Vice President Kamala Harris is refusing to answer phone calls from Sen. Elizabeth Warren after the Massachusetts Democrat suggested President Joe Biden could pick a different vice presidential candidate for his 2024 campaign, CNN reported.
Harris and Warren, who suggested during a January radio interview that Biden do whatever makes him "comfortable" regarding his VP pick, have been embroiled in an "ongoing breakdown of accusations and purported misunderstandings," according to the report. Warren has tried to call Harris to explain her comment was merely a mistake, but the Massachusetts lawmaker has only managed to reach Harris's chief of staff Lorraine Voles, according to CNN.
Warren's remark was "pretty insulting," a source close to Harris told the outlet. Warren issued a statement soon after the interview claiming she "didn't mean to imply" Harris might not be on the 2024 ticket.
"I fully support the President’s and Vice President’s re-election together," Warren said in January.
The row is the latest example of discord in Harris's office, which has hemorrhaged employees over the last two years. Many Democrats believe Harris is unlikely to win a general election if Biden steps aside or is unable to run. One House Democrat told Politico that minority lawmakers will have to speak out against Harris because white Democrats are afraid of being labeled racist if they criticize her.
"The Democrats who will need to speak out on her are from the Congressional Black Caucus, no White member is going to do it," the member said.
More than a dozen Democratic leaders anonymously told the Washington Post they are concerned about Harris's political future.
Politico asked "nearly a dozen Democratic governors" if they thought Harris should receive the party's nomination if Biden doesn't run, reporting that "the voluble bunch grew quiet."
"I don't think we're going to go there on that one," New Jersey governor Phil Murphy told the outlet.
When asked about her unpopularity among Democrats, Harris dismissed it as "political chatter."
Harris's average approval rating of 41.9 percent is 2 points lower than Biden's, according to FiveThirtyEight.