Southwest
Focus group of voters offer ‘brutal’ take of VP Harris: Not ‘someone I want running my country’
Multiple voter focus groups in Arizona have weighed in on Vice President Harris ahead of the November election, and their responses reinforced the notion that she’s an unpopular candidate, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times.
Days after Harris spoke in Arizona on April 12, the political group “Republican Voters Against Trump” invited the outlet to view videos of interviews with three different voter focus groups: one of former Trump 2016 voters who voted for Biden in 2020, one of Black voters who are disappointed with Biden, and another of “California Democrats.”
The Times reported the crossover voters’ views, stating, “Their assessments were brutal. If she is helping Biden, you don’t see it. She rubs me the wrong way. She was picked because she is a demographic. The big things she had, she failed.”
HARRIS TO GIVTION OF ‘WHAT A SECOND TRUMP TERM LOOKS LIKE’ DURING ARIZONA CAMPAIGN STOP
The L.A. Times recently reported on voter focus groups viewing Vice President Kamala Harris unfavorably. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Gunner Ramer, the political director of Republican Voters Against Trump, summed up the views to the Times, saying, “Swing voters don’t like her.”
The other two groups, while less antagonistic towards Harris, were not complimentary of her. “In a focus group of Black voters who were disappointed with Biden, none raised their hand in support of Harris, with one participant calling her ‘the bad news bear,’” the report noted.
It added, “A focus group of California Democrats, while they liked Harris, had to be prompted to discuss her and said she needed more influence and exposure.”
These views of Harris are not surprising considering she is even less popular than even President Biden and former President Trump, two historically unpopular presidents.
USA Today and Suffolk University polling from last month recorded that around 52% of registered voters disapprove of her performance as vice president. Additionally, only 36% of those surveyed say she is handling the job well, with 10% undecided.
Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos claimed in USA Today’s report that Harris’ unpopularity will be a big talking point during this election.
“Usually, it’s a secondary and muted discussion about vice presidents. This time, it’s going to be almost a parallel and loud discussion in comparison,” he said.
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS ATTENDS CELEBRATION BOWL IN SUPPORT OF ALMA MATER: ‘IT WAS A GOOD GAME’
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a “First In The Nation” campaign rally at South Carolina State University on February 02, 2024 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The L.A. Times described how “Harris has heard the criticism since she entered the White House” and “stepped up her appearances with core Democratic groups” in response.
This campaign cycle, the vice president has leaned into championing abortion rights. Late last year, she kicked off her Fight for Our Reproductive Freedoms Tour, touring the nation to galvanize Biden voters over the issue of reproductive freedom.
The L.A. Times noted that Harris’ allies “believe her role as the administration’s leading voice on abortion rights will boost her and the Democratic ticket on an issue that helped carry the party to unexpected success in the 2022 midterm elections.”
However, the outlet noted that even though she spoke out in Tucson earlier this month in response to the state Supreme Court upholding an 1864 abortion ban, focus group voters didn’t notice.
“Several voters said in interviews in Phoenix on Monday that they were not aware Harris was in their state just a few days ago, underscoring the challenge of getting attention as a vice president in an era of information overload.”
During one of the focus group interviews, Black Democratic voter Tracey Sayles said, “If she is coming for us, she doesn’t show it.”
Other voters ripped Harris as well. Retired military member Jeff Garland, who voted Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, declared, “But from what I have seen of her, she doesn’t look like someone I want running my country.”
President Biden and Vice President Harris. (Getty Images)
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The Biden/Harris campaign views it differently. Campaign communications director Brian Fallon told the outlet that the vice president “has proven to be a highly effective messenger on issues from reproductive freedom to gun violence prevention,” and that she is “uniquely positioned to mobilize critical groups across the Biden-Harris coalition, including both progressives and independents.”
The Biden campaign did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Los Angeles, Ca
LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.
Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.
On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.
Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.
Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.
“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.
The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.
Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.
Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.
Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.
Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.
Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.
The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.
“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.
“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”
The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.
At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.
Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.
The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.
Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.
Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.
Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.
They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.
Los Angeles, Ca
Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
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