CHICAGO — Vice President Kamala Harris’s allies in the business community are making a private pitch to CEOs about why they should support her over former President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.
At parties and private gatherings During the Democratic National ConventionCorporate executives close to Harris told CNBC they are delivering a message tailored to major players in finance, technology and law.
Their argument is that a Harris presidency would be good for business because she wants to create a strong economy that helps the middle class. They also argue that a Harris administration would provide businesses with a degree of certainty on the policy front that a Trump White House would not have, the people said.
Individuals involved in this effort were granted anonymity in order to describe private conversations.
At a Tuesday event for tech executives and Democratic lawmakers in New York, the conversation revolved in part around how to woo major tech players to support Harris, including those who align more closely with the Republican Party than with Democrats. Among the guests was Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
The party was at the Bunker in Chicago, and was organized by Tech:NYC, a tech industry group that lists Bloomberg, Google, MetaUnion Square Ventures and Yahoo as founding members.
Another topic that has been coming up repeatedly this week is what positions might need to be filled in a potential Harris administration.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., called businessman and longtime Harris ally Charlie Phillips on Wednesday at The Peninsula Chicago, telling him she thought he should have a job at Harris’s Treasury Department.
And when that speculation turns to Treasury secretaries in a potential Harris administration, one name being discussed within Harris’s circle at the conference this week is JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, according to a person familiar with the matter.
A JPMorgan Chase spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the speculation.
Any support from CEOs could provide another boost to Harris’s already massive campaign war chest. Harris’s campaign raised more than $200 million in July and had nearly $220 million on hand as of August, according to new Federal Election Commission records.
Charles Myers, a Harris fundraiser and Evercore vice chairman, hosted a meeting of about 60 executives and CFOs on Tuesday at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, according to an attendee.
The committee included Harris campaign adviser Jane Sperling and Rebecca Patterson, the former chief investment strategist at investment giant Bridgewater Associates, according to the person.
“The committee’s message was that Trump’s economic plan to raise tariffs and undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve would seriously reduce” existing trade deals between the United States and its allies, the person explained.
Trump said that if he returned to the White House, he would seek the minimum. 10% tariff on goods From all over the world. It is also He said That “the president should at least have a say” in setting interest rates, a potential challenge to the Fed’s independence.
A similar committee was chaired by Blackstone Vice President Tom Nides, according to an attendee. Pictured here are Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.
Harris is “more interested in working with business and labor side by side,” Pritzker said in a separate interview with Bloomberg. It happened In the agreement. “American companies are curious, open and interested in working with us, and they will seize this opportunity.”
The ongoing lobbying campaign to win Harris’s corporate support comes after her campaign released the first parts of Harris’ economic policy plan last week.
The plan includes a goal of creating 3 million new affordable housing units, a federal ban on “price-gauging” in the grocery industry, and a $6,000 tax credit for families with newborns.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Harris’ plan would do just that. Lift the deficit Nonprofit budget hawks say in a new report that they will hit $1.7 trillion over the next decade.
Following the report, Harris proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% to help pay for her proposals.
Congressional strategists and Democrats are well aware that in order to implement Harris’s economic plan, Democrats must have majority control in both the House and Senate.
Helping Democrats flip the House was the goal of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Tuesday.
There, lawmakers told potential donors that if they hoped to see any of Harris’s plans become a reality, they should help Democrats retake control of the House, according to a person who was present at the meeting.
