Harris allies with top anti-Trump Republican ahead of Fox News interview with Bret Baier

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. (AP) — As she ramps up her efforts to bring disgruntled Republicans to justice in her battle with former President Trump for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris took a two-pronged approach Wednesday.

The Democratic presidential candidate joined more than 100 anti-Trump Republicans in battleground Pennsylvania, including one of the most vocal and visible, former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

Following her campaign rally at the historic park where George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas Night 1776 – a turning point in the Revolutionary War – the vice president will sit down for an interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier on “Special Report” at 6 p.m. ET.

With less than three weeks until Election Day, Harris and Trump are in a race for margin of error in the key swing states.

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Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, speaks at a campaign event with top Republican supporters of her campaign at the White House in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, on October 16, 2024 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

While Trump continues to have major influence in the GOP, a small portion of Republicans supporting Harris could have an important impact in what is likely to be a marginal race in battleground states.

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Kinzinger, who flew as a pilot in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and later served as a conservative member of Congress for a dozen years, had a prominent speaking role at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August when Harris gave her acceptance speech for the nomination.

Kinzinger was one of only two Republicans who served on a special committee organized by House Democrats to investigate the attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters aimed at preventing Congress from certifying the 2020 election.

Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois speaks at the Democratic National Convention on August 22, 2024 in Chicago. (Paul Steinhauser-Fox News)

The other was former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the once-rising conservative star among House Republicans who emerged as a leading GOP fighter against Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Biden.

Cheney formally endorsed Harris when the two joined forces at a campaign rally in the swing state of Wisconsin two weeks ago.

The vice president was also joined on Wednesday at her event in Bucks County – a key swing county north of Philadelphia – by former Republican Reps. Barbara Comstack of Virginia, Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania, Mickey Edwards of Oklahoma, Denver Riggleman of Virginia and Chris Shays Connecticut, David Trott of Michigan, as well as former Georgia Gov. Geoff Duncan, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and former advisers who served in the Trump administration.

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As she did at her event with Cheney, Harris emphasized the importance of patriotism and upholding the Constitution in a bipartisan call to put country above party in this election.

“Anyone who recklessly tramples on our democratic values ​​like Donald Trump, anyone who actively and violently obstructs the will of the people and the peaceful transfer of power like Donald Trump… must never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States.” , Harris emphasized two weeks ago as she stood at the podium with Cheney.

The co-hosts of “The View” praised former Congresswoman Liz Cheney for her support of Vice President Kamala Harris. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Cheney's father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, has also endorsed Harris.

Harris is also endorsed by more than 200 alumni who served in both Bush administrations or worked for the late Senator John McCain and Senator Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidates in 2008 and 2012, respectively. She is also endorsed by more than 100 former Republican officials of national security and other prominent Republicans.

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Following Wednesday's event, the vice president is expected to sit down with Baier for about 25 to 30 minutes around 5 p.m. ET, about an hour before “Special Report” airs live.

“We’re going to let it run uninterrupted and unedited the whole time,” Baier said on the eve of the interview.

The vice president's first formal interview on Fox News will give her a chance to speak directly to viewers across the ideological spectrum who don't typically watch rival cable news networks CNN and MSNBC.

“Special Report” is consistently one of the most-watched shows on cable news, and in the show's “Common Ground” segment, political leaders from the other side discuss the issues of the day in an effort to find a compromise.

“We have many eyes. We have Democrats, independents and Republicans,” Baier said. “We have the largest cable news audience. And that will probably get a lot more attention. I think harsh but fair is what I said. And I think that’s what they’re going to see.”

Harris largely avoided interviews after replacing President Biden in the 2024 Democratic nomination in mid-July. Her first formal sit-down interview with CNN didn't happen until late August. However, she has increased her media appearances in recent weeks, including interviews with CBS News' “60 Minutes,” ABC's “The View,” late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert, radio host Howard Stern and numerous podcasts. Most of these encounters were perceived as friendly interviews.

However, Baier's interview on Fox News could fuel the impression that the vice president is ready to face tough questions in the final stretch of the campaign.

“She knows there will be difficult questions. She can handle it,” veteran Democratic strategist and communicator Chris Moyer told Fox News. “Going through that process and dealing with it puts you behind enemy lines a little bit.”

Harris will be the first Democratic presidential candidate in eight years to do an interview on Fox News, as Hillary Clinton spoke to Chris Wallace in 2016.

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Harris' top deputies – including governors. Gavin Newsom of California and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, as well as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — made high-profile appearances on Fox News this summer and fall.

Additionally, Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota was interviewed on “Fox News Sunday” over the past two weekends.

Former President Donald Trump joined Fox News' Harris Faulkner for a town hall on “The Faulkner Focus” and answered questions from female voters in Georgia. (“Fox & Friends”)

The meeting between Harris and Baier took place on the same day that Fox News released a broadcast Town Hall with Trumpwith the former president answering questions on topics such as abortion and child care in front of an all-female audience.

The show, recorded Tuesday in battleground Georgia, aired Wednesday morning on “The Faulkner Focus.”

Get the latest updates on the 2024 election, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital Election Center.