Harris puts her Biden balancing act on display in Pennsylvania

Kamala Harris doesn’t want Joe Biden’s baggage. But she’s also counting on him to help her win the election.

That’s nowhere more apparent than in Pennsylvania, the critical battleground where Biden spent his childhood. Even as working-class voters here continue to blame the president for high prices — and breathe a sigh of relief that a wizened Biden is no longer on the ballot — many still view him as “Union Joe.”

For Harris, who appeared with Biden at a campaign stop here Monday, deploying Biden represents both an opportunity and a risk. Biden remains an unpopular president, and Republicans are seizing on her position in his administration to convince voters that Harris would be Biden 2.0 if elected. In a nod to that political reality, Harris isn’t expected to campaign with Biden every weekend or plaster images of him across every ad.

But Harris’ team is still planning to deploy Biden strategically, particularly in Pennsylvania and other Rust Belt swing states where he retains the most appeal.