Anita Dunn is often described as one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes figures in the Biden White House, but she's got a tough task with her latest assignment.
Dunn has been charged with revitalizing Vice President Kamala Harris's image ahead of the 2024 elections, per a CNN profile. Based on polling and the low-key performance of Harris to date, that may be easier said than done.
DOCKWORKER TALKS THREATEN BIDEN WITH ANOTHER TOUGH DECISION BETWEEN LABOR AND ECONOMY
"It’s no secret the vice president has trailed the president’s approval ratings consistently, and Biden’s ratings aren’t high," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "No doubt the eventual GOP nominee for the White House will use Biden’s age and point to Harris saying, 'You are really electing her.' So getting her approval numbers up would help Biden."
Dunn isn't well known outside of the Beltway, but she's half of one of the most powerful couples in Washington. She's the senior adviser to the White House behind many of its communications strategies, including "MAGA Republican" and the "Dark Brandon" meme, and is married to President Joe Biden's personal lawyer, Bob Bauer.
Dunn has served the Biden White House in a series of short-term assignments that controversially allow her to skirt disclosure and ethics laws. But the Biden administration's willingness to make these moves while trusting her with tough assignments speaks to the president's respect for her work.
Harris has often underwhelmed as vice president, with approval ratings lower than those of her boss, reports of frequent staff turnover, and a light schedule that includes many days with no public events. Though she appeared Monday by filling in at a White House event due to Biden's root canal, she has nothing on her schedule for Wednesday and Thursday of this week, will speak on climate change in Denver on Friday, then has a blank public schedule over the weekend.
Sabato says there's no one better or more experienced than Dunn, though the job won't be easy, and not just because of Harris-specific issues.
"I’ve heard this same complaint about every vice president we’ve had since the 1960s," he said. "It’s not a job that puts you out front unless the president has put you there intentionally, and even then, any vice president is seen as a derivative of the president. The job does not lend itself to full makeovers, which will be the main dilemma for Harris and Dunn."
Harris's favorability rating is 38.8% against a 54.5% unfavorability score, per the RealClearPolitics average, a worse favorability rating than Biden, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), and former President Donald Trump.
She was assigned to tackle the root causes of illegal immigration early in her term, with conservatives deriding her as Biden's "border czar" ever since. More recently, she began speaking frequently about abortion rights after the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, visiting more than a dozen states to discuss the issue ahead of a midterm cycle in which Democrats overperformed.
Rehabilitating her image will be crucial not just for Harris and her own political future but for Biden as well. Republican presidential candidates already are focusing on Harris and her unpopularity, wondering aloud if she's ready to take over for a president who would be 86 at the end of his second term.
"This uncertainly about Biden’s mental competence means Americans must consider the actual competency of the vice president," Nikki Haley wrote in a May 1 op-ed. "Kamala Harris is one of the most incompetent elected officials in the country. Her failures in foreign policy and managing the border are too numerous to mention — to say nothing of the word salad that defines her unscripted remarks."
According to the Washington Post, Dunn wants Harris to continue talking about abortion as well as infrastructure spending, which are far friendlier topics for Democratic voters than illegal immigration.
Saint Louis University law professor Joel Goldstein argues that Harris has actually been rather involved in the Biden White House but isn't getting credit for it.
"Harris has been a very active and visible spokesperson regarding a number of critical issues, such as reproductive rights, climate change, gun violence, and inclusivity, and yet some seem unaware of those important activities," Goldstein, who is an expert on the vice presidency, said. "And she has taken on significant international roles, such as speaking and engaging at the Munich conferences during her second and third years, her trip to Africa, three trips to Asia, yet many seem unaware of these activities or others like them."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The hosts of The View made similar observations in a recent episode, with some saying her unpopularity boils down to racism and sexism. While Goldstein doesn't necessarily promote that view, he thinks there's plenty of substance for Dunn to work with.
"Vice presidents by design spend time in White House meetings and other events that doesn't appear on their public schedules," he said. "They must strike a balance between public and internal activities by design, and it varies from week to week, but my impression is that Harris has spent more time than many in public activities."