Long-simmering conflicts between , Philadelphia ‘s , Democratic Party chair and Vice President , Kamala Harris ‘ , presidential campaign erupted in people after her loss on Wednesday.
As , Democrats , across the position were processing Harris ‘ defeat by previous President , Donald Trump, former , U. S.  , Rep.  , Bob Brady, the group head since 1988, unleashed a stream of blame on the Harris plan.
He questioned whether Harris may have replaced President , Joe Biden , on the seat, speculated Gov.  , Josh Shapiro , would have been a better pick for a running mate, and claimed the campaign did n’t respect ward leaders or give him a meeting with the vice president.
Brady criticized the Harris plan for paying just about “half” of the income the city council requested for its get-out-the-vote initiative because of money being a problem. Those funds, otherwise known as” street money”, are used to pay committee members to get out the vote.
He also said the campaign “did n’t show us any respect”, saying,” I never talked to the lady, and she’s the candidate”.
Harris ‘ strategy responded quickly. A Harris battle director provided a picture to The Inquirer of Brady alongside Harris and her going partner,  , Minnesota , Gov.  , Tim Walz.
And the plan quickly criticized Brady, who has faced his own reviewers about his ability to turn out , Democrats , in the area.
Brendan McPhillips, a top adviser to the Harris campaign in , Pennsylvania, said in a statement that the vice president’s team “knocked more than two million gates in the weekend leading up to , Election Day, which is two million more windows than , Bob Brady ‘s , business may claim to have knocked during his entire career as party chair”.
McPhillips added:” If there’s any immediate takeaway from , Philadelphia ‘s , turnout this cycle, it is that Chairman Brady’s decades-long practice of fleecing campaigns for money to make up for his own lack of fundraising ability or leadership is a worthless endeavor that no future campaign should ever be forced to entertain again”.
In the face of an unprecedented campaign, McPhillips argued that the Harris campaign staff and volunteers” should be applauded for their efforts, and they will undoubtedly be the ones who are going to dust themselves off and return to work.”
Some city , Democrats , had criticized the campaign about a month ahead of , Election Day, saying it was n’t working closely enough with local leaders, but presidential campaigns often run independently of the party apparatus, and the consternation was largely quiet in the immediate lead-up to the election.
With results in, though, Brady was quick to blame the campaign.
Arms crossed defiantly in the Democratic City Committee headquarters, where ward leaders gathered to nosh on pizza and “lick their wounds” Wednesday, Brady pointed to the empty conference room where he said Democratic nominees from , Bill Clinton , to , Joe Biden , all came to pay their respects in person.
” Obama, Biden all came to say’ hi’ to the ward leaders, that means something. They never showed up”, Brady said. It’s not that I have egos, but it demonstrates the disrespect we do deserve.
The Harris campaign had an expansive operation in , Philadelphia, with several campaign offices in the city, and spent more ad dollars here than in any state, a bulk of it in the pricey , Philadelphia , media market. Harris visited , Philadelphia , 15 times.
As city chair, Brady responded,” We did everything we could with the limited resources we had, and people just rejected her and voted for him.”
Asked if he would remain in the post he has had for 36 years, Brady said that he’s” not going anywhere” and that he had n’t heard any calls for him to give up the post.
” I’m not getting any backlash”, Brady said from the weekly “pizza with the chair” gathering. He said the Harris campaign invited him to an afternoon meeting of Democratic leaders in , Washington , on Wednesday. ” Not a chance”, Brady said of going. ” I never even met with the lady”.
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