Vice President Kamala Harris has decided to forgo attending this year’s Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York, a move that breaks with a long-standing tradition for presidential candidates. Instead of attending the white-tie gala, Harris will be focusing her efforts on campaigning in a crucial battleground state. This decision, made less than three weeks before Election Day, signals a strategic campaign shift as the election season intensifies.
The Al Smith Dinner, an annual event benefiting Catholic Charities, is known for bringing together presidential hopefuls from both major parties. It has historically served as a platform for candidates to display bipartisan camaraderie and engage in lighthearted humor, often at their own expense or that of their opponents. The dinner provides a unique setting where political rivals can momentarily set aside their differences for a charitable cause.
However, Harris’s team has prioritized campaign activities in swing states that are expected to be pivotal in determining the outcome of the election. According to a campaign official who spoke anonymously, allocating Harris’s time to these battleground states is deemed more valuable than participating in the New York City dinner. New York is a reliably Democratic stronghold, making campaign appearances there less crucial compared to more competitive states. The official also conveyed that Harris’s team communicated to the dinner organizers her willingness to attend the event in the future, should she be elected president.
The tradition of presidential candidates attending the Al Smith Dinner dates back to 1960 when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy both participated. Since then, it has become a regular stop for those seeking the nation’s highest office. The dinner, named after Alfred E. Smith, a former New York governor and the first Catholic nominated for president by a major party in 1928, emphasizes the potential for civility and unity even amidst political competition. It raises substantial funds for Catholic charities and underscores a sense of shared purpose among political leaders, at least for one evening.
Interestingly, there have been instances where presidential candidates have chosen to skip the dinner. In 1996, the Archdiocese of New York reportedly disinvited President Bill Clinton and his Republican challenger Bob Dole due to Clinton’s veto of a late-term abortion ban. This demonstrates that while tradition holds weight, political considerations and sometimes controversies can override participation.
In the 2020 election cycle, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, who is Catholic, addressed the Al Smith Dinner, although it was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tone of the event was notably different that year, with the usual jokes replaced by appeals to Catholic voters amidst the ongoing health crisis and economic uncertainty.
Notably, Donald Trump’s 2016 appearance at the Al Smith Dinner is remembered for a less than convivial atmosphere. While he began his speech with customary lighthearted jabs, his remarks soon turned sharply critical of Hillary Clinton, leading to boos from the audience who felt his attacks were overly harsh and inappropriate for the charitable and supposedly unifying event. His comments about Clinton being corrupt and allegedly harboring animosity towards Catholics were particularly poorly received.
As for this year’s dinner, scheduled for October 17th, it remains to be seen whether Donald Trump will attend. His campaign has not yet responded to inquiries about his plans. Meanwhile, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a prominent figure at the dinner, has been a vocal critic of the Democratic party, adding another layer of political context to Harris’s decision to skip the event this year. Her absence underscores the intense focus on electoral strategy as Election Day approaches, even if it means setting aside established political traditions.
