The announcement in Arizona follows an earlier pledge to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet.
Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Oct. 11 that she intends to form a bipartisan advisory council if elected president in the November election. Harris said the move stems from a desire for a “strong, two-party system.”
“I love good ideas, wherever they come from,” she said.
The announcement was prefaced by Harris repeating that she intends to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet, a statement she first made during an Aug. 29 interview.
Harris said she welcomed the diversity of viewpoints, and did not mind having her ideas challenged, “because the best ideas will survive those challenges.”
“You know, the way that I like to lead, I bring folks in my office all the time, and they know I don’t want any ‘yes’ people,” Harris said.
Harris’s comments came at a campaign rally in Arizona, where some polls show she is neck-and-neck with former President Donald Trump. According to a recent poll by the Wall Street Journal, Harris is up by 2 points and has managed to erode Republican support for Trump in that state.
Trump holds only 88 percent of the GOP vote, and Harris has netted 8 percent. That sword doesn’t quite cut both ways: Harris has 96 percent of the Democrat vote in Arizona.
Trump has announced he will hold a rally in Prescott Valley’s Findlay Toyota Center on Oct 13.
Arizona was also the home of the late Sen. John McCain, who was often at odds with Trump, but whom Harris praised at her rally as “an incredible American hero.”
“John McCain stood on principle. He stood on a belief in the importance of patriotism, of sacrifice, of what we stand for as a country.”
Harris told the crowd that after a particularly heated exchange between herself and McCain over a judicial nominee, he greeted her during a floor vote saying, “Kid, come over here … you’re gonna make a great senator.”
Harris also praised McCain for casting the tie-breaking vote to save the Affordable Care Act in 2017. His son, Jimmy McCain, endorsed her for president in September.
As the final weeks before the election dwindle away, the race for independent voters in the all-important swing states becomes more and more crucial. Polls differ as to which candidate holds an edge; Michigan could hinge on the outcome in just six counties.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.