A former communications aide to Vice President Kamala Harris thinks one Republican is a major threat to her vice presidency.
Ashley Etienne, who served as Harris’ communications director in 2021, told CNN on Friday that she believes Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) is an “incredible debater” and could be the “greatest threat” in the upcoming election.
“I think JD Vance would pose the greatest threat [to] Kamala Harris, in some respects. I mean he’s an incredible debater,” Etienne told CNN. “I think he has this quality that makes him seem palpable to that one to two percent that actually might vote or that is undecided, that will actually pay attention to the debates because most people don’t pay attention to the debates.”
Etienne, who also served as deputy assistant to President Biden after his 2020 victory, said Vance is “super smart,” “quick-witted” and could pose a threat to Harris on the debate stage.
“I think he’s just got a quality about him where he’s super smart and sharp and quick-witted. I just think it’s going to be a challenge to see the two of them face-to-face. I mean, maybe it’s just me, but I think he’s going to be the greatest threat,” she said.
According to Fox News, after serving as a Marine in the Iraq War, Vance moved to San Francisco to work as a venture capitalist in the tech industry.
“JD has a Rolodex of Silicon Valley contacts that very few Republican figures can get to. And he put some of those to use on behalf of [Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Ohio Bernie] Moreno,” a source in Vance’s political orbit previously told Fox News.
Vance is on Trump’s shortlist for vice president along with several other top Republican contenders. However, Fox News recently revealed that the first-term senator was one of only three from the candidate pool who had vetting documents requested from Trump’s campaign team.
