Vice President Kamala Harris returns to Nevada on Tuesday for her sixth visit to the crucial state this year. It is her 14th visit since taking office and her first since some leading Democrats began openly debating whether she should replace her running mate at the top of the ticket.
Against that extraordinary backdrop, Ms. Harris is expected to keep the focus on the race as it stands. She will lay out the stakes of the election between President Biden, 81, and former President Donald J. Trump, 78, in a speech in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
But while some Democrats — shocked by Biden’s disastrous performance on the debate stage last month — are urging him not to run for re-election or questioning his ability to serve a second term, Ms. Harris is perhaps in the spotlight the most since becoming vice president.
“It becomes a microscope or a magnifying glass,” former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat who is supporting Biden’s reelection, said in an interview. “People are looking for some indication from her, some signal, if there was one, that something might change.”
Biden, who was already trailing in the polls in swing states before the debate, has become increasingly determined not to drop out of the presidential race, and some key Democrats have this week emphasized their support for him. Ms. Harris has backed him every step of the way, making a clear case for his candidacy and tirelessly promoting the administration’s record at events and in media appearances since then.
But that hasn’t stopped the internal party battle over the future of the ticket, less than four months before election day.
Some Democrats, including members of the Democratic National Committee, have already said that if Mr. Biden were to step aside, there should be an open and competitive process to determine the party’s nominee. Others have said that in that scenario, the party would need to unite quickly behind Ms. Harris.
“I don’t want to see an open convention — it just drags it out, it confuses Democrats,” said Rep. Dina Titus, a Nevada Democrat whose district includes parts of Las Vegas. “Let’s get this sorted out. And letting her get up would be the easiest way to go. But for now, I hope the ticket remains Biden-Harris.”
Ms. Harris is expected to launch her campaign on Tuesday, while simultaneously trying to refocus the nation’s attention on Trump.
She will speak at a campaign event focused on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. Ms. Harris, the first woman and the first woman of color to hold the vice presidency, has played a key role in trying to shore up support among key Democratic constituencies, including young people, women and black voters, who have lagged in enthusiasm.
Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, a founding member of the national progressive network Way to Win, said that raising Ms. Harris’s profile would be crucial for her party at this point, regardless of Mr. Biden’s future.
“We are not advocating for Biden to resign, but our position is that regardless of the outcome, we should support Vice President Harris because she is part of the ticket,” she said. “By focusing on her, we help the voters we struggle with in general.”
Ms. Harris has her hands full in Nevada, where Trump generally has a good reputation. poll advantage in recent studies.
“She plays well in the Hispanic community and with young people,” Ms. Titus said. But, she added, “she’s here to support the ticket, not to run on her own. And I think she’ll be seen that way.”
