CLEVELAND — Although COVID-19 threw a curveball, it’s not stopping Sen. Kamala Harris from making an appearance in Cleveland before Election Day, the campaign announced.
On Friday, Harris had to cancel her planned trip to Ohio after her communications director and a flight crew member tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday night. The campaign says Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden hadn’t been in contact with them, but decided to cancel visits out of precaution. All of her trips have been canceled until late this week.
There’s no details yet on when Harris plans to visit, but when she does, it’ll be her first time rallying in the state as a running mate. She came to Cleveland once when she was running for president.
Her visit will come amid a tight race between President Donald Trump and Biden in Ohio. Trump won Ohio in 2016 by 8 points, but recent polls like FiveThirtyEight show Trump only has a 0.1-point lead above Biden — a common trend over the last few months. Since April, neither candidate has had more than a 3-point lead over the other in the Buckeye State.
Nationally, Biden is leading Trump by three points.
The visit comes as no surprise as the state has become a strong presence in the election. Each ticket has been making stops in different cities throughout the last two months, trying to garner as many voters in the swing state as possible.
Vice President Mike Pence plans to rally in Cincinnati at Lunken Airport Wednesday, which will make his third stop in Ohio since September. He held an event at Nickolas Savko & Sons in Columbus last Monday and held another event in Zanesville last month. Ivanka Trump visited Cincinnati on Friday.
Donald Trump Jr. plans to rally in Steubenville, Ohio Thursday at Bully Tools starting at 7:30 p.m., which is just an hour and a half before the final presidential debate. He also came to the state last month for an event in Lima.
Biden held two events in Toledo and Cincinnati last month. The candidates also faced off in a heated first presidential debate in Cleveland earlier this month.
It’s likely more visits will be planned in the state as the election nears. Some political strategists say although the state has decided who the president has been since the late 1800s, this race is just too close to call.
