Kamala Harris vows "we will move forward" in speech to teacher's union

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday painted the upcoming election as a choice between "two different visions" for the country, one focused on the future and one focused on the past, in remarks delivered to the American Federation of Teachers in Houston, Texas.

Harris' address to the teacher's union, which has 1.8 million members nationwide, comes as she crisscrosses the country in the wake of launching her presidential campaign, with stops in Indianapolis and Milwaukee earlier this week. Her remarks to the AFT comes as she seeks to energize core constituencies following President Biden's decision to drop out of the race for president.

Mr. Biden swiftly endorsed Harris after dropping out of the race, and she has racked up support from major Democratic figures and the party's congressional leaders, as well as more than 40 state delegations that will cast their votes for the Democratic presidential nominee early next month.

"Today we face a choice between two very different visions for our nations, one focused on the future and the other focused on the past," Harris said. "And we are focused on the future."

The vice president laid out her agenda should she win the White House, which includes passing legislation to ban so-called assault weapons, safeguarding voting rights and protecting abortion access. Harris lambasted her Republican opponents — without mentioning former President Donald Trump by name — for what she characterized as efforts to take the country backward.

"We are not going back. No," she said. "We will move forward."

Harris zeroed in on Project 2025, the presidential transition project overseen by the Heritage Foundation that includes a sprawling policy guide to overhaul the federal government. Though Trump has sought to distance himself from the initiative, many former officials who worked in his administration contributed to its agenda.

"In this moment, we are in a fight for our most fundamental freedoms," she said. "And to this room of leaders, I say bring it on. Bring it on. Bring it on."

Her comment prompted chants of "bring it on" from attendees.

"Ours is a fight for the future and ours is a fight for freedom," she said. "In this moment across our nation, we witness a full on attack on hard-won, hard-fought freedoms."

The vice president told AFT members that "extremists" are attacking the right to vote and freedom to live safe from gun violence.

"We want to ban assault weapons and they want to ban books. Can you imagine?" Harris wrote. 

She encouraged union members to make their voices heard in November.

"We each in our country face a question, that question being what kind of country do we want to live in?" Harris said. "A country of freedom, compassion and rule of law? Or a country of chaos, fear and hate? The beauty of our democracy is that we each have the power to answer that question when we vote. And when we vote, we make our voices heard."

Harris also offered words of praise for Mr. Biden, who addressed the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday about his decision not to seek a second term.

"Over the past three-and-a-half years and over his entire career, Joe has led with grace and strength and bold vision and deep compassion and as he said, in the next six months, he will continue to fight for the American people," she said.

Harris said his decision to step aside demonstrated "what true leadership looks like."

AFT became the first union to endorse Harris hours after the president's announced his decision to forego his bid for the White House, unanimously voting to throw its support behind the vice president Sunday. 

"Vice President Harris has fought alongside Joe Biden to deliver historic accomplishments and create a better life for all Americans," AFT President Randi Weingarten said in announcing the endorsement. "She has a record of fighting for us — fighting to lower the costs we pay, for reproductive rights, for worker empowerment and to keep communities safe from gun violence. As President Biden said in his endorsement of Kamala Harris, she has his full support to be the Democratic nominee for president. And she has the AFT executive council's support, too."

With 1.8 million members, AFT is the largest affiliate of the AFL-CIO. The union said about 3,500 members and leaders are in Houston for their biennial convention. AFT consists of teachers, school support staff, and higher education staff, among others. 

Harris has secured support from a sufficient number of delegates to become the likely Democratic nominee for president. The Democratic National Committee is expected to hold a virtual roll call vote by Aug. 7. 

Harris' trip to Texas will be her second this month. Earlier in July, she visited Dallas and addressed the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. The last time she was in Houston was in November, when she moderated a conversation with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. 

Mr. Biden, meanwhile, will be speaking Monday at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas.