially the national campaign – coordinate with us a little bit. Talk to us a little bit. Give us a little bit more resources. Show us some respect. Didn’t happen,” he told NBC10 on Wednesday. “They were just elitist and went out there, did their own thing and didn’t include Democratic city committee or (ward leaders) or committee people. They just didn’t do it.”

Brady said Harris’ short campaign made it all the more important for her to reach out to him and other Philly-area Democrats.

“Don’t you want to go to the people that have a proven record that know how to do this stuff and can help you along with it? Didn’t happen,” he said.

Brady also criticized Harris’ star-studded election eve rally outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art for its road closures and late hour.

“You don’t want to hurt other people going to and from work,” he said.

Brady said previous Democratic nominees Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton all worked hand and hand with him during their presidential campaigns.

“They talked to us. They said, ‘What do we need to do?’ The Harris campaign never talked to us,” Brady said.

With 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania was considered one of the most critical swing states in the presidential election. It was ultimately Trump winning Pennsylvania that put him on the path to victory. Votes from heavily Democratic Philadelphia can help Democrats win in statewide races.

While Harris won Philadelphia, as of late Wednesday afternoon she received a total of 547,729 votes, which is lower than Biden’s final total in the city in 2020. Also as of late Wednesday afternoon, voter turnout was at 62.89% in Philadelphia, which is lower than the 2020 turnout as well. Brady’s team believes when all the votes are counted, the total number of voters who participated will be similar to 2020. He also told NBC10 that Philly Democrats worked hard to turn out votes.

“We pulled out the margins,” he said. “We did as much as we can.”

When asked whether Democrats in the city hold responsibility for the turnout, Brady talked about Harris' relatability.

“I don’t think that the Democrats that live in the city related to her,” he said. “And I don’t know why. I don’t know whether there was an elitist factor out there. I don’t know why she didn’t talk to them.”

Brady, a longtime friend of President Biden, also said he was unhappy with how Biden was treated and the circumstances around the switch at the top of the ticket. Biden had announced the decision over the summer following concerns over his health as well as a badly received performance during his debate with Trump.

“For one bad debate? Obama had a bad debate. Fetterman had a horrible debate. And he did public appearances after that and was fine,” Brady said.

Brendan McPhillips, a spokesperson for the Harris’ campaign, responded to Brady’s comments on Wednesday.

“The Pennsylvania for Harris team knocked more than two million doors in the weekend leading up to Election Day, which is two million more doors than Bob Brady’s organization can claim to have knocked during his entire tenure as party chairman,” McPhillips wrote. “No serious person can say they have an answer to what caused nationwide trends in the electorate less than 24 hours after polls closed. If there’s any immediate takeaway from Philadelphia’s turnout this cycle, it is that Chairman Brady’s decades-long practice of fleecing campaigns for money to make up for his own lack of fundraising ability or leadership is a worthless endeavor that no future campaign should ever be forced to entertain again. The thousands of dedicated staff and volunteers on the Harris campaign should be applauded for their efforts in the face of an unprecedented campaign, and will no doubt be the ones who are going to dust themselves off and get back to work.”

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